We have finally had some rain. And March is here. While driving around the country, you can see green grass coming up in most fields. This is a great site for all cattle and horses. We have all depleted our hay stores and I am sure everyone is getting tired of feeding hay.
Along with this green grass coming up, come a few problems. Cattle can get grass tetany and horses can founder on it.
As grass, (fescue) grows up; it is loaded with carbohydrates, which become a problem for horses. Their system can not handle the metabolism of all those sugars. Then a toxin is released from the gut which constricts blood flow to the hoof. With reduced blood flow to the hoof, we get a lack of nutrients to the hoof wall. With a lack of nutrients to the hoof wall, we start getting a separation of the laminae, (in other words, laminitis). Laminitis is also called founder. It is just like doing finger tip push ups while someone is trying to pull your fingernails and toenails off. This is the pain these horses have to endure.
The way to treat these is medically, to relieve pain and increase blood flow, while mechanically helping the blood flow with hoof trimming and shoeing.
Now cattle, while they can also founder, it is not quit as bad in the ruminant animals. Their pain will not show up for 6-8 weeks, while in horses it shows up immediately. But, more life threatening is the grass tetany. Grass tetany is actually hypomagnesaemia. Hypomagnesaemia is nothing more than low blood magnesium. But, we will also have low magnesium in the central nervous system, which is why they act crazy. I have been charged by many of these animals over the years and believe me, they mean to hurt you.
Magnesium is needed for the body and nervous system to work correctly. Besides our pastures being low in mag the fescue plant itself will also tie it up so that it is unavailable for the cattle to metabolize. Treatment is of course to IV a mag solution to them or somehow get the blood level back to within normal limits. This is why we are all so intent in keeping our mineral program in the proper balances, especially this time of the year.
I recommend a 10 percent mag mineral being fed from Christmas until May or at least until after the flush of grass is over. Then from May until Christmas feed a 2 percent mag mineral. This type of mineral program should take care of grass tetany and its problems.
Dr. Tim E. O’Neill, DVM, owns Country Veterinary Service in Farmington, Ark.
