Azoturia

[Kira657]

Since owning my horse she has had 2 bouts of Azoturia,(poor girl) the second being just this weekend, my vet said that sadly some horses are just prone to it,particularly mares, he said there's nothing wrong with her diet of hifi nuts and chaff, anyone else out there had much experience with this horrible "disease" ? I've heard it can be very common in racehorses.

[Cheko]

It's something to do with the kidneys isn't it? A long time ago (60s exactly) one of the horses at the riding school I attended went down with this. It was also called, I seem to recall 'Monday Morning Disease'. Then, there seemed very little vets could do about it. I think it occurs when the horse is worked hard and then suddenly rested. I would have thought now, given how things have progressed, that vets could come up some cure for it now.

[augermoon]

I'm just starting my horse on a high fat, low starch diet which is, in his case, for shivers but is supposedly also very good for azoturia. Too early to comment on how its going yet but if you're interesting in hearing more about it, let me know. LGD on here is also very familiar with the diet so may be able to help if you want to hear more.

[Goldie'sGirl]

Is that not something to do with a build up of lactic acid caused by anaerobic or aerobic ( can't remeber which) respiration? Or am I just being thick? :o
Goldie'sGirl :p

[Kira657]

Yeah it's a build of lactic acid on the muscles along the hindquaters causing severe cramp for the horse, in severe cases it makes them sweat really badly and their wee turns red, in this case they need to be seen by a vet and injected with something that makes them more comfortable.There are thought to be many causes, but strenuous exercise after a long rest is one of the causes. Diet is another cause, if the horse is eating more food than it can burn off then that triggers it off aswell. They think mares hormonal changes can be a cause aswell.Augermoon, would be interested to hear how you get on with the diet,thanks!

[DavidH]

Inga has suffered from this in the past. She is on a specific diet and has not had any problems since. Bare in mind she recently did a 3 day event and didn't require a second vet check :D
Saracen feeds do a specific feed for this condition which is what Inga is on. Seems to work extremely well and is non heating.
They have a lot of info on their website


http://www.saracen-horse-feeds.co.uk

[Kira657]

Thanks for that DavidH, do you know what sort of price would i be looking at for this feed? It's sounding as though 'tying up' is definitely more commom in mares!

[DavidH]

I think it is between £10 and £12 per bag. Seems to last a long time. Inga only needs two thirds of a scoop per day to maintain condition and she is in reasonably hard work.
They do sell through local stockists and will give you a list if you ring them (01622 718487). My local stockist is a bit of a trip so i buy direct and they send next day by courier. Adds a bit to the price but not much different if you take in to acount the cost of petrol to fetch it.

[Portia]

Alterations to the cell metabolism (as a result of the build up of lactic acid) may lead to the release of certain proteins into the bloodstream - levels of these proteins can be measured to ascertain the severity of injury.

It is the release of certain proteins that colour the urine - this is indicative of a fairly serious bout of azoturia, and may herald renal damage :eek: in the most severe of cases - if in doubt GET THE VET OUT!!!

I have read that the diets as mentionned above are beneficial in managing tie-up, also vitamin E is thought to limit their recurrence. Hope this helps...

[Lucy J]

my mare was coming out her stable stiff - taking 45mins to warm up - not as severe as an attack of azoturia, but enough for vet to agree with me and to try a high fat low starch diet which seems to have helped (as has 24/7 grass turnout).

[Kira657]

What exactly are you feeding her then?

[Lucy J]

my mare gets hi-fi, original blue chip and high quantities of oil. also just a little sugar beet too, basically staying away from starchy mixes.

[augermoon]

The high-fat, low-starch format is the basis of the diet that Arnie is trying too.

[Kira657]

I've just been on the Spillers site and asked them to make me a diet for my horse by giving them all her info, i'll let you know what they come up with :D
keep the advise coming because i value every bit of info!

[Kira657]

Just had the feed advise sent back from Spillers and this is what they had to say, bearing in mind i was already feeding her hifi cubes and mollassed chaff up until her most recent attack. I gave them all hr details about work load, condition and hours at grass & stable etc:


Thank you for your recent enquiry regarding feeding Kira. I am sorry to hear she suffers from
azoturia.



Spillers High Fibre Cubes are perfectly safe for horses suffering from azoturia as they have such a
high fibre level, and in particular low starch level. What you do need to bear in mind however is that
if Kira finds it hard to maintain weight you are going to have to feed the full recommended quantity,
and you will not be able to cut back on this. For her height and build I would expect her to have
3-3.5kg during winter split into two feeds. At the moment she is probably receiving less than 0.5kg
a day of cubes which is unlikely to maintain her weight.



On top of the Spillers High Fibre Cubes I would suggest adding Spillers Happy Chaff into the ration
which has a light coating of oil, and will be safe for azoturia, whilst helping to boost her weight
further. I would suggest you add at least a scoop of this in each feed in order for her to get the full
benefit. If she still struggles to maintain weight on this I would suggest you also add either corn or
soya oil at a rate of up to 200ml a day. I would also suggest you add a tablespoon of salt into her
ration each day to ensure her sodium and chloride requirements are met, particularly as she suffers
from azoturia.