Preventing Nutrient Deficiencies in Foals
Anna Pesta Dunaway, PhD
March 31, 2025
Learn how to feed growing horses correctly to avoid developmental orthopedic disease.
Learn how to feed growing horses correctly to avoid developmental orthopedic disease.
A forage-based, total mixed-ration cube fed free choice supported weanling growth rates without increasing DOD cases.
The number and severity of lesions present could impact a horse’s future racing performance.
Adjusting what a horse consumes can help prevent or squelch some equine ailments.
Proper nutrition, of course, is a critical factor in raising a healthy, sound foal–both for the broodmare before the foal is born as well as for the mare and foal throughout the foal’s development.
Many methods have been used to straighten crooked limbs on foals, and in the past staples placed across the “long” side’s growth plate have received somewhat mixed reviews. However, some researchers suggest that this was due to poor staple choic
Measurement of osteocalcin (a marker of joint metabolism) in 2-week-old foals might be useful for identifying foals at risk for developing osteochondrosis.
Osteochondrosis (OC) is a developmental orthopedic disease that results from a
The way you feed young horses could help them develop strong, properly formed bones and joints.
A group of veterinarians gathered at the Land O’ Lakes Purina Mills headquarters in St. Louis, Mo., last fall to participate in discussions on subjects that ranged from Cushing’s disease to proper nutrition for horses young and old. Nicholas Frank,
Dietary management can work like magic for specific equine diseases.
Horse breeders have long known that problems can develop in the bones of young horses as they grow. The term developmental orthopedic disease (DOD) was coined in 1986 to encompass all orthopedic problems seen in the growing foal and has become
Someday veterinarians might be able to take a horse’s blood sample, analyze its makeup to predict his future bone and joint health, and simply prevent the problems that are likely to arise. In late 2005, 20 leading joint researchers that are likely
Developmental and traumatic joint injuries are a significant problem in Thoroughbred foals. These injuries, such as osteochondritis dissecans (OCD) and fetlock joint lesions, often require costly medical treatment or surgical repair.
A seminar for veterinarians on developmental orthopedic disease (DOD) in horses and ways it can be controlled through feeding and management practices was presented by Dan Burke, PhD, director of equine nutrition for Buckeye Nutrition, on Feb. 9
Your young horse is growing up. From birth to age two, a horse will achieve 90% or more of his full adult height. But growing up too fast can cause problems, including an increased risk of developmental orthopedic disease (DOD), which includes which includes several skeletal problems in growing foals.
The studies have been done, the jury is in, and the verdict is unanimous: if you want your foals to achieve their optimum growth, with the least risk of developmental orthopedic disorders like contracted tendons and physitis, plan to creep feed”he studies
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