Lawn Mowing Season BEWARE For Horses

Lawn mowing season is here and it can be more dangerous for horses than most people know. Red Rock Equine Veterinary Inc PS/Dr. Rothschild posted the following on Facebook, “LAWN MOWING SEASON BEWARE… Last nights emergency: pumping out 15 buckets of fresh grass clippings from a colicky horse’s stomach!”

Red Rock Equine Veterinary Inc PS/Dr. Rothschild continued, “Fresh Grass clippings should NEVER be fed to horses. Such a common emergency this time of the year! Neighbor mowed the lawn and threw clippings over the fence for the horses to have a treat! Colic, laminitis, diarrhea and death are a possible result for horses eating a pile of clippings. The center of that sugary pile of grass quickly ferments especially during warm days and because it’s chopped so finely horses tend to gorge on it ingesting large amounts without barely chewing on it. Suddenly fermentation continues in their stomachs and they become gassy and colicky. Some survive the colic but lose the battle to the laminitis which often develops a few days later from the large and fast ingestion of all the sugar. Most horses that eat clippings and become a nightmare emergency were voluntarily fed the clippings by someone that had the best of intentions and thought were doing a nice thing. So make sure your neighbours and co-boarders know how dangerous this can be. Even post signs if necessary. Rake clippings when mowing the lawn or pastures or leave horses off of them for several days for it to dry-up if removing them is not possible. If you find out your horse ate a bunch of clippings don’t waste time and call your vet right away.”