"Laminitis" the iPhone App was created to provide horse owners with a practical tool to help monitor weather conditions in a way that can be used to warn when grazing on grass posses an increased risk to horses prone to laminitis.
Local weather conditions are monitored and are used to predict the rise and fall of non-structural carbohydrates (NSCs) in grass. When the predicted NSCs increase, this is shown as a rise in risk.
Under extreme weather conditions grass can become stressed and in these circumstances significantly increase the risk of a horse becoming footy or suffering a laminitic episode. When this type of weather pattern happens the risk gauge will rapidly increase to High and maintain this level until the NSC and grass stress levels are predicted to have lowered again.
Today, laminitis is a huge problem for horses all over the world and is one of the most common causes of lameness. With the help of this app as an educational tool it is hoped that fewer horses will suffer from this condition going forward.
Current Coverage: United Kingdom (England, Scotland, Wales & Northern Ireland), Ireland, France, Belgium
DISCLAIMER
This application is not intended as a replacement for correct animal husbandry or to replace veterinary advice, its role is simply to act as an additional early warning tool to advise when grasses at the location you have selected are likely to be under stress and therefore to have accumulated excess non-structural carbohydrates (NSC, i.e. sugars, starch or fructan) which could significantly increase the risk of a laminitic episode should it be grazed.
This app can give you a warning when the risk of grazing induced laminitis is rising or high. However, individual horses vary widely in their ability to tolerate fluctuations in NSC levels so what is safe for one horse may not be safe for another. In addition, grazing is only one risk factor for laminitis and you need also to be aware of the risks posed by other causes, including toxins, metabolic problems and sugar and starch levels in hard feed, which cannot be measured by this app.