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The ideal bone and hoof food
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Big Head can be prevented and treated by
correcting the nutritional imbalance. A calcium
deficiency can occur through not enough calcium
in the diet, an imbalance in the calcium to
phosphorous ratio and/or inadequate absorption
of calcium.
The calcium to phosphorus ratio in a horse's diet
should ideally be 2:1 and not drop below 1:1.
When the phosphorous in the diet becomes more
than the calcium it can inhibit the absorption of
calcium and magnesium and cause a deficiency.
Inadequate calcium absorption often occurs
when horses are grazing on pastures that contain
high oxalate levels. Such pastures include buffel,
kikuyu, setaria and green panic grasses. The
oxalate molecules in the grass bind to the calcium
preventing it from being able to be absorbed.
A standard horse requires approximately 20-25g
of calcium per day, with lactating mares and
young growing horses requiring more. This
calcium can be achieved through feeding a
balanced complete feed and/or adding a calcium
supplement to the horse's diet.
If you think that your horse is suffering from Big
Head or is unwell please contact your veterinarian
for advice.
Nutritional Secondary Hyperparathyroidism
(NSH) or more commonly known as "Big Head"
in horses is caused by a calcium deficiency.
The disease is preventable and treatable, but
if not addressed it can be very painful and
subsequently lead to death.
A veterinarian will be able to diagnose Big
Head through physical examination of the
horse and by analysing the horse's feed and/
or pasture they are on. The following are signs
and symptoms seen in a horse suffering from
Big Head which will often become more severe
as the disease progresses:
u Swelling of the facial bones, particularly the
jaw, usually symmetrical on both sides
u Weight loss
u Pain when eating
u Loose teeth
u Lameness, shortened or stiff gait
u Noisy breathing or difficulty breathing from
airway obstruction due to swollen bones
u X-rays can show changes in the bone,
being less dense and having a more
porous appearance.
Big
Head
in horses
