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Discussion on Heaves and Geographic location
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New Member:
stuart05
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Posted on Wednesday, Nov 19, 2008 - 1:07 pm:
I am wondering if heaves is more common in the southern U.S. than the northern portion. Does hay cut in the north contain fewer irritants/mold spores than southern hay on average? I know it depends on how it is baled but I have a horse with heaves that has lived in 7 states and he never heaved up north(IL,MN,WI,MT). When we have lived in KY, WV and now SC he has had a few significant heave attacks during the warmer months from April through September. Would there be any difference in feeding hay from the north? Also, does it matter what type of hay that is fed, are any types less likely to cause the heave reaction? I'm just curious if any studies have been done or is all hay just as bad for a horse with heaves. I currently feed hay cubes.
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Moderator:
DrO
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Posted on Thursday, Nov 20, 2008 - 8:04 am:
Yes I believe mold associated heaves is a regional phenomena since the conditions that lead to its formation vary region by region. If the hay is put up in an area where low relative humidity's are common I would expect it to have lower mold spore counts. Hays that contain lots of moisture tend to form more mold spores, like alfalfa for instance.
The problem with this conjecture Kim is it takes some general common sense ideas and makes an attempt to apply them to specific cases. The number one factor will the particular conditions that the cutting of hay goes through and this will overweight any of these general principles. You still have to take it a bale of hay at a time.
DrO
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