The Diagnosis is Equine Laminitis
You have been told that your horse has laminitis. This page tries to answer some of the questions you may have, but only general comments can be made and it is very important that you discuss the case in detail with the veterinary surgeon who is treating your horse.
Laminitis Advice
How to Recognise Laminitis
Symptoms usually seen include:
Increased lying down.
Shuffling/stilted walk.
Shifting weight from hoof to hoof.
Leaning back on heels.
Raised digital pulses (increased strength of pulse of the arteries at the fetlock).
Unable to pick up feet.
Hot hooves (can be a very unreliable sign).
In acute founder/sinker, when the pedal bone rotates and drops, a depression can be felt at the coronary band.
In severe cases, laminitis may present with your horse sweating, groaning, being reluctant to move and with increased breathing and heart rate. These cases can sometimes be confused with colic, foaling or tying up (azoturia).
How should I feed my horse?
If your horse is overweight, that is you cannot easily feel its ribs, or it may have a crest on its neck, it must start on a gradual but rigid diet.
A suggested diet is chopped alfalfa, chopped straw, and hay. A handful of grass nuts, or a few apples or carrots may be added for variety. Bran is not recommended.
For example:
An overweight 13.2 hand pony may need only 2 lbs alfalfa and 1½ lbs hay twice a day and nothing else than a bucket of clean water.
If your horse is not overweight, be advised by your veterinary surgeon as it will need more feed than above. Your veterinary surgeon may have to do tests to try and discover why your horse has suffered this attack of laminitis.
To check that your horse is keeping to the correct weight, use a tape measure around the girth every 4 to 6 weeks.
Your veterinary surgeon may prescribe your horse Arquel granules, a very potent anti-inflammatory and pain killing drug to ease your horse’s discomfort. This is a palatable drug which can be mixed with your horse’s feed. It only has to be given once daily. Specialised supplements are available to optimise the horn growth and quality. Be advised by your veterinary surgeon.
How should I stable my horse?
Move your horse to a large deeply bedded stable where it can lay down. If the stable is some distance away move the animal by trailer rather than force it to walk. Do not use straw for bedding, as most horses and ponies will eat the bed. Use deep, whitewood shavings or paper. Keep the bed clean and dry. Keep the horse’s feet clean with a hoof pick and brush, do not let bedding ‘ball up’ in the feet. Do not use hoof oil, Stockholm tar etc. on the walls nor the soles.
Should I exercise my horse?
This depends on the advice from your veterinary surgeon but generally speaking no, never force exercise the animal.
Normally your horse should not be walked out until he can move quite freely around his stable. At this time begin by walking the horse out in hand only short distances. Do not walk unshod animals (other than on a short lawn) as the feet will bruise on hard or rough going and the animal will become lame again.
What caused my horse to get laminitis?
At present no one knows exactly how laminitis is caused. We do know a number of circumstances that are commonly associated with the onset of the disease, avoidance of these predisposing factors will prevent the majority of laminitis cases occurring.
1. Obesity. Animals that are overweight ie, in show condition, need far less by way of change of diet or reduction in exercise to suffer an attack of laminits
2. Over-eating of a rich diet eg. a) rapidly growing or fertilised grass, b) hard feed grains.
3. Following a condition which has made the animal systematically ill eg, retaining the afterbirth following foaling, hepatitis, diarrhoea, pneumonia or following surgery for colic.
4. Weight bearing laminitis. If an animal is severely lame on one leg for any length of time, for example due to a fracture or sepsis, the other leg may founder due to the increased weight bearing.
5. Traumatic laminitis caused by fast or prolonged work on hard surfaces, eg: hunters pounding along hard roads, show jumping ponies and racehorses on summer hard ground.
6. Pituitary neoplasia. Laminitis is often associated with pituitary gland neoplasia, a tumour affecting a gland situated just beneath the brain. These animals are usually aged and often have long shaggy coats, they may eat and drink excessively.
7. Stress eg, animals travelling long distances in hot or cold conditions. It does not take much of a stress to cause the disease in high risk animals.
Although any horse or pony of any age, breed or sex can develop laminitis at any time of year, animals which are overweight are more prone to develop the disease. If you prevent your animal from becoming obese and are lucky enough to avoid the other causes listed below your horse should not develop laminitis.
Recovered laminits cases are not more likely than any other animal to develop the disease provided they are fed correctly and their feet are dressed properly and regularly.
There is no evidence that heredity is involved in the incidence of laminitis in the U.K.
How to Prevent Laminitis
Identify individuals at risk and treat the predisposing factor e.g. fat ponies, Cushing’s disease individuals.
Dietary management is very important, especially during ‘at risk periods’ of autumn and spring. These are the periods of greatest new grass growth, which has increased sugar content and higher levels of carbohydrate, putting the horses at higher risk of laminitis. Starvation paddocks and muzzles should be used in ‘good doers’ and native breeds. If your horse eats its bedding, it is also important to keep it on non-palatable bedding to control its calorie intake.