Help Avoiding Laminitis in Horse's and Ponies
A word that strikes fear into every horse owner’s heart the world over. Laminitis is not something to be taken lightly. If you haven’t experienced its awfulness, you’re almost certain to know a fellow horse owner who has.
There are many myths relating to laminitis, which is why sometimes – despite our best efforts – laminitis becomes an unfortunate reality for our horses.
At Discount Equestrian, we have all been affected by laminitis in one way or another. So, through this blog post, we hope to help you understand a little more about this devastating disease and how to prevent it.
Just before we go ahead and explain what laminitis is, in case you aren’t aware of the differing aspects of your horse’s hoof, we’ve found a great illustrative image and explanation of hoof anatomy here (don’t scroll to the end of the page if you’re squeamish!): https://www.intechopen.com/books/veterinary-anatomy-and-physiology/the-anatomy-histology-and-physiology-of-the-healthy-and-lame-equine-hoof
Laminitis is an acutely painful disease that can affect horses, ponies, donkeys, and mules. In fact, it is one of the most significant causes of equine lameness in the UK. Whilst research is still ongoing as to the exact cause, laminitis results in an inadequate blood supply to the protective tissues deep within the hoof, which leads to the weakening of laminae due to the damaged bond between the dermal (inner layer) and epidermal (outermost layer) laminae. This bond is the only support for the pedal bone, therefore when this support is weakened or damaged, the pedal bone shifts from its natural position – causing major instability that leads to severe lameness and intense pain. See our Pain Relief & Support supplements for help with this.
Although the exact cause of laminitis is unknown, here are a few situations that studies have shown link directly to an attack of laminitis:
* Obesity
This can be caused by the over-feeding of calorie-rich food, grazing on fertilised cattle pasture, lack of exercise, and misunderstanding of equine management. Every horse is an individual, so we advise contacting your vet, farrier, a riding instructor, and an impartial, qualified nutritionist (not one associated to a specific feed company), to help you create a feeding and fitness plan to help your horse stay a healthy weight to lessen the risk of laminitis. We do understand that it can be difficult to determine whether your horse (or donkey) is overweight for their type, so here’s a helpful guide to condition scoring, with downloadable condition score charts you can put up in your tack room: https://www.redwings.org.uk/body-condition-scoring?gclid=Cj0KCQjwoub3BRC6ARIsABGhnybz4cCO5JvTSXx8zE3AzB7wt5Y-xnaGYQ63P3KdD4UokrC-PplezB4aAj3OEALw_wcB
* Stress
Surprisingly, stress has been determined as a major factor in the development of laminitis. Examples of stresses that have been found to play a role in laminitis include overworking unfit horses, separation from a friend, and travelling for extended amounts of time in hot or cold conditions.
* Mechanical Trauma or Concussion
Examples of mechanical trauma/concussion include fast or prolonged work on hard surfaces, improper shoeing or hoof trimming, and lameness that forces your horse to exert more stress on their other limbs.
* Hormonal Changes
Health conditions, such as Cushing’s Disease, that cause hormonal imbalance are recognised by vets as common precursors to laminitis.
* Corticosteroids
Especially dangerous when administered to overweight horses, corticosteroids have been known to increase the risk of laminitis exponentially.
* Toxaemia
Bacterial, viral, plant, chemical, and fungal toxins have been recorded as a prerequisite to laminitis. For example, health issues that involve toxicity in horses are colic (particularly after surgery), pneumonia, and diarrhoea.
Further information can be found by visiting The Laminitis Trust website: http://www.laminitis.org/laminitis.html
You’ll be glad to read that there are actions we can take to prevent an attack of laminitis. Here are just a few of them:
* Managing Diet & Exercise
As previously mentioned, we advise contacting an impartial nutritionist, vet, farrier, and riding instructor to help you manage your horse’s diet and exercise regime in a healthy, sustainable way.
You can look out for The Laminitis Trust logo on feed bags, because it indicates that food is suitable for horses prone to laminitis.
Horse Feed Supplements for Laminitis Prone Horses
As well as looking for a logo, there are other feeds formulated specifically for the laminitis prone, such as TopSpec® AntiLam™, Spillers® Happy Hoof™ and Baileys® No.14 Lo-Cal Balancer.
There are also many General Supplements and Feed Balancers available to supplement your Horses diet, ensuring while you are limiting feed, excess proteins and sugars, your Horse is still getting important vitamins and minerals.
* Managing Grazing
Limited turnout times can help you better control your horse’s calorie intake. However, it is worth noting that some horses have a tendency to gorge themselves when they’ve realised they only have a limited turnout time!
You could utilise electric fencing to separate sections of grazing pasture, to restrict access to large areas of calorific grazing. We stock electric fencing supplies from well-known brands including Agrifence® and Corral®. If you’ve never used electric fencing before, we suggest the Corral® Electric Fencing Paddock Starter Kit and Agrifence® Warning Signs.
If it isn’t possible to restrict your horse’s grazing, we advise using a grazing muzzle. Discount Equestrian stock grazing muzzles such as the JHL® Comfort Grazing Muzzle, Hy® Muzzle with Fleece, and the Roma® Grazing Muzzle.
* Regular Farrier Visits
It is imperative you have an experienced, qualified farrier take care of your horse’s hooves on a regular basis. They have the expertise to advise you of the best management practices to prevent laminitis.
If you’re worried your horse may have laminitis, here are a few of the signs to look out for:
* Digital Pulse
This pulse is usually subtle, though if your horse has laminitis, this pulse can be clearly identified. For a useful guide on how to check your horse’s digital pulse, you can visit: https://www.severnedgevets.co.uk/blog/how-spot-treat-laminitis
* Lameness
Could be in one hoof, though appears in both front hooves in most cases. If your horse has laminitis, they appear to have a pottery gait and shift their weight onto their heels.
In extreme cases, your horse may stand with their hind legs positioned well underneath their body, to take weight off their painful front hooves.
Reluctance to move can be a characteristic of laminitis too.
If you’re concerned your horse may have laminitis, please call your vet immediately!
