Laminitis

Laminitis can be a very serious and distressing condtion which can also be very frustrating to treat. Unfortunately, it is also a very common condition we deal with regularly.

A detailed discussion of the disease process itself and all the available treatment is an enormous subject. Indeed research is ongoing worldwide to better understand the processes that go on with laminitis.

It is importantfor horse owners to understand both the triggering factors of laminitis in order that they can be avoided.

CAUSES OF LAMINITIS

The causes of laminitis are numerous and the following list is by no means comprehensive but should serve as a practical guide.

Excessive intake of grass rich in fructans
Excessive intake of grain/high carbohydrate foods
Retained Placenta
Cushing's Disease and Equine Metabolic Syndrome
Drug Induced Laminitis
Severe lameness of another limb can lead to laminitis in the weight bearing foot
Long term repeated concussion (can occur if horse is exercised for very long periods on the hard surfaces such as a road)
Colic/diarrhoea

Excessive intake of grass rich in fructans

This occurs under two scenarios.

Firstly the classic "too much spring grass" and secondly often happens when a hard frost is followed by a bright sunny, but cold morning.

Under these conditions the grass produces fructans, which is a type of sugar, by photosynthesis faster than it can be used up in growth. This results in an accumulation of fructans in the grass which can act as a trigger for laminitis.

Excessive intake of grain/high carbohydrate foods

This results in sudden and severe changes to the bacterial population of the horse's intestine. The altered population subsequently release bacterial toxins into the blood which damage the laminae ultimately causing laminitis.

A horse escaping and finding its way to the feed room is the commonest way this happens but inadvertently feeding the horse twice or simply giving the horse too much concentrate food also occurs

Retained Placenta

After foaling the mare should shed the placenta within a few hours. One of the many complications of a retained placenta is laminitis. Heavy draught breeds are particularly susceptible.

Always call your vet if the foetal memebranes are not passed as many other problems can also occur.

Cushing's Disease and Metabolic Syndrome/Peripheral Insulin Resistance

These are two medical conditions, the former primarily affecting older horses, the latter younger horses, that can result in laminitis.

Signs of Cushing's disease can include:

an excessively hairy coat
failure to shed coat normally
lethargy
drinking/urination excessively
recurrent infections

Metabolic syndrome often has similar signs but is usually associated with obesity in younger horses. Your vet will be able to advise further should you have any concerns.

Drug Induced Lamintis

There is a possibly a link between some drugs, most notably a type of anti-inflammatory called corticosteroids, and laminitis.

However this is a rare occurrence and should your horse require corticosteroids for another condition then that will often outweigh the small risk of inducing laminitis. Your vet will be able to provide more detailed explanation of the risks of using any such drug should the need arise.

Poor conformation/foot trimming

Horses with a low heel and long toe are more likely to suffer from laminitis. This can be due to natural conformation, poor farriery or neglect.

Severe lameness of another limb

If a horse is severely lame on one limb for an extended period of time extra weight is beared on the opposite limb. This can result in laminitis.

This is more a concern for your vet however as any severely lame horse will undoubtedly be under veterinary care. He will take precautions to prevent this as far as possible.

Road founder

An excessive amount of hard work of an unforgiving surface such a road can result in laminitis. This is commonly known as "road founder".

Colic/diarrhoea

Certain types of severe colic and rarely diarrhoea can precipitate an attack of laminitis. However as all types of colic that do not resolve rapidly should receive veterinary attention then this is more a concern for your vet.

SIGNS OF LAMINITIS

Due to the speed with which laminitis can progress and the severe sequelae that can result many regard laminitis as a medical emergency, as important as colic or a bleeding wound.

As an owner the ability to recognise the signs of laminitis will enable earlier intervention and often greatly improve the eventual outcome.

Signs of mild laminitis:

Short stilted gait with a "heel first" footfall
Shifting of weight from one leg to another
Repeated lifting of alternate feet
Gait worse on hard ground/reluctance to stand on hard surface
Often worse when turned sharply
Heat in feet
Increased digital pulses

Signs of severe laminitis:

Acute onset lameness affecting one or more feet, usually both front feet
Reluctance to move
May be impossible to lift feet
Recumbency
Increased digital pulses
Heat in feet

MANAGEMENT OF LAMINITIS

If you have any suspicion of laminitis then the horse or pony should be ideally be placed on a deep shavings bed and given only hay and water whilst you seek veterinary attention.

Many horses, and escpecially ponies, have recurring bouts of laminitis and these owners are experienced at minimising the risks of the disease flaring up, or managing it when it does so.

A full discussion of the treatment of laminitis is out with the scope of this webpage, as there are manhy factors to conisder and any treatment needs to be tailored to the individual animal. However, any treatment regime your vet advises will involve:

the removal of any inciting cause
prescription of various drugs to arrest the process of laminitis and relieve the discomfort
varying degrees of frog support
possibly involving your farrier for preventative shoeing/trimming or remedial farriery invloving special types of horseshoe.

Whilst laminitis remains a common and devastating condition the old adage that prevention is better than cure is one that holds especially true for laminitis. Hence a good knowledge of the commoner triggering factors is essential.

The earlier appropriate treatment is received the better the eventual outcome is likely to be. Knowledge of the signs of laminitis will greatly facilitate this.

A radiograph of a normal hoof

A radiograph of a hoof with laminitis