Equine Laminitis is a painful condition of the feet.
The actual word means ‘inflammation of the sensitive laminae’. These laminae
are the membranes that hold the bone of the foot (pedal bone) in place inside
the foot. So when they get inflamed it is as if your horse has to stand on a
very badly bruised fingernail. The pain must be similar to when we shut our
fingers in the car door but it is worse for the horse because he or she has to
stand with all his or her weight on those bruised areas.
The cause of almost all equine laminitis is poor
digestion. When food is not broken down properly in the hindgut of a horse,
acids and toxins are produced which leak into the body and damage blood vessels
throughout the body. When blood vessels that supply the feet are affected in
this way the amount of blood flowing down to the sensitive laminae is reduced
and they become swollen. This swelling or inflammation means that they cannot do
their job of holding the pedal bone in place properly and this results in a lot
of pain. As the situation gets worse and if the flow of toxins is not reduced
then the laminae can be so damaged that the foot bone sinks right through the
sole of the foot and the horse will have to be euthanased. When the foot bone
sinks a little the pedal bone is said to have ‘rotated’.
The sort of food that causes equine aminitis is rich
young spring grass with high levels of fructans. However rich grass can cause
the problem at any time of year and even frosty grass in the winter can damage
the digestion in the gut so much that the wrong sort of bacteria start to
multiply and release toxins. Another cause of equine laminitis is the sudden ingestion
of large amounts of cereal or concentrate feed. Large amounts of such rich food
in the gut cause a lot of acid production and again encourage the growth of the
wrong sort of bacteria.
Food is not the only cause of equine laminitis
however. An increasingly common cause of the disease is a hormonal imbalance
called Cushings Disease (see separate notes). In addition any infection in the
body might produce enough toxins to damage the blood vessels and thus cause
equine laminitis. Womb infections after foaling are a particularly well-known example
of this cause of equine laminitis. In addition pounding of the feet can cause
sufficient damage to the laminae to cause equine laminitis. This form of the problem is
called concussion laminitis. Stress can also make horses more likely to get
equine laminitis (and any other disease).
Medical treatment of digestive equine laminitis by
your vet most commonly involves the use of painkillers or anti-inflammatories
and diet adjustment. There are also antibiotic preparations on the market which
although not absorbed into the rest of the body act on the bacteria in the guts,
reducing the number of harmful ones that cause the acid build up. If you are
using control on the intake of food to manage equine laminitis remember that reducing
food intake means that your horse may not be getting all the best nutrients he
or she needs for proper recovery of the sensitive laminae. This is why equine
laminitis supplements are very important not only for ensuring that your horse recovers
but also to make sure that he or she does not become nutritionally deficient.
Because Equine Laminitis is really a nutritional
problem it is also possible to help horses a lot by using nutritional
approaches. Aloe vera, probiotics and antioxidants can help a lot if used
skillfully with the correct advice.
LINKS TO ORGANISATIONS INVOLVED IN LAMINITIS
REARCH
Equine Veterinary Research Program, Lousiana
State University
Treatment of Laminitis
http://evrp.Isu.edu/06laminitis.htm
A book "Equine Laminitis" by Dr
Christopher Pollitt, University of Queensland.
http://www.bridleandbit.com/story442.htm
Summary of Work - Laminitis Research Group,
Royal Veterinary College, London
http://www.laminitis.org/rvc.html
Laminitis Trust October 2003 Laminitis Survey
http://www.ruralnet.org.uk/~epic/0000E8DA-80000001/BB9FE5AE-017D78A4
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