How to prevent laminitis in horses

The stance of a horse with acute laminitis, trying to get weight off the front feet

Typical stance of a horse with laminitis, trying to get off his front feet

The old adage that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure is especially true of laminitis. Since it’s a given that many horses that develop the condition will be permanently affected – and some will not recover at all – it makes a lot of sense to do whatever you can to keep your horse from developing the problem in the first place.

What is laminitis? It’s a condition affecting the connections of the hoof wall – which is the equine equivalent of your fingernail – to the live tissue underneath. Think of it this way. The hoof is connected to the live tissue underneath in very much the same configuration as is the paper on everybody’s favorite peanut butter and chocolate cup. As far as the horse’s hoof goes, the crinkled edges are layers of tissue; the Latin word for “thin sheet of material” is lamina. And laminitis is a still poorly-defined problem that affects that thin layers of tissue that form these connections.

It’s an awfully big problem because when the connections of the hoof get in trouble, horses have difficulty walking. Their feet hurt. But it get’s worse. If the connections get in so much trouble that they start to let go, the bone in the hoof can separate from the hoof itself. Laminitis is a big deal for affected horses.

Since it’s such a bad problem for horses, it makes a lot of sense to try to prevent laminitis. Of course, there is one big, fundamental, gigantic problem with the absolutely well-intentioned notion that laminitis can be prevented. That big problem is that preventing laminitis is not always possible. I mean, if I were to try to come up with a short list of what should be done to prevent laminitis in every horse, it would look something like this.

1. Don’t ever let them get fat
2. Don’t ever let them get old
3. Don’t ever let them get sick
4. Always take good care of their feet
5. Make sure they never inadvertently get into the feedroom
6. Don’t let them gorge themselves on lush grass pasture

So you can see the problems here. Sometimes, there are things you just can’t do anything about.

ASIDE: I’ve had people ask me – usually at the scene of some accident caused by something like a horse being scared to death by a particularly threatening shadow – if it might not be better to try to keep horses in a padded stall so as to prevent any sort of injury. And I, having at this point seen just all sorts of idiotic things that horses can do to themselves – often with human help – will usually reply something along the lines of, “No, that would be a terrible idea. They’d just eat the padding and colic.”

Anyway, back to preventing laminitis. Another big problem with laminitis is that it’s not a single problem. In fact, it’s not even a disease. Laminitis is not a disease, it’s a clinical sign of a disease. Laminitis can occur because of overeating, uterine infections, being too fat, diarrhea, poor hoof care, pneumonia, endocrine problems, etc., etc. I mean, what other single disease can claim all that physiologic mayhem? It’s not possible to prevent all cases of laminitis any more than it is possible to prevent all causes of pain. Sometimes stuff just happens. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try the best that you can, but it also means that you shouldn’t beat yourself up if something goes wrong.

Seriously, though – which, admittedly, can be a hard place for me to stay in for long – although preventing laminitis is not always possible, there are some important considerations to keep in mind in managing your horse so as to at least increase the likelihood that your horse (and you) will never have to deal with laminitis. In fact, there are quite a few of them. And rather than ask you to read through all of them, I’ve put them into separate documents so that you can print them off and read them at your leisure.

Click on the documents below to get information about various aspects of laminitis prevention.

Not all cases of laminitis can be prevented. Not all cases of pain can be prevented, in your horse, or in you, for that matter. Sometimes your horse is going to step on something. Or twist something. Or bump into something. Pain sometimes happens, no matter how careful you try to be. Laminitis, too.

Here’s an example, No matter how well you take care of a horse with “Cushing’s Disease,” sometimes his hooves are going to get in trouble (laminitis) because of uncontrolled problems with his endocrine system (that is, problems with one or more glands that secrete various regulatory substances known as hormones into the blood). You can’t fix the primary problem with Cushing’s horses – which is associated with aging, which, by the way, is another thing that can’t be fixed – and you can’t prevent the primary problem, either. Nobody know why horses get “Cushing’s,” either. If you can’t fix or prevent a primary problem in medicine, things are ultimately not going to work out very well.

You’ve got your best chance at keeping your horse from getting laminitis if you take good care of him. Laminitis prevention is not to be found in any particular product. And since an episode of laminitis can affect your horse for the rest of its life (assuming he recovers), it’s well worth trying to prevent it. A good prevention program should be a lifelong task. It’s just that it’s not always going to work.

Control your horse’s weight. Don’t think of any particular type of food as bad, but rather consider your horse’s calorie intake overall. As a rough guide, fat and oil are the highest in calories, followed by starch, grass, hay and straw, so obviously you can feed more of the low calorie feeds. Be vigilant all year round and remember that horses are the original yo-yo dieters. They should be thin-ish coming out of winter as they’ve evolved to put weight on in spring.

Weightape him regularly to monitor his condition, and aim for a condition score of 2.5-3 on a scale of 1-5 (0 being emaciated and 5 obese). As a guide, a score of 2 is the thin side of acceptable – and 3 is the plump side of acceptance, so you can feel the ribs but not see them.

Exercise your horse regularly. Turn put doesn’t count as adequate exercise – there needs to be a commitment to active exercise – that means riding, driving, lungeing or long-reining.

According to nutritionists, 24-hour turnout on a paddock with little access to grass is best. Grass may well be full of calories, but if you keep your horses in, he won’t be moving around as much and his metabolism will slow, so use a grazing muzzle or get your lawn mower out, cut the grass – then make sure you rake it up.

Consider the conformation of your horse’s feet and work with a good farrier to keep his hooves in the best possible shape to maintain the pedal bone’s correct position within the hoof capsule.

• Laminitis prevention
• Trigger factors
• Risk reduction
• Support Group

It’s one of the leading causes of lameness in the UK, but thanks to all the research that’s being done, our horses now stand a better chance of surviving a laminitis attack – and avoiding this deadly condition in the first place. Here, we bring you the latest information, research and advice so you can help keep your horse laminitis free.

Know Your Enemy

If you imagine the horse’s pedal bone as a trapeze artist and the 600 or so laminae as the ropes supporting him within the hoof capsule, laminitis attacks these ‘ropes’ causing them to weaken, fray and even snap in extreme cases. Because of this, the pedal bone can drop (known as ‘founder’) and rotate.

The result? Chronic pain and an animal who’s in a great deal of trouble unless swift first aid is applied to support the frog – and, by association, the pedal bone directly above it – and take the pressure off the delicate laminae to let them repair.

A horse who’s suffered an attack in the past is more prone to one in the future, and should the pedal bone drop, or one too many attacks leave the laminae damaged beyond repair, it’s serious news. So serious that experts from the veterinary, farriery, and equine nutritional worlds have invested huge amounts of time and effort trying to pinpoint what puts a horse at risk – and how an attack can be avoided in the first place.

The Biggest Culprit

Rising out from the mountains of laminitis-related research is one simple three -letter word that’s to blame for the vast majority of cases: fat.

For years it was thought to be an inert, ‘cuddly’ tissue, most often wrapped around native ponies’ waists, but research has shown the opposite to be true.

The experts now realise that fat is a toxic, inflammatory protein-producing reservoir, and these toxins circulate in the body, wreaking havoc. In men, the most dangerous type of fat is around the midriff as the proteins produced here damage the heart and blood vessels. But in horses, it’s the fat around the crest of the neck that’s the most dangerous, as the inflammatory proteins produced here prime the animal to develop laminitis.

However, any fat is capable of this. Put simply, a fat horse is predisposed to the condition and less of a trigger factor will be required to tip him into a laminitic state be that an excessive amount of simple sugars in the form of lush or frost-covered grass, the psychological stress of a yard move, excessive concussion to the foot, or some sort of hormonal disease usually Equine Metabolic Syndrome (EMS) or Cushing’s.

It can be useful to explain laminitis in terms of a mountain peak – if your horse is already at the peak of the mountain because he’s fat, then if anything goes wrong he’s tipped over the edge into potential laminitis territory.

A buffer is needed, so if something goes wrong if he breaks out into a field of rich grass for example he only moves up the mountain towards the peak, rather than tipping straight over the edge.

Latest research and expert advice on surviving this leading cause of lameness in horses – and better still, preventing an attack.

What is laminitis?

Laminitis is one of the most serious, crippling disease of horses, ponies and donkeys. Severe, recurring cases of laminitis can reduce a horse’s active life or result in him being put to sleep to prevent further suffering.

Treatment, whether successful or not, can require a lot of time and money, and requires a good deal of energy from the owner for an extended period of time. It’s no surprise, then, that there is plenty of research going into treating this.

What happens when a horse gets laminitis?

Laminitis is a painful inflammatory condition of the laminae, which are supporting, leaf-like tissues that bond the hoof wall to the pedal bone in the horse’s hoof. It can affect any horse, of any age or sex, at any time of the year. And although it’s traditionally considered a disease of fat ponies, laminitis can be triggered by a variety of metabolic or physical causes in any horse.

It’s caused by weakening of the laminae within the hoof, leading to painful tearing of the support structure suspending the pedal bone within the hoof capsule. If laminitis is not treated promptly, the pedal bone can drop (these cases are described as ‘sinkers’) or rotate downwards. Laminitis and founder are not the same. The term founder describes the sinking of the horse’s pedal bone. Laminitis can, but does not always, result in founder.

What are the causes of laminitis?

Despite much research and study, our understanding of laminitis is far from clear. However, it is universally agreed that it stems from a diverse set of processes (including sepsis, endocrine disorders and excessive weight) that results in inflammation of the laminae, which damages the pedal bone’s support structure.

Common causes of laminitis include:

• Excessive intake of grass or grain engorgement – for example, if a horse or pony gets into the feed room.
• After-infection – for example, a mare who has recently foaled and has retained the afterbirth.
• After administration of excessive doses of certain drugs, such as corticosteroids (eg, prednisolone).
• Enlargement of the pars intermedia of the pituitary gland (PPID) or Cushing’s disease.
• High insulin levels such as seen in equine metabolic syndrome.
• Concussion from riding on hard surfaces.
• Excessive weight-bearing on one leg due to severe injury or lameness in the opposite leg.
• Stress from long-distance transport.

Laminitis Community Support

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To prevent laminitis, you need to avoid potential causes of laminitis.

Inflammatory and Overload Laminitis

For most cases of inflammatory laminitis, there is little you can do except perhaps make sure that horses cannot have feeding accidents by keeping the feed room door secured, making sure prompt veterinary attention for any mare who has foaled and retained her afterbirth, or any horse showing signs of severe illness and following general good husbandry guidelines in terms of feeding your horse an appropriate diet, making changes slowing, regularly getting your horse’s teeth checked and deworming your horse according to an appropriate plan. (See also our Colic page)

In some cases your vet might ice the feet while they are in hospital at risk for inflammatory laminitis (Figure 1) as this has been shown to reduce the likelihood of laminitis occurring and also reduce clinical signs in cases where it has already occurred. The ice needs to be changed approximately every 2 hours to keep the feet cool enough, so is reserved for horses in intensive care.

For overload laminitis prevention is aimed at supporting the limb that is bearing more weight as shown in Figure 6. Sadly, most causes of non-weight bearing lameness are accidents and we cannot prevent these.

Preventing Metabolic Laminitis (EMS and PPID)

PPID is a degenerative disorder of old age, much like Parkinson’s disease in humans. It is common, affecting around 1 in 5 horses aged 15 years and older, and also increases in prevalence for every year of age over 15 – so your 30 year olds are much more likely to have PPID than the 15 year olds.

However, it is inevitable that we all age and horses do too, so sadly PPID is no preventable. It is, however, treatable as described above ‘Treatment of PPID’ and on the TAL website.

Preventing Laminitis in Horses and Ponies with EMS

Of course, knowing if your horse has EMS or not is the most accurate way to determine its risk. If your horse is of a native breed or a ‘natural good doer’ (prone to gaining excessive weight) it might be genetically predisposed to EMS. More serious alarm bells should ring if your horse or pony develops bulging areas above his eyes (instead of the hollow that normal horses and ponies have) or develops the hoof changes described above like laminitic rings, dropped soles or separation at the white line (see Signs of Laminitis and What Causes Laminitis?).

If you suspect EMS in your horse, your vet can perform an in-feed or intravenous glucose test (Figure 2) to determine if your horse can tolerate carbohydrates without produce excessively high insulin concentrations that will cause laminitis (see What Causes Laminitis?).

If your horse does have EMS and does not yet have laminitis, then your main laminitis prevent strategy is to keep your horse fit and healthy without allowing it to accumulate too much bodyweight.

How do I keep my horse fit and in ‘good’ condition

Before you start working on keeping your horse trim, it is best to double check you are able to assess your horse’s fat properly. Dr Alex Dugdale from the University of Liverpool has produced Body Condition Scoring in Horses and Ponies that gives details on body condition scoring in horses and ponies which has arisen from her extensive research in this area.

Dr Alex Dugdale from the University of Liverpool has also provided Managing Weight Loss detailing weight loss strategies that you can employ to keep your horse the right BCS to prevent laminitis.

Of course exercise is also important and we must remember, many of our obesity prone horses were selectively bred to be able to exercise for many hours each day for transport, farming or war – so it is little wonder that if we exchange this for a sedentary lifestyle when we are busy at work or doing other important things, that the fat accumulates!

Advice on turn out

If your horse has a metabolic disease, it does not necessarily mean that pasture turnout is never going to be an option for your horse or pony in future. In fact, if your horse has PPID there is often no problem with maintaining a horse at pasture once medical treatment (Pergolide, licensed in the UK as Prascend) has been initiated, but your vet can test for this by measuring his hormone responses to injected or fed sugar. The results of this test will help your vet formulate recommendations about grazing. If your horse shows an abnormal insulin response, the vet may advise that grazing is restricted during higher risk periods like the late summer-Autumn when the pituitary gland is most active.

If your horse has EMS, then depending on how bad your horse’s hormone responses to injected or fed sugar are will determine if it is safe to be managed on pasture. In a research project carried out by the University of Liverpool in collaboration with Edinburgh University all EMS horses were able to be returned to some form of turnout once we had their hormones under control (but not before). The trick is testing the hormones to find out when it is safe to do so.

Most grass pasture in the UK has a high sugar content so turn out on grass can be very dangerous if this is unlimited and when the hormones are out of control. You may need to fence off a small area so you can manage the grazing and create your own ‘bare’ paddock or try the muzzle again. Muzzles should not be able to be removed if fitted properly so perhaps you should seek advice e.g. from your local tack store on how to fit it properly. Just check your horse can drink through it and the fencing is good enough to avoid your horse getting its muzzle caught.

The other thing to remember regarding 100% pastured horses is to use the natural seasons to keep your horse as safe as possible – allowing your EMS horse to lose weight over the winter months is vitally important to ensure the weight gain over spring and summer does not cause laminitis. Think of native ponies – that is how EMS horses/ponies evolved as ‘natural yo-yo dieters’ and to disrupt their winter weight loss by excessive supplementary feeding, rugging and housing is a key factor in causing problems with their hormones.

Figure 1 – I cing the feet of a horse in intensive care for a systemic inflammatory condition can help reduce the likelihood of laminitis occurring and also reduce the clinical signs in cases where laminitis has already occurred

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Figure 2 – P reparing an in feed sugar test – glucose powder is mixed with a small quantity of chaff and feed to your horse. Blood samples are taken just before feeding and 2 hours later to check for insulin concentrations

With laminitis reportedly affecting 1 in 10 horses in Britain these days, it’s important to make sure you understand what can cause the condition and recognise the signs.

Laminitis in horses occurs when the laminae starts to break down, causing the pedal bone to pull away from the horse’s hoof. The laminae is a soft tissue structure that holds the horse’s pedal bone to the hoof. It has a high blood supply and a very high nerve content.

Although laminitis is considered a disease, it can also be indicative of other health issues elsewhere within the horse and could be symptomatic of a compromised immune system, a digestive imbalance or even a hormonal imbalance.

Regardless of the cause, laminitis is a serious and very painful condition that can affect any type of horse, pony or donkey any time of the year, and not just the fat native pony.

However, although laminitis in horses is becoming more common, it is estimated that 80% of cases could be prevented with correct management.

Common causes of laminitis

Overeating and obesity

Overeating on foods rich in carbohydrate or rapidly fermentable fibre (cereals, coarse mixes, rapidly growing or fertilised grass) can be the easiest way to trigger laminitis in horses.

Obesity is still considered the most common cause of laminitis and as an owner you should always aim to keep your horse or pony at no greater than condition score 3. This means they should not have a fat deposit along their crest or at the tail head, around the sheath or udders or over the loins. You should be able to feel their ribs easily by running your hand along their side. In fit or finer horses, you could also just be able to make out the outline on the last couple of ribs.

If it is established that your horse or pony is overweight, one of the first things you can address is the amount of rich food and grazing that is available. Where possible, limiting the grass intake by using a suitable grazing muzzle or providing limit access to grazing is an important place to start, ideally, in a paddock that hasn’t been fertilised. The use of a muzzle will restrict the amount of grass the horse can consume per hour, but will still allow them to graze and consume forage which is vital to the health of the horse.

Where it is not possible to use a muzzle, you may want to consider stabling or arena turnout (or turnout in a bare field). You will have to provide an alternative form of ample forage for your horse or risk other health issues arising (such as colic or ulcers). This could be second cut hay, high fibre haylage, or hay replacement chaff. Whichever you choose, it is vital to ensure enough is provided throughout the day and at intervals to ensure the horse never goes longer than 3-4 hours without access.

As a guide, this is the absolute minimum amount of forage per 100kg of body weight your horse should be getting for each of the different forage options:

We’ve all heard the saying “no hoof no horse” and laminitis in horses is one of the most worrying concerns that many horse owners have.

In this article, I will discuss the main causes of laminitis in horses and how you as an owner can be vigilant to prevent laminitis in your horse.

A crude measure of laminitis is when P3 rotates so that the distance from the hoof wall at X is smaller than at Y. In a normal horse X = Y.

What Is Laminitis In Horses

Before we get into what causes laminitis in horses let’s quickly cover what is laminitis.

Laminitis means inflammation of the laminae of the horse’s hoof.

Laminitis involves the failure of the bond between the hoof wall and the distal phalanx, commonly called the coffin bone, pedal bone, or third phalanx (P3).

Even though it is referred to as inflammation, not all the conditions that cause laminitis are inflammatory in nature.

The bond between the hoof wall and coffin bone is the only thing that stops the horse’s body from effectively falling through its feet. Therefore any compromise to this structure has devastating consequences.

A normal horse hoof

Causes Of Laminitis In Horses

When thinking of how laminitis occurs it is important to think of it more as a clinical sign, rather than a disease in its own right.

It is essential to determine the cause of laminitis so that we can provide the correct long-term treatment strategies.

Essentially, there are three main causes of laminitis: overload, metabolic and inflammatory.

Laminitis Caused By Overload

Horses and ponies are heavy creatures. Anytime they have an injury and must bear weight unevenly there is a huge risk of laminitis due to overload in that weight-bearing limb.

You may have heard of Barbaro, the American racehorse who broke his leg trying to win the famous Triple Crown in America. Overload laminitis is what he ultimately succumbed to, not the severe pastern fracture that he originally sustained.

Overload laminitis occurs when there is unrelenting weight bearing on one leg for a prolonged period.

Laminitis Caused By Metabolic Problems

There are two main types of metabolic causes of laminitis.

One is Cushing’s Disease (pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction – PPID) and the other is Equine Metabolic Syndrome.

Both of these diseases affect the way the body controls carbohydrate metabolism resulting in high circulating levels of insulin.

PPID – Cushing’s Disease

PPID is mainly a disease of older horses.

As horses and ponies age, neurones in the hypothalamus degenerate and produce less dopamine.

Dopamine acts on the pars intermedia, which is responsible for controlling the secretion of hormones including ACTH and cortisol.

If there isn’t enough dopamine produced then these hormones don’t receive any negative feedback and more cortisol and ACTH is secreted than normal.

The higher than normal amount of cortisol affects many body functions.

As well as laminitis, some of the clinical signs associated with PPID include:

• Weight loss
• Ulcers in mouth
• Excessive thirst (i.e. polydipsia)
• Excessive Urination (i.e. polyuria)
• Hirsutism (long, thick coat) and abnormal shedding
• Changes in body shape (e.g., development of large fat deposits along the mane , muscle wasting, and pot-belly)
• Prone to infection and poor wound healing (which may cause cuts and scrapes to take longer to heal)

Pony with classical signs of PPID – hirsutism and fat deposits

Equine Metabolic Syndrome

Equine Metabolic Syndrome is basically a collection of clinical signs such as:

• increased neck and tail head fat deposits
• laminitis – acute and chronic
• obesity
• insulin resistance – high insulin levels with normal blood glucose concentration
• infertility

It has not been determined exactly what causes EMS, although horses that are obese >6/9 body condition score are more prone and there appears to be some genetic predisposition.

It is thought that EMS can predispose horses to PPID. Therefore if you have an EMS horse or pony, you will need to be on the alert for cushings as your horse ages.

Horses and ponies with EMS are very sensitive to soluble carbohydrate feeds such as lush pasture or high-carb hays and supplements. This can lead to bouts of laminitis.

We need to, therefore, be mindful of how much access EMS horses have to these feeds, particularly in spring with lush, new grass and in the autumn when night temperatures get down to freezing.

Laminitis Caused By Inflammation

This type of laminitis is often seen in performance horses on high starch diets, or horses when they get very sick.

One type of inflammatory laminitis is grain overload otherwise known as carbohydrate overload.

In the horse, carbohydrates are supposed to be digested and absorbed in the small intestine. If too much is fed and partially digested grains enter the hindgut, rapid fermentation occurs upsetting the microflora of the hindgut.

These hindgut bugs then die releasing toxins into the bloodstream that cause endotoxaemia. In this situation, blood vessels dilate and the laminae are exposed to mediators that result in laminitis.

Other types of inflammation can result in laminitis:

Sepsis: Retained placenta, pleuropneumonia, peritonitis,

Severe intestinal disease: colic surgery or diarrhoea caused by pathogenic bacteria ie. salmonella

Common to all of these inflammatory diseases is that they affect the whole body. Toxins are absorbed into the bloodstream and then reach the lamellae of the hoof.

Conclusion

Laminitis is a clinical sign of a more far-reaching disease process or overload problem. To treat effectively, we need to work out what is causing the problem first.

Management of the acute signs of laminitis is the same regardless of cause. However, future episodes can be prevented by identifying the cause.

We will discuss how to treat laminitis in a future article.

Best Advice on How To Prevent Laminitis … If you have a laminitic horse or pony or one that is prone to laminitis, never allow your horse or pony to become overweight.

You should be able to feel your horse’s ribs and it should not have a hard crest (see horse neck conformation).

Equine Laminitis

• 1. Introduction
• 1. Cause of Laminitis
• 2. Laminitis Symptoms
• 2. Preventing Laminitis
• 2. Treating laminitis

Should judges of pony showing classes be encouraged to mark down overweight ponies.

Many vets feel that the fashion for grossly fat ponies in the show ring is a major cause of laminitis.

That the traditional ‘well-covered’ standard in showing has probably been taken a little too far.

How to prevent laminitis or manage it?

Watch out all year round for sudden flushes of grass.

And don’t be put off guard in the Autumn.

Make sure your horse or pony has their feet trimmed regularly.

Laminitis Prevention:

• Restrict rich or large intakes of food that may give rise to the problem. This is particularly important for fat ponies which have more pressure on the feet and in all horses that are prone to the problem.
• Your horses diet should also contain supplements and nutrients that are known to help limit laminitic damage and improve digestion of food, helping to prevent the problem.
• Most ponies are safe if they are only allowed to graze for an hour in the morning or an hour in the evening.
• Make use of starvation paddocks to restrict your horses intake of grass and consider using a muzzle to prevent ponies and horses prone to laminitis, eating too much.
• Avoid using your horse on the road and on hard surfaces as this traumatises the feet and may cause a recurrence of laminitis.

Make sure that medical conditions such as colic and other infections are treated quickly as colic and other ailments can result in the release of toxins that may bring on laminitis.

Always ensure that rich concentrated food is locked away and there is no risk that your horse will be able to gorge on them.

Managing laminitis :

At the start of treatment horses are better stabled on a deep clean bed (shavings may be best), which gives support and comfort.

• As your horse improves he can be let out onto an even concrete yard or small starvation paddock with no grass.
• Do not feed any concentrates or allow grazing. Feed only hay or other roughage.
• Your horse should not be starved and adding supplements to any feed will aid the proper recovery of the foot and help the rest of the body.
• Simple hoof growth formulae can be useful. MSM and vitamins and minerals as well as a Laminitis Prone Supplement. Immune support may also help the healing of the damaged tissues within the foot.

Walking too early may make laminitis worse and forcing early exercise may encourage separation of the sensitive laminae.

Wait until things are more stable then try walking on soft ground to encourage circulation.

On-going care of the laminitic horse

• Continue with box rest for at least 30 days or until advised by your vet
• Provide a deep, supportive bed of clean, dry wood shavings or another material that moulds to the underside of the foot.
• Review the horses diet with your vet.
• Pick out and thoroughly disinfect hooves twice a day to avoid any build up of foreign matter.

Laminitic Horse Hoof Care

Hoof care is very important in confirmed cases of laminitis.

Quick removal of shoes may further traumatise the feet and if the sole has already dropped then shoes will make the feet more comfortable by raising the sole off the ground.

Frog support is often important in laminitis cases and temporary padding placed over the frog may provide useful support until x-rays can be done or your farrier consulted.

Once the laminitis has settled down corrective shoeing can restore the natural shape and conformation of the foot.

Both your vet and farrier should work together and trimming should be carried out once a month.

Using x-rays as a guide your farrier will aim to shorten long toes, rasp back the front hoof wall to make it parallel with the pedal bone, remove excessive heel length and fit corrective shoes as required.

In special cases heart bar shoes provide support to the pedal bone through the frog. Glue on shoes or plastic strap on shoes may also help to eliminate trauma.

What causes laminitis, how to recognise it and what to do if your horse shows signs of laminitis.

What causes laminitis, how to recognise it and what to do if your horse shows signs of laminitis.

Laminitis is an extremely painful condition of the feet in which there is inflammation and weakening of the sensitive tissues (laminae) that bond the pedal bone (the main bone within the hoof) to the hoof wall and it can affect any horse, pony, donkey or their hybrids.

The weight of the horse pushing down on these weakened tissues can cause the pedal bone to separate from the hoof wall and rotate or drop towards the sole. In severe cases the pedal bone may penetrate through the sole of the foot. It is an emergency and you must contact your vet immediately if you think your horse might be suffering from laminitis.

Prevention of laminitis is essential whenever possible as once a horse has suffered from it, they are at increased risk of developing it again.

Download our free laminitis leaflet

Download our leaflet to find out more about what laminitis is, how to prevent it and what to do if you suspect your horse has it.

In 2010 World Horse Welfare, alongside Dodson & Horrell, the Royal Veterinary College, the Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies and the University of Liverpool held a series of lectures on the dangers of laminitis.

You can view some of these lectures in the playlist above. The topics covered in these videos are the horse’s foot and how it goes wrong; recognising the early signs of laminitis; managing your laminitic and minimising his pain; using ultrasound to show the difference between fat and muscle and how to fat score a horse.

Not sure how to check your horse’s digital pulse? Watch our video to learn how.

Remember you can always call our Advice Line on +44 (0)1953 497 238.

Head of UK Support Sam Chubbock explains what laminitis is, what causes it and how it can be treated.

Posted on 06/04/2020

Whilst laminitis is a year-round concern for horse owners, we do see quite an increase in calls to our Advice Line (+44 (0)1953 497 238) about it during the spring. So, what is laminitis and how can you best prevent your horse or pony from getting it?

Download our free laminitis leaflet

Download our leaflet to find out more about what laminitis is, how to prevent it and what to do if you suspect your horse has it.

What is laminitis?

Laminitis is an extremely painful condition that can affect any horse, pony, donkey or mule. The first thing to note is that laminitis is a veterinary emergency and you should contact your vet immediately if you suspect your horse might have it. Laminitis causes severe pain and lameness which needs emergency first aid and veterinary treatment.

Laminitis occurs when the finger-like projections of the lamellar layer, which support the pedal bone of the foot within the hoof capsule, become weakened by losing their normal shape. This results in instability of the pedal bone within the foot, potential inflammation and signs of pain and lameness.

What causes laminitis?

Laminitis is usually a consequence of an underlying hormonal disorder and/or an inflammatory condition. Hormonal disorders which contribute to many laminitis episodes include equine metabolic syndrome (EMS) and pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction (PPID, or equine Cushing’s disease). Further details about both disorders are available in our laminitis leaflet.

Inflammatory responses can be triggered by a variety of events or conditions. Such responses can occur after carbohydrate overload – for example, your horse pigging out on spring grass! – or in very sick animals with body-wide septic infections – such as complications after surgery or a retained placenta.

Laminitis can also be a risk in cases where the horse is unable to bear weight on one limb, as the opposite foot will be bearing so much more weight than it should do.

However, it is important to note that the most common cause of laminitis is an underlying metabolic condition.

What are the signs of laminitis?

Common signs of laminitis include:

• Strong/bounding digital pulses felt at the back of the fetlock (check out our video below to find out how to check your horse’s digital pulse)
• Reluctance to walk forward
• Difficulty making a tight turn
• Excessive heat in the feet
• Shifting weight from foot to foot when at rest
• Lameness, stiffness, or a short, stilted or pottery walk, especially on hard ground

How is laminitis treated and managed?

Whilst treatment is very much animal-specific, three general steps include:

• Initial treatment, which involves restricted movement, pain relief and appropriate foot support
• Once stabilised, therapeutic shoeing/trimming as well as diagnosis, treatment and management of any hormonal disorders
• Finally, on-going careful management of your horse’s diet, exercise regime and footcare regime

Your vet and farrier will be able to advise on exactly what your horse needs at each stage. Laminitis is not a disease in itself, it is a clinical sign – which means it’s vital to understand the underlying cause (most often a metabolic condition) and treat that as well.

How do you prevent your horse from getting laminitis?

When it comes to laminitis, the old saying that “prevention is better than cure” is very true. Two large studies funded by World Horse Welfare have identified three important risk factors:

• Recent weight gain more than doubled the risk of laminitis developing
• Horses and ponies with a history of laminitis are more likely to suffer future episodes (which should be treated just as seriously as the first one)
• Foot soreness after shoeing/trimming almost tripled the likelihood of laminitis occurring

Making sure your horse or pony is the right weight is really important when it comes to preventing laminitis – as is avoiding unintentional weight gain. It can be really difficult to notice our horses gaining weight when we see them every day, which is why regular weight monitoring and fat scoring are so important.

Although equine weight tapes aren’t 100% accurate as a means of weighing your horse, if you use one regularly it will tell you if your horse is gaining (or losing) weight – and allow you to adjust his/her management accordingly. You can find out more about monitoring your horse’s weight on our Right Weight page.

Since horses and ponies which have had laminitis previously are at a significantly increased risk of suffering further bouts, being vigilant in your management to prevent your horse from suffering an attack of laminitis in the first place really is the best way to protect them.

You can check out our laminitis leaflet for more information on all of these points. If you have any queries about laminitis (or any other aspect of caring for your horse) please do give our Advice Line a call in office hours on +44 (0)1953 497 238. Remember, if you suspect your horse might have laminitis, please call your vet first!

Download our free laminitis leaflet

Download our leaflet to find out more about what laminitis is, how to prevent it and what to do if you suspect your horse has it.

Can laminitis be prevented?

There are a number of factors to preventing laminitis and while some of them are common sense and good horse care there are a few that might surprise you.

• Don’t overfeed – While not a cause, obesity can increase your horse’s chance of developing laminitis. Feeding your horse little and often is always the best, it’s more akin to how they eat in the wild.
• Try to avoid too much sugar – If your horse is eating a lot of sugar-rich grass (during the spring for example) this can make the chances of the suffering laminitis higher because it’ll spike his insulin levels.
• Maintain a good exercise program – A regular exercise regimen will help to prevent obesity and in turn, reduce the chances of laminitis developing.
• Make sure your horse’s hooves are regularly checked – Having your horse’s hooves checked regularly by a farrier will help to ensure they’re in a good condition and less likely to develop laminitis. You should also have a regular plan to look after his hooves too (you may find this article I wrote on caring for your horse’s hooves helpful).
• Don’t allow a lame horse access to grass – If your horse is lame then he’s suffered some sort of trauma to his hoof or lower leg, restricting his intake of grass during this period will also reduce the amount of sugar he’ll consume and therefore lessen the chance of him developing laminitis.
• Check the pulse of your horse’s legs daily as well as his heart rate – Knowing your horse’s normal pulse and heart rate are crucial to noticing one of the first sign of laminitis. If your horse’s pulse is faster and stronger or his heart rate is higher than normal it’s a good indication of the onset of laminitis.
• Maintain a regular worming program – While the worms themselves won’t affect the chances of your horse suffering from laminitis it’s the secondary reaction to the worms that could. I recently wrote an in-depth article on worming your horse that you might find helpful.

How to treat laminitis?

While it’s of crucial importance to treat laminitis as soon as the first symptoms appear, because its a secondary reaction it’s also vital to know the cause. After all, treating it with anti-inflammatory medication, for example, will help if an inflammation is the cause but won’t have any effect on overload laminitis. It’s also necessary to deal with the cause before treating the laminitis itself, otherwise, the horse will only suffer a reoccurrence pretty quickly.

When it comes to treating the laminitis there’s a range of different options and which one works for you will largely depend on how your horse reacts to it as well as the severity of the laminitis.

• Management – Keep your horse rested in a stall with deep bedding and then when he has started to improve begin with slow gradual exercise on soft ground. This is a very slow process but it mustn’t be rushed.
• Cooling – If your horse is in the development stage of laminitis then you can wrap his hooves in ice, this will help to keep them cool which in turn will reduce the inflammation in the laminae. If the laminitis has moved beyond the development stage then a more extreme method of cooling is needed such that of the treatment of Brazilian racehorse Bal a Bali. For the first three days, he spent eight hours a day in a cold water spa, then once the laminitis had stabilized he returned to the spa twice a day for the next few months. He also had stem cell injections in his bone marrow. While a cold water spa obviously isn’t affordable to most it demonstrates how important it is to keep the hooves cool.
• Medication – Your vet may recommend your horse takes a course of medication to help him recover. Different drugs work in different ways but generally are either analgesics that work to bring the inflammation of the laminae under control or vasodilators that help to improve the blood flow to the laminae.
• Farrier – Once your horse has recovered then it may be necessary to speak to your farrier about trimming and stabilizing your horse’s hooves. They may have suffered a serious amount of trauma and your farrier will be able to advise the best form of treatment. This generally isn’t necessary for horses that have recovered during either the development or acute stages.

What is founder laminitis?

If not treated straight away founder can be very serious. If the laminae suffers a lack of blood flow it can start to swell and become inflamed, the lack of oxygen and nutrients normally found in the blood causes damage to the cells of the laminae. If it’s not treated promptly the laminae will eventually die and the coffin bone won’t be able to support the horse’s weight. This is excruciatingly painful for the horse and can sadly lead to them not being able to stand, if this is the case then the only humane option is to have the horse euthanized.

Is laminitis heredity?

A secondary reaction to something else means that laminitis isn’t genetic so can’t be inherited. That said though some disease (such as Cushing’s and EMS) that are known to leave a horse predisposed to it can be inherited.

Conclusion

As with so many things in life, it’s far better to prevent laminitis than it is to cure it. If your horse does start to develop symptoms the first thing to do it pack his hooves in ice. After that, you can treat the cause then the laminitis itself.

Managing horses and ponies prone to or at risk from laminitis should focus on proactive management. Pasture-associated laminitis is the most common condition seen in the UK’s equine population and the advice below will help keep your horse or pony safe this coming spring.

In general you should…

1. Act early. Don’t wait until your horse or pony is overweight or had his first episode of laminitis before you consider reducing the risk of laminitis. Rather, if he is susceptible to laminitis, managing it should become part of his daily routine. Once a horse or pony has had the condition they will become more prone to it — and any damage may be impossible to rectify.

2. Consider the risk. If you have a native pony, cob or a good doer, manage them as if they are already laminitic — this way you will be reducing their overall risk. We don’t fully understand the genetic component of laminitis, but it is highly likely that genetics play a significant role so don’t take any gambles with an at-risk animal.

3. Aim to keep your horse slim. Being overweight or obese will increase your horse or pony’s risk of laminitis — although the link may not be a direct one as thin ponies can get it too. A slim animal (condition score 5 on the 9-point scale, see p4) is healthier for many reasons, so manage diet and keep exercise levels up — this will help support a healthy metabolism.

4. Use winter wisely. Ponies are meant to lose weight in the winter, so let them! This will help keep the metabolism healthy and allow him to put a few extra pounds on when the spring grass comes through — without becoming overweight. Don’t over-rug either; does your Welsh cob really need a duvet?

5. Use a suitable feed. Look for feeds approved by The Laminitis Trust (), or feed a suitable low-calorie balancer to balance the diet. Avoid cereal-based feeds as these can in time increase the risk of developing insulin resistance.

6. Analyse your forage — especially for water soluble carbohydrate (WSC). Aim to choose forage with less than 10% WSC (dry matter).

7. Keep an eye on your horse’s feet. Look out for foot tenderness, a stretched white line, blood in the white line, laminitic rings and splaying of the feet — all of these could be signs all is not well with your horse’s foot health.

How to restrict grass intake…

1. Limit time at pasture. Although be warned it is possible that ponies may adapt their eating behaviour so that they maximise the amount of grass consumed within a given turnout period. Research has shown that ponies can eat 1% of their bodyweight (dry matter) during a three-hour turnout period!

2. Try strip grazing. This means making sure you don’t give them access to too much grass in one go.

3. Use of a “pasture free” alternative turnout area – such as sand arenas, woodchip covered areas and so on. But be aware there are potential issues such as increased risk of sand colic, especially if forage is restricted.

4. Use a grazing muzzle. Recent work has confirmed that the appropriate use of grazing muzzles can reduce the dry matter grass intake in ponies within a three-hour period by around 80% regardless of season. Make sure they are appropriately fitted, not used all the time and that they allow drinking. The length of the grass also needs to be appropriate to allow for eating.

Managing the pasture itself…

It is currently thought that the incidence of pasture-associated laminitis could be reduced considerably if horses and ponies at risk only grazed when the levels of starch, sugar and fructans are low.

Unfortunately this may be difficult to predict as it may vary from season to season; location to location and even within a location during the particular day. Other factors that can have an impact are plant species; field topography and the grazing patterns of individual animals.

But the following advice is useful:
1. In very susceptible individuals consider zero grazing, especially at high risk times. Alongside this, provide suitable forage, a balancer or appropriate high-fibre, low-sugar and starch feed ideally approved by The Laminitis Trust.

2. Turn horses out to pasture when fructan/WSC levels are likely to be at the lowest. In the UK this tends to be from late at night to early morning. Remove the animal from the pasture by mid-morning.

3. More mature, stemmy grasses may actually contain more fructan, as it is stored in the stem, than younger grasses. So try to maintain young, leafy grass. But remember that when there is a lot of grass available, there may still be a need to restrict grass intake — even if the WSC content per blade of grass is low.

4. Do not graze on pastures that have not been properly managed by regular grazing or cutting .

If you found this useful, view the Spillers’ Spring Feeding Guide for more expert advice.

It is likely you’ve experienced laminitis in some capacity during your time as a horse owner whether it was related to your horse/pony or on your livery yard. In the latest Harry Hall blog, we delve into the details of laminitis and ask – what is it, how can we prevent it and what to do to protect your horse from getting laminitis.

What is laminitis?

Laminitis is an extremely painful condition that can affect horses, ponies and donkeys. The condition affects the feet where there is painful inflammation and weakening of the sensitive tissues that bond the pedal bone to the hoof wall. The weight of your horse, pony or donkey pushing down on the weakened tissues can cause separation of the pedal bone from the hoof wall which then makes it rotate or drop towards the sole. In severe cases vets have seen the pedal bone penetrate the sole of the foot. The symptons can come on very suddenly and in many cases present as lameness and an increased digital pulse in the fetlock. Another sign can be seen when your horse is standing, they may lean back on to their hind feet in order to relieve pressure on the front feet. Get to know what is normal for your horse and if you suspect laminitis consult your vet at the earliest opportunity.

What is the cause of laminitis?

Laminitis can be caused by two main triggers although it is a complex disease that can come on due to numerous risk factors. The first main trigger is a hormonal disorder, if your horse is prone to getting laminitis it is likely your vet will test for underlying metabolic conditions such a Cushing’s disease and Equine Metabolic syndrome (EMS). Hormonal in-balance can also be caused by excess body fat and certain steroid medications. Therefore, it is essential to ensure your horse or pony maintains a healthy body weight as this can help to reduce their chances of getting laminitis.

What is acute laminitis?

Acute laminitis refers to the early stages of the disease, if treated quickly by a veterinary professional it can be prevented from developing further.

What is chronic laminitis?

Chronic laminitis refers to developed laminitis when the pedal bone has moved downwards within the hoof. If your horse has developed chronic laminitis it is likely they’ll suffer ongoing problems including but not limited to lameness, reoccurring abscesses and signs of long-term changes in the hoof structure.

How do you prevent laminitis?

As with many issues, prevention is better than cure and efforts to prevent laminitis will save you heartache (and money) in the long run. Make sure your horse is a healthy weight for his age, height and breed, if you’re unsure what this should be, consult your vet or an equine nutritionist who can advise what a safe level is and help you achieve it if the scales are tipping too far the wrong way. Speaking to your farrier or vet and following their advice will help reduce the risk of the disease occurring and will equip you with the knowledge required to combat the disease.

How to protect your horse from laminitis:

If you suspect your horse has laminitis or is a confirmed case, it is likely you will be trying to reduce food intake. A great trick is to use a waste watcher haynet to slow down their eating thanks to smaller holes and a double net mesh. If your horse is on box rest for a prolonged period, the Timothy grass block is another great boredom buster.

Although there is no permanent ‘cure’ to laminitis, Microcurrent Therapy has an outstanding track record of reducing inflammation when used in conjunction with a healthy diet and proper hoof maintenance, it can dramatically accelerate healing times. Head to our dedicated ArcEquine and laminitis blog to read about how the ArcEquine therapy unit can help with pain management – how ArcEquine can help laminitis in horses.

Another good way to reduce food intake is with a grazing muzzle. The Ultimate Grazing Muzzle has small rectangular holes at the base to restrict the amount of grass your horse can graze helping to manage their weight.

In the long run, exercise is also key to keeping weight down, if your horse is recovering from laminitis, as soon as you have the green light from your vet begin walking in hand and gradually increase to longer rides. Build up time on the lunge slowly and be careful not to do too much work on just one rein.

Prevention is better than cure, be sure to consult your vet immediately if you’re worried your horse or pony could have laminitis. For further information check out this helpful and informative piece from the Royal Veterinary College.

Finally, you can keep track of the weather conditions through a phone app that can be used to warn when grazing on grass carries an increased risk to horses prone to laminitis – read more and download the Laminitis app here.

What is laminitis?

Laminitis occurs when the tissues that connect the coffin bone to the hoof wall, called the laminae, become inflamed and the blood supply is compromised. The sensitive and insensitive laminae separate, damaging the structural integrity of the hoof. There are multiple causative factors that result in laminitis. They range from mechanical stress to digestive dysfunction. Laminitis varies in severity depending on the amount of damage inflicted on the laminae. Mild cases usually result in very little permanent damage to the laminae, while the more severe cases can result in founder, or the sinking of the coffin bone.

Exactly how changes in the digestive tract cause a restriction in blood supply and inflammation of the laminae in the hoof remains unknown, but researchers are actively looking for answers. What we do know is that through smart management you can reduce the risk of laminitis in your horse.

Nutritional factors that can lead to laminitis:

• Consuming too much lush green grass
• Grazing on stressed pastures
• Weight gain and obesity

Use feeding strategies to reduce the risk of laminitis:

1) Limit access to lush pasture in at-risk horses, especially in the spring and fall.

Healthy horses have little problem adjusting to the changing fructan (a type of sugar) levels that occur in pasture grass, especially in the spring and fall of the year. The individuals most at risk for developing laminitis from overgrazing on fructan-rich grass are cresty-necked easy keepers.

Grazing strategies that limit access to dangerous fructan levels:

• Limit grazing or stop it completely when daytime temperatures are warm and nights are below 40° F (spring and fall).
• When days are sunny and nights are warm, limit grazing to the early morning.
• Grazing in the late afternoon or evening on a warm sunny day is risky.

2) Manage your pasture properly.

When pastures are stressed grasses and weeds tend to accumulate more sugar in their leaves. In drought or overgrazing conditions, what little grass is left in your pasture may likely contain higher than normal levels of fructans. This increases the risk of laminitis in sensitive horses.

Most common weeds are more drought-resistant than grass, so they remain in the pasture when the grass is gone. The higher sugar levels make these weeds more palatable to bored and hungry horses looking for something to chew on. Stressed weeds can also contain higher than normal levels of toxins, making them more dangerous when consumed.

Grass and weeds that are rebounding after a drought can be dangerous for the same reasons, which is why many veterinarians report an increase in colic and laminitis cases when rain follows a period of drought.

When your pastures are stressed, use these feeding strategies to reduce the risk of laminitis:

• Continue mowing to keep the weeds under control
• Don’t overgraze your pasture, especially during a drought
• Fertilize with care to reduce nitrate poisoning
• Give your pasture a chance to recover after the drought is over
• Supplement your pasture with hay and a balanced vitamin and mineral pellet

When pastures are healthy and growing:

• Clip your pasture between four and eight inches in height.
• Don’t allow pastures to become overgrazed, since stress can increase fructan levels in grasses.
• Rest each pasture every two months.

3) Don’t allow horses to become overweight, but don’t starve them!

Generally when a horse becomes overweight it is because the owner is overfeeding calories, more than likely in the form of concentrates. Overweight horses are at risk for multiple metabolic diseases and digestive disorders. Maintaining a healthy weight is extremely important to your horse’s well-being.

Many owners have been told that they must starve their easy keeper, but nothing could be further from the truth. Starving your easy keeper only serves to slow his metabolism more. Extended fasting can lead to a dire ailment known as fatty liver disease. It is important that your easy keeper receives adequate nutrition even when they are relegated to the dry lot or living in a grazing muzzle. Forage (hay or limited good-quality pasture) will meet an easy keeper’s energy requirements and a concentrated vitamin/mineral supplement should be offered to meet his body’s nutrient requirements.

Horses that tend to be on the “heavier” side are at greater risk for laminitis caused by hindgut imbalances. Keeping the GI tract balanced by offering a complete digestive support supplement lowers the risk of both laminitis and colic, while ensuring that all the nutrients in the diet are effectively absorbed.

The following feeding strategies will help reduce laminitis in easy keepers:

• Cut out completely or feed limited amounts of concentrates (sweet feed or pellets) that are high in starch/sugar.
• Provide at least 1.5% to 2% of your horse’s body weight in fiber each day (15 to 20 lbs for a 1,000 lb horse).
• If weight gain is an ongoing problem, feed a low-quality, clean grass hay.
• Add alternate fiber sources such as beet pulp and soybean hulls to support gut health and replace starch- and sugar-laden concentrates.
• Provide a balanced vitamin and mineral supplement to fill in nutritional gaps.
• Support a balanced digestive tract by providing a complete digestive supplement with probiotics and prebiotics.
• Supplement with natural vitamin E and omega-3 fatty acids if grazing on green grass is limited.

Keep in mind that exercise can do wonders for these horses. A little bit of exercise in an easy keeper can go a long way to increasing his metabolic rate.

Article written by KPP staff.

Copyright (C) 2020 Kentucky Performance Products, LLC. All rights reserved.

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Since 1998, Kentucky Performance Products has simplified a horse owner’s search for research-proven nutritional horse supplements that meet the challenges facing modern horses. Our horse supplements target specific nutritional needs and are formulated to complement today’s feeds, thus safeguarding against over-supplementation. Each product is scientifically formulated and made with high-quality ingredients at certified manufacturing facilities. Kentucky Performance Products is proud to offer a quality assurance promise backed by a money-back guarantee. Kentucky Performance Products brings you horse supplements you can count on because the horse that matters to you, matters to us.

Laminitis is a debilitating condition in horses involving inflammation of the laminae in the hoof, with numerous causes. Find out how to prevent it.

By: Ali Miletic | April 26, 2019

Laminitis is inflammation of the laminae in the horse’s foot (most often one or both front feet, but it can affect the hind feet as well) caused by a disruption of blood flow that can be intermittent, chronic, or temporary. The hoof is connected to the body via finger-like projections that grow inwardly from hoof wall to coffin bone (non-sensitive laminae) and outwardly from coffin bone to hoof wall (sensitive laminae) creating a zipper-like ‘Velcro’ structure that holds the coffin bone in place. If the laminae become inflamed, the structure loosens, which allows for movement of the coffin bone within the hoof capsule. This is very painful for the horse; think of what happens when you slam your finger in a car door. Your nail bed becomes black and very painful. Now imagine the pain of bearing 60 per cent of your weight on that finger!

Laminitis affects many horses and can be one of the most difficult diseases to treat as a veterinarian, because we still don’t have all the answers as to the exact mechanism for how or why disruptions in blood flow cause inflammation of the laminae. Research is ongoing to figure out the missing pieces of the laminitis puzzle.

Causes of Laminitis in Horses

There are a number of causes of laminitis, some of which veterinarians and horse owners can prevent, and some we can’t, such as a natural predisposition for the condition in some draft breeds, Morgans, ponies and donkeys.

Laminitis-causing situations that horse owners can watch out for or try to avoid include:

• bedding on shavings made with black walnut
• a retained placenta after foaling
• severe colic
• high fever
• illnesses such as Potomac Horse Fever
• blood poisoning from infections or toxins released into the bloodstream from plants or chemicals
• excessive weight-bearing on one leg due to severe lameness in the other
• overweight animals and older horses with equine metabolic syndrome (EMS) or pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction (PPID or Cushing’s disease)
• hoof trauma caused by riding on hard surfaces
• diet-based causes such as grass founder or grain overload

Grass founder, triggered by sudden access to lush pasture, can cause a disruption of blood flow to the feet. The mechanism behind this is due to the increased sugar in the grass. When the horse digests the grass, the increased sugar content causes an overgrowth of bacteria in the gut. These bacteria release endotoxins that travel to the bloodstream and damage the small blood vessels in the feet, leading to a disruption in blood flow and subsequently laminitis.

To reduce the negative effects of spring grass, there are a number of ways to limit how much your horse is eating. Grazing muzzles, allowing them to fill up on hay before limited turnout, and keeping overweight, older, or cresty-necked horses on sparse pasture or in a dry lot until the grass growth has slowed are some ways to reduce exposure. Similarly, if your horse or pony happens to be an escape artist, gets out of his stall overnight and helps himself to the grain supply, the sudden increase in sugars from the grain will have the same effect as the lush pasture to his digestive system. Ensuring that stall doors are secured with horse-proof bolts, having doors on the grain room or lockable lids on grain bins can save your horse or pony from a very upset GI system and very sore feet – or worse.

Signs and Symptoms of Laminitis in Horses

Clinical signs of laminitis can range from mild to severe and acute to chronic. Signs of acute or sudden-onset laminitis include warmth in the feet, increased digital pulse, a horse that appears to be walking on eggshells, lameness especially when turning, shifting weight while the horse is standing still and a “sawhorse” stance where the horse shifts his weight onto his hind feet with front feet stretched out in front. This stance helps alleviate pressure on the front feet by bearing more weight on the hind.

Visual signs of chronic laminitis can be observed in the hoof as rings in the hoof wall, bruised soles, and a widened white line.

Treatment and Prevention of Laminitis in Horses

Treatment for laminitis is mostly symptomatic once the primary problem is identified and removed. Depending on the cause of the laminitis, treatment options can include IV fluids, antibiotics, anti-endotoxic medications, pain medication in the form of NSAIDs such as phenylbutazone (Bute) or flunixin meglumine (Banamine), vasodilators and bedding your horse on deep shavings or even sand to provide sole support. In severe cases, lidocaine patches applied to the horse’s pastern and fetlock can provide some relief, as does lidocaine infused into the digital nerves via a perineural catheter.

Changing the shoeing of the patient can make a huge difference in comfort level of the horse. There are many different ways to shoe laminitic horses, from a simple shoe with a rolled toe to a wooden clog to cushioning pads. Working closely with an experienced farrier can be infinitely beneficial to the horse’s comfort.

A newer treatment option for horses that are known to be high risk (such as a mare with a retained placenta or a pony that you know has eaten a large amount of grain) is cryotherapy. Standing the horse in ice boots for the first 72 hours after insult has been shown to reduce the risk of laminitis. Although this is a huge undertaking for caretakers, it often pays off in reducing the severity of the condition.

Laminitis can be a horse owner’s (and veterinarian’s) worst nightmare, and a lot of the time the treatments are just playing catch-up to the condition. Frequently, treatments allow the patient to become more comfortable and even return to previous work; however, there are many occasions where no progress is made despite giving gold standard care and in severe cases euthanasia may be necessary. Speak to your veterinarian if you think your horse or pony may be at risk for laminitis, or if you want to learn more about prevention.

Scores of horses will gorge themselves on that long-awaited lush, green pasture of springtime. As many of us already know, overgrazing grasses and legumes that are high in water-soluble carbohydrates puts horses at risk for laminitis—a painful, life-threatening condition of the hooves.

“Many horse owners are already aware that pasture-associated laminitis is particularly concerning for overweight horses and ponies, easy keepers, those with insulin resistance or equine metabolic syndrome, and horses and ponies with a history of chronic laminitis. It is important for owners to appreciate, however, that pasture turnout can trigger a bout of laminitis even in lean, nonobese horses with no history of laminitis,” says Peter Huntington, B.V.Sc., M.A.C.V.Sc., director of nutrition at Kentucky Equine Research Australia.

There are several steps owners can take to avoid pasture-associated laminitis in the spring:

1. Make all dietary changes slowly. If your horse has been on a specific type of hay or other forage over the past few months, do not suddenly turn it out on pasture for the bulk of every day.

2. Avoid grazing for all horses at risk of laminitis. Use grazing muzzles or turn out horses on drylots. This will also help maintain an appropriate body weight (body condition score), which helps protect against development of laminitis and some diet-related disorders.

3. Be strategic in choosing turnout times. When turning out laminitis-prone horses to graze, turn them out in the early morning and evening because that is when the water-soluble carbohydrate levels are lowest. That said, note that those are peak mosquito feeding periods, so owners may wish to use insect repellants and fly sheets to help avoid mosquito-borne illness.

4. Recall that at-risk horses need to be monitored daily for signs of laminitis. Even if maintained on pasture with low or moderate levels of water-soluble carbohydrates, some horses are still prone to future bouts of laminitis. Early indications include hooves that are warm to the touch, and horses that appear sore or unwilling to move.

5. Explore turnout options. If pasture turnout is nonnegotiable at your facility, considering pasture analysis and consultation with a certified equine nutritionist. Your local extension specialist may also have some valuable information regarding appropriate pasture management, such as mowing, rotation schedules, and different type of grasses to plant.

“It is also important to appreciate that lack of grazing is not synonymous with lack of turnout. Horses, especially those with a history of laminitis, benefit from turnout and regular exercise to increase circulation to the feet and maintain an appropriate body weight. Horses also benefit from the social interaction and routine hoof care,” advises Huntington.

Additionally, for horses or ponies that are at risk for or have a history of laminitis, KER nutritionists recommend daily use of EquiShure®, a hindgut buffer that can help maintain the normal hindgut environment.

FOUNDERGUARD reduces the risk of laminitis in horses and ponies when fed in conjunction with high grain diets.

• Horse

• Australian made

WHAT IS FOUNDERGUARD ® ?

FOUNDERGUARD is a clinically proven preventative supplement for feed induced laminitis and founder. It has been formulated to ensure delivery of the active drug to the hind gut and proven to control the build up of lactic acid in the hind gut. A small daily dose of the palatable granules allows high grain diets to be fed safely.

RECOMMENDED FOR

• Horses on high grain diets e.g. gallopers, pacers, eventers and show hacks
• Horses grazing lush pastures particularly during spring and autumn when sugar levels in pasture are high
• Young horses being prepared for sales e.g. high grain/low exercise animals
• Horses that have suffered laminitis or founder in the past
• Horses undergoing a change in diet
• Horses with seedy toe, white line separation or poor-quality hooves

WHY CHOOSE FOUNDERGUARD?

• The ONLY proven prevention for founder – FOUNDERGUARD has been scientifically developed specifically for the prevention of grain induced founder in horses and is the only product available to prevent this problem.
• Prevents build-up of lactic acid – When excess carbohydrates are consumed, bacteria multiply rapidly in the hindgut. FOUNDERGUARD controls the build-up of lactic acid from this fermentation process, preventing damage to the gut lining and therefore laminitis.
• FOUNDERGUARD can be added to the daily feed as an effective daily management tool of horses at risk of founder and low-grade laminitis.
• Scientifically formulated for performance – Helps prevent the onset of this silent ‘performance killer’ and help the performance horse reach their full potential.

COMPOSITION

Each 25 g dose contains:

• Virginiamycin 10 g/kg

DOSAGE & DIRECTIONS FOR USE

• FOUNDERGUARD should be administered at the full daily dose for at least 3 days prior to any dietary change that involves an increase in grain (starch) or pasture (sugar) intake.
• FOUNDERGUARD is presented as a palatable lucerne-based pellet.
• FOUNDERGUARD can be fed alone or mixed with other feed ingredients to provide 5 g FOUNDERGUARD/100 kg bodyweight per day (e.g. 25 g/day for a horse weighing 500 kg).
• Individual horses: 5 g FOUNDERGUARD per 100 kg bodyweight once daily
• Bulk feeding: 1 kg FOUNDERGUARD mixed into 250 kg feed concentrate
• Introduce the dose incrementally over 4 days starting at ¼ – ½ the daily dosage. Commencement at the full dosage may result in decreased feed intake during the first week of supplementation.
• The scoop provided contains approximately 25 g when loosely filled.

STORAGE

Store below 30˚C (Room temperature) in a dry place. Protect from light. Reseal after use.

We all know the expression “prevention is better than the cure”, and this is particularly relevant when it comes to laminitis in horses! An inflammation of the tissue inside the hoof, it can be extremely painful, potentially leading to lameness or fatality if not treated early enough. At The Insurance Emporium, we hate seeing any animal suffer, so we’ve spoken to our horse health expert to find out some tips to prevent laminitis in horses!

Common causes

Knowing if your horse could be at risk of developing laminitis could be crucial to catching the problem early! The most common causes can include obesity, Cushing’s syndrome and equine metabolic syndrome (EMS). If your horse hasn’t been tested for these, it might be advisable to speak to your vet about doing so.

Watch their weight

It’s important to keep an eye on your horse’s weight. You could use monthly body condition scoring, a weekly weigh tape or a weighbridge. If you find that your horse if gaining weight, it’s best to act early before the problem gets out of hand.

Amazing grazing

If you do notice your horse is gaining weight, you might want to restrict their grazing! You could use grazing muzzles, an all-weather turnout area, or fence off a small paddock so as to create a bare grazing patch. Avoiding times when fructans (sugars) within grass are high might also help prevent weight gain – usually these are at their lowest between late night and early morning.

Get a plan

Aside from grazing, you can control the forage your horse has access to, avoiding starches and sugars, and including treats where possible. When feeding your horse hay, try soaking it for twelve hours to reduce soluble carbohydrate content. If you like, you could have your forage analysed, which might help you work out the amount they need each day. This means you can weigh out the correct quantity whenever you prepare their feed.

Other tips

There might be other methods of controlling your horse’s weight. For example, if they’re prone to piling on the pounds during spring, try to use the winter months to reduce their weight. You might also find that their eating can be slowed down by double netting hay, using a small holed net or commercial slow hay feeder. Regular exercise can also be a key method for weight loss in horses, and has the added benefit of increasing insulin resistance!

If you think your horse might have laminitis, or you want further advice on helping your pony lose weight, the best thing to do is speak with your vet. Also bear in mind that ensuring your horse has regular farrier visits might help, as they can address hoof balance problems, and identify early signs of the problem. With the proper level of attention and planning, you should be able to keep your horse’s hooves healthy and pain free!

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Laminitis occurs when the sensitive, soft tissues connecting the pedal bone to the hoof wall (‘laminae’) are damaged. This allows the pedal bone within the hoof to ‘sink’ downwards and ‘rotate’ backwards.

Clinical signs of laminitis

Laminitis most commonly affects the forefeet of the horse. Some of the most common clinical signs of laminitis include:

• Shifting weight from one foot to another (“paddling”)
• Lameness at the walk or trot, especially when the horse turns sharply
• Palpable heat in the hooves
• Increased pulses in the digital arteries over the fetlock
• Decreased mobility, or a reluctance to walk with affected horses often lying down
• Pain with thumb or hoof tester pressure over the toe region of the sole
• Abnormal “sawhorse” stance, with the front hooves placed further forward than normal so that the heels carry more weight than the toes.
• Fluid accumulation and swelling (oedema) of the lower legs
• Increased heart rate and respiratory rate
• Trembling, sweating and visible distress
• Bruised soles or dropped soles with squashed heels or flat, dished hooves
• Abnormal hoof growth, usually with rings or grooves around the hoof wall or a widened white line
• Thick “cresty” neck
• Unnaturally long shaggy haircoat that doesn’t shed at the usual times

What causes laminitis?

Laminitis is usually caused by overeating feeds rich in soluble carbohydrates (mainly found in cereal grains and lush spring or autumn pasture). Feeds rich in starches and sugars can cause a digestive upset in the large intestine. These energy-rich nutrients are usually digested in the small bowel, however if eaten in excess they spill over into the large bowel, where they are fermented by certain species of ‘bad’ bacteria. This results in production of lactic acid in the bowel. As the acid builds up and the normal bacteria in the bowel die, toxic substances known as ‘endotoxins’ are released and enter the bloodstream. It is these endotoxins which are thought to damage the laminae.

Preventing laminitis

Even if you have never experienced laminitis in your horse before, now is the time to make preventative changes in order to minimise your horse’s chances of succumbing to this crippling and potentially fatal disease. Correct feeding, in conjunction with reducing acid build-up in the bowel, are the most effective ways to prevent laminitis.

The basis of feeding horses with laminitis involves formulating a balanced diet high in fat and fibre whilst avoiding sugars (i.e. grains and carbohydrate-rich pastures). This can be achieved by feeding mature lucerne hay that is typically lower in sugars and higher in protein than other hays. Always steer clear of giving cereal grain-based feeds to laminitic horses.

Limiting the amount of pasture consumed by the horse will also help. Pasture sugar levels are lowest in the morning, so avoid grazing after about 11am. During spring and autumn, limit access to pasture to only 90 minutes. Don’t allow laminitic horses to graze stressed short grass, frosted or drought recovering pastures as these may contain high sugar levels.

Founderguard ® – A proven preventative for feed-induced laminitis

Products such as FOUNDERGUARD contain ‘Virginiamycin’ and can be added to the feed to help prevent laminitis from occurring. It works by suppressing the activity of the ‘bad’ bacteria which produces lactic acid, thus maintaining the gut microbes in the correct balance. FOUNDERGUARD is a preventative rather than a treatment and cannot correct any physical damage that has already occurred in the feet. However, following an attack of laminitis, FOUNDERGUARD can help prevent the ‘flare-ups’ that frequently occur in the recovery period.

FOUNDERGUARD can also be added to the horse’s feed to prevent low-grade laminitis, which is a mild form of laminitis with no outward signs, so the disease often goes unnoticed. If you suspect your horse has a case of laminitis, call your veterinarian for advice. The sooner you call, the more likely you will be able to successfully treat your horse’s laminitis and limit any lifelong effects. Prevention really is better than cure.

In spring it doesn’t take long for the fresh grass to turn our quiet horses into raving lunatics! With the spring grass comes the increased risk of Laminitis, Obesity and metabolic related disorders.

Research has shown that pasture-induced laminitis occurs at times of rapid grass growth. The accumulation of certain carbohydrates including fructans, starches, and sugars known as Non-Structural Carbohydrates (NSC) in pasture forage during the spring, early summer and autumn, particularly after rainfall precipitate this laminitis.

Types of Carbohydrates

Carbohydrates found in equine diets can be divided into two types: Structural and Non-structural. Structural carbohydrates are often referred to as fibre and are critical in the equine diet. Non-structural carbohydrates (NSC) are sugars and starches that are broken down by enzymes in the horse’s small intestine into simple sugars. These simple sugars are absorbed from the small intestine and circulate in the blood as glucose. The hormone insulin removes glucose from the blood and stores it in the liver and muscle as glycogen, or when an excess amount of NSC is consumed, it is converted to fat and stored throughout the body. Common examples of non-structural carbohydrates in horse diets include cereal grains (oats, corn, barley, etc) and molasses. Research has shown that metabolic disorders such as Obesity, Insulin Resistance, Laminitis, Cushings, Tying-Up as well as behavioural excitability are associated with excess NSC (sugar and starch) and not with structural (fibre) carbohydrates in the diet. Expert nutritionists and veterinarians researching in this field have determined “low carb” to be less than 10% NSC.

Feeding Management

We must carefully manage pasture turnout and forage and grain intake in horses and ponies that are at risk for developing laminitis or are currently affected. We also understand that horses suffering from insulin resistance (IR) and/or Cushings as well as horses and ponies with the ‘‘easy keeper,’’ phenotype that are often overweight or obese, and may be persistently hyperinsulinemic should also be managed carefully with regard to their carbohydrate intake.

The following points summarize current advice regarding strategies for avoiding high NSC intakes by horses and ponies at risk for pasture laminitis:

• Animals predisposed to laminitis should be denied access to grass pastures, particularly during the spring.
• At other times of the year, limit the amount of turnout time each day (e.g., 1–3 hours) and turn animals out late at night (after 8:00pm) or early in the morning, removing them from pasture by midmorning at the latest (before 10:00am, because NSC levels are likely to be at their lowest late at night through early morning).
• Alternatively, limit the size of the available pasture by use of temporary fencing to create small paddocks or use a grazing muzzle.
• Do not turn horses out onto pasture that has been exposed to low temperatures in conjunction with bright sunlight, such as occurs in the autumn after a flush of growth or on bright cool winter days, because cold temperatures reduce grass growth, resulting in the accumulation of NSC.

Animals denied access to pasture for most or all of the day, require provision of alternative feedstuffs. Horses at maintenance require approximately 2.0% of their body weight as forage or forage plus supplement to meet daily nutrient requirements. Sweet feeds should not be fed and the feeding of other ‘‘treats,’’ such as carrots and apples, should be discouraged. Lucerne hay or other legumes, such as clover, on average, have lower NSC content when compared with grass hay but have considerably higher calorie/energy content.

HYGAIN Solution

HYGAIN ® Feeds also offers two forage-based low starch feeds completed with vitamins and minerals: HYGAIN ZERO® and HYGAIN ® ICE ® . HYGAIN® ZERO ® is a unique Low Carb – Low GI feed for all horses, with less than 1.5% starch, less than 5.5% non structural carbohydrates (NSC) and absolutely no grain or grain by-products. HYGAIN ® ZERO ® was developed to support the specialised dietary requirements of horses and ponies with conditions such as Obesity, Insulin Resistance, Laminitis, Cushings, Tying-Up or Grain Intolerance. The unique Low Carb – Low GI profile however is suitable for any equine requiring a low sugar and starch diet.