Laminitis-what is it and how to treat it-is something that every responsible horse owner should know about. This article will give you a general overview of laminitis and its causes, and what you can do to prevent it in your horse.
Laminitis is essentially a condition characterized by an inflammation of the laminae inside the hoof. These laminae are what attach the coffin bone to the hoof wall. When they become inflamed or swelled, they can become very painful for your horse. Most of the time, the swelling will not be restricted to the interior walls. Inside the hoof, there is no room for swelling. Thus, any swelling will result in one very sore hoof. When laminae inside the hoof swell, pressure is put on the blood vessels inside that hoof. This, in turn, restricts the flow of blood inside the vessels of the hoof or hooves, thus causing in the hoof losing life. The coffin bone rotates and the hoof begins to die. This will cause a great deal of pain for your horse.
The good news is that Laminitis can be easy to detect if you know what you’re looking for. When a horse has sore feet or legs, they will often ‘rest’ the front hoof. Be aware that this is not normal or healthy behavior. If you should see your horse ‘resting’ a front limb, a vet should be consulted immediately. The vet should check the front limb for lameness. If the horse is rocking his weight from his fore limbs to his rear limbs, make sure to describe the horse’s behavior to your vet as soon as possible.
When it comes to laminitis-what is it and how to treat it-make sure you work with a qualified vet who is familiar with this condition. There are many potential causes for laminitis. These may include fever, overfeeding of grains, overeating of grain and too much early exposure to fresh spring grass before the horse’s body can become accustomed to it. Another probable cause is that you may be overfeeding grain to your horse. It’s perfectly acceptable to feed your horse the occasional grain treat, but doing this too often can lead to health problems, including laminitis.
If you suspect your horse suffers from this condition, the first thing you should do contact your vet for an examination. Make certain that the vet you work with has ample experience in treating this difficult condition. You will also want to ask certain questions. Can the vet shoe your horse for laminitis, or does he or she work with a good farrier that they can recommend? Ideally, you want your vet and farrier to have a close working relationship.
When you first visit your vet, he or she should take x-rays of your horse’s hooves to determine the degree of coffin bone rotation in the hoof. This will help determine the appropriate treatment plan. The more that you learn about this difficult condition, the more prepared you will be to treat for your horse.
In order to prevent this condition, it is absolutely essential that you find the right feed/exercise ratio. You should also make sure that the grains you choose are located where a loose horse cannot feast on too much feed.
You will be able to make the best diagnosis and treatment plan for your horse the more you understand about laminitis. In many cases, it will take months of corrective shoeing and vet treatments to help your horse move beyond this condition.