Treat Laminitis or Founder Early

Jeske Noordergraaf, VMD

June 2005

We have mentioned this problem in horses before as acute laminitis. If left untreated, it may cause a permanently lame horse. Treatments started in the early stages of the disease are much more effective and are more likely to help the horse return to normal. Lush grass is a common cause, so introduce your horse to pasture gradually.

The definition of laminitis is the inflammation of the sensitive laminae of the hoof capsule. This means that the layers of tissue holding the hoof wall to the coffin bone become painful, hot and can eventually lose their ability to support the weight of the horse. When this occurs, the coffin bone may pull away from the hoof wall through rotation or sinking. It is this complication that makes laminitis a life threatening disease since, unfortunately, no treatment options are effective once the coffin bone has rotated or sunk past a certain point. Laminitis can occur in any or all four feet, although it is most commonly seen in both front feet.

Causes of laminitis include over-consumption of grain, lush pastures, severe colic, retained placenta or metritis in mares, severe diarrhea as with Potomac Horse Fever and Cushing's disease in older horses. Prolonged work on hard surfaces can cause road founder, and overweight horses and ponies or those with excessively long hooves are more likely to develop problems.

SIGNS OF LAMINITIS

Horse is reluctant to move.
Back legs are positioned further under the body than normal.
Horse picks up it feet quickly, as if walking on eggshells.
Stride is shorter than normal.
Horse spends more time lying down than is normal.
Depressed, off feed.
Heat is apparent at the coronary band.
Digital pulses, located at 4 and 8 o'clock, are increased.

The diagnosis is made from the history and clinical signs. X-rays are useful in determining the severity of the condition and to establish a baseline to measure the progression of the disease. Treatment of laminitis usually depends on correction of the underlying process. If an animal recently got into grain or lush pasture, then tubing the horse with mineral oil via nasogastric tube may help prevent laminitis from developing. If the laminitis is caused by another disease, identification and treatment of the underlying disorder is essential to minimize damage to the horse's feet. Other therapies depend on the duration and severity of the disease. Most often these involve supportive measures such as use of painkillers (banamine or phenylbutazone), special hoof trimming and shoeing, placing pads under the horses feet, and extra bedding to prevent sores if the horse is lying down too much.

The best thing to do with laminitis is to prevent it. Ponies evolved in the wild to work hard for poor-quality food and any pony with access to good grazing should be watched carefully for signs of becoming overweight. Grazing muzzles are a very useful tool if you can't keep your overweight horse or pony off the lush pasture.

Of all the problems we see in practice, I feel that laminitis is one of the hardest to treat. Theses animals hurt and usually they don't just bounce back. They have good days and bad days. Because of the tearing away of the laminae in the hoof, these horses develop hoof abscesses which are very painful and need to be treated. I have mentioned to horse owners going through this with their horse that we should have a support group, as it is hard to watch a horse hurt and the recovery may be slow.

Prevention is always better than treatment. Be careful with your pasture, keep up on having your horses' feet trimmed, and don't let your horse become overweight. Regular riding is helpful also, as it keeps weight under control and increases circulation to the hoof. Hopefully then, this is a problem which you will never have with your horse.