Laminitis
What is laminitis? ↓
Laminitis is inflammation of the sensitive laminae in the feet, which form a bond between the pedal bone and the hoof wall. When these are inflamed, the bonds are weakened and, in severe cases, can break leading to rotation of the pedal bone towards the sole of the hoof. Laminitis generally occurs in the front feet but can affect all four feet or just one.
It is an extremely painful condition and afflicted horses tend to rock back on to their heels in an attempt to relieve the pressure and pain in the front feet. Symptoms also include a reluctance to move, lameness, lying down, a strong digital pulse at the back of the pastern and warm hooves. Laminitis should always be treated as a veterinary emergency as early treatment and management is essential if a successful outcome is going to be achieved.
Read lots more about laminitis in the following article:
Laminitis – What it is and How to Avoid itWhat causes laminitis? ↓
The exact process of this painful condition is not fully understood but several factors can trigger it and they may not be nutrition-related eg. mechanical trauma, like excessive work on hard ground, or illness which leads to metabolic upsets. Nutrition-related trigger factors can be either starch overload, from over consumption of cereals, or fructan overload, from pasture, which results in these non-structural carbohydrates reaching the hindgut.
Here they are fermented by bacteria as a result of which, lactic acid is produced, which means the gut environment becomes increasingly acidic and hostile for the beneficial fibre-fermenting microbes. As these friendly bacteria die off, toxins are released into the bloodstream, which cause the inflammation of the laminae in the foot.
Read lots more about laminitis in the following article:
Laminitis – What it is and How to Avoid it
Which horses are most at risk of laminitis? ↓
Any horse can suffer from laminitis but some are certainly more prone than others. Overweight horses or ponies are definitely at greater risk, especially those who are or have been excessively fat or obese for some time and who may, as a result, have become insulin intolerant due to a condition known as Equine Metabolic Syndrome. Older horses suffering from Cushing’s disease are also prone and once a horse or pony has had laminitis, they may continue to be prone and require constant careful management.
Read more about laminitis and the risks posed by equine obesity in the following articles:
Laminitis – What it is and How to Avoid it
Battle of the Bulge!What should I feed a pony who has been diagnosed with laminitis? ↓
In the acute stages you should follow your veterinary surgeon’s advice, which will probably mean cutting out all compound feed and giving only forage (hay/haylage) and water initially. It should then be safe to gradually introduce a balancer, like Lo-Cal, to provide essential nutrients without the calories or starch content associated with a traditional mix or cube.
We would strongly recommend that you consult with a nutritionist, if you are not familiar with the dietary management of the laminitic or laminitis-prone. Whether needing to gain, lose or maintain condition, starch intake will need to be minimised while fibre intake must be maintained at a healthy level. Feeding a digestive enhancer, like Digest Plus prebiotic, may also be useful to help restore the bacterial balance in the hindgut.
For more information on laminitis and its management, read the following article:
Laminitis – What it is and How to Avoid it
Products you may be interested in include:
No.14 Lo-Cal balancer
Digest Plus prebioticWhat should I feed my overweight laminitic? ↓
The aim with any overweight horse or pony should be to encourage weight loss to achieve a healthier body condition and then to maintain this. As with humans, calorie intake will need controlling and, where possible, exercise increased in order to encourage weight loss.
When forage is the only source of calories, care must be taken to ensure that fibre intake is maintained so lower calorie forage sources should be sought, like coarse late-cut hay and oat straw, and fed at a rate of no lower than the equivalent 1% of the horse’s bodyweight ie. 3kg/6.6lb for a 13.2hh pony (bodyweight 300kg) or 5kg/11lb for a 15.2hh horse (bodyweight 500kg).
Since forage is lacking in essential nutrients, like quality protein, vitamins and minerals, these should be provided by a balancer, like Lo-Cal or Performance Balancer, along with a little Light Chaff to encourage chewing. Access to pasture will also need controlling to avoid excessive calorie intake as well as fructan intake.
For lots more guidelines on calorie-controlled diets for good-doers, take a look at the following articles:
Fat Club
Battle of the Bulge!
Laminitis - What it is and How to Avoid it
Products you may be interested in include:
No.14 Lo-Cal balancer
No.19 Performance Balancer
Light ChaffWhat can I feed an underweight laminitic? ↓
The challenge, when trying to promote weight gain, is in finding calorie-rich feeds while avoiding cereals and starch and fructans from too much grass. Ease & Excel and Ease & Excel Cubes are ideal low starch, high calorie feeds which can be fed to promote condition in the laminitis-prone, while Keep Calm is a soakable beet-based alternative for those with more moderate calorie requirements.
One of the best sources of non-starch calories is oil or a mess-free alternative, like Outshine high oil supplement. A balancer, like Lo-Cal, can be fed to provide essential protein, vitamins and minerals, while Outshine can provide “safe” slow release calories. Other non-starch calorie sources include Alfalfa Plus Oil, Speedi-Beet and Fibre-Beet, which should all be fed with balancer, as a source of vitamins and minerals, and to which Outshine can also be added.
To read more about low starch diets for weight gain, we recommend the following articles:
Laminitis - What it is and how to Avoid it
Feeding Sugarbeet to Laminitics
Products you may be interested in include:
Ease & Excel
Ease & Excel CubesKeep Calm
Outshine
No.14 Lo-Cal balancer
Alfalfa Plus Oil
Speedi-Beet
Fibre-BeetHow can I help avoid laminitis? ↓
Since overweight and obese equines are at the greatest risk of laminitis, you should aim to always keep your horse or pony at a healthy bodyweight and condition. Those suffering from Cushing’s disease or who have had a recent attack will need maintaining on a no/low starch diet and have their access to pasture controlled.
To find out about body condition scoring plus diet and management tips to avoid laminitis, take a look at the following articles:
Body Condition Scoring
Laminitis – What it is and How to Avoid it
Fat Club
