Laminitis
The information here is given for background and support - and is not a substitute for calling your vet.
Prompt and correct medication and intervention will make all the difference to the prognosis of a pony with laminitis - your actions in the first few hours can make a huge difference to his future life
Always consult your vet if you suspect that your horse or pony has symptoms, or is at risk, of laminitis.
I hope you enjoy this section and find it informative, thought provoking and useful!
Laminitis is a disease of horses and ponies where the hoof wall becomes detached from underlying tissue and in severe cases so many of the laminae are affected that the hooves can no longer support the animal’s weight.
Laminitis can strike any horse, irrespective of age, size, breed or previous history, workload or even value! It strikes down 17hh horses as frequently as it does fat little children's ponies. It is a painful and devastating disease for the horse, and heartbreaking and frustrating for the horse owner; anyone who has gone to the paddock to find their horse in the classic laminitic stance will tell you so.
However most horses with laminitis can recover with the correct management and go back to a useful and athletic carer. My two have, as have other horses I have worked with.
These pages attempt to provide an easy to read backgrounder on laminitis and offer up some thoughts and approaches to managing the laminitic horse or pony.
This site is not intended to be a "comprehensive guide to everything there is to know about laminitis" - that would take a very large web site all on its own! There are many excellent sources of information out there from acknowledged experts such as Chris Pollitt, Prof Robert Bowker and others. Instead it is a backgrounder and contains some of my own expreience from owning laminitic ponies.
About Laminitis
Laminitis or "founder" is a common and very serious foot condiition. Laminitis literally means "inflamation of the laminae" but despite the name , laminitis is not caused by inflamation.
The condition begins with reduced blood flow to the sensitive laminae of the hoof wall and sole. The result is cell death and breakdown of the bond between the hoof wall and the pedal bone. Inflamation is just one of the consequences of these serious events.
The sensitive laminae are tiny, finger-like projections in the laminar corium. These projections interlock with matching, tiny corrugations, called insensitive laminae, on the inside of the hoof wall. The laminar corium is attached to the surface of the pedal bone. The connection between these two layers keeps the hoof wall and pedal bone tightly adhered along the entire front and side surfaces of the bone. The laminar corium is well supplied with blood vessels and nerves, which makes this hoof wall-pedal bone bond a "living connection." The bond can break down if its blood supply is compromised.
Left: Primary and secondary epidermal laminae. The primary laminae surface area is increased with an extra 150-200 secondary laminae along its length
The little bar at the bottom is 100 microns - or 0.1mm
Laminitis can be separated into two main conditions:
Actute laminitis which represents the first stage of the condition wihtin the first 72 hours of lameness
Chronic laminitis which relates to the persistent changes in the hoof wall
structure and blood supply that results from the episode of acute laminitis
There are many originating cause of laminitis, some metabolic and others mechanical. There are some horses that always seem to be on the edge of an episode and are "prime candidates" for an attack, you know the type - cresty neck and fatty deposits in the rump, yet they never move into full blown lameness. Other horses can end up with severe acute laminitis in the middle of winter without any obvious trigger.
Our family herd includes two laminitic ponies with very diferent stories, and I want to share those stories and some of my observations and learnings about laminitis and its management, and offer up some practical tips and ideas that you may find useful. Laminitis forces horse owners to evaluate every aspect of our horse's lifestyle including diet, environment, exercise, physical and emotional fitness, shoeing options, hoofcare practices and even rugging practices.
Laminitis should not be seen as the end of the road for a horse or pony, far from it. Many horses having experienced a serious laminitis episode have gone on to have excellent athletic careers, returning to full usefulness and in many cases with far bettter hooves and general health than before the laminitis event. I know - I have two of them!
Above Right: The classic laminitis stance with the weight rocked back to minimise shear forces and pain in the front of the foot.
Left: Section of a hoof with classic displacement of the pedal bone.
Left: x-ray of a hoof - laminar necrosis with rotation.
Note the rotation of the pedal bone realtive to the hoof wall - the point of the pedal bone is pressing on the sole. You can also see the gas pocket between the sensitive (dermal) and insensitive (epidermal) laminae.
Right: Typical laminitis rings in the hoof - wider at the heels than the toes.
There are many things that can cause rings in the hoof wall - a change of feed, a change of field, or an illness for example. Laminitic rings have a distinct pattern - narrower at the toes and wider at the heels..