Toxic Laminitis In Horses

The main cause of laminitis in horses in australia and in most parts of the developed world is obesity dependent laminitis odl.

Toxic laminitis in horses. Insulin resistance and the associated hyperinsulinaemia place horses and ponies at risk of developing laminitis. Some horses develop a taste for bracken fern and seek it out in the pasture and hay. Healthy standardbred horses subjected to prolonged hyperinsulinaemia develop laminitis within 48 h demonstrating that laminitis in horses can be triggered by insulin. It can be extremely painful and debilitating to horses and in extreme cases can lead to the coffin or pedal bone protruding through the sole of the hoof.

Of course there are other management issues with laminitis as there are with many conditions but by helping them to de tox it appears that many horses and ponies are being helped. The primary signs are those of laminitis and include reluctance to move shifting weight. This can occur when an injury bone or joint fracture or disease process infectious arthritis in the contralateral limb is so painful that weight bearing is impossible. Horses most at risk for laminitis are those with equine metabolic syndrome ems and cushing s disease also called pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction or ppid.

Laminitis is an inflammation of the laminae or lamellae part of the horse s hoof. However there exists substantial controversy as to. The media has made a significant push on the unfortunately high rate of human obesity but companion animals such as horses dogs and cats are also suffering from alarming rates of obesity. Horses with a mild episode of laminitis may recover especially if the coffin bone is not displaced.

The primary problem with low thiamine in horses is the development of neurological disease. Once founder occurs recovery is lengthy and the outcome is uncertain. The prognosis for horses with laminitis can vary widely from horse to horse. Laminitis in the lamellae of a single hoof can occur whenever a horse s limb is forced to bear weight unilaterally for prolonged periods.

Some cases are euthanized due to pain that cannot be adequately managed. Both fresh and dried bracken fern is toxic if ingested. Horses and ponies with ems often have telltale symptoms including a tendency toward obesity insulin resistance and recurrent laminitis.