Recognize laminitis in horses in time, treat properly and prevent it

This stage describes the beginning of the disease. The disease is initially latent, i.e. without any recognizable signs of disease.

From this stage, horse owners can identify the first symptoms. Veterinarians also refer to the sudden appearance of the first acute, clinically recognizable laminitis symptoms as a "deer thrust". These include, for example:

• Changes in posture or shifting of weight (affected horses push the hind legs under the body to relieve the painful hoof)
• frequent unloading of the front hooves one after the other (the so-called "tripping")
• changes of movement in walk/trot. These changes are divided into four degrees of severity:
  Grade 1: alternate lifting of hoves at rest, inconspicuous movement at a walk and stiff gait at a trot.
  Grade 2: willing but stiff gait at a walk; lifting of one foot possible
  Grade 3: horse moves only reluctantly; resistance when trying to pick up a foot
  Grade 4: Complete refusal to move; walking is possible only under duress.
• Lameness
• Pain on turning (turning is hardly possible in acute laminitis)
• Pulse more palpable
• swelling and warming of the coronary band (transition between hoof and horse leg)
• increased temperature of the horn capsule, diffuse sensitivity to pressure during hoof forceps examination, especially in the dorsal sole and wall area

The deer thrust lasts longer than 48 hours. This stage is the continuation of the acute stage and begins with the first signs of a change in the position of the coffin bone in the hoof capsule (e.g. coffin bone rotation). The chronic stage is divided into a chronic active stage, a chronic stable stage and a chronic stage: in the chronic stable stage, acute symptoms no longer occur, while in the chronic active stage, acute symptoms continue. The chronic stage with specific complications is when there is subsidence or rotation of the coffin bone.

General measures

• Cold application to affected hoof initially for 2-3 days (e.g. ice bath, cool pads, etc.).
• Establish stall rest with deep, soft bedding.
• Immediately change feed to hay and straw. However, be careful not to create periods of starvation during the changeover.
  • Ensure a zinc (100 mg /100 kg body mass) and vitamin E supplement (200-400 mg/100 kg body mass) in excess of requirements with the help of mineral feeds over a period of four to six weeks.
  • In addition, add linseed oil to the ration (20 ml /100 kg body mass).
• In the acute stage and as prophylaxis, feed roughage with low fructan concentration and low protein content (e.g. oat straw and seasoned hay).
• As a concomitant of metabolic disease, switch to low-starch and low-sugar feeding.
• Highly pregnant mares should be fed fat-rich supplements (e.g. deukavallo Leinvital).
• With the support of the farrier, apply a hoof bandage with support for the rear half of the hoof, possibly with heel elevation.)

Medication

• If necessary, provide medicinal, pain-relieving and anti-inflammatory therapy appropriate to the degree of disease.

Orthopedic measures

• If necessary, remove shoe or pull toenails.
• Hoof correction only in case of poor hoof care (overlong toe).
• Support of the rear half of the hoof (e.g. deer cast or alternative measures with frog support (leaving the sole free in front of the frog tip).

Continuation of the measures of the acute stage until a chronic stable stage is reached.

General and local measures under accompanying veterinary supervision:

• deep and soft bedding
• Exercise on soft ground (under no circumstances under duress!)
• Implementation of further systemic measures:
  • restrictive feeding, zinc and biotin as needed
  • medicinal measures (pain therapy, therapy of the underlying disease depending on the cause)
  • If Equine Cushing Syndrome (ECS, PPID) is present: Treatment with a dopamine agonist.

Feeding sufficient crude fiber is the basis for preventing laminitis. Seasoned hay and oat straw are particularly suitable for this purpose. If you still want to put your horse out to pasture, always keep in mind that pasture grass is subject to certain temperature and seasonal fluctuations in terms of fructan content. For example, especially in August, the grass shows particularly low fructan content. In contrast, frosty, cold and sunny weather leads to intensive fructan storage, which in turn favors the development of laminitis. In principle, warm days with overcast skies lead to low fructan storage.If you put your horse back to pasture after it has survived a bout of laminitis for some time, initially overstory pasture whose grasses and plants are somewhat drier is more suitable. Lean pastures with extremely short grass, are not an alternative. The reason: the stressed pasture stores high amounts of fructan in the short sward. The grass blades should be more than ten cm high. However, there is no hundred percent certainty that your horse will not get laminitis if it is in the pasture. Therefore, horses with a history of laminitis are better off in the paddock.

When feeding concentrates, be sure to break down the starch of its components. Corn or barley contained therein should always have been heated at least via a flaking process. A much higher degree of starch breakdown can be achieved by special processes (e.g. the opticon^® process). Correspondingly treated components can be found, for example, in deukavallo Top InForm. The higher the degree of starch digestion, the less likely it is that undigested starch will enter the large intestine and cause faulty fermentation there. Finally, avoid frequent feed changes. When you do change feeds, go slowly. This way you avoid overweight and prevent laminitis as well.

Keeping your horse in a species-appropriate manner is the cornerstone of successful laminitis prevention. Avoid stress for your horse. Pay attention to the condition of the pasture and remove possible poisonous plants and fungi. Good hoof care is also important: check them for stuck stones, if anything has broken off and if the horseshoe is still tight. Clean the hooves by scraping and brushing them regularly.