Can laminitis be inherited?

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HaffiesRock

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If a broodmare has a history of laminitis, could that mean that their offspring are more like to get it in the future? Or is it purely environmental?

Was just wondering ;)

Thanks
 
Laminitis cannot possibly be inherited, but it is possible that a predisposition to the disease could be. In other words, a low tolerance for high natural sugars/certain nutrients in spring grass could be inherited.
 
I would imagine (although I haven't looked into this at all, certainly not read any journals on it) that a predisposition to it could be inherited. I would be genuinely surprised if things like insulin resistance weren't at least in part heritable.
 
I agree with JT that it's highly plausible, if not likely, that some degree of predisposition is heritable. However, I wouldn't necessarily rule out a brood mare who had suffered from laminitis, unless it were inexplicable by the management of the mare at the time she first had laminitis and possibly cropped up at an uncommon rate in related animals.
 
I have just realised I said hereditary in relation to predisposition where I meant heritable. Bugger. I'm losing my touch :o
 
Laminitis is a symptom. The causes of laminitis that we have found so far are systemic inflammatory disease (like the classic 'grain bin' incidents or stress induced lami etc) and hyperinsulinaemia (like Cushing's or insulin resistance). The latter is suposed to be genetic - the 'thrifty gene' theory. So it would depend why the brood mare had lami in the first place.
 
An open ended question I think, but is Laminitis more likely to be caused by over eating? Or is it usually triggered by a sudden flush of too much sugar?

Some horses (e.g. native ponies) have what I can only describe as an eating disorder in that they cannot stop eating. If left on ad lib, they simply get obese. Are these more likely to become laminitic than those that don't? Some seem to be able to pace themselves even on good grazing and don't get over weight.
 
Dry Rot said:
An open ended question I think, but is Laminitis more likely to be caused by over eating? Or is it usually triggered by a sudden flush of too much sugar?

Some horses (e.g. native ponies) have what I can only describe as an eating disorder in that they cannot stop eating. If left on ad lib, they simply get obese. Are these more likely to become laminitic than those that don't? Some seem to be able to pace themselves even on good grazing and don't get over weight.
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I'd say not just natives, my three had a healthy covering when the snow arrived so they went onto ad lib hay my irish x put on 20kg and my arabs both 10kg in less than 2 weeks.
I would agree the predisposition to become laminitic is probably inherited.
 
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