Laminitis and genetics

[Sanversera]

Apparently a link has been found in section A ponies,those with specific ancestors have a greater chànce of getting laminitis than those without those ancestors. No details as yet.would be good I think if the predisposition to laminitis could be bred in out.

 

[Pearlsasinger]

Apparently a link has been found in section A ponies,those with specific ancestors have a greater chànce of getting laminitis than those without those ancestors. No details as yet.would be good I think if the predisposition to laminitis could be bred in out.

It certainly would. We lost a Section A driving pony to laminitis. Admittedly she had eaten the dregs of a discarded sheep feed bag which had blown from a neighbouring farm but it was a horrible time.

 

[SEL]

I saw that discussion.

I hope people would breed it out rather than some of the ridiculous nonsense we get with pssm1 and "losing quality blood lines"

 

[Carlosmum]

Assuming laminitis is often a symptom of other underlying hormonal issues, ( EMS/PPID) then I agree it could be an inherited tendency. I know of a family line of NF ponies who had laminitis issues, all had EMS and probably PPID.

 

[paddy555]

I hadn't really considered this but often wondered why mine didn't get lami.
He was sec D, a really difficult horse. At around 17 I decided that was it. Stopped riding.
He was perfectly happy and healthy living in a field with no restriction with a companion.
He got fat and fatter and fatter. I worked on the basis that he may as well enjoy what would undoubtedly be a short retirement. I wasn't prepared to ruin his life by putting him in a restrictive paddock etc. There was no point, he had already walked straight through a brand new door and split the planks from top to bottom. Nothing was going to restrain him. Just let him get on with it and decided the minute he started with lami that would be it, PTS the same day.

He died at 27 with very quick and violent colic. . Didn't make sense.

Some seem to get lami at the drop of a hat and some seem able to be happy grass guzzling barrels for many years.

 

[meleeka]

I hadn't really considered this but often wondered why mine didn't get lami.
He was sec D, a really difficult horse. At around 17 I decided that was it. Stopped riding.
He was perfectly happy and healthy living in a field with no restriction with a companion.
He got fat and fatter and fatter. I worked on the basis that he may as well enjoy what would undoubtedly be a short retirement. I wasn't prepared to ruin his life by putting him in a restrictive paddock etc. There was no point, he had already walked straight through a brand new door and split the planks from top to bottom. Nothing was going to restrain him. Just let him get on with it and decided the minute he started with lami that would be it, PTS the same day.

He died at 27 with very quick and violent colic. . Didn't make sense.

Some seem to get lami at the drop of a hat and some seem able to be happy grass guzzling barrels for many years.

I had a Welsh A like this. She did have PPID too, but never had any hoof issues, despite eating whatever she wanted and having access to far too much grass than should have been healthy (she was unable to eat hay anymore so I just threw caution to the wind).

 

[tda]

Apparently a link has been found in section A ponies,those with specific ancestors have a greater chànce of getting laminitis than those without those ancestors. No details as yet.would be good I think if the predisposition to laminitis could be bred in out.

But where do we stop, trying to breed out problems, better if we understood how it started in the first place (inbreeding etc) what if the best examples of the breed had the "gene", I don't know.

 

[Patterdale]

If they have the gene that will cause laminitis, then they’re not the best examples of the breed.

 

[Patterdale]

I think this research is a great step forward, I read the paper earlier. Hopefully they will be able to isolate the gene at some point, although I’m sure that’s years off.

 

[tda]

If they have the gene that will cause laminitis, then they’re not the best examples of the breed.

Yes but even if they have the gene, if keep appropriately, good weight and fitness is it a definite they will suffer from laminitis ?

 

[Patterdale]

Yes but even if they have the gene, if keep appropriately, good weight and fitness is it a definite they will suffer from laminitis ?

Not proven to be definite (yet), but very likely no matter how they are kept. Read the research, it’s so interesting

 

[tda]

Where will I find the research?

 

[dorsetladette]

Brilliant this is being discussed/researched but I don't think this is new.

Maybe it's just evidenced or published recently, but I thought it was pretty well known now that lami followed a bloodline (or a few) (meaning it's probably genetic) within the welsh breed.

Having said that I have no evidence to base my comment on only experience from years and years ago, hindsight and conversations with the more experienced (still doing it) breeding people I know.

I'll definitely read the research this evening.

 

[SEL]

Brilliant this is being discussed/researched but I don't think this is new.

Maybe it's just evidenced or published recently, but I thought it was pretty well known now that lami followed a bloodline (or a few) (meaning it's probably genetic) within the welsh breed.

Having said that I have no evidence to base my comment on only experience from years and years ago, hindsight and conversations with the more experienced (still doing it) breeding people I know.

I'll definitely read the research this evening.

Its moved on from hearsay to a scientist who has gathered a lot of records so can now actually start to prove certain bloodlines are vulnerable to laminitis

 

[JenJ]

I hadn't really considered this but often wondered why mine didn't get lami.
He was sec D, a really difficult horse. At around 17 I decided that was it. Stopped riding.
He was perfectly happy and healthy living in a field with no restriction with a companion.
He got fat and fatter and fatter. I worked on the basis that he may as well enjoy what would undoubtedly be a short retirement. I wasn't prepared to ruin his life by putting him in a restrictive paddock etc. There was no point, he had already walked straight through a brand new door and split the planks from top to bottom. Nothing was going to restrain him. Just let him get on with it and decided the minute he started with lami that would be it, PTS the same day.

He died at 27 with very quick and violent colic. . Didn't make sense.

Some seem to get lami at the drop of a hat and some seem able to be happy grass guzzling barrels for many years.

I had a Welsh A like this. She did have PPID too, but never had any hoof issues, despite eating whatever she wanted and having access to far too much grass than should have been healthy (she was unable to eat hay anymore so I just threw caution to the wind).

I don't understand it either!

I have two section A mares aged 11 and 12, with the same grandsire. Both about 12hh. Both tested as EMS. One 230kg, very dainty, tiny head and limbs, narrow body, ribs always visible. The other arrived with me at 320kgs, built like a tank (now down to about 270kg) neck like a stallion, barrel belly. It was the tiny one that came down with lami last year

Both are on haynets of timothy haylage when stabled in the daytime, muzzled on a track round my field overnight, on token speedibeet for supplements, tiny one has P45 liquid to help prevent lami, and has had 3 courses of Invokana over the last 15 months.

Yet the chunkier one has never showed any signs of lami, but the tiny one even now seems to be permanently teetering on the edge, though has not had an attack since the one last summer. It's a daily worry. I just don't understand.

 

[holeymoley]

I would put money on it that genetics do play a big part in EMS horses. It will be interesting to hear how the study progresses.

 

[Timelyattraction]

Very interesting. I have a chunky Welsh a here and i constantly worry about her getting lami, she came to us what i would call obese and she is almost always overweight despite me trying so hard and her being muzzled and only out at grass 5 hours a day however the 3 years I’ve had her she’s fingers crossed never had it and I do wonder how when I see others half the size come down with it although she is looking the best she ever has at the moment now my daughter has come off lead rein and is doing a lot more trot and canter work and riding for longer so hopefully we can keep the weight off her now.

 

[SO1]

What line was that it would be interesting to know?

Assuming laminitis is often a symptom of other underlying hormonal issues, ( EMS/PPID) then I agree it could be an inherited tendency. I know of a family line of NF ponies who had laminitis issues, all had EMS and probably PPID.

 

[Carlosmum]

What line was that it would be interesting to know?

Came down through a forest run Ashfield mare, can't remember who she was by without. looking it up

 

[ihatework]

I’m convinced EMS is genetic, there is one dressage stallion line where I have seen far too many cases of ems/laminitis tendency