Laminitis in Horses

MrsMozart

MrsMozart

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I used to think that horses didn't get laminitis, that is was something only small fat ponies got, but a friend's top class working hunter came donw with it this year. Is this unusual, or have I had my head in a bucket for the last x number of years?
 
Whilst plenty of small fat ponies do get laminitis, there is still a good number of horses who get it too. There are various causes, but that can include;

1. Overfeeding to obtain what some (but not all) showing people deem to be correct showing condition (ie looking like a fattened bullock)

2. Underlying conditions such as Cushings disease or Equine Metabolic Syndrome

3. Some form of toxicity, such as a retained placenta in a brood mare, or Salmonella poisoning.

4. Concusssion - ie heavy work on hard ground.

I must say, from anecdotal experience as a farrier's wife, the most common causes we see are the top two.
 
Thank you TMG
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So is it rare to get a laminitic horse?
 
My 15.2hh Irish mare came down with it this Spring for the first time (I have owned her for 7 years, on the same pasture) and I was told that more and more horses are getting it now, maybe due to the milder climate? Apparently about 5 equines (not sure if they were horses or ponies) came down with laminitis within a mile radius of mine that morning! An acquaintance up the road lost 2 of her horses with it this Spring. Mine was overweight and on rich pasture which didnt look like it was growing much but it was! Never thought much about laminitis before...paranoid now!
 
Sorry to hear about your babe Wulfie
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We have a pony that is prone to laminitis. The last bout came about by overfeeding carrots! Ten a day on average..., didn't realise it was so many until we were trying to figure out what triggered the bout. But as he's a pony (and he came to us very fat and very unfit), I sort of expected it. Now I get paranoid!
 
Thanks, she seems OK now fingers crossed, just started riding her again....your poor pone, no more carrots
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I will definitely ban my Mother from buying carrots this Winter. I read that someone feeds their laminitic sugar free polos as a treat so thats an idea..
By the way how is the friend's horse coming on?
 
Stay away from the bad carrots! Poor pone, he gets one every blue moon. No haylage, no Polos, anti-lam food (which he seems to like lol). Now he's the right weight and working three or four times a week, though not hard, but fingers crossed no more bouts since the begining of this year....

Friend's horse is fine at the moment, was in a lot of work (was at HOYS) thank you. It's something that now they are aware of they are absolutely paranoid in ensuring it doesn't happen again.
 
My 16.2hh TBx mare is also prone and I have to watch her carefully - and at my old yard we had an anglo arab die from laminitis. I read somewhere that the highest incidence of laminitis is in small fat ponies - second highest in racehorses (concussion related I'd imagine). Don't know if thats true though.
 
[ QUOTE ]
So is it rare to get a laminitic horse?

[/ QUOTE ] No it is not. I think I read somewhere that at the Laminitis Trust Clinic, they deal with as many cases of laminitis in horses as they do in ponies.
 
Laminitis is far from rare in horses, and carrots ae NOT bad for laminitics, unless seriously overfed, and I'm talking nets a day!!
 
All I know is, carrots were the only thing with sugar in that he was having at the time, and the vets (three of them from two different practices) said stay off them - high in sugar.

Would be very happy if they have no effect, but not taking the chance
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He was on three months box rest and was a very sad little pony. He can live without carrots
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