Sorry....But I may sound thick...

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Tabbi

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I was reading a post in the new lounge where someones horse had died of laminitis....now I thought laminitis was like a inflammation in the hooves due to eating too much rich grass....so I am a tad confused how this can cause death..could anyone enlighten me please? thanks in advance.
 
The horse would most likely have been put to sleep, as in severe cases, once the pedal bone has rotated the horse would have not recovered from the laminitis and the horse would be in a lot of pain, with no chance of of it getting any better
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Yes. Your farrier would be able to tell.

You can also look out for signs, one of the first being tender on feet (footie), this usually happens in either front two together, back two together, or all four at once. This times of year, and spring time are times to be extra careful when there is often a flush of new grass. But basically be on the watch all year round. Sun on frosty grass is also one to watch. Its all to do with the sugar levels in the grass.

Do you have horse/ pony you are worried about?
 
No, I have been doing lots of research into buying and owning a horse and I have done a little research on mud fever and a little on Laminitis....but I thought Laminitis was like an inflammation, which its still sounds like it is but with the inflammation it moves the pedal bone...is that right?
(My hubby has offered to buy me a horse so I am looking into different things like ailments, insurance, stabling, feed, farrier costs and vets costs)
 
It is an inflammation of the lamini (sp) which is in the foot. When this swelling occurs it presses against the hard hoof wall, which causes the pain. The pain also would be caused due to weight bearing. As mentioned, in more severe cases the pedal bone, which is also located in the foot can rotate. Which can mean the horse needs to be put down. (there is different degrees of rotation).
 
Laminitis is a complicated disease Tabbi. As horsyscot has explained, the END result of the disease process is where the lamini are affected by something that has STARTED somewhere else in the horse's body. The lamini are (very crudely) the structures that bond the outer horn of the hoof to the inner structure of it. When the lamini are affected, they start separating from the rest of the hoof so nothing is holding hoof horn and body together. Then the massive stresses on the mechanism of tendons and ligaments that enable the horse to walk, start to pull internal bones out of line. In severe cases, the pedal bone may begin to protrude through the sole of the hoof. This disease process is incredibly painful for the horse and, typically, the first thing an owner will observe is the horse standing oddly with its front feet stretched out in front of it and the weight tipped back to try to relieve some of the pain in its front feet. It can strike all 4 feet but is most commonly seen in the front 2. What starts the process is USUALLY too rich feed eg lush spring grass, overfeeding, the horse breaking into the feed room etc. But other things can START an imbalance in the horse's body somewhere that can then END up as laminitis. It's thought that toxins can affect the blood flow in the sensitive lamini but HTG there are books and books and research reports and god knows what else that have been written on this subject alone.

I would honestly beg you to try to get some practical experience before you buy a horse Tabbi - books and research are great but you can't beat hands on learning when it comes to horses. Have you looked into doing a correspondence course on Horse Ownership? Or helping at a local riding school/yard for a while? Or doing some BHS exams? A horse is the only animal I know that you can stand in a small, level field, with safe post and rail fencing all round, you go away for 20mins for a cup of tea and you come back and the horse has broken its leg/impaled itself on something/ developed laminitis/got colic/torn a tendon/escaped into the next county. For the health of your ned and your own safety, please try to get some hands-on experience before you buy! x
 
Hi Box_of_Frogs, be assured that when considering buying a horse I am going to ask the school that I ride at if I can help out....the only thing that has stopped me so far is that I have two boys who I want to get used to being around horses, so I have arranged for them to start riding next saturday...once they have had some lessons and feel comfortable around horses, I will be asking if I can come and help out at the stables to give me the hands on experience. Everyone who has a horse has been a first time owner and everyone has to start somewhere, and until I can do the hands on I am researching the costs involved and also the care of the horse. Believe me when I say this is not something that I would rush into as there is the welfare of the animal to think about.
 
Well good for you for bothering to find out all you can
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...its a shame more people don't do the same. There is soooo much to keeping horses safe and healthy and you really never stop learning. Be warned...its expensive
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Stay tuned to this forum..there's a wealth of experience on here. Don't be put off by the occasional grump. You'll soon get to know who's who and who best to take notice of.

As others have said...laminitis is a horrible, horrible ailment. ANY horse/pony can get it so when buying remember to ask if the horse/pony has ever had it before so you can be aware. As a novice owner I would avoid anything that has had it before.

Good luck
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This link will give you some useful info..
http://www.laminitisclinic.org/
 
Don't know if it's my horse that you mean re PTS but she was put to sleep because of laminitis and her pedal bones had dropped in three of her feet, she would of never of come sound again and never been allowed grass again and for a 24yr old horse this was no life for her. It was the hardest decision but at the end of the day i had to think about her quality of life xxxx
 
Hi Honeypot
Thanks for the link Honeypot
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Hi Annie&Amy, sorry but it was not your post that I read, but I am sorry that your horse had to be PTS.
 
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