12/04/2023
Such an important read, the early signs of laminitis are often missed or overlooked until more serious pathology develops. Catching it early is key!
CLINICAL SIGNS OF LAMINITIS PART 1
Recognising laminitis before a horse is obviously lame can be difficult, especially as hyperinsulinaemia-associated laminitis often develops gradually, and particularly if you haven't experienced laminitis before. The sooner laminitis is recognised and action taken to remove the triggers (commonly sugar in the grass) and support the feet, the better.
Clinical signs of laminitis are due to pain/discomfort in the feet. Here are some of the early signs that might suggest laminitis that we, and the hundreds of owners of laminitic horses that TLS has helped, have noticed, sometimes with hindsight.
1. Before obvious signs of laminitis are seen, owners will often notice that their horse was unusually unwilling to go forwards or move at faster paces when being ridden or worked.
2. Also before obvious signs of laminitis are seen, sensitive owners will often pick up that their horse "just wasn't quite right" - perhaps a bit quiet, or less engaged with them, or less willing or polite than normal, e.g. not offering to step backwards when opening a gate, or not wanting to move over in the stable.
3. One of the first clinical signs noticed is often that the horse has a slightly shorter stride than normal, or looks a bit stiff, particularly on hard or stony ground. You might find yourself wondering if he could have bruised soles, or a bit of arthritis, or perhaps have been trimmed a bit too much recently.
4. Similarly, you might notice that he's walking a bit more slowly, carefully or reluctantly than usual - "walking on eggshells" is a term often used to describe this careful laminitic walk. Laminitic horses might also be described as being a bit "footy" or "pottery", suggesting that they are "feeling their feet". These initial suggestions of discomfort in the feet can progress to obvious lameness.
5. Horses with sore feet will often choose to walk on soft ground rather than hard or stony ground, and can be quite determined about this, dragging their owner to the grass verge rather than walking on the road.
6. You might notice that your horse is moving less than you would expect when he's turned out, or showing unusual behaviour - he's not at the gate waiting for his feed like he always is, or he's still where you saw him an hour ago even though his field mates are on the other side of the field. You might notice him just standing in the field, but think that he doesn't look quite like he should if he was dozing, perhaps not resting his hind legs alternately like usual, or looking more depressed than sleepy.
7. Horses with laminitis might lie down more than they normally would, or lie down in places or at times that you wouldn't expect.
8. A useful test for identifying early signs of laminitis can be to ask your horse to turn a tight circle - the turn should be fluid with no reluctance or "stickiness".
9. Horses with foot pain may be reluctant or refuse to pick up a foot, or sn**ch the foot away from you.
10. Shifting weight from foot to foot frequently or "paddling" when standing still can be a sign of laminitis.
Clinical signs of laminitis part 2 and Daily checks that may help early identification of laminitis, to follow.
The common theme running through all of these possible signs of mild/early laminitis is behaviour that is unusual for your horse, and sore feet. Several of these signs could be associated with foot problems other than laminitis, but it's safest to always assume and treat as laminitis until laminitis has been definitively ruled out (or another reason for the clinical signs definitively diagnosed), particularly in the spring if a horse has had recent access to grass. Keep in mind that horses have been diagnosed with chronic laminitis from x-rays without ever showing signs of lameness, and there's really no such thing as "a little bit of laminitis" - by the time clinical signs are seen, changes are likely to have taken place in the feet - so if you have even the tiniest concern that your horse could have laminitis, talk to your vet.
For more information see:
https://www.thelaminitissite.org/laminitis.html
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