Farrier services located in Gig Harbor, WA. Elsie Shaw is a graduate of Mission Farrier School, and
07/21/2023
Today I had an emergency call from one of my clients in regards to her pony showing early symptoms of laminitis. Luckily, she called me within the first 48 hours, and I was able to clear my schedule enough to come over immediately. This whole little adventure of mine reminded me that a lot of horse owner’s don’t really know what laminitis is, and how to spot it. So, I figured I’d hop on here and give a quick summary of things you should know and watch for.
Firstly, what is laminitis? Well before we answer that we have to know what the laminae is. In basic terms, the laminae is two sheets of tightly connected tissue that connects the hoof wall to the coffin bone. Think of it like Velcro. It is the exact same tissue that connects your fingernail to your nail bed. Its two main functions are to keep the coffin bone suspended within the hoof capsule, and to absorb shock. So, with that being said: laminitis, or inflammation of the laminae, is essentially an umbrella term used to describe all clinical presentations of structural failure of the lamellae, and is a complicated sequence of events that results in varying degrees of lameness and general pathology.
There are a LOT of reasons a horse could enter a laminitic episode, including but not limited to: carbohydrate overload, mechanical laminitis (aka road founder), insulin related (for example, metabolic horses and horses with cushing’s are highly susceptible), and so on. I could list of all the common reasons, but that’s a lot of information all at once.
Laminitis is categorized into three “phases” if you will: developmental, acute, and chronic.
The developmental phase is a short period of time, usually lasting anywhere from 8-48 hours. It is the best time to catch laminitis because usually it can be reversed with little to no damage. Unfortunately, most horses show no signs of lameness during this period and therefore people don’t usually catch it until necrosis has started. I want to make a point to emphasize that antibiotics and anti-inflammatories don’t do much if used after the developmental phase. In fact usually they just slow down the necrosis within the foot, preventing abscesses from blowing and causing pressure to build internally.
Most people catch laminitis when it is in the acute phase, as signs of pain are very clear. The intensity and appearance of these signs correlate with the severity of laminitis. The following are commonly observed signs:
- Reluctancy to move, and treading, or shifting weight from foot to foot, are usually two of the earliest observable signs of laminitis. Treading is typically present in front feet, however horses can tread on their hinds as well.
- A bounding digital pulse, increased hoof temperature, and abnormal standing.
- Pain response to pressure on the distal border of the coffin bone, and general toe pain. Laminitic horses will be methodical in their use of the back of their foot.
- Lying down excessively. Horses will often lay down to relieve their feet and then be reluctant to get back up.
Treatment in the acute phase is aimed at the sequence of events happening in the foot, prevention of progression, and the systematic alterations in the cardiovascular and endocrine systems.
There is a lot of variability in chronic laminitis cases. I could write a whole separate post about that, but some common symptoms of chronic, low grade laminitis are slow hoof wall growth, mild lameness that comes and goes for no apparent reason, and prominent growth rings on the hoof wall. Equines with greater internal damage will have increasingly obvious external changes and lameness. They tend to share the same symptoms as the low grade case, but the degree will be worse.
So, what do you do as the owner? Simple: see something, SAY SOMETHING. Immediately! The sooner your farrier can get out to you the better shot your horse has at a fast, less painful recovery. Application of immediate support, usually styrofoam, can literally save a horse’s life or at least minimize the degree of severity. If you horse seems off, please PLEASE reach out to your farrier! It’s our job! I would much rather have a client call me panicked over something minute and tell them it’s no big deal, than have a client wait a few days before calling me. Your horse’s comfort is much more important than you potentially annoying me!
