What do you do when a horse has laminitis?

Answer 1

Laminitis is a very painful condition where the laminae, or sensitive membranes inside the hooves, become inflamed and infected. This condition can leave a horse with permanantly deformed feet, sometimes so bad that the horse cannot walk and must be put down.

Laminitis is also known as founder. It is easily recognisable because the horse will show signs of being in great pain, will probably refuse food, will not walk unless physically dragged, and will lean back trying to take all of the weight on its heels because the front parts of the hooves hurt more.

Laminitis must be treated promptly. The main cause is too much rich food, for example a horse breaking loose and eating far too much concentrate, or a mistake with measuring. The horse's hooves will feel hot to the touch because there is an infection inside. Stand the horse in cold water to keep the hooves cool. Don't feed it concentrates. Keeping a horse moving is generally beneficial, but it should not be walked too much.

And the most important thing? Call the vet! Before you do anything else, call the vet! The vet will tell you what to do because treatment will vary depending on the horse and the severity of its condition. The vet can also give it drugs to make it more comfortable and help it recover faster.

Katie -

I think think the answer above is mainly talking about very serve laminitis . Sometimes it can be very slight . But you need to be very good at recognising the signs to spot it before it gets worse.

The feet will be warm, yes.

But llaminitis can cause just slight limping sometimes.

Do call the vet to make sure it is laminitis if you are not 200% sure ! .

enclose your horse in an area with NO (and I didn't say not much. I said No ) grass. A stable isn't realy sutible because the horse can't be exercised but needs freedom of movement.

The horse should ONLY be fed hay .. if its very serve straw would be even better .

And perhaps an apple or carrot daily. for something succulant.

The pony may drink more water than usual .

It is also possible to get an anti-inflamitry from your vet that normally would come in a powder to put in feed.

But do not mix it with a food stuff that is not laminitis safe.

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IF YOU HAVE A FOUNDERING HORSE, LISTEN TO THE FIRST BUT NOT THE SECOND PART.

First of all, the horse SHOULD be kept in the stable where you can keep an eye on it. It won't move anyway, so it doesn't need freedom of movement. Second of all, horses do not eat straw, they only eat hay. Third of all, NEVER give carrots or apples or anything but hay and water to a foundering horse, because its condition will become worse and it will die.

Answer 2

Laminitis also known as founder, is an inflammation and deterioration of the laminae of the hoof. The wall of the hoof separates from rest of the hoof, causing extreme pain and difficulty walking.

Horses with laminitis tend to be lame in all four feet at the same time. Ridges form in their hooves as their hooves continue to grow. The toes of the hoof begin to curl up. But these are signs of chronic laminitis.

Ponies and overweight horses kept on rich pasture are the most likely to founder.

Acute laminitis is indicated by heat in the hooves and lameness. A farrier or veterinarian can make a definitive diagnosis. You can also tell because horses will be very reluctant to move, even when you have grain. They will seem depressed and will look sick. Their cornet band (the top part of the hoof) will be hot to the touch, and if you pinch on the horse's ankle you will feel a raging pulse. Also, horses may stick their back legs underneath them and their front legs forward, in an attempt to keep weight off the usually afflicted front legs.

Answer 3

Your horse will limp. Do not ride the horse while it is lame. There are a few reasons your horse may become lame, they are the same as you or me. While your horse is lame, make sure he / she does not expert themselves. 1) is that your horse may have the most obvious - a cut. To make your horse lame, the cut must have been pretty sore. Treat the cut immediatly. 2) Your horse may have stumbled and hurt the inside of his leg. You may want to bandage this up. 3) They may have a cut or stone in their hoof. It may be bruised. You should see your farrier / vet about this. These are just a few resons your horse may become lame. Please note that I am not a vet so if you have problems, do not hesitate to call your local vet.

Answer 4

Laminitis is a disruption in the circulation inside the horse's hoof, usually resulting in tissue death. Founder is the damage that usually happens after laminitis.

The best way to know for sure to know if a horse has foundered in the past is to give them a special x-ray called a radiograph. There are also usually horizontal ridges on the outside of the hoof called Fever Rings that indicate he has been ill. The horse may have a seedy toe that indicates damage inside the hoof, and there may be a bump on the sole that indicates the horse's coffin bone is now pointed downward - called rotation. He also may not be sound after laminitis or founder. A foundered horse usually has hooves that are no longer shaped correctly. There may be a 'dip' on the front of the hoof, and if he is allowed to grow without trimming, his hoof will begin to grow curved, resembling elf shoes.

That being said, in rare cases it is possible for a horse to have laminitis with little to no permanent damage or lasting signs. Laminitis and founder are not the same thing. Founder got its name from ships. When a ship sinks at sea (called foundering), it usually rotates in the water and the front end sinks first - just like the coffin bone in most foundered horses. Some foundered horses do not rotate before the coffin bone sinks however. They're commonly known as 'sinkers'.

A horse who is in the middle of an episode of laminitis shows many signs peculiar to that disease.

Answer 5

This depends upon what you are referring to as laminitis. For acute laminitis, you can try cooling the hoof with water baths or soaking with a hose, giving oral phenylbutazone to relieve inflammation and stall resting the horse. If the inflammation resolves fast enough and the damage was minimal enough, the tissue will be repaired by the horse's body and the episode can be considered cured.

For chronic laminitis, there is no cure (the tissue has already been damaged beyond repair) but you can typically manage the symptoms and delay progression of the condition through careful exercise restriction, corrective shoeing and adjustments to the bedding and feed.

Answer 6

Laminitis is inflammation of the soft tissues within the hoof wall. Unfortunately, there is no cure for laminitis, just palliative treatment and long-term rest. Some horses (and cattle) are able to overcome the laminitis on their own with the help of corticosteroids (to reduce inflammation), fluid therapy and stall rest. Other animals are permanently crippled and need to be euthanized for humane reasons.

Answer 7

If the horse has a very mild case he can recover with diet restrictions and good trimming and shoeing. But for the more severe cases, it may not go away. That doesn't mean your horse can't resume his life but he may need ongoing hoof treatment and most definitely a restricted diet. And for some very unlucky horses it could mean death.

Answer 8

Send a doctor to the horse and treat the horse carefully and gently.

The proper way to care for an injured leg will depend on the injury itself. if you are in doubt about how to handle it call a equine veterinarian immediately.