LYMPHANGITIS
LAMINITIS equine horse - Inflammation of the sensitive laminae of the feet that hold the pedal bone in place inside the foot.
Related conditions: Equine Cushings Disease, Diabetes, Insulin resistance
Causes
By far and away the most usual cause is over eating in the lush grass flushes mainly in spring and to a lesser extent autum. The high fructan levels of the grass eaten cannot be dealt with effectively in the hind gut and toxins are given off which travel all round the body. On reaching the feet via the blood vessels inflammation occurs and the attachment of the laminae to the hoof membrane is weakened. The swelling forcing the laminae apart causes the pain which is excruciating. Things get worse as the tissues that hold the pedal bone in place are affected and if left unchecked cause the pedal bone to rotate and eventually in the worst cases actually pierce the sole of the foot when only euthanasia can be administered. The first sign of laminitis is often when a horse can be seen having shifted most of the weight to the hind legs as typically it is the front feet to be first affected. The fore feet are thrust forward as the unfortunate animal tries to take painful weight off these feet.
Although most usually associated with spring grass, large amounts of rich food in the gut can cause the same problem at any time of the year and great care should be exercised when feeding high protein diets. Equine Cushings Disease is another cause as it nearly always leads to Laminitis, Diabetes & Insulin Resistance and these have to be diagnosed by a vet. In addition any infection, concussion (hard riding on hard ground) and stress make some horses more susceptible.
Treatment
Anti-inflammatories, analgesics and diet adjustment - drastically reducing the access to rich pasture or feeds - are the standard treatment. In addition some alternative therapies consentrate on detoxification of the system targeting the liver primarily also flushing out the gut and bowel with bran and psyllium to eliminate the toxic contents is a useful action. Adeqate food to aid recovery and high fibre diets of mainly hay and bran mashes to aid the detox process and as a carrier for supplements is to be recommended. A calcium supplement should be used to counter leaching of this element when using bran over long periods. Cryotherapy - iced water soaking, cold hosing or standing animal in a stream all help alleviate pain and promote healing. The Laminitis Trust is pioneering research into the use of Agnus Castus (Chaste Tree Berry or Monks Pepper) as it has properties very similar to Pergolide, used to treat pituitary tumours which nearly always result in laminitis.
Avoidance
Owners of laminitis prone horses should ensure the animals do not get obese or even just over weight by careful rationing of their feed and access to pasture. Regarding the later new research has shown that Perennial rye grass (Lolium perenne) and Italian rye grass (Lolium multiflorum) are both high in fructans which are one of the main causes of laminitis while Meadow Foxtail ( Alopecurus pratensis and Timothy (Phleum pratense) are both low in fructans. When reseeding pasture for horses ensure the mix is high in the latter and very low the former.