When a farrier sees the symptoms of endocrinopathic laminitis, it’s essential that the owner immediately be informed and encouraged to seek veterinary assistance. The veterinarian needs to check the fasting level of insulin in the horse and plan an exercise, diet and/or medication program to reduce insulin levels. If the owner and vet both do their part, the foot should return … [Read more...]
Search Results for: laminitis
What’s new in preventing and treating laminitis in horses?
Hyperinsulinemia-associated laminitis is a form of laminitis that develops in the face of high circulating insulin levels. It can typically be managed but only if diagnosed quickly, writes Stacey Oke, DVM, MSc. She reviews interesting research including the use of radiographs to monitor and measure changes in the lucent zone which is parallel to the coffin bone. Treating acute … [Read more...]
Equine vet, emphasis on laminitis treatment is misplaced
The exact cause of laminitis remains unknown and once the pathological progression is in process, it doesn’t matter what caused it, shares Dallas O. Goble, DVM, DACVS. He admits it is impossible to prevent all cases of laminitis, but believes that attention to certain factors can greatly reduce the number of cases including these areas: Hoof care Exercise Nutrition … [Read more...]
How does laminitis affect the hoof? (video)
Complimentary Commercial Content Mike Barker explains how laminitis affects the horse's foot. The video is part of a curation of hoof care highlights <Link>. Source: American Farriers Journal, YouTube, June 17, 2023. Link. … [Read more...]
Risk of laminitis after corticosteroid joint injections may have been overstated
Researchers have concluded that intra-articular corticosteroids injections are only weakly associated with laminitis, so long as the horse doesn't have additional risk factors or a history of laminitis. The overall incidence of laminitis due to IA corticosteroid injection might be lower than many believe.” Source: The Paulick Report, February 4, 2023. Link. The researchers … [Read more...]
Keeping ahead of laminitis
Complimentary Commercial Content HAYGAIN® is sharing an informational leaflet horse enthusiasts can download. It reviews scientific literature and best practices in managing equine laminitis including: The laminitic foot Sugar and obesity Early warning signs of laminitis Balancing diet and welfare in laminitis cases Easing laminitic foot pain Source: … [Read more...]
Watch for laminitis in horses this spring
With spring comes the availability of fast-growing summer forage. As horses increase their intake, laminitis can become an issue. Laminitis is the damage and inflammation of the tissue between the hoof and the coffin bone. Nick Simmons offers an overview and resources from the University of California-Davis, University of Florida and Oklahoma State University. Source: … [Read more...]
Insulin resistance and cold weather laminitis in horses
Eleanor Kellon, VMD, says cold-induced hoof pain strikes horses with insulin resistance (IR). IR is a well described risk factor for laminitis. Even when a horse is not glaringly lame it is causing damage to the laminae. We haven’t uncovered all the mechanisms behind laminar damage from high insulin levels but one known factor is elevated levels of endothelin-1. Source: … [Read more...]
Laminitis – special report
Horse owners will read and mull over the information shared in this laminitis special report. Two main articles discuss 1) the increasing prevalence of the endocrine form and its relationship to grass and forage and 2) keys to preventing laminitis. There’s no doubt that many questions could be asked of veterinary teams, dealers and retailers as a consequence of reading and … [Read more...]
Sponsored Content – Manage acute founder and laminitis
Sled-runner hooves was how my grandfather drew attention to horses and ponies with founder. From an early age, it was common to see a foundered horse with severely overgrown hooves around where I grew up in Southwest Iowa. Most were backyard horses that ate grass in small lots. Occasionally, one would get into a grain bin, overeat and then founder. Seeing these animals struggle … [Read more...]
Skinny horses can founder, too
Low levels of adiponectin, a hormone from fat deposits, reflect an increased risk of laminitis. Traditionally thought to be a problem in obese horses, new study results show that obesity is not a reliable indicator of laminitis risk and poor metabolic health. Body condition score alone should not be used to assess metabolic risk factors in horses: thinner horses may still have … [Read more...]
Worth a Glance – December 21, 2023
Last week’s AHD Bulletin – Animal Health Digest Bulletin, December 14, 2023. Link. Most read post(s) from the December 14th AHD Bulletin – Underutilized and underappreciated. Link. What’s new in preventing and treating laminitis in horses? Link. Keeping it simple. Link. ============================================ Sorry, dogs: Cats can play fetch, too, … [Read more...]
The dangers of killing frost in equine pastures
A killing frost makes plants in pastures overly sufficient in nonstructural carbohydrates. Horses that eat the plants are more prone to laminitis, obesity, Cushing’s disease and equine metabolic syndrome. It likely okay to allow horses to graze 7 days after a killing frost if the plants or grass are green and taller than 3 to 4 inches. However, grazing should stop when the … [Read more...]
Goat hoof problems
Caprines, like their bovine cousins, can have hoof issues and lameness causing a reduction in food intake and weight gain, reduced milk production, lower reproduction rates and pain. Kate Johnson shares causes, treatments and prevention for common hoof challenges. Source: Backyard Goats, July 17, 2022. Link. Three of the most common goat hoof problems are: hoof … [Read more...]
How to safely travel with horses
Whether horses travels by road or by air, owners must be aware of the complications that may occur due to transportation, including traumatic injuries, diarrhea, muscular problems, respiratory problems, overheating, colic and even laminitis. The AAEP encourages equine veterinarians and horse owners read Practical Guidelines to Assess Fitness for Transport of Equidae to … [Read more...]
Hoof ulcers: Don’t blame the ration
Gerard Cramer, DVM, DVSc, isn’t too concerned about subacute ruminal acidosis. Instead, he sees laminitis more broadly. Along with sole ulcers, common contributors are white line lesions, digital dermatitis, foot rot and toe ulcers. . . . the most common contributors causing lameness are standing time, flooring problems, and failure to control digital dermatitis.” - Gerard … [Read more...]
Spring grass and horses
Juliet M. Getty, PhD, provides guidance on fresh grass and the potential problems it can cause for horses. She continues with tips on monitoring grasses throughout the season. Source: Equine Wellness, April 15, 2014. Link. Tasty spring grasses can offer too much sugar and starch for the insulin resistant horse, thereby increasing the risk of laminitis. However, with careful … [Read more...]
No kidding. A review of caprine health concerns
As of January 2021, there were 2.58 million goats in the U.S. The 2012 map shown gives us a good picture of where the goats are. Herds of fewer than 500 animals make a majority of the numbers. Population disbursement, the popularity of goats in urban and ruralpolitan settings, as well as increasing numbers of pet goats make goat information important across the country. Here … [Read more...]
Disease Du Jour: Tips about senior horse management
Complimentary Content sponsored by Merck Animal Health The two most common things we deal with in our old horse population is lamenesses and endocrine dysfunction, says Dianne McFarlane, DVM, PhD, MS, Dip ACVIM, referencing research results. The endocrine dysfunction is mostly about Equine pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction (PPID), as well as insulin … [Read more...]
Spring into horse care as weather warms
Complimentary Commercial Content from SmartPak Christine Barakat and Dusty Perin cover laminitis prevention to mud management to vaccination scheduling in this volume of EQUUS Extra. Items include: 14 things to do for your horse this season Spring horse keeping priorities Reduce the risk of laminitis Source: EQUUS Extra, Volume 40, Spring 2020. … [Read more...]
Understanding insulin resistance in horses
Complimentary Sponsored Content from Kentucky Performance Products, LLC. One of the more common metabolic problems horses develop involves insulin, the hormone that enables the body to use glucose. This edition of EQUUS Extra explores how insulin resistance develops in horses, what can be done about it and how this problem increases the risk of laminitis and other … [Read more...]
Is that horse fit or fat?
Pat Raia shares the tools and techniques needed to assess equine body condition. Assessing a horse’s body condition requires patience and lots of practice. Raia presents the Henneke body condition scale developed in the 1960s. It is designed to evaluate a horse’s overall body condition, though it does not assess equine weight. Source: EquiShopper, May 6, 2020. Link. Since … [Read more...]
Hoof wall and coronary band injuries in horses
Complimentary Sponsored Content Dr. Craig Lesser DVM and AFA Certified Farrier, discusses hoof wall and coronary band injuries in horses in this episode of the Disease Du Juor podcast. Source: EquiManagement, January 28, 2021. Link. Topics covered in this podcast include: What are the most common hoof wall issues veterinarians see and solution? Abscesses Hoof … [Read more...]
How to care for senior horses
By age 15, most horses have reached their senior years. They generally live longer than most domestic animals. Their use and lifestyle affects the way they age. A longer lifespan increases the need for enhanced animal health services and screenings as equine patients age to achieve animal health goals. . . “ Source: MWI Animal Health, October 16, 2020. Link. Here are a few of … [Read more...]
Saying goodbye, a horse owner’s difficult decision
It is relatively uncommon these days for a horse to die of natural causes, writes Natalie Voss. At some point a horse owner, along with their veterinarian, will need to decide when it’s appropriate to euthanize. . . . it is best to think about end-of-life plans for horses regardless of age” Source: Acreage Life, March 2020. Link. Predetermine what is an acceptable quality of … [Read more...]
Things to know about DMSO
Dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) in an industrial solvent turned anti-inflammatory therapy. It is approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for topical use on horses. However, veterinarians regularly use the chemical off-label in other ways to treat an array of inflammatory conditions from laminitis to neurological problems, writes Christine Barakat. She shares some history … [Read more...]
Pardon me, that horse is . . . uh, fat!
Obesity in horses carries a bunch of problems. David Ramey, DVM, shares some of the them, offers solutions and a story, as well: Fat horses are insulated horsesExercise intoleranceLaminitis You should be able to feel your horse’s ribs easily, but not see them (much). Source: Horse Network, January 27, 2019. Link. Keep your horse at a good weight. He’ll feel better, … [Read more...]
Study suggests more than half of lameness goes undetected
“Producers are aware of lameness as an issue in dairy herds and almost all monitor lameness as part of their daily routine. However, producers underestimate lameness prevalence, which highlights that lameness detection continues to be difficult in in all housing systems, especially in tie stall herds,” according to researchers who studied dairy farms. Source: Dairy Herd … [Read more...]
Exploring the equine biome
Researchers are working to better understand the role of various species of microorganisms throughout the equine intestinal system. The collective groups of microbes, their genomes and how they interact is referred to as the microbiome. Source: The Horse, August 2016, page 26. Studying the equine intestinal microbiome is important because horses are hindgut fermenters," … [Read more...]
4 ways to determine if a horse is overweight
Just as humans are, horses are also affected by obesity. Multiple systems have been developed to help owners keep an eye on their horses’ weight and work towards an ideal scale reading. Source: The Paulick Report, March 28, 2016. As is true for humans, this added weight comes a host of potential damaging health issues. For horses, these health issues can include laminitis, … [Read more...]