What Is Laminitis In Ponies

Laminitis commonly known as founder is a painful disease that causes severe lameness in horses.

What is laminitis in ponies.

Laminitis is an extremely painful condition affecting 1 in 10 horses ponies every year 1 and can cause permanent damage to the hooves. It can often cause lameness in two or all four feet at one time but it is preventable. Laminitis is a crippling condition which can be fatal in severe cases. Although the front feet are most commonly affected all four feet may be involved.

It was once associated primarily with overweight ponies but it can affect any age or size of horse. The causes vary and may include the following. Understand what laminitis is. Laminitis the separation or failure of laminae which connect the hoof wall to the coffin bone within can cause permanent structural changes in a horse s foot leading to repeated bouts of.

The very mildest sub clinical nutritionally triggered cases can often be nipped in the bud by changes in management notably feeding. The stance of the horse with acute laminitis is quite typical. These causes can be grouped into broad categories. Most horses and ponies can recover from laminitis but the extent of their recovery depends on many factors including how severe the problem was when it was first spotted and how soon treatment commences.

Lameness develops rapidly and animals shift their weight from one foot to another. One of the more common causes current theory states citation needed that if a horse is given grain in excess or eats grass under stress and has accumulated excess nonstructural carbohydrates sugars starch or fructan it may be unable. Laminitis is a disease that causes lameness in horses. Laminitis can affect any horse pony donkey or their hybrid at any time of the year and not just in spring there is no safe season.

Horse owners should not be tempted to stand horses or ponies suffering from laminitis in a stream or to cold hose their hooves. Laminitis has multiple causes some of which commonly occur together. Once a horse has had an episode of laminitis they are particularly susceptible to future episodes. Laminitis can be managed but not cured which is why prevention is so important.

Although laminitis occurs in the feet the underlying cause is often a disturbance elsewhere in the horse s body.