What Is Laminitis

The terms laminitis and founder are used interchangeably.

What is laminitis.

Laminitis is a painful and potentially crippling disease that can be fatal to horses. Laminitis is a crippling condition which can be fatal in severe cases. 1 hormonal endocrine laminitis. Laminitis should be thought of as a sign of a disease rather than a disease itself.

Hormonal laminitis is the most common form. Laminitis is a disease of the foot that can vary in severity from the merest hint of lameness to a situation described as sinking which can be fatal. Once a horse has had an episode of laminitis they are particularly susceptible to future episodes. However founder usually refers to a chronic long term condition associated with rotation of the coffin bone whereas acute laminitis refers to symptoms associated with a sudden initial attack including pain and inflammation of the.

Laminitis is a disease that affects the feet of ungulates and is found mostly in horses and cattle clinical signs include foot tenderness progressing to inability to walk increased digital pulses and increased temperature in the hooves. Laminitis can affect one or all feet but it is most often seen in the front feet concurrently. As laminitis develops the attachment of the pedal bone to the hoof wall starts to fail leaving the pedal bone to rotate and point towards the sole and in the worst cases to sink right through it. This means the cause needs to be investigated and then managed to help prevent future episodes.