Horse Laminitis is a common health issue in horses that needs a lot of attention and treatment. If you’re a breather, you want your horses to be in perfect condition, and always ready for the big challenges. If you’re facing this kind of problem, or you want to prevent it, you’ve come to the right place.
In this article, we’re talking more about this problem and how to treat it. We will share the experience of Trinity Consultants who have proven over the years to be true experts. If you want to read their original share on the problem, see this website and read more about Laminitis.
What is Horse laminitis?
This condition causes a rapture in connective tissue that connects the floor of the foot. The worst-case scenario is separating the bone from the hoof wall, after which it is really hard to treat the animal and recovery is a long process.
Although there are ways to treat it and make a fast recovery, the best thing to do as an equine trainer and breather is to try and prevent the problem. We’re about to share a couple of tips that will help you treat your horses properly and avoid this happening to them. Keep and see more about this!
1. Check for EMS
Research has shown that horses suffering from EMS have a significantly higher chance to get laminitis. EMS stands for Equine Metabolic Disorder, which is nothing more than insulin resistance of their bodies. If you manage to find this in time and treat them properly, you might not develop laminitis.
Just like humans, so are horses prone to getting diabetes. As it is dangerous for human organs inside the body, so it is in horses, which is why you need to pay a lot of attention to those that developed this syndrome. If you manage to keep it under control, they won’t develop laminitis and stay in perfect shape and condition.
2. PPID is a serious issue too
Another disease that horses and people have in common is Coursing’s disease. Known as PPID Pituitary Pars Intermedia Dysfunction is the full name of this disease. This one creates a hormonal imbalance causing all sorts of problems in the animal’s body. See more detail about PPID here.
Unlike the previous condition, PPID appears after the age of 16, which means they have a long way to go until getting it. However, those who had EMS diagnosed as young will have a much higher chance to develop PPID too. In many cases, these two go together and one may have both at the same time.
3. Keep them on a diet
A good-looking horse can be seen from afar. Those horses who are often fed with foods that are not with the best nutrition for them will not look as appealing as those who are on a regular diet. More importantly, these animals will have a much higher chance to develop the condition.
Check out on the internet what the best way to feed your horses is and find a way to implement a strict diet in their lives. Feed them only with the stuff that is essential and make sure they have their daily exercises keeping them in full shape. If you manage to do this, be sure that they’ll be as healthy as possible and avoid getting the condition.
4. Keep them off the lush grass
You may think that having them in the open fields eating grass is great for them, but you need to think twice. Lush pasture has lots of sugars in them, and as you can see from everything written above, sugars are the main cause of horses’ diseases. Their endocrine system is not the best in the animal kingdom, which means you need to keep them off the lush grass.
Their sense of hunger will keep them going for hours. They’ll keep eating it until it’s enough causing serious problems for their organs. Of course, it’s not going to be disastrous if you let them do this once in a few months, but in general, you need to be aware of the danger.
5. Avoid black walnut wood by all means
It has been noticed that black walnut wood is an extremely powerful source to cause laminitis in horses. Standing on wood shavings that contain as little as 20% black walnut will cause laminitis within the next eight hours, so make sure you get something else. Learn more about why this plant is so dangerous for horses on the link: https://extension.umn.edu/horse-pastures-and-facilities/black-walnut-toxic-horse-bedding.
When you’re buying from licensed horse product sellers, you can be almost sure that you’ll not get something like this, but many people buy from other sources that are not aware of the content inside. The seller might not even know that there’s black walnut wood inside, so make sure you check before applying.
6. Do regular checks
Instead of inviting the veterinarian once in a couple of years as some people do, you should invite them over much frequently. Let them inspect and analyze. Let them do the regular checks and see if something is going on under the radar.
If you locate the disease before it becomes serious, it will be much easier to treat it. However, if the laminitis is already developed, then healing is much harder and takes a lot more time. If the veterinarian finds out that blood sugar levels are high, they’ll suggest a diet, and you may avoid the problem.
Conclusion
These few points are some of the most essential points to know when you’re dealing with horse laminitis. It’s a serious injury that is hard to heal, so prevention is much smarter than letting them go and treating them afterward.
If you love your horses, you’ll surely dedicate yourself to regular health checks, a healthy diet, and making sure they are in perfect shape. If you manage to keep them in shape, be sure that they will never develop this condition.
