How to cope with Laminitis
What is Laminitis?
Laminitis is very painful, causes lameness and commonly occurs
in the front feet causing the animal to lean backwards as it tries
to take the weight off the affected feet. In severe cases the pedal
bone rotates and penetrating the sole and the hoof horn separates
from the underlying tissues. Any suspicion that an animal is
developing laminitis must result in immediate veterinary
attention.
There is something that happens in the horse or
pony gut that causes these serious changes in the animal's foot. As
yet we do not know where in the gut but we assume (possibly
wrongly) that something "goes wrong" in the large intestine but
again, we do not know how this process works. Some complex grass
sugars (fructans) are often blamed for starting off the process.
Thus, it seems reasonable to try to "manage" the digestive system
so that it operates in the way that it was designed to do. Protein
digestion begins in the stomach and finishes in the small intestine
and starch and other sugars should be completely digested in the
small intestine. Fermentation in the large intestine takes care of
the fibrous components of the diet but we do not want overflows of
starch from the small intestine into the large intestine as this
will disturb the bacteria there. Fat horses or ponies predisposed
to laminitis need their digestive systems "managed" and their
weight (fat) gradually reduced. Any starch that is fed must be high
quality and cooked, to ensure total small intestinal digestion and
also, it should be fed in quantities that do not exceed the small
intestines' capacity to digest it. Thus, by following this
procedure we can "normalise" digestion-quick energy sources are
digested in the small intestine and slow energy sources are
fermented in the large intestine!
Unfortunately no-one has really researched the best nutritional
support for animals that suffer from or, are prone to laminitis. So
we have to rely on common sense when it comes to feeding these
animals. The following guidelines may be useful:
- Maintain optimum body weight/condition by regulating energy
intake
- Select ration ingredients that will be wholly digested in the
appropriate part of the gut
- Do not starve animals and use straw to satisfy appetite
- Poor roughage-only diets should be supplemented (Paddock
Likit perhaps) to ensure adequate nutrient intakes to
support tissue needs and repair
- Be aware that limiting grazing access forces animals to
compensate by stepping up their rate of grass intake when allowed
into the field
In conclusion, prevention is obviously the better
strategy and this may be achieved by not allowing
over consumption of starch-rich feeds or grass and regulation of
body weight since we know that obesity is an important predisposing
factor.
Written by Dr Derek Cuddeford
