Laminitis can strike horses, donkeys, and mules for many reasons. Laminitis is the painful inflammation of the sensitive laminae inside the hoof wall. That inflammation can cause the laminae to weaken and tear. That allows the coffin bone inside the hoof to sink and/or rotate downward, causing permanent damage. In severe cases, euthanasia might be the only humane option. Laminitis survivors might never be sound again. 

Any horse can develop acute laminitis. It can be caused by an overload of carbohydrates, endocrine or metabolic disease, severe gastrointestinal illness, as a side effect of certain drugs, or due to mechanical stresses.

Clinical Signs of Equine Laminitis

The earliest signs of laminitis can be alarmingly obvious, or they might be subtle. But, once you spot them, you must act immediately. 

Watch for these signs: 

  • Shifting of weight back and forth between the front feet or adopting the “founder position”—leaning back on the haunches with the forefeet stretched forward to take the horse’s weight off the front limbs. 
  • Recumbency and reluctance to rise. 
  • Sweating, fever, shallow breathing, or other signs of pain. 
  • Hooves that are persistently warm to the touch. 
  • A “bounding” (rapid and strong) digital pulse on the back of the pastern, either just above or just below the ankle. 

What to Do If Laminitis Signs are Present

First: Call the veterinarian. Say you have an emergency, and explain the situation. 

Second: Put the horse’s feet in ice. Icing the feet is the one treatment that has been proven to halt the progress of laminitis under laboratory conditions. The earlier, the better. When researchers in Australia started icing a horse’s feet immediately after administering oligofructose to induce the disease, they were able to prevent laminitis from developing. 

Research has shown that icing the feet can help to prevent laminitis secondary to severe illness and also laminitis due to high insulin. Icing might be useful if a horse has broken into a grain bin, and you strongly suspect laminitis could follow. This therapy can also greatly reduce the severity of the disease, even if the treatment does not start until after signs of foot pain appear. 

Stand the horse in a tub with cold water and ice deep enough to submerge the leg up to the middle of the cannon bone. Replenish the ice as needed until the veterinarian arrives. 

Third: Take the horse’s temperature. Laminitis can accompany other illnesses. You’d probably know if your horse was seriously ill, but an elevated temperature might indicate underlying problems you hadn’t noticed. Report your findings to your veterinarian. Upon arrival, he or she will offer guidance based on your horse’s condition and circumstances. 

As you wait, you might want to enlist a friend who can lend a hand and help gather any supplies your veterinarian might need. 

Remove horses and ponies from pasture if they are at pasture if access to grass is likely to have been the cause (e.g., in spring/early summer). 

What Not to Do 

Do not walk a horse you suspect has laminitis. Each step he takes increases the stresses on the laminae. Instead, keep him as still as possible. Ideally, you’d leave the horse exactly where you found him until the veterinarian arrives. 

If the horse must be moved, choose the shortest route available, preferably over soft ground. To move your horse over a longer distance, try bringing a trailer out to where he is and letting him ride into the barn. If he wants to lie down, let him. 

In the Meantime 

Locate an area with soft footing. As your horse begins recovery from laminitis, you will want to house him in a stall with very deep bedding (at least 8 inches) or a small pen with deep, soft footing (such as sand). 

The soft material will pack up inside the hoof and support the coffin bone, which might prevent or reduce rotation while also easing the horse’s pain. 

Based on an article from EQUUSmagazine.com.

Further Reading