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LAMINITIS equine
horse - Inflammation of the sensitive laminae of the feet that hold
the pedal bone in place inside the foot.
Related conditions: Equine Cushings Disease, Diabetes, Insulin resistance
Causes By far
and away the most usual cause is over eating in the lush grass
flushes mainly in spring and to a lesser extent autum. The high fructan
levels of the grass eaten cannot be dealt with effectively in the hind gut
and toxins are given off which travel all round the body. On reaching the
feet via the blood vessels inflammation occurs and the attachment of the
laminae to the hoof membrane is weakened. The swelling forcing the laminae
apart causes the pain which is excruciating. Things get worse as the
tissues that hold the pedal bone in place are affected and if left
unchecked cause the pedal bone to rotate and eventually in the worst cases
actually pierce the sole of the foot when only euthanasia can be
administered. The first sign of laminitis is often when a horse can be seen
having shifted most of the weight to the hind legs as typically it is the
front feet to be first affected. The fore feet are thrust forward as the
unfortunate animal tries to take painful weight off these feet.
Although most usually associated with spring grass, large amounts of rich
food in the gut can cause the same problem at any time of the year and great
care should be exercised when feeding high protein diets. Equine
Cushings Disease is another cause as it nearly always leads to
Laminitis, Diabetes & Insulin Resistance and these have to be diagnosed by a
vet. In addition any infection, concussion (hard riding on hard ground) and
stress make some horses more susceptible.
Treatment
Anti-inflammatories, analgesics and diet adjustment - drastically
reducing the access to rich pasture or feeds - are the standard treatment.
In addition some alternative therapies consentrate on detoxification of the
system targeting the liver primarily also flushing out the gut and bowel
with bran and psyllium to eliminate the toxic contents is a useful action.
Adeqate food to aid recovery and high fibre diets of mainly hay and bran
mashes to aid the detox process and as a carrier for supplements is to be
recommended. A calcium supplement should be used to counter leaching of
this element when using bran over long periods. Cryotherapy - iced water
soaking, cold hosing or standing animal in a stream all help alleviate pain
and promote healing. The Laminitis Trust is pioneering research into the
use of Agnus Castus (Chaste Tree Berry or Monks Pepper) as it has properties
very similar to Pergolide, used to treat pituitary tumours which nearly
always result in laminitis.
Avoidance Owners of laminitis prone horses should ensure the animals do
not get obese or even just over weight by careful rationing of their feed
and access to pasture. Regarding the later new research has shown that
Perennial rye grass (Lolium perenne) and Italian rye grass (Lolium
multiflorum) are both high in fructans which are one of the main causes of
laminitis while Meadow Foxtail ( Alopecurus pratensis and Timothy (Phleum
pratense) are both low in fructans. When reseeding pasture for horses
ensure the mix is high in the latter and very low the former.
PEGASUS HEALTH PRODUCTS THAT CAN HELP
LiveAid Liquid
an Ayurvedic herbal formula that acts as a fast powerful detox for the liver
and the entire system. The toxins given off from poorly digested food in
the hind gut are the villains of the piece and if these are eliminated as
fast as possible while diet adjustment, pain killers and anti-inflammatories
are also given, recovery is often swift. Even in cases where a dire
prognosis is given, speedy, high doses of LiveAid can bring about a happier
outcome. Feed at the rate of 10ml per 100kg bodyweight for general
maintenance and 20ml/100kg or even more (can be fed adlib using 1Lt over 2
or 3 days) in acute situations. LiveAid Powder: in this form it is
designed to be used long term and is especially useful when feeding hay to
guard against ragwort poisoning and to kick start the detox process at once
when too much food of any sort is eaten and starts to over ferment in the
hind gut. Research Papers on LiveAid use are available and support
our own anecdotal evidence. The main herbs in these formulae are: Nigella
sativa, Picrorrhiza kurroa, Phyllanthus nirurui, Citrullus colocynthus,
Terminalia chebula, Terminalia belerica and Phyllanthus embilica.
SandAway pure psyllium husks gently clear the hind gut and bowel fast so
that the contents cause no further problems while LiveAid deals with the
main problem. Hoof Express an Ayurvedic herbal formula containing
feed grade calcium, magnesium, potassium and biotin from pure herbal
sources can be given with bran when used as a carrier for medication to
counter any calcium leaching. Also Biotin+ and Limestone Flour .NatureBute
an Ayurvedic herb - Boswellia serrata - which acts an a natural aid to
optimum comfort with natural anti-inflamatory & analgesic properties.Milk
Thistle has good detox properties and is said to be able to aid
regeneration of the liver.Agnus castus (Chaste Tree Berry or Monks
Pepper, ) as described in the main text above. |