Laminitis in Horses
Today we are going to talk about Laminitis.
A laminitic episode happens in the lamina.
We see it from the solar surface as the white line.
That lamina tracks up and encapsulates the coffin bone.
So the coffin bone is actually surrounded by the lamina and that lamina in a good, healthy foot will be similar to the consistency of like a green pear.
It's firm, but it's pliable.
And it's tightly knit, but it's firm and it provides support as it encapsulates this bone.
This bone is also attached - it's attached by the lamina that surrounds it.
It's also attached by the main extensor tendon that attaches at the top and front, and the deep digital flexor, which attaches at the bottom and the back.
You'll note that the deep digital is about three to four times the size of the main extensor.
When that lamina weakens and loses the consistency that we see where it's like a green pear and it becomes like an overly ripe pear and it's mushy, then it's no longer providing the support.
So you get a pulling contest between these two tendons. Given the location and the size, the deep digital flexor wins, and it wants to pull that bone down and cause rotation.
And that's when laminitis becomes a founder concern - when you have the rotation or the sinking that causes this coffin bone to reposition within the hoof capsule.
That's when we have dangerous issues.
Horses will sometimes have laminitic episodes that are mild and we don't even realize that it's happened.
We'll see evidence and bruising in the white line or something at a later date.
But once you have a truly acute episode and that lamina goes from green pear to overly ripe, mushy pear, you have this issue of the pulling contest.
That's where the rotation comes in, that's where the danger comes in.
The quicker you jump on this, the more positive your results will be.
You cannot wait on these issues.
You have to address them aggressively and quickly.
Don't hesitate to call your health care professionals the minute that you see any sort of lameness or soreness that you suspect a laminitic episode. Don't wait.
Today we are going to talk about Laminitis.
A laminitic episode happens in the lamina.
We see it from the solar surface as the white line.
That lamina tracks up and encapsulates the coffin bone.
So the coffin bone is actually surrounded by the lamina and that lamina in a good, healthy foot will be similar to the consistency of like a green pear.
It's firm, but it's pliable.
And it's tightly knit, but it's firm and it provides support as it encapsulates this bone.
This bone is also attached - it's attached by the lamina that surrounds it.
It's also attached by the main extensor tendon that attaches at the top and front, and the deep digital flexor, which attaches at the bottom and the back.
You'll note that the deep digital is about three to four times the size of the main extensor.
When that lamina weakens and loses the consistency that we see where it's like a green pear and it becomes like an overly ripe pear and it's mushy, then it's no longer providing the support.
So you get a pulling contest between these two tendons. Given the location and the size, the deep digital flexor wins, and it wants to pull that bone down and cause rotation.
And that's when laminitis becomes a founder concern - when you have the rotation or the sinking that causes this coffin bone to reposition within the hoof capsule.
That's when we have dangerous issues.
Horses will sometimes have laminitic episodes that are mild and we don't even realize that it's happened.
We'll see evidence and bruising in the white line or something at a later date.
But once you have a truly acute episode and that lamina goes from green pear to overly ripe, mushy pear, you have this issue of the pulling contest.
That's where the rotation comes in, that's where the danger comes in.
The quicker you jump on this, the more positive your results will be.
You cannot wait on these issues.
You have to address them aggressively and quickly.
Don't hesitate to call your health care professionals the minute that you see any sort of lameness or soreness that you suspect a laminitic episode. Don't wait.
