The old adage that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure is especially true of laminitis. Since it’s a given that many horses that develop the condition will be permanently affected – and some will not recover at all – it makes a lot of sense to do whatever you can to keep your horse from developing the problem in the first place.
What is laminitis? It’s a condition affecting the connections of the hoof wall – which is the equine equivalent of your fingernail – to the live tissue underneath. Think of it this way. The hoof is connected to the live tissue underneath in very much the same configuration as is the paper on everybody’s favorite peanut butter and chocolate cup. As far as the horse’s hoof goes, the crinkled edges are layers of tissue; the Latin word for “thin sheet of material” is lamina. And laminitis is a still poorly-defined problem that affects that thin layers of tissue that form these connections.
Since it’s such a bad problem for horses, it makes a lot of sense to try to prevent laminitis. Of course, there is one big, fundamental, gigantic problem with the absolutely well-intentioned notion that laminitis can be prevented. That big problem is that preventing laminitis is not always possible. I mean, if I were to try to come up with a short list of what should be done to prevent laminitis in every horse, it would look something like this.
- Don’t ever let them get fat
- Don’t ever let them get old
- Don’t ever let them get sick
- Always take good care of their feet
- Make sure they never inadvertently get into the feedroom
- Don’t let them gorge themselves on lush grass pasture
So you can see the problems here. Sometimes, there are things you just can’t do anything about.
Anyway, back to preventing laminitis. Another big problem with laminitis is that it’s not a single problem. In fact, it’s not even a disease. Laminitis is not a disease, it’s a clinical sign of a disease. Laminitis can occur because of overeating, uterine infections, being too fat, diarrhea, poor hoof care, pneumonia, endocrine problems, etc., etc. I mean, what other single disease can claim all that physiologic mayhem? It’s not possible to prevent all cases of laminitis any more than it is possible to prevent all causes of pain. Sometimes stuff just happens. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try the best that you can, but it also means that you shouldn’t beat yourself up if something goes wrong.
Click on the documents below to get information about various aspects of laminitis prevention.
BODY CONDITION AND LAMINITIS [PDF]
BREED AND AGE RISKS FOR LAMINITIS [PDF]
DISEASES AND LAMINITIS [PDF]
MEDICATIONS, TRANSPORT, AND LAMINITIS [PDF]
EXERCISE, FOOT CARE, AND LAMINITIS [PDF]
Not all cases of laminitis can be prevented. Not all cases of pain can be prevented, in your horse, or in you, for that matter. Sometimes your horse is going to step on something. Or twist something. Or bump into something. Pain sometimes happens, no matter how careful you try to be. Laminitis, too.
You’ve got your best chance at keeping your horse from getting laminitis if you take good care of him. Laminitis prevention is not to be found in any particular product. And since an episode of laminitis can affect your horse for the rest of its life (assuming he recovers), it’s well worth trying to prevent it. A good prevention program should be a lifelong task. It’s just that it’s not always going to work.