In a laminitic foot the hoof grows more toe and less heal this is obvious in the pictures below. It can get to the point where the toe starts to curl upwards, as seen in the pictures below. A Simple trim, monthly and a bi-monthly x ray can do wonders for the comfortability of the horse and the regrowth of the new hoof in the right angle (this is addressed in another post “laminitis”).

To me this horse is on the verge of “Cruelty to Animals”. I have communicated to the owners that the animal society will have to intervene if the horse will not be given the right care for this condition, starting with a Ferrier call.

Obviously the horse is unable to walk, has a typical laminitis stance (puts more weight on the hind limbs) and moves as if walking on eggshells in the front end.

In addition to all his orthopedic problems the horse has a crusty neck (sorry for not having the pictures on hand, next time, I promise).  A crusty neck means that there is a lot of access fat deposited above the mane. This is an indication for Cushing’s disease and Hypothyroidism screenings. Both of these diseases are common in certain breeds at certain ages (this will not be addressed here but in another “hormonal imbalances in the horse” post) and which puts them at great risk for LAMINITIS. These need to be addressed before an acute laminitic attack (see previous post).

If anyone has a picture of a “crusty neck” it will be very helpful for the full story about this laminitic/hormonal imbalances horse.

Laminitis is a very complicated and not fully understood pathology in the Equine medical community. It is not the scope of this article to go into detail of the reasons or treatment methods for a disease that has many faces. The names used to describe this pathology are not clear as well. 

Although there are two main things that are worth mentioning:

There are different forms of inflammation of the laminae and different forms of Founder. Some clinicians, would divide this disease into different categories: Acute/chronic laminitis and Acute/chronic founder.

Most clinicians would agree that most of the damage that is seen in the next couple of weeks after the initial part of the disease is done in the first hours when it occurs and the treatment is important, but can be sometimes frustrating for there is a very slow recovery and healing process. The horse will need to “grow out” it’s hoof, that is, grow another hoof wall that will attach currently to the new laminae. 

There is one very important aspect when dealing with founder cases, Farrier. The farrier will probably be the most important and valuable person that will follow the current trimming of the hoof wall, until a new wall and laminae can form. A new wall will take anything from 6 months to 1 year, or more, to grow out. The hoof grows from the coronary band downwards so you will see that changes as they develop.

In these pictures I wanted to point out the importance of good ferrier work, working aside the veterinarian with follow up x rays to ensure that the foot is trimmed correctly and most importantly that the ferrier is aggressive enough with the trimming. We want to aline the coffin bone in it’s most natural position as we can. Low heals and most importantly short toes for an easy break over. A short toe is very important and usually the reason for additional x rays after a trimming cycle (every 2-3 weeks, more often then you would usually trim the horses feet). most of the time when I take x rays the ferrier can’t believe that there is still more toe to take of, for that just looking at the foot does not show what the x rays can tell us, the distance of the coffin bone from the hoof wall. X rays are essential for reevaluating the foot with the ferrier every couple of weeks for a full recovery.

One thing that is very clear is that there are two main states: the acute state and the chronic state. The most important part of treating laminitis is knowing the differce between the two and starting the treatment immediately (of an acute laminitic attack).

Medication and hoof support are the key to controlling an acute laminitic attack (preventing rotation of the coffin bone).

An aged halter horse was presented for laminitis. If anyone knows how halter horses look like then you know that this is not an uncommon sight. They are Quarter horses only with huge bodies and small feet! Judges prefer them like that so the horses that keep wining are the ones with smaller feet to support their huge muscular (and fat) bodies. What was interesting about this case is after the application of special “laminitic shoes,” the horse seemed to be more comfortable on his front end. The shoes come with a putty that you apply to the sole and then put the shoe on which has a high wedge where the weight of the front end is distributed nicely and evenly. I did not believe in it until I saw the results… Interesting… The horse is currently sound, no rotation has been observed on the radiographs. Before applying the shoes the feet need to be trimmed. I found that a #7 suites most quarter horses.

This is the link to where you can find these shoes… (I am not advertising, I just think that it works…)

Nanric Ultimate™ (Each)