Symptoms of laminitis include: Stiffness, lameness, standing on the heels, reluctance to move, heat in the feet and increased
fetlock pulse, laminitic rings, sensitivity to hoof testers and dropped
soles.
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Laminitis most commonly affects the front
feet but can affect only one or all the feet. Horses affected by laminitis
badly stand in a characteristic way in order to take weight off their
toes. The forelegs are stretched forward to put most of the weight
on the heels and the hind legs are also moved forwards tucked under
the body.
In severe laminitis cases horses may constantly try to shift
weight from one foot to another and also resort to lying down on one
side so that no weight is on their feet.
Laminitis horses often need to be forced to
move as walking causes more pain. When they do walk they take short
hesitant steps which becomes worse when they try to turn.
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If you or
your vet try to raise a foot of a laminitic horse so that they stand
on three legs they may collapse with the pain. In such cases the pulse
and breathing rate of a horse are likely to be increased, the temperature
may be increased and there may be trembling and anxiousness.
Many people looking for laminitis make much
of excess heat that may be present in the foot and a stronger than
normal pulse at the level of the fetlock. These are useful signs but
can be unreliable. As well as these laminitis signs there may well
be pain just in front of the frog when hoof testers are applied.
Mild or chronic cases of laminitis may just
show occasional lameness on rough, hard ground, a little stiffness
rather than obvious lameness or a little sensitivity to hoof testers.
Of course there may also be evidence of damage in the past in the
form of laminitic rings on the hooves.
When there has been rotation of the pedal
bone you may be able to detect a slight depression in front of the
coronary band. As the pedal bone rotates it also reduces blood supply
to the coronary band where horn is made so that the rate of production
of new horn is slowed. This slowing produces laminitic rings in the
hoof which are wider at the heel than at the toe. As this process
occurs the hoof develops high heels and a long toe and the hoof wall
becomes concave at the front.
In chronic laminitis cases the white line
between the hoof wall and the sole may also become weaker and make
the development of seedy toe and infection more likely. The sole may
also become flat and nearer the ground than in normal horses.
Stephen Ashdown's
Free Vet Advice Helpline: 01243 773363
