What Is Laminitis

Laminitis is a crippling condition which can be fatal in severe cases.

What is laminitis.

1 hormonal endocrine laminitis. Diseases with inflammation hormonal diseases and mechanical overload are just some of the causes of laminitis. Laminitis is a disease of the foot that can vary in severity from the merest hint of lameness to a situation described as sinking which can be fatal. Laminitis should be thought of as a sign of a disease rather than a disease itself.

This means the cause needs to be investigated and then managed to help prevent future episodes. Laminitis is a painful and potentially crippling disease that can be fatal to horses. Once a horse has had an episode of laminitis they are particularly susceptible to future episodes. Laminitis can be managed but not cured which is why prevention is so important.

Laminitis can affect one or all feet but it is most often seen in the front feet concurrently. The causes of laminitis fall into three broad categories. As laminitis develops the attachment of the pedal bone to the hoof wall starts to fail leaving the pedal bone to rotate and point towards the sole and in the worst cases to sink right through it. The terms laminitis and founder are used interchangeably.