Post by admin on Jun 17, 2007 8:50:04 GMT -1
We have combined several posts originally written by Bellajack into one post in order to take up a little less space. If you do a search in "Very Useful Posts" forum you will be able to find the original threads. This information is extremely valuable and we are grateful to Bellajack for giving us this resource.
The Royal Veterinary College Laminitis Conference Part 6.
The Role of the Farrier
The speaker for this section was:
Simon J Curtis FWCF.
He has been shoeing horses in Newmarket for 35 years and is attached to Rossdales Equine Hospital at the Corrective Farriery Department. He was a Master of the worshipful Company of Farriers ) and is a Fellow. He is Chairman of the Farriers Registration Council and an Honorary Associate of the RCVS. He has given workshops and lectured in 17 countries on 4 continents.
His one and only broodmare also suffered from and ultimately was put down due to laminitis.
THE ONSET OF LAMINITIS.
As soon as laminitis occurs the horse must be totally confined to the stable on a 40cm deep bed of clean white woodshavings, for a minimum of 30 days.
Frog support is essential: this can be achieved using dental impression material or similar, or Styro-foam pads.
TRIMMING FOR TYPICAL FOUNDERED HORSES;
In his experience trimming alone without shoeing is ineffective as a treatment in acute or recently acute cases.
Trimming alone is only advised for foundered horses which have stabilised i.e. the pedal bone has stopped rotating or sinking.
Most foundered horses (horses with pedal bone rotation) will show clear external visual signs of laminitic changes to the hoof.
SHOEING THE ACUTE OR RECENTLY CHRONIC FOUNDERED HORSE.
The heart bar shoe with dorsal wall resection has proven successful in many cases, but requires x-rays.
Reshoeing is strictly at one month intervals.
When the resection has almost grown out, shoeing is changed to a conventional shoe with rocker toe.
Small pockets of seedy toe often remain.
ALTERNATIVES:
Coronary band grooving instead of full dorsal wall resection - not something he does.
The Equine Digital Support System (EDSS): A Natural Balance shoe set radically back and the hoof filled with a frog support pad and dental impression material, and additional wedges are fitted in response to horse's level of comfort.
The glued rail shoe. Similar to above but attached with acrylic.
THE CHRONIC FOUNDERED HORSE: 3 months plus:
Ponies and small horses survive better than other breeds.
The characteristic changes seen are diverging growth rings at heels, a flared,concave, dorsal hoof wall, and a distended white line at the toe.
The hoof should be trimmed to return it to normal dimensions.
We were also shown some very graphic colour images of what is happening inside the hoof of a sinker or long term chronic founder horse - the pedal bone being eroded away by rubbing against the sole, with dead bone flaking off, causing abscesses and large pieces of bone breaking away often necessitating the destruction of the horse. The pain these horses must have been in must have been indescribable.
The Royal Veterinary College Laminitis Conference Part 7
Predicting Increased Risk in the Individual Horse
The speaker for this section was:
Jonathon Elliott MA VetMB PhD CertSAC DECVPT MRCVS
For biography please see section 2.
Any horse can get laminitis.
The majority of cases in the UK and US occur at pasture, but certain individuals tend to be more affected than others.
Identifying individual animals at risk is an important aim, before they suffer episodes of laminitis, because of the likelihood of further incidence and the difficulties treating and managing the chronic laminitic.
THEORETICAL RISK FACTORS:
Theoretically many different factors could contribute to susceptibility to laminitis in the individual. These may include different bacterial gut flora with inadequate pH buffering capacity or increased production of trigger factors.
Liver function may be impaired or differences may exist in the responsiveness of blood vessels to vasoconstrictors or the response of lamellar tissues to toxic insult or the rush of blood back to the feet in an acute attack.
Subclinical laminitis may be of significance.
Foot conformation may be associated with severity of laminitis.
PROVEN RISK FACTORS:
Metabolic and endocrine differences do convey increased risk.
Cushings disease (PPID) is a well known risk factor for laminitis, but an increasing number of horses are now being recognised as being predisposed due to hyperinsulinaemia but do not have evidence of Cushings in clinical tests. The term 'prelaminitic metabolic syndrome' (PLMS) has been used to describe them.
Abnormal fat deposition and a cresty neck appearance may be considered to be diagnostic.
Insulin resistance is a key feature of this syndrome (PLMS) but no tests for this are yet available for use in veterinary practice.
THE FUTURE:
Testing for laminitis risk in the future may include genetic testing.
The optimum method for testing for PLMS in the future is likely to include genetic screening. This will allow young, at risk animals to be identified and insulin resistance to be prevented.
Ultimately it may lead to breeding strategies to eliminate this syndrome from breeds.
Quick summary of advice for grazing management, as given by world experts at conference, for horses which are overweight or have a cresty neck or have had laminitis before:
1)If possible only allow to graze for a period between midnight and 11am, especially in next few months - April, May and June.
2)Never allow to graze pasture which has been rested. Graze with underweight horses, cattle or sheep first, or top and remove cuttings.
3)Never allow to graze recently cut hay stubble. Need to be grazing leaf of grass, not stem.
4)If possible avoid allowing to graze frosty grass, particularly when very sunny.
Grass is still the biggest single cause of laminitis in this country.
The more sunny the day is, the more dangerous the grass becomes - up to nearly 50% more dangerous in the afternoon/evening than in the morning.
PART SIX
The Royal Veterinary College Laminitis Conference Part 6.
The Role of the Farrier
The speaker for this section was:
Simon J Curtis FWCF.
He has been shoeing horses in Newmarket for 35 years and is attached to Rossdales Equine Hospital at the Corrective Farriery Department. He was a Master of the worshipful Company of Farriers ) and is a Fellow. He is Chairman of the Farriers Registration Council and an Honorary Associate of the RCVS. He has given workshops and lectured in 17 countries on 4 continents.
His one and only broodmare also suffered from and ultimately was put down due to laminitis.
THE ONSET OF LAMINITIS.
As soon as laminitis occurs the horse must be totally confined to the stable on a 40cm deep bed of clean white woodshavings, for a minimum of 30 days.
Frog support is essential: this can be achieved using dental impression material or similar, or Styro-foam pads.
TRIMMING FOR TYPICAL FOUNDERED HORSES;
In his experience trimming alone without shoeing is ineffective as a treatment in acute or recently acute cases.
Trimming alone is only advised for foundered horses which have stabilised i.e. the pedal bone has stopped rotating or sinking.
Most foundered horses (horses with pedal bone rotation) will show clear external visual signs of laminitic changes to the hoof.
SHOEING THE ACUTE OR RECENTLY CHRONIC FOUNDERED HORSE.
The heart bar shoe with dorsal wall resection has proven successful in many cases, but requires x-rays.
Reshoeing is strictly at one month intervals.
When the resection has almost grown out, shoeing is changed to a conventional shoe with rocker toe.
Small pockets of seedy toe often remain.
ALTERNATIVES:
Coronary band grooving instead of full dorsal wall resection - not something he does.
The Equine Digital Support System (EDSS): A Natural Balance shoe set radically back and the hoof filled with a frog support pad and dental impression material, and additional wedges are fitted in response to horse's level of comfort.
The glued rail shoe. Similar to above but attached with acrylic.
THE CHRONIC FOUNDERED HORSE: 3 months plus:
Ponies and small horses survive better than other breeds.
The characteristic changes seen are diverging growth rings at heels, a flared,concave, dorsal hoof wall, and a distended white line at the toe.
The hoof should be trimmed to return it to normal dimensions.
We were also shown some very graphic colour images of what is happening inside the hoof of a sinker or long term chronic founder horse - the pedal bone being eroded away by rubbing against the sole, with dead bone flaking off, causing abscesses and large pieces of bone breaking away often necessitating the destruction of the horse. The pain these horses must have been in must have been indescribable.
PART SEVEN
The Royal Veterinary College Laminitis Conference Part 7
Predicting Increased Risk in the Individual Horse
The speaker for this section was:
Jonathon Elliott MA VetMB PhD CertSAC DECVPT MRCVS
For biography please see section 2.
Any horse can get laminitis.
The majority of cases in the UK and US occur at pasture, but certain individuals tend to be more affected than others.
Identifying individual animals at risk is an important aim, before they suffer episodes of laminitis, because of the likelihood of further incidence and the difficulties treating and managing the chronic laminitic.
THEORETICAL RISK FACTORS:
Theoretically many different factors could contribute to susceptibility to laminitis in the individual. These may include different bacterial gut flora with inadequate pH buffering capacity or increased production of trigger factors.
Liver function may be impaired or differences may exist in the responsiveness of blood vessels to vasoconstrictors or the response of lamellar tissues to toxic insult or the rush of blood back to the feet in an acute attack.
Subclinical laminitis may be of significance.
Foot conformation may be associated with severity of laminitis.
PROVEN RISK FACTORS:
Metabolic and endocrine differences do convey increased risk.
Cushings disease (PPID) is a well known risk factor for laminitis, but an increasing number of horses are now being recognised as being predisposed due to hyperinsulinaemia but do not have evidence of Cushings in clinical tests. The term 'prelaminitic metabolic syndrome' (PLMS) has been used to describe them.
Abnormal fat deposition and a cresty neck appearance may be considered to be diagnostic.
Insulin resistance is a key feature of this syndrome (PLMS) but no tests for this are yet available for use in veterinary practice.
THE FUTURE:
Testing for laminitis risk in the future may include genetic testing.
The optimum method for testing for PLMS in the future is likely to include genetic screening. This will allow young, at risk animals to be identified and insulin resistance to be prevented.
Ultimately it may lead to breeding strategies to eliminate this syndrome from breeds.
THE SUMMARY
Quick summary of advice for grazing management, as given by world experts at conference, for horses which are overweight or have a cresty neck or have had laminitis before:
1)If possible only allow to graze for a period between midnight and 11am, especially in next few months - April, May and June.
2)Never allow to graze pasture which has been rested. Graze with underweight horses, cattle or sheep first, or top and remove cuttings.
3)Never allow to graze recently cut hay stubble. Need to be grazing leaf of grass, not stem.
4)If possible avoid allowing to graze frosty grass, particularly when very sunny.
Grass is still the biggest single cause of laminitis in this country.
The more sunny the day is, the more dangerous the grass becomes - up to nearly 50% more dangerous in the afternoon/evening than in the morning.