Equine Laminitis & Colic

Colic in itself is not a disease, but a condition of severe abdominal pain. However, an episode of colic can bring on other diseases. Laminitis is one such disease, which can develop after a horse suffers from colic and has undergone surgery to repair the damage. Treatments are available which have shown great success in preventing laminitis after colic surgery.

  1. Acute Laminitis

    • Laminitis, commonly called founder, is a vascular and metabolic disease that involves the inner sensitive structure of the feet. If you know or even suspect that your horse has consumed an unknown quantity of a carbohydrate such as grain, consult your veterinarian without delay. Treatment must be initiated before the signs of laminitis or colic develop and is directed at eliminating the grain from the horse's intestinal tract before it reaches the colon and undergoes fermentation. If fermentation occurs, bacterial endotoxins are released into the bloodstream, which directly affect the blood flow to the hoof, causing inflammation of the sensitive laminae. Swelling of the laminae prevents it from keeping the pedal bone in place, causing a great deal of pain. If the release of endotoxins is not stopped the laminae will allow the foot bone to push through the sole of the foot.

    Chronic Laminitis

    • Laminitis becomes chronic when pain and lameness persist for more than two days or when there is permanent damage to the foot. A serious complication of chronic laminitis is the rotation of the coffin bone. Other complications include white line disease, thrush, separation of the hoof at the coronary band or sole and complete loss of the hoof.

    Colic

    • Colic is a term which refers to abdominal pain. A variety of conditions and diseases can cause this paint. Approximately 10 percent of horses with colic, which require surgery due to torsions, obstructions or tumors, develop laminits after surgery. This is due to the endotoxins, which are released into the bloodstream during the colic episode.

    Symptoms

    • According to the Association of Equine Practitioners, acute laminitis generally begins with a high fever and chills, sweating, diarrhea, fast pulse and rapid, heavy breathing. The digital artery at the fetlock has a pounding pulse. The feet are hot and painful. Typically, the horse exhibits signs of severe pain when the sole of the foot is tapped. The horse becomes lame, especially when turning in circles, and stands in a sawhorse stance, with the front feet stretched out in front to alleviate pressure and the back feet positioned further back than normal to bear more weight.

    Treatment

    • According to Belgian researchers, a low molecular weight heparin (LMHW) has proven very effective in reducing the severity of laminitis or actually preventing the onset of laminitis after colic surgery. Horses undergoing colic surgery at the Equine Clinic of the University of Liege are given subcutaneous injections of LMHW daily for three to five days. Since this treatment has been initiated in 1995, only one horse treated at the clinic has developed laminitis after colic surgery.