Can Hay Cause Laminitis

Common causes of laminitis in horses.

Can hay cause laminitis.

Treatment of the initiating cause must be accomplished before improvement in laminitis can be expected. The laminitic horse should feed only grass hay during the acute phase and if the horse is overweight it should be placed on a reduced diet thereafter. If a horse has a history of chronic laminitis my first concern would be addressing the metabolic issues contributing to the problem usually obesity and or pituitary dysfunction both of which. Laminitis is quite unlike any other equine disease.

She is doing well on the grass alfalfa mix hay you are currently feeding. This is what struck down the 2006 kentucky derby winner barbaro in early 2007. A variety of medications to treat the acute and refractory forms have been. She is getting no grain and she has never developed laminitis inflammation of the soft connective tissues within the foot that can result from a variety of causes including a diet too rich in nscs.

The causes vary and may include the following. Watch horses that are suffering from fever diarrhoea colic particularly after surgery pneumonia pleurisy and retained placenta. Black walnut shavings in contact with the horse or sweet alyssum in the hay can cause laminitis mechanism unknown. Barbaro shattered a leg in the 2006 preakness stakes ending his racing career and eventually his life.

If the horse is overweight but developed laminitis from a cause other than insulin resistance you can still use the insulin resistance diet guidelines below or implement the tips in our lean cuisine article. Laminitis is a complex cascade of events that causes the soft tissues laminae within the hoof to swell weaken and die. Free choice hay is usually the best place to start along with a vitamin mineral and protein supplement that matches your hay. Bacterial viral plant chemical and fungal toxins have all been implicated in causing laminitis.

This can all occur before any symptoms are apparent and once the process has started it is extremely difficult to stop. Your horse is in good body condition. While the exact mechanisms by which the feet are damaged remain a mystery certain precipitating events can produce laminitis.