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.
Can hay cause laminitis.
Bacterial viral plant chemical and fungal toxins have all been implicated in causing laminitis.
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.
Although laminitis occurs in the feet the underlying cause is often a disturbance elsewhere in the horse s body.
Laminitis is a complex cascade of events that causes the soft tissues laminae within the hoof to swell weaken and die.
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.
Old hay is however likely to have lower levels of the fat soluble vitamins a d and e and horses on a hay only diet no grass will usually need to have vitamin e supplemented.
She is doing well on the grass alfalfa mix hay you are currently feeding.
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.
Free choice hay is usually the best place to start along with a vitamin mineral and protein supplement that matches your hay.
A variety of medications to treat the acute and refractory forms have been.
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.
Black walnut shavings in contact with the horse or sweet alyssum in the hay can cause laminitis mechanism unknown.
This can all occur before any symptoms are apparent and once the process has started it is extremely difficult to stop.
A case of acute laminitis in horses may take several days to weeks to respond.
Laminitis is quite unlike any other equine disease.
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.
Treatment of the initiating cause must be accomplished before improvement in laminitis can be expected.