Laminitis After Foaling

Laminitis is a devastating very painful disease that occurs when inflammation interrupts blood flow to the internal structure that suspends the horse s distal phalanx coffin bone within the hoof capsule.

Laminitis after foaling. Many of these mares are in shock due to toxins from the infected uterus leaking into the blood stream. A dramatic change in environment and or frequent travelling particularly for overweight animals can trigger laminitis. Affected mares often have a fever are depressed and lack an appetite. As well as colitis other potential causes of inflammatory laminitis include some colic cases where the gut has been severely damaged severe inflammation of the lungs pleuropneumonia and retained afterbirth placenta in mares after foaling.

Therefore the aim of treatment is to maintain the mare in a comfortable state until she foals. Red alert when your horse first suffers a laminitis attack whatever the cause perhaps she gulped down too much sweet spring grass or maybe she retained the placenta after foaling and developed a. High fever or illness. The laminitis eventually resulted in delayed dehiscence necessitating dorsal hoof wall resection in all four hooves.

Retained placenta in the mare after foaling. Eight months later she is alive and has reared her foal successfully although ongoing remedial farriery is required to manage the consequences of this condition. If the placenta isn t expelled or removed within a matter of hours the mare s reproductive capability can be compromised laminitis and or metritis might develop and her very life might be. If it is suspected that the laminitis is associated with increased soluble carbohydrates the diet needs to be modified.

These toxins provoke a response within the horse that is thought to disrupt blood flow which in the feet can cause laminitis. This often results in structural failure of the tissue causing displacement of the bone with the hoof capsule. They may strain to pass orange to brown sometimes smelly uterine discharge. Laminitis typically worsens in late pregnancy and and improves after foaling.

This problem usually becomes apparent within the first few days after foaling. Any illness that causes high fever or serious metabolic disturbances has the potential to cause laminitis e g potomac horse fever. Clinical signs include foot tenderness progressing to inability to walk increased digital pulses and increased temperature in the hooves.