Laminitis

A Dreaded Problem with a Simple Solution

By Dan Moore, The Natural Vet®

All too often our equine companions develop the dreaded problem called Laminitis. Laminitis means inflammation (re. itis) of the lamina. Lamina are the major structural components of the hoof wall. When these become inflamed a structural breakdown of the hoof can occur. This may even result in that really dreaded consequence of laminitis called rotation. Rotation is a shifting of the actual bone in the foot called a phalanx , which in common terms, is the toe. In the horse it is referred to as P3 or phalanx 3 (also known as the coffin bone in both the front and hind legs, and sometimes as the pedal in the hind leg).

When P3 does not have the support of the lamina or hoof wall then P3 can actually protrude through the bottom or sole of the hoof, resulting in abscesses of the hoof. This can happen so fast that very little can be done once it begins. Heroic attempts are often made with special shoes, drugs, etc. but obviously it is always serious — very serious.

Unfortunately drugs, especially steroids or antibiotics can cause laminitis. With the over zealous use of such in today’s medicine, such use can be even worse than the consequences from what they are trying to fix in the first place. Personally, I avoid the use of steroids in my horses for fear of this possibility of laminitis (and other things) and offer antibiotics only when a LIFE THREATENING situation warrants such. I don’t know for sure, but I suspect that even Barbaro’s laminitis, that ultimately caused his demise, was a result of steroids and such – and I know he received the best of care! It is sort of “damned if you do or damned if you don’t” thing. BUT quite frankly, all the more reason to have an understanding of alternative or more natural treatments.

All this being said, I am sure you will agree that the key to laminitis is to prevent it from ever occurring in the first place. When it happens .. it hurts! It is painful to the horse and to your pocket book. Can I help you ALWAYS prevent it? NO! But honestly, I think I have a pretty good handle on it. I have shared it with many of you in the past in a general sort of way, but here I am going to cut right to the chase and tell it like it is! Of course, “telling it like it is” is my “modus operendi” anyway. Honestly though, prevention is more simple than you might think.

In my opinion man causes most laminitis! Now I know we don’t mean too, but we do. Have you ever left a feed door open and somehow that very day… that one very day out of every other day of the year… the horse gets out of the stall or breaks through the fence and eats more feed than he should? If you answer no…. you are a lucky man… or woman! I hope you have never experienced this but if you have, you probably remember the feeling well. Your heart suddenly falls into your stomach — a real pain in the gut not only for you but also the horses! I hope I haven’t brought back home some bad memories but…. Since we have the pain in the gut let’s just go ahead and talk about the gut.

Almost every major health problem in the horses starts in the gut. Horses have huge intestines and along with the skin (even larger surface area) and the liver, the intestines are the bodies first line of defense. Just imagine what a job the intestines have. The very lining of the intestines themselves are constantly deciding what is good for the body and what is bad….. Decisions, decisions, decisions, don’t you hate them? The “Good” is absorbed and utilized as fuel for the body. The “Bad” is immediately discharged through the feces or dealt with some other way. It is the “in-between” that the body must actually deal with. Sort of like life in general—the “indecision” ..that “trying to decide” part that drives us crazy. Any change to this incredibly balanced system could be life threatening.

But how can a change in gut cause a problem in the feet? A very good question indeed… and honestly man doesn’t know all the answers. One thing for sure that we do know is that when you suddenly change the bacteria in the gut all He…double hockey sticks, (LL), breaks out! We know that too much food within to short of time can cause such a change and we know that medications (the antibiotics, the steroids) can as well. (continued next page..)

What if I told you that a salt block or a mineral block could cause it? I told you I was going to tell you like it is – I know that some won’t agree, but I am telling you that in my humble opinion (or not so humble maybe) that the biggest cause of laminitis is salt and mineral blocks! Am I saying that horses do not need salt and mineral blocks? No, just the opposite. I am saying that a horse can not get what he needs from ANY block. Let alone get it fast enough for when he needs it. When he needs salt and minerals, he needs them then and he just can’t lick fast enough to get it from it a block of any kind. They are not lickers…. They are grazers!

Salt and minerals must be feed free choice to be effective but why are salt and minerals so critical anyway you might ask? Most folks just sort of take blocks for granted. They throw them in the field and they watch the rain wash them away. After about a week or month or two after they are gone they go buy another one. Right? Be honest now. Every now and then a horse will eat a whole block in a week or heaven forbid a single day.

Ah, but even then it seldom provokes a “wonder why he did that”? It is just salt! But I promise you, this later observation should have you jumping up and down –because that horse is looking for something! The worse part about it is that the horse keeps trying to get it and the block just doesn’t have it! BUT WHY DO THEY NEED IT and how does it relate to laminitis?

To answer such a question we need to look at grass, hay and even grain and see what role they play with a laminitis prone horse. By the way, all of the factors involved in both the prevention and treatment of laminitis are generally involved in insulin resistance, hypothyroid, “metabolic” and even Cushing’s horse as well. They all seem to be very closely related and one problem often leads to another if not checked.

Now let me ask you a question. Would you agree that grass, hay and grain grown by today’s agricultural practices are likely to contain fertilizer? Fertilizers such as 10-10-10 are almost always used in commercial production situations because it increases crop yield. The reason for this is that the farmer makes more money because more poundage is produced. These fertilizers definitely bring more water into the plant and generally make them nice and green but honestly may not actually make the plants more nutritious. In fact, such heavily fertilized crops could be more full of water than nutrition.

Also they can be full of highly dangerous potassium – after all one of the 10’s in the 10-10-10 is potassium. Here is the part that is really frightening – if a horse gets to much potassium in a short period of time it could be deadly to that horse. The reason is that the potassium overload could make the gut acidity change. If the gut pH or acidity changes, the bacteria changes. What generally are healthy bacteria become harmful or even harmful bacteria that have been lying dormant can explode in growth (fertilized so to speak) and wreak havoc. If the horse does not have access to a readily available source of salt and mineral then the excess potassium can be deadly. A block of any kind just can’t provide the balance fast enough because horse honestly just can’t lick fast enough to get what he needs.

Timing is everything in these over load cases. Also MANMADE free choice products of salt and mineral may give the horse too much of what he DOESN”T need while trying to get what he DOES need and what he does need may not even be in the mix because man has not even discovered it yet! An example might be the horse eating a whole salt or mineral block or a whole bucket of loose man-made minerals.

Surely you would agree that man perhaps hasn’t discovered all the minerals that exist yet? If he hasn’t yet discovered them then how can he even put them in man made mixes. This is precisely why we keep turning to Mother Nature for our products. Even a tiny mineral not present can make a huge difference health wise. (Check out our RED CAL.. it is a natural source of salt and minerals not a man made source)

Even the RDA’s (recommended daily allowances) that man uses to formulate mixes today have not been updated since 1987 – that is formulations tend to be based on info that is over 20 years old! I also hear a lot about sugar overload from grass etc. causing laminitis and I am sure it plays a factor BUT the excess potassium and missing minerals, I am certain, plays an even bigger role. Grass is a factor but fertilizer loaded hay, especially after a long winter of hay, can be just as much of an issue.

Anything that affects the pH, the bacteria within the gut or produces excess gas in the gut essentially can cause laminitis. The ultimate cause is an endotoxic shock type situation. Simply put, the body releases toxins through out the body. These toxins effect the circulation in the hooves causing the lamina to become inflamed resulting in laminitis. Many other organs can be involved as well. Since it all starts in the gut, it is imperative that we take care of the gut. Even something as simple as deworming can trigger a problem. A simple change can make a difference—a big difference—enough to cause a life and death situation. So what is a horse care-taker to do? Not deworm, not use steroids, not use antibiotics—my, my! What else is left to use?

Well there are options and I urge you to explore them further. Doing so myself has changed my closed minded veterinarian school thought? This approach may not please the drug reps or even your veterinarian, but it may save your horses life—maybe even yours. Personally it took the loss of my father to open my eyes to “other options.”

I have gone from all drugs to all natural. Homeopathy for instance is something I urge you to explore. The results are phenominal and actually homeopathy is quite simple to use in acute situations such as over eating. No horse owner should be without at least one remedy. It is called Nux Vomica. The key note for use is overindulgence, and it is especially great for the gut or any stress. Even if you suspect a problem of over eating or or overgrazing the horse should be given Nux Vomica (30c potency) and repeated as needed until a response is noted. Another remedy we should never be without is Arnica Montana. This one is great for any trauma –emotional or physical. By the way, concussion, ie. trauma, from riding on pavement or even hard dirt tracks can cause laminitis too. Arnica would be great for such situations if the horse seems tender footed.

Belladonna is another, especially if there is sweating, apparent pain or sun sensitivity (or dilated pupils). If you are older than me you may remember an old product called Bell Drops — it was a mix of both Nux Vomica and Belladona.

These remedies are basically just tiny pellets – almost power like in size. It is quite impressive to see a tiny amount of powder make such a dramatic difference. The difference in using homeopathy versus drugs is that homeopathy triggers the body to heal itself, drugs interfere. Drugs generally may help short term but in my opinion over the long term generally result in even more issues.

Other modalities such as Chiropractic, Acupuncture, VOM (Veterinary Orthopedic Manipulation), laser therapy, red light therapy, can also be beneficial to trigger the body own defense mechanisms. Of course, some reading this may well disagree, and believe me, I understand how you feel because I once didn’t understand either. But seeing was believing for me! Almost any situation can benefit from the above. And one thing for sure is that you can never hurt by trying homeopathic remedies. They can only help and never hurt!

I promised a bottom line answer: the answer is… don’t short the salt (natural salt and minerals of course) and don’t over use the drugs regardless of the situation. It is simply amazing what the body can do when allowed to respond on its own, especially if it has the nutrients to do it with.