Can Hay Cause Laminitis

She is doing well on the grass alfalfa mix hay you are currently feeding.

Can hay cause laminitis.

Laminitis is quite unlike any other equine disease. The causes vary and may include the following. Bacterial viral plant chemical and fungal toxins have all been implicated in causing laminitis. 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.

A variety of medications to treat the acute and refractory forms have been. Black walnut shavings in contact with the horse or sweet alyssum in the hay can cause laminitis mechanism unknown. 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.

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. Treatment of the initiating cause must be accomplished before improvement in laminitis can be expected. While the exact mechanisms by which the feet are damaged remain a mystery certain precipitating events can produce laminitis. Barbaro shattered a leg in the 2006 preakness stakes ending his racing career and eventually his life.

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. Watch horses that are suffering from fever diarrhoea colic particularly after surgery pneumonia pleurisy and retained placenta. 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.

Common causes of laminitis in horses. Although laminitis occurs in the feet the underlying cause is often a disturbance elsewhere in the horse s body. 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.