Disclaimer: Most of my laminitis and founder cases have been in Ocala Florida. Different regional conditions my require altering my treatments. The therapy I use is not new, studies and records dating back to the early 1900's to the present are used to make my decisions.
Laminitis and founder is considered not to have a cure and is the second leading cause of euthanasia so, to be successful we must think outside the box. You must make the decisions for your horse from successful therapies, your opinions will not help unless you have experience. When consulting with other professionals ask: about their experience, to see their own recovered horses, and will your horse recover. Don't go on blind faith.
Owner requirements for laminitis and founder recovery. Skipping any of the requirements will reduce the chance of your horse's recovery.
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| Swelling moves into leg because of stall confinement |
1a) Dr. Pollitt a researcher on laminitis has shown that weighted movement pushes blood out of the foot and then gravity refills the foot. Blood flow will cool the foot, reduce inflammation, and start the repair process. A horse standing in a stall or in a paddock will have less blood flow causing swelling then, when grazing. A horse buddy naturally helps with your horse's daily movement.
Over fed horses will not move even when on pasture, they will just stand waiting for the next meal so, reduce hay till there is movement. Horses recover in blood flowing foot steps, not time resting. But, don't rush the recovery: movement without causing inflammation is important. There is no drug, operation, or quick fix, only you fixing the cause and effects and then blood flowing time.
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| Sole is convexed from swelling on a stall confined horse |
2) Eliminate the cause of the inflammation. Every problem has a cause and effect. Laminitis is called a disease but, to fix the condition and avoid any reoccurrence you must think of laminitis as a condition caused by something. Eliminate the cause and your horse will return to normal.
2a) No packaged sugar based feeds, no grains or mixes. Alfalfa is not grass, think of it as a herb although, high in nutritional and medicinal properties it should be stopped until the swelling is reduced, and then used in small amounts. Over feeding grain and alfalfa can cause laminitis. Feed grass hay with pasture grazing.
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| Heat ring growing downward after eliminating the cause of laminitis |
Eliminate sugar sources to allow pasture grazing and movement. It takes a long time grazing to equal a sack feed meal. Sugar consumed in a short time has a greater insulin spike vs. natural sugar consumed over a long period.
2d) No chemicals. Chemicals pool in the foot and with little movement, the chemicals may inflame the laminae. Chemicals can cause laminitis. Manage pain to increase your hors's movement or whenever you need it to make you feel better. Try a natural buteless to help with pain and inflammation. Bute, a chemical, can be used to increase movement, it is the lesser of the evil of not moving. Movement's blood flow's recovery! But, if a little is good, a lot is not always better!
My rehabilitation trimming
Trimming must be done on a four week basis to rebalance hoof damage. Trim angles wear away in two weeks and bad hoof growth pulls the good hoof in negative directions.
The hoof must have a natural balance, 80% of my laminitis cases had high heels, long toes or other hoof damage requiring corrective trimming. High heels will show coffin bone rotation on radiographs although, the bone is not out of position. The mechanically rotated coffin bone will do damage to the laminae and cause inflammation until balanced. The rotation will lessen as the heels are trimmed or increase when the heels are raised.
Long toes will create an uneven top bottom measurement from the coffin bone to the outer hoof wall, this distance measurement is often used to determine rotation. The longer the toe the more uneven distance from the coffin bone to the outer wall. This is not rotation!
The hoof must be trimmed and balanced for optimal hoof mechanism and frog support. The foot will repair it's self when balanced for support and blood flow movement. My past successful laminitis and founder trims would not have worked if the above requirements were not met. My trim will not work if the horse stands and the causes are not eliminated.
There are millions of ways to trim a barefoot, each horse is different and often require changes in trimming along the way. I will tell you what your horse requires when I see the condition of the hoof. There are many variables in the corrective trimming and recovering process. The degree of foot pain, body soreness, movement, terrain, and your care will dictate the trimming.
Past owner mistakes that slowed recovery or contributed to my 20% unsuccessful cases
Yes, I made my own mistakes as I learned to deal with laminitis and founder, dealing with the owners, and horses which, is why you should ask about experience.
Not following or discontinuing the above requirements, and adding something I disapprove.
The owner's uneducated or unexperienced opinions increase as their horse improved, causing owner past or new mistakes to re-damage the foot.
A nonprofessional or unexperienced professional changing or adding to the therapy. My therapy works for me, conventional medicine says there is no cure for founder so, there is little room for error or experimenting.
Stall usage to comfort their horse or themselves. There is little time to stop the damage, every stalled horse I've seen was swollen to the knees.
Over feeding their horse causing decreased movement and the natural survival instinct to graze.
Delaying the corrective trimming causing damage from excessive growth or breakage into sensitive material.
Excuses, to many to list. Excuses will not help your horse in the short time available to make changes.
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