why does a horse being overweight cause it to have laminitis?

Question

My horse has laminitis, was overweight, not greatly but recently had her first attack. She does not go out to grass, but was slightly overweight due to me having a baby and not riding for six months and still continuing to feed her the same. Why does overeating cause laminitis?

Answer 1

the answer is in your question.

many people still believe that its only fat ponies on grass that can get lamintis. well its not it can happen to any horse at any time.

the main cause is due to feeding an overload of carbohydrates, either starch found in cereal feeds, or sugars and fructans found in grass. the long term feeding of theses, particulary in your mare, due to being overweight, as it leads to changes in glucose metabolism resulting in insulin resistance.

insulin controls concentratio of sugar in the horse's blood. in insulin resistance, the body releases more and more of it, which then causes laminitis and other problems.

as your horse is overweight this has effect on insulin.

this is why your horse has laminitis.

your best bet is to cut out all cereal feed and give a high fibre low stratch. there are many feed products recommended for lamintics. increase her workload before increasing her feed.

regarding turnout your horse should not be grazed for the inital onset of the condition. to manage it its best to turn your horse out over night as there are less fructans in the grass. also not turning her out on frosty sunny mornings as this produces more fructans in the grass. also a grazing muzzle and strip grazing will help too.

have the vet check her out and speak to your farrier about corrective shoeing to help the prevention of rotation of the pedal bone that sometimes can happen with lamintis.

Answer 2

Laminitis is one of those strange very common diseases where it can almost be likened to diabetes. Your horse, not being exercised has probably not been able to cope with all the sugars and as a result has developed Laminitis.

It is not just overeating that causes it, stress can too.

You will need to regulate the food going forwards because unfortunately once you have your first attack it will never totally go away. Exercise will help, but only when your horses feet are ready.

If you look at it in a way that prevention is better than the cure (cause there isn't one yet!) and if you were loafing around in a chair all day and night, instead of being up and about exercising and moving around, keeping the same diet when in the chair as you would when mobile, would not only mean that you put on weight but your immobility would put stresses on other parts of your body?

Answer 3

As a customary rule, one has not something to do with the different. My horses have been on 24/7 prove for 15 years. All horses are distinctive and in the extra desirable scheme of issues, few certainly react to "spring grasses". there are various stuff that we've self belief to be a precursor to colic and laminitis, yet there isn't something absolute which may be envisioned. Stall saved horses are, oftentimes, services to extra wellness and joint issues. The respiration themes upward push up while the stalls at the instant are not saved sparkling.

Answer 4

When you ride your horse and feed her a certain amount of feed, her body is using that feed to create energy. When you stopped riding her and fed her the same amount of feed, she had a sudden increase in the amount of nutrients that she was getting and her body didn't need all that, so she got laminitis. This is where the hoof wall seperates, it's basicly from a sudden increase in the nutrients a horse gets, so there's your answer right there. It's not the overeating that causes it, it's the intake of more nutrients than the horse needs.

Hope that helps and hope your horse is alright!

Answer 5

its the richnees of food content in the grass that is why you never put the horse onto thick lush grass otherwise it increases i think nitrates in its body which effects the cartalage and swells the feet and knees - horses do die from laminitus so be careful

Answer 6

Is laminitis inflammation of the cartilage in the knees? If so, being overweight puts more strain on the knees.

Answer 7

its not necessarily the overweight thing-my friend had a mare that just had a foal and was lamimitic=something to do with the richness of the food/Grass and enzymes i think.

Answer 8

My guess is that the extra weight put stress on her joints, causing the laminitis. I hope she is recovering well.

Answer 9

It causes strain on the fetlocks.

Answer 10

The answer's in the question. Think about it.