I'd like to clear up something that was in FHotD today. Here is her quote to shortly sum up my major eye roll-
the sugars upset the normal balance in the horse's digestive tract, resulting in toxins which lead to founder, aka laminitis
First, lets all get this straight since most people are led to believe that founder and laminitis are one in the same. While most google searches will bunch founder and laminitis together, they are actually two completely different things. While I feel that every first time or novice horse owner should know about grass or grain founder, it is also important they aren't led on to believe inaccurate information or that those are the only causes of either laminitis or founder.
Laminitis is the infection and inflammation of the laminae. Founder is the resulting rotation after the laminae breaks away from the hoof wall and the coffin bone rotates down towards the sole. Laminitis does not always lead to founder and there are simple steps you can take to make sure that your horse does not founder. Here is my simple list on how to treat laminitis before actual founder occurs. This is not to say that prevention of laminitis is not key in keeping your horse healthy and sound, these are just tips in case it does happen.
- Call your vet immediately as it is important to take action as soon as you notice- knowing the signs or being able to tell a difference in your horse are major role in this
- Soak your horses feet in cold water. If you are able to get your horse to stand in ice water. This will help prevent that inflammation that leads to laminae necrosis.
- Your vet will most likely suggest a pain killer and anti-inflammatory such as phenylbutazone or ketoprofen. If you have bute on hand, administer according to your horses weight.
- If your horse wants to lay down, let him. This will relieve the pressure that is on his feet.
- Your vet may suggest to keep with bute for 48-72 hours, make sure your horse is as comfortable as possible.
- Encourage movement to allow blood flow if your horse is comfortable enough to walk. No circles or sharp turning.
- Make sure your horse is in a area with soft ground to relieve the feet.
- Treat abscesses as soon as you can
Gone untreated-laminitis can lead to founder. Grain and grass are not the only reasons laminitis and founder occur.
- Road founder also known as mechanical founder occurs when a horse is worked for extended periods of time on hard surface
- Laminitis can also happen if a mare retains placenta for over 12 hours causing an infection
- Colic can lead to laminitis
- Drinking large amounts of water after a hard workout without properly being cooled down
- Bedding with walnut shavings in it
- Cushings and other insulin resistance
- Immune, respiratory, and renal problems
I post this because beginners are often misled and need to be aware that grain and grass are not the only culprits needing to be watched for.
31 comments:
Woooooow. Sugars? Wrong.
It's a starch/carbohydrate overload. Not sugar. Fugs truly is as stupid as she appears to be.
Good one Wench...
To be fair, starches and sugars are both forms of carbs. Starches are longer, more complicated chains of simple sugars, sugars are a small chain or ring of carbon atoms attached to a double-bonded oxygen. Starches are broken down into the smaller, more usable form of glucose through glycolysis.
Stress can also cause laminitis as well, like a horse who has had chronic illness. It also shows up in horses who are lame on one leg and overstress the good leg.
It's kind of a catch-all health problem, just like colic is.
Oh, well, at least most of the comments didn't call beginners stupid.
Most.
Usually it degenerates into how completely useless/stupid beginners are.
The snark factor is lower. This is good.
Was Road Founder mentioned?
(waves to the Randy Byers wannabe)
(although why anybody would want to be RB is unknown)
Cuillin- it says ...
Laminitis can also happen if a mare retains placenta for over 12 hours causing an infection
Please read next time. I believe you're the one that was on here not long ago saying you're a vet tech or some sort. If so, then you would also know that laminitis brought on by retained placenta usually happens within 12-24 hours after birth.
Wench You Go Girl! I am still trying very hard to be good:)
But the patronizing and being typespeak talked down to gets old.
Especially from the unqualified experts.lol
LoL! She sured showed how smart she really is!! WoW!
I have learned that horses MUST be seen by the farrier EVERY 6 weeks.
Or somehow they will die.
I have learned that feeding alfalfa causes entroliths that will cause horses to die.
Yeah, okay. I have been doing this for many years and never lost one to colic. In fact, only ever had one case of.
And even though we only trim on an 8 week schedule(10 in the winter) I have never lost or crippled one yet.
But hey, what do I know? Experience doesn't seem to count for much with some.
And I have never tied one to a bumper or rearview mirror. Or forgot to shut the gate, secure the feedroom, latch the stall door, or open the gate wide enough for them to SAFELY pass through.
And whoever said that about feeding teff or chaff hay? Needs to know that there was just big drama because one of the processors did not bother to have the sugar levels tested batch to batch and caused some laminitis in a learning medical facility because the sugar levels were well and away beyond the 6% they advertised.
It really boils down to look before you leap. But some people will NEVER choose to get that.
But again, what the hell could I possibly know?
Thanks Wench! <3
cuillin- its not rare for a mare to hold her placenta for 3 hours after. Being a vet you should know this. Anything five hours(some vets opinions vary between 4-6 hours) and past comes into question and action is needed to be taken fast(and I actually stated that if you had read). Most vets will give the mare a shot of oxytocin, a shot of banamine, exercise her on the lead, and flush her with saline and antibiotics after the placenta has been removed.
Once again READ! Metritis and laminitis are normally not seen before 12 hours of the placenta being retained. Had you read the post carefully, you would have seen that I was listing causes of laminitis. Most people that act quickly to have the placenta removed by a qualified vet BEFORE 12 hours will not experience laminitis and if they do, most vets would have provided the proper treatment while they were there so the laminitis is not severe. As I stated in my comment, of course early action is always easiest.
cuillin sure disappeared quick;)
word verf is
brane
interesting...
sorry Wench, you did indeed mention Road Founder.
I read, just not WelL.
And for shits and giggles, I will go ahead and provide a few vet written articles that back up what I said.
This one has some good pictures to go along with it. Just scroll down to Metritis-Laminitis-septicemia complex as it also says that signs are seen as early as 12 hours.
http://www.vetmed.lsu.edu/eiltslotus/theriogenology-5361/equine%20pregnancy_2.htm
This is one vet that states retention past 5 hours.
http://www.horsecity.com/stories/011402/hea_placenta_KA.shtml
Ohhhhhh Wench, you used a bad word!!!
*giggling helplessly*
And here CCC's been being so good and all. As this is a fmily blog.
Hey Lady, where are the pictures of the babies?
Told you she was a baby hogger.:)
I just found your blog a few days ago and WOW...I love it. Keep up the good work!
That's odd. I guess cuillin gave up the good fight. :(
Now it looks like I am crazy and arguing with myself. I'll claim the crazy part;)
Oh well, at least those facts are there for everyone to read.
And welcome EPIC.
Wench:
No, you don't look like the crazy one at all. Presentation of facts will usually stop ignorance in it's tracks. Nuff said.
Dena, snorking on that last one. Wench did ask to keep it to a minimum, not cut it all together. Sometimes, well, it just works.
CCC
So's we can use the right word for effect from time to time?
I am still confining myself to "hell".
I have a very colorful vocabulary for not having been raised by sailors.
I am trying to exercise self-restraint.
When I fail Micah always says, "Oh Good One Mom"!
He used to say, "Oh YOU used a bad word"!
I am thinking I want to offset any future situations of "But my Mom says".lol
Wench, I agree that Cathy presents an oversimplified version of things that can kill your horse, but that said, it did cover some of the essentials in language that's pretty accessible to complete beginners. In fact, I'm probably going to send that post to the tenants who will be renting our farm for the next two years, and I generally hate just about everything Cathy posts!
I'll include the caveat that I disagree with 99.99 percent of stuff that Cathy has to say. And I'll definitely throw in a link to this post which advances the discussion appreciably.
Our new tenants told us that they have gone on some trail rides and now they're "ready to own their own horse." I immediately sent back a nice email saying "great, I'm excited for you, but have you thought about lessons or leasing for a while so you can see exactly what you want to buy?"
I can't force them not to get horses, since we advertised the property as horse-ready and horse-friendly, but I sure as heck am going to discourage them from jumping in feet first and making a big mistake. I've been riding for years, and I sometimes still feel completely flummoxed by horse ownership.
Anyway, I enjoyed your more in-depth discussion. Thanks!
Dena:
Yes, you do have an impressive "vocabulary" that's for sure. Sometimes, there are certain words that describe things perfectly.
Being careful around the kids is important, they have this way of repeating what they hear at absolutely the worst times. LOL!!!
Now this is interesting.
Fugs is no longer listed as part of "her" PonyUpRescueAt least, not publicly.
berry, berry interesting.
The story about Junah is sad. I wonder just how many wobblers are out there?
Rio and Gossip Girl are still available.
To Horses.
GL,
Ah ha. I didn't think it would take long for fugs to have a falling out.
Word Verification=oberium
Fugs has listed an oberium of false information on founder.
W.,
Just to point out in the most polite way possible, that watering a hot horse doesn't cause founder or laminitis. There's a number of studies on this.
Gah. Another poor horse that has obviously severe health issues, kept alive for sympathy fundraising. Wobbles is actually fairly common...but most ethical people put them down. Feet that bad are a CLUE. If the horse is of normal weight and does not show signs of mineral imbalance, feet like that usually point to inflammation. Just like those of us with arthritis frequently have grooved nails.
For a rescue operation Ponyup does not measure up. A couple of horses, no *gasp* updates of their website in forever? Big donate button and no 501 yet? A wish list a mile long and how many horses being cared for? And what happened to the list of officers? Oh, was I speaking of hypocrites?!
There are a million mistakes you can make with horses, and some of them are unavoidable. As in human medicine, the best treatment doesn't work for everyone.
They do list that they have their 501(c)(3)...but here: http://www.ponyuprescue.com/mission.html
they say they'll update when they get it.
Then on their blog, they say they got it...losers...can't even keep track of where the information matters the most.
Here is the link to the blog where they state they got approved:
http://ponyuprescue.blogspot.com/2009/05/news.html
Sorry if the links don't work...just copy and paste.
The PonyUpRescue site appears to be down. Very odd.
BHM, Wench did say drinking LARGE amounts of water wasn't a good thing, if the horse is over-heated.It is fine to keep giving sips of water as the horse is walked and cooled, but a huge drink is a no-no.
AFAIK, anyway.
http://www.thehorse.com/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=13885
Cinammon dear Cinammon, "The Horse" makes specific reference to SUGAR and carbs and insulin resistance in laminitis. Go find your dunce cap and sit in the corner.
Starches are sugars. Starches are polymers of sugars.
Founder and laminitis are positively linked, not "two completely different things." Without laminitis, founder does not occur. Laminitis is the inflammation of the lamina. An inflammation event must occur to cause a disproportionate growth of the lamina to that results in the rotation of the coffin bone.
Not all laminitis events result in founder but all founder are caused by chronic laminitis.
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