What Causes Winter Laminitis

Horses normally have a very high tolerance for cold.

What causes winter laminitis.

Should you protect a laminitic horse when the weather is cold discover how you can help your horse and avoid laminitis due to the cold. Every winter some owners and caretakers are faced with the onset of obvious foot pain in their horses for no apparent reason. The causes vary and may include the following. The horse does not necessarily have a prior history of laminitis.

Veterinarians working with many laminitic horses are well acquainted with the problem but others may be unfamiliar with it. Cold weather can cause laminitis in horses. Many horses seem to struggle with laminitis in winter. It s a laminitis like syndrome triggered by cold weather.

Laminitis has become one of the most heavily researched aspects of lameness because it affects so many horses. Many have a history of laminitis at other times of the year but some do not. Many questions need to be answered but significant headway has been made in understanding and controlling this issue. While the exact mechanisms by which the feet are damaged remain a mystery certain precipitating events can produce laminitis.

In all species cold causes a reflex shunting of blood away from the extremities and toward the core to. Winter laminitis strikes with n0 change in diet or management. The digital pulses may or may not be elevated. Here s how to spot the warning signs and act fast to manage them.

Here in the uk our winters are long and wet. The pain is often severe but the feet aren t hot as they are in classical acute laminitis cases. Some horses have a history of winter laminitis that strikes the same time every year and is resistant to all efforts at treatment until one day in early spring it suddenly goes away. Winter laminitis pain is a significant problem for some of these horses.

Are some horses more susceptible than others.