What Causes Winter Laminitis

The pain is often severe but the feet are not hot as they are in classical acute laminitis cases.

What causes winter laminitis.

Many questions need to be answered but significant headway has been made in understanding and controlling this issue. Winter laminitis pain is a significant problem for some of these horses. The pain is often severe but the feet aren t hot as they are in classical acute laminitis cases. It s a laminitis like syndrome triggered by cold weather.

The digital pulses may or may not be elevated. Many have a history of laminitis at other times of the year but some do not. Laminitis has become one of the most heavily researched aspects of lameness because it affects so many horses. 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.

Here in the uk our winters are long and wet. 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. The horse does not necessarily have a prior history of laminitis. Winter laminitis strikes with n0 change in diet or management.

Winter laminitis can strike with no change in diet or management. Every winter some owners and caretakers are faced with the onset of obvious foot pain in their horses for no apparent reason. Cold weather can cause laminitis in horses. Although laminitis occurs in the feet the underlying cause is often a disturbance elsewhere in the horse s body.

The causes vary and may include the following. Are some horses more susceptible than others. Veterinarians working with many laminitic horses are well acquainted with the problem but others may be unfamiliar with it. Many horses seem to struggle with laminitis in winter.

Horses normally have a very high tolerance for cold.