The vascular system of the laminae is vital to the continued well being of the horse's foot. There are a variety of reasons the blood flow to and within the laminae may be compromised. One of these is Laminitis. Laminitis means inflammation of the laminae, it may be mild to severe. There are many causes of laminitis, too many to list here.
There are many variables involved in laminitis. Among them are; the many causes, the infinite range between mild and severe, the tolerance of the individual horse. Add to these the enormous variety of treatments offered by those both qualified and not qualified to recommend treatment. It's little wonder the owner of a laminitic horse can become confused.
From my perspective there are two points most important to an understanding of how laminitis affects a horse. These are laminitis itself, and the physical changes brought about by acute laminitis (acute laminitis=physical changes=founder). These are two distinct issues, each requiring it's own therapy. The first is a chemical issue, the latter a mechanical issue.
Laminitis is inflammation of the laminae. My guess is that horses encounter laminitis more often than we realize. Laminitis is not a serious problem for the horse until it creates a situation where laminae begin to die. As laminae die, or threaten to die, fewer healthy laminae remain to support the horse's weight via P3. A threshold will be reached after which the healthy laminae alone cannot support P3 and it is allowed to move within the hoof capsule. This results in tearing of lamellar tissue, which in turn causes more inflammation. When this process is not interrupted, rotation of the hoof capsule, sinking of P3, or both is likely to occur. At this point the horse is said to be foundering or to have foundered.
These two earlier issues, chemical and mechanical, are largely independent, but often related. In cases where the precipitating cause of laminitis has self resolved, mechanical intervention alone may be sufficient. In cases where the precipitating cause is medically mitigated early, mechanical intervention may not be required. It should be kept in mind, however, that more often than not both chemical and mechanical therapies are required. In these cases one value of mechanical therapy lies in it's allowing more time for the chemical issues to be discovered and remedied. In cases where persistent causal factors are not identified or cannot be removed, mechanical therapies may not salvage the horse.
It is not necessary for the farrier to act as a veterinarian or have the knowledge of a veterinarian in order to fulfill his duties. This is, of course, is also true for the veterinarian. The most successful teams have mutual respect for each other's skill and experience.
Comments?pvd@olympus.net