Equine
Equine Laminitis – No Foot No Horse

Laminitis is probably by far the most devastating disease that a horse and horse owner will ever face. The definition of laminitis is nothing more than inflammation of the lamina or the tissue of the foot, but that does not describe the devastating pain and struggle that a horse faces with this disease. There are many sources of laminitis or foundering in horses. I will cover some of the most common causes, ways to avoid these causes and treatments.
The foot is an amazing organ for the horse and it is amazingly resilient but at the same time very fragile. The equid foot has to endure nearly constant loads of just daily locomotion but also endure very high levels of load during events such as racing, jumping and pulling. The tissue that holds the foot attached to the coffin bone is only a few millimeters thick but is amazingly strong. The tissue looks like Velcro under a microscope and is very rigid but also at the same time allows the foot to flex, grow and expand. The metabolic energy and blood flow rate that feet require to with stand this load is incredibly high as well. The blood flow to the very farthest part of the horse is complex and important when addressing laminitis which will be discussed later.
Causes –
- Grain overload or carbohydrate overload
Consumption of a large amount of grain can lead to gastrointestinal disruption leading to founder. A horse that breaks into the feed shed and consumes large amounts is the most common scenario that is seen. These horses need to have as much grain removed from their stomach as soon as possible with a stomach tube and then products such as activated charcoal administered to help bind toxins that may be produced from bacteria dying off from the high grain load in the gut.
- Metabolic conditions – PPID (Cushings) and EMS (Equine Metabolic Syndrome)
Horses with cushings have high levels of glucocorticoids circulating in their blood leading to disruptions of the lamina along with other body systems. These abnormally high glucocorticoids are caused by an abnormality with the pituitary gland in the brain. This can be corrected when diagnosed with medication.
The EMS horses have high levels of insulin which has been found experimentally to induce laminitis. Horses that are obese and get very little exercise are at risk of EMS. EMS is reversible and prevented by managing diet more closely, routine exercise and preventing access to lush green pastures.
- Lush green grass (Grass Founder) – commonly seen in overweight EMS horses
Similarly, horses with underling EMS can found on lush green growing grass because of the high sugar content in these grasses. In the spring with good grains and plenty of sunshine grass can grow rapidly. This rapid growth phase of grass produces larger amounts of sugars in the blades of the grass during photosynthesis. It has been discovered that during peak sunlight is when the highest sugar content is found in the grass because of higher amounts of photosynthesis occurring in the grass blades.
- Endotoxemia – Caused by severe illness such as sepsis, colic, pneumonia
Horses that have serious bacterial infections or acute colitis can absorb endotoxins released by the dead bacteria. Horses are extremely sensitive to endotoxins and these toxins are called LPS (lipopolysaccharides) that make up part of the bacteria cell wall. When a large amount bacteria are killed off with antibiotics or disruptions in the horses gut these toxins are absorbed causing lots of problems for the horse.
- Overloading weight – injuries that cause the horse to bear more weight on another limb
Overbearing weight on other limbs from an injury to another limb can cause contralateral limb laminitis. Just by shear overloading force breaks down another foot. This can occur when a major injury occurs to a limb forcing more weight onto another because of pain. This is seen commonly with fractures, serious soft tissue injuries and neurologic conditions. This is what led to the death of Barbaro, the famous thoroughbred race horse that fractured his leg during the Preakness.
- Black Walnut – Shavings containing black walnut can induce laminitis
The species of tree can be very toxic to horses and must never be used as bedding or shavings that will come in contact with horses. It has been estimated that shavings containing as little as 5% black walnut can be toxin to horses. Some research has even thought that contact along can be deadly.
Diagnosing laminitis is rather straight forward. Examination of the horses gait at a walk or trot will indicate lameness. Most horses in acute founder will be severely lame at a walk and will be shifting weight back to the hind limbs in order to move or change directions when ask to ambulate. Horses will have an increased pulse in the arteries near the feet called a digital pulse. This pulsation of blood is similar to the throbbing sensation that we feel have an acute injury to a finger or limb and is quit notable in acute laminitis. Heat can also be noted around the coronary bands and hoof wall.
Radiographs or x-rays are used determine the severity of laminitis by measuring the separation of the coffin bone from the hoof wall. Venograms are also used to identify the blood flow damage to the foot using contrast dies injected into the digital veins while a tourniquet is applied above the foot. The contrast highlights the blood vessels so they can be seen with x-ray.
Treatment of Laminitis
First of the underlying cause of the laminitis must be eliminated or managed in order to get the laminitis under control or the battle will be very difficult. For example if a horse with EMS is not put on a serious diet and their weight managed you will be fighting a losing battle. Secondly a veterinarian and a farrier team are going to be needed to help manage the horse’s feet to prevent further laminar damage and provide the best possible foot support needed. Veterinarians must provide pain management, systemic care or treatment of the underlying illness and administer other medications that can benefit the horse in order to eliminate laminitis. Farrier’s have the daunting task of providing support of 1,000 pound or more horse that has feet sometimes the size of tea cups. The goal for farriers is to provide the proper support with various different methods across the sole of the foot at the same time eliminating stress and forces that inherently designed into the horse’s foot. Care for the horse’s feet is very critical and requires a skilled team to provide the best care. Lastly is that you have to be in it to win it. Short cuts and half hearted attempts are usually not very fruitful when it comes to dealing with laminitis. Below is a list of treatments used to treat laminitis.
- Medication or surgery to correct the underlying cause
- Cryotherapy or icing of the lower limbs and feet
- Systemic anti-inflammatory drugs and pain management
- General health care such as a good diet, deep beading, management of other illnesses and supportive care
- Corrective foot care
- Surgical intervention with tenotomies (cutting the deep digital flexor tendon)
- Slings (rarely available and only in extreme cases)
Laminitis or founder can be very challenging to correct or manage. It is not uncommon to humanely euthanize horses for acute or chronic causes of founder. These horses are often losing weight, unable to get up and ambulate well enough to eat or drink frequently enough. Often it is important to have a discussion of quality of life on behalf of the horse and do what is necessary so the horse is not suffering. These are always difficult decisions but they are necessary and always good to have these with your veterinarian and farrier that are caring for the horse.
Read more about your horse’s health in the latest issue of Oklahoma Farm & Ranch magazine.
Equine
Grain Overload in Horses
By Dr. Devon England
You come home after a long day at work, and your feed room door is wide open and grain bins are empty. What do you do? Before you call your vet, figure out what grains were eaten, try to estimate how much and determine which horse or horses got into the feed. Did your horse just get into some hay or alfalfa pellets, or did he get into a high sugar grain like Omolene 300? Did your horse get into chicken or cattle feed? If he did, is it a medicated feed, containing an ionophore like monensin or lasalocid?
Grain overload is an emergency, with better outcomes, the sooner the horse is treated. So, call your veterinarian as soon as you figure out a possible grain overload has occurred. Based on what feed and how much feed your horse consumed, your veterinarian can try to determine the risks to your horse and come up with a treatment plan. Signs of grain overload include colic, lethargy, inappetence, diarrhea and lameness. These signs will vary depending on how long ago grain ingestion occurred and the severity of grain overload.
If your horse got into hay or alfalfa pellets, these are low in sugar and therefore not a high risk for problems. Your horse may just have a mild belly ache (colic) episode. If your horse got into a feed like Omolene 300, they are at risk for grain overload. How severely they are affected will depend on a few factors including how much grain was eaten (5lb vs 30lb), if the horse normally receives that grain or doesn’t receive any grain, and the size of the horse vs the amount of grain eaten. Eating 5lb of grain for a full-size horse who normally receives grain may not be a problem, but that same amount of grain eaten by a small pony who normally only receives hay will be a problem.
Treatment for grain overload should be initiated as soon as possible. This includes lavaging the stomach to remove any remaining grain. Stomach lavage is only successful in removing feed within the first couple of hours. Horses will be given mineral oil or charcoal to decrease absorption of breakdown products (acids) from grain fermentation and protect the intestinal lining from damage. Intravenous fluids are given, because horses can quickly become dehydrated with grain overload, due to digestion products from the grain drawing in a lot of water into the colon. Anti-inflammatories, lidocaine, and ice boots are used in more severe cases to decrease the risk of laminitis. In more severe cases with damage of the intestinal lining, antibiotics may be used to prevent infections associated with bacterial escape from the damaged intestine.
If your horse got into medicated feed containing an ionophore, your horse is at high risk for heart failure and muscle damage, on top of grain overload. Ionophores are toxic at very low doses in horses (2mg/kg). These drugs are added to livestock feed to decrease parasites (coccidia), to help with feed efficiency, to decrease risk of bloat and to decrease methane emissions. If your horse has eaten ANY amount of medicated feed, they should be immediately seen by your veterinarian, even if they are not showing any clinical signs. Horses can have no clinical signs or be mildly lethargic in cases where small amounts of medicated feed were eaten but still have evidence on blood work or muscle and heart damage. Clinical signs include initial inappetence or colic signs, weakness or neurologic signs in the hind end, muscle fasciculations (twitching), laying down more, and not being able to stand. There is no anti-dote to ionophore toxicity. Treatment may include mineral oil, IV fluids, anti-inflammatories and supportive care, depending on how soon toxicity is identified. In severe cases, horses can die or develop heart failure, necessitating euthanasia. In less severe cases, especially if identified and treated early, horses can recover fully.
Grain overload can come with serious complications if severe or medicated feeds are involved, especially if treatment is delayed. Secure your feed room as best as possible and keep medicated livestock feeds in a separate location to prevent cross-contamination. And if you have any concerns about your horse getting into feed, call your veterinarian as soon as possible.
This article was originally published in the February 2025 issue of Oklahoma Farm & Ranch.
Equine
Gastric Ulcers

By Dr. Devan England DVM
Does your horse have gastric ulcers? Gastric or stomach ulcers are frequently blamed for a variety of things including poor performance, acting ‘cinchy’, weight loss, not eating, poor coat condition, diarrhea and colic. However, gastric ulcers are not always the culprit and the only way to know for sure if your horse has gastric ulcers is to look at the stomach on camera, using an endoscope. Poor appetite and poor body condition are the mostly widely observed clinical signs with gastric ulcers, however, these are non-specific. If you think your horse might have gastric ulcers, the best place to start is to talk to your veterinarian and consider scheduling a gastroscopy. Gastroscopy requires the horse be held off feed for at least 16-18 hours and held off water for at least 6-8 hours. Fasting off feed and water is necessary to allow the veterinarian to see the whole stomach. If restricting feed or water is difficult in your management situation, many veterinarians will allow you to hospitalize your horse the night before gastroscopy for proper fasting.
Gastric ulcers are split into two types, classified by the location of the ulcer in the stomach. Squamous ulcers are ulcers that occur in the squamous or skin like portion of the stomach. This is the top part of the horse’s stomach, is closest to the esophagus, and has squamous tissue to protect this portion of the stomach from stomach acids. The other ulcer type are glandular ulcers. Glandular ulcers occur in the bottom portion of the stomach, which is closest to the small intestine. This portion of the stomach has glandular mucosa with cells responsible for producing stomach acids for digestion as well as cells that produce mucus and buffers to protect the lining from stomach acid. Gastroscopy is important not only for diagnosing whether ulcers are present but also determining the severity and the type of ulcer, because these two ulcer types require different treatments.
Squamous gastric ulcers are common in racehorses both in and out of training, with higher prevalence in racehorses under training. Prevalence in Thoroughbred racehorses in training has been reported to be up to 100% (Sykes 2015). Squamous ulcers are also prevalent in Western pleasure horses, Thoroughbred stallions on breeding farms, and Italian donkeys (Sykes 2015). Glandular gastric ulcer prevalence has not been as well described as squamous ulcers. Glandular ulcers are reported to be most common in Thoroughbred and Standardbred racehorses, Canadian showjumpers and polo ponies, and American Quarter Horses (Sykes 2015).
Risk factors for ulcers vary by ulcer type. Anti-inflammatories (Bute, Banamine) can increase the risk of glandular ulcers in some horses by affecting normal defense mechanisms but are not a high risk in most horses. Horses that display stereotypic behaviors, such as cribbing, have an increased risk of squamous ulcers. Grain fed before hay in non-exercising horses, feeding larger amounts of grain, and increased time between meals increases the risk of squamous ulcers. Increased time with high intensity exercise and housing in single pens is associated with increased risk of glandular ulcers. A straw only diet, lack of water access and lack of direct contact with other horses increases the general risk of gastric ulcers.
If your horse is diagnosed with ulcers, the mainstay of treatment is a buffered formulation of omeprazole (Gastrogard, Ulcergard). Over the counter Omeprazole and compounded Omeprazole are not effective because without buffering, the acidic stomach quickly breaks down the drug before absorption. Most horses with squamous ulcers will have healing of these ulcers after a 4-week course of Gastrogard or Ulcergard at treatment dose (whole tube for the average horse). Some horses may be healed by 3 weeks of treatment, but all horses should undergo a recheck gastroscopy before stopping treatment. Horses diagnosed with glandular ulcers need combination therapy with Gastrogard/Ulcergard and Sucralfate for 4 weeks. About 2/3 of horses with glandular ulcers will heal in this time, but some horses may require longer treatment times so a recheck is always recommended before discontinuing treatment.
Horses at higher risk of gastric ulcers may benefit from preventative (low) doses of Ulcergard (1/4 tube in average sized horse) given for a few days before and during high stress situations like long distance travel and competitions. Sea buckthorn berry supplement may be protective against formation of glandular ulcers. Dietary management to decrease the risk of ulcers includes providing more frequent small hay meals if pasture access is not available, limiting high sugar grains as much as possible and adding vegetable oil to the feed.
Sykes BW, Hewetson M, Hepburn RJ, Luthersson N, Tamzali Y. European college of equine internal medicine consensus statement – equine gastric ulcer syndrome in adult horses. J Vet Internal Med 2015; 29:1288-1299.
Equine
Meeting the Nutritional Needs of Older Horses

As horses age, their nutritional needs change significantly, necessitating careful adjustments in diet and management to maintain their health and quality of life. Older horses, often categorized as seniors around the age of 20, may face a variety of age-related challenges, including decreased digestive efficiency, dental issues, and metabolic disorders, all of which require tailored nutritional strategies.
Challenges and Considerations for Senior Horses
One of the primary challenges in feeding older horses is their reduced ability to digest and absorb nutrients. As horses age, their digestive systems become less efficient at processing essential nutrients like proteins, vitamins, and minerals. This decline can lead to conditions such as muscle loss, weight loss, and decreased immunity, making it crucial to adjust their diets to meet these changing needs.
Dental health is another significant concern. Many senior horses experience dental issues, such as worn or missing teeth, which can impede their ability to chew and digest forage effectively. For these horses, switching to a senior complete feed—formulated to be highly digestible and to meet all of the horse’s nutritional needs—can be beneficial. These feeds are designed to replace forage entirely when necessary, ensuring that even horses with severe dental problems can still receive a balanced diet.
Management Strategies
In addition to dietary changes, proper management practices are essential for the well-being of senior horses. Regular veterinary check-ups are critical to monitor their health and detect any early signs of age-related diseases. Common conditions like Cushing’s disease and metabolic syndrome can have a significant impact on a horse’s nutritional requirements. For example, horses with metabolic disorders may need a diet low in sugars and starches to prevent spikes in blood glucose and insulin levels.
Moreover, older horses often require adjustments in their living conditions to reduce stress. As they age, horses may become more sensitive to changes in their environment, such as temperature fluctuations or alterations in their social groups. Ensuring a stable, comfortable environment with gradual changes can help mitigate stress and maintain their overall health.
Feeding Recommendations
When designing a diet for an older horse, it’s important to consider factors such as body weight, activity level, and specific health conditions. Senior horses typically require a diet rich in easily digestible fiber, with added fats and proteins to compensate for their decreased digestive efficiency. Probiotics and prebiotics can also play a role in supporting gut health and improving nutrient absorption.
It’s essential to avoid feeding dusty or moldy hay, as older horses are more susceptible to respiratory issues and gastrointestinal problems. Soaking hay before feeding can help reduce dust and make it easier to chew for horses with dental issues. Additionally, complete feeds that incorporate all necessary nutrients can be an excellent option for horses that can no longer consume enough forage.
Caring for an older horse requires a holistic approach that combines tailored nutrition, careful management, and regular veterinary care. By understanding and addressing the unique needs of senior horses, owners can help their equine companions age gracefully and maintain a good quality of life. Every horse is an individual, so working closely with a veterinarian or equine nutritionist to develop a personalized care plan is essential for ensuring their long-term health.
For more detailed information on managing the nutritional needs of older horses, you can refer to resources such as OSU Extension, The Horse, Florida IFAS, and The Open Sanctuary Project.
This article originally appeared in the September 2024 issue of Oklahoma Farm & Ranch.
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