Laminitis, EMS or PPID - start here

3/1/2019

Has your horse got or are you worried about laminitis, EMS or PPID?
Check out The Laminitis Site's articles ...

If he/she has laminitis, is correct emergency treatment in place? Do you know how to recognise laminitis, including sub-clinical laminitis? And how to prevent it?
Laminitis, EMS and PPID

Has the cause of the laminitis been correctly identified? Is it just Equine Metabolic Syndrome?
Equine Metabolic Syndrome and insulin dysregulation

Or could he/she also have PPID?
Pituitary Pars Intermedia Dysfunction
Video comparing PPID symptoms and normal agin

Has blood been tested for insulin and ACTH?
Testing Insulin
Is it PPID or is it EMS?

Are the feet well supported? Have x-rays been taken and any rotation corrected with a realigning trim?
Laminitis and the Feet
FAQ: Rehabilitating the feet after laminitis

Is the diet low in sugar and starch but providing adequate nutrients and fibre?
Diet for horses with laminitis/EMS/PPID

Does he/she need to lose weight?
Body Condition Scoring Video
Diet for weight loss

If he/she does have PPID, has pergolide treatment been started?
Starting Pergolide/Prascend

Are you wondering whether a supplement could help?
There are no magic potions!

Are you confused about how much your horse should be moving following laminitis?
Movement - good or bad?

Want some suggestions for managing a horse with EMS, particularly if hay/grazing need to be restricted?
Management Strategies for EMS/insulin dysregulation

Need some inspiration? Here are a few of the horses that have recovered from laminitis following TLS's protocol:
Casareño's recovery
Nutmeg's TLS Rehab
Sorrel

Need support or more information? Become a Friend of The Laminitis Site and access the Friends of The Laminitis Site 1 discussion/support group on Facebook. If you are in North America, consider joining the ECIR Group.

**If you suspect your horse has laminitis or is ill, always consult your vet and discuss all aspects of management/treatment with him/her.**

6 Comments

Eileen Legg

2/22/2018 08:10:55 pm

At wits end with my horse lami again

The Laminitis Site

3/5/2018 06:38:58 pm

Sorry to hear this, Eileen.

When a horse has laminitis, unless the horse was already very ill or very lame when it developed laminitis, you can probably assume it has endocrine laminitis, and therefore abnormally high levels of insulin are causing the laminitis. That can be due to EMS alone, or plus PPID. If EMS alone, a low sugar/starch diet and gradual weight loss if the horse is overweight will usually increase insulin sensitivity and reduce the risk of laminitis. If PPID, then treatment with pergolide at the right dose plus the diet/weight loss as EMS should do the same.

When any horse has laminitis, it is essential to have x-rays taken and ensure that the hoof capsule is realigned to the pedal bone as quickly as possible if there is any misalignment, and the feet should also be supported through the solar structures with soft but supportive material (e.g. EVA padding) and/or bedding.

Keep in mind that horses with early PPID do not always test positive (blood testing for both EMS and PPID are not completely accurate), so look closely for clinical signs, and consider discussing a trial of pergolide with your vet if you believe your horse has PPID but is not testing positive.

We see many horses that are thought to be in pain from laminitis because their feet have not been correctly realigned or supported. Often the endocrinopathic cause of the laminitis has passed, i.e. the horse doesn't have "active" laminitis, but its feet continue to hurt from uncorrected previous laminitis - x-ray, realign, support are so important.

The links in this article should give you a guide to the things to check are in place and to discuss with your vet and hoofcare provider. If you would like further help and to discuss your horse's history, test results and hoof photos/x-rays, you might like to join the Friends of The Laminitis Site Facebook group, where you would be invited to fill in a case history and start an album for photos/x-rays.

Bev Teasdale link

9/29/2019 12:36:56 am

This is an amazing site, very helpful, full useful information

michelle scott

12/10/2019 12:10:29 am

PLEASE HELP MY HORSE HAS JUST BBENDIAGNOSED WITH PEDAL OESTITIS AND I WANT TO PURCHASE YOUR PASTE TO PAINT ON ITS SOLE HOW AND WHERE CAN I GET IT FROM IM IN AUSTRALIA PLEASE HELP

The Laminitis Site

12/26/2019 09:38:04 am

Hi Michelle

We do not sell any products. Horses with pedal osteitis have often got (or had) thin soles, and will benefit from realigning trimming to ensure the hoof capsule tightly hugs the bone, with a reasonable sole thickness encouraged, and time in hoof boots with thick (~12 mm) soft pads and/or conforming bedding/ground, so that the feet are never on a hard surface, not for a single step (this includes while being trimmed - this should always take place with the horse standing on a soft surface).

Very few products are proven to help develop sole thickness or protect soles (make sure any manufacturer can provide published research, not just marketing spiel, to prove the efficacy of a product), Hoof Armor may be the only applied product we might consider for a horse with thin soles, if boots and pads were not getting the desired results.

Some information about pedal osteitis:
https://www.msdvetmanual.com/musculoskeletal-system/lameness-in-horses/pedal-osteitis-in-horses

https://wagwalking.com/horse/condition/pedal-osteitis-

And reasons why a horse may have a thin sole:
http://www.hoofrehab.com/WhyThinSoles.html

Kaila Mcculloch

4/29/2021 06:50:27 pm

Please can I become a member?

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.

Laminitis, EMS or PPID - start here

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