WHOLE HORSE INFLAMMATION
Not all inflammation is bad, it can be helpful while wounds heal and aids in recovery of certain illnesses.
CHRONIC inflammation is what we want to avoid, as it can turn into low-grade whole-body inflammation and lead to a slew of problems.
Similar to humans, equine chronic inflammation can be the root cause of disease/dysfunction, metabolic conditions, gut issues and hoof related inflammation/laminitis.
COMMON CONTRIBUTORS:
+nutrition that isn’t species appropriate, high in sugars and starch.
+mismanagement of basic species appropriate needs.
+environment that doesn’t support equine needs.
+genetic issues can be up or down regulated by the above contributors.
LAMINITIS by definition: inflammation and damage of the tissue between the hoof and the underlying coffin bone.
Many horses that experience chronic laminitis may also experience metabolic conditions such as, Insulin Resistance IR or Equine Metabolic Syndrome EMS.
If your horse is experiencing chronic hoof related inflammation, be sure to check into the possibility of these conditions by having testing done with your vet.
Chronic laminitis can also be caused by inflammation elsewhere in the body or by trauma. Chronic joint inflammation can settle into the hoof capsule. Blunt trauma to the body can also cause inflammation that settles into the hoof capsule.
For example: I had a gelding that suffered from sleep deprivation. We discovered he had a deteriorating meniscus and as a result, his stay apparatuses weren’t operating properly. He would collapse, falling down onto his fetlocks, knees, shoulders and sometimes completely on his side. He would experience random bouts of laminitis and gut disruption-even though all of his nutrition and environment considerations were made. I encourage you to dig deep if you have a horse that experiences any of these things-horses that cannot lay down to sleep are suffering.
CHRONIC INFLAMMATION PREVENTION
+PRIORITIZE exercise by providing the freedom to move as much as possible.
+AVOID overfeeding high processed grains/feeds with high sugars/starches.
+QUALITY nutrition-varied forage to meet equine specific vitamin/mineral requirements.
+VET care, regularly to ensure your horse isn’t experiencing any medical issues.
+REDUCE STRESSORS in the daily environment-allow for friends, forage and freedom.
Learn about Forage Based Nutrition and Track Living Systems in these great classes in my online classroom-all classes are lifetime access!
FORAGE BASED NUTRITION FOR DUMMIES (thinkific.com)
INTRODUCTION TO EQUINE TRACK LIVING SYSTEMS (thinkific.com)
READ more about metabolic considerations in this great article.
Equine Metabolic Disorders and Chronic Inflammation | Alltech