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Laminitis (Founder) Article

May 27, 2008 By Leave a Comment

Laminitis is very painful so much so that a horse with it will barely be able to walk, and sometimes they will not be able to walk at all! For clarification, founder is a laminitis turned chronic. Laminitis is acute inflammation of the lamina which is the structures that holds the hoof to the coffin bone. One of the most famous recent cases is that of Barbaro, in which he had laminitis in his left hind foot due to breaking his ankle on the right hind leg. The pressure of having to stay standing on the left hind all the time caused the laminitis.

Today I found an extremely good very detailed article on laminitis -

Laminitis Attack: The First Line of Defense

My favorite statement in the article is the comment about having to work together as a team. This is so true the farrier and the veterinarian as well as the caretaker/owner need to be in communication with one another to work out the best treatment for the horse. It is essential so that the horse has a chance at recovery. I am such a strong believer in this team approach that I feel that not only should this be done for laminitis but for any disease or management process in regards to the horse’s health.

Back to the article I want to point out the three most important topics covered in the treatment of laminitis and these are -

  • Get Expert Help
  • Use of Pain Medication
  • Find the Cause

Check out the article, if you ever have to deal with this horrible disease you will be glad you did… Laminitis Attack: The First Line of Defense

Other laminitis information found on the web…

Laminitis : The Hidden Danger Of Pasture
New Bolton Center Fund for Laminitis Research Fund raiser
Laminitis & Founder
Laminitis Product Receives Award from Queen of England

Filed Under: Hoof Health Tagged With: , , ,

Glue on Shoes – Big Brown has them

May 20, 2008 By Leave a Comment

Big Brown the Kentucky Derby Winner has a type of shoe that is glued on to the bottom of the hoof. Now you may ask yourself why glue instead of nails?

There are several reasons that glue on shoes are preferred for some horses even big horses like Big Brown.

  • Horses that have damaged hoof walls
  • Hoof walls that are thin
  • White line disease or hoof wall separation
  • Laminitis (Founder)
  • Coffin bone fractures
  • Even hooves that have been trimmed too short and are now sore

In Big Brown’s case he had hoof wall separation and an infection (abscess) in the foot. The glue on shoes helped him recover and recover quickly. So quickly, in fact that from January when he was laid off because of the problem, he was able to come back and win the Kentucky Derby. Now he has his eyes set on the Preakness. Let see if the glue on shoes help him win that one as well.

For more information about Big Brown’s glue on shoes check out -

Big Brown’s Feet Not So Bad, Farriers Say 

Filed Under: Hoof Health Tagged With: , , ,

Chiropractic on a horse

May 12, 2008 By Leave a Comment

Today, I was asked to do a chiropractic exam on a small horse, actually it was a P.O.A. I am asked to do chiropractic evaluations and treatments for a variety of reasons, usually it is the horse is not taking a lead correctly or unwillingness to flex or difficulty to collect or slower times in whatever event the horse does. Today was a little different, the horse does not back straight. In fact when asked to back it always turns its hindquarters to the right, every time. I tried it out from the ground and found that the horse indeed did turn its hind quarters to the right when backed. When covering the horse’s eyes I found I could make the horse go straight.
Upon examination, I found that the sacrum was not moving balanced and that the neck was “stiff”. However I felt that this may not be the only problem, the symptoms from the neck and the sacrum were minimal, meaning that the muscles were not very tight, no soreness, no other major subluxations were observed. So I asked the owner what exactly happens when you ask the horse to back. She said when she asks the horse to go back he arches his neck avoiding any contact with the bit and flexes to the right. So again I thought the neck has to be the answer, however why did the horse go straight when I covered its eyes?

The answer happened to be where I was pushing the horse when asking to go backwards while covering the eyes. The head was up not flexed down like I did when I pushed on the horses muzzle to back him up initially. I knew the answer!

I reached in to the horses mouth and found two things – a wolf tooth and the actual problem a loose deciduous tooth on the lower right premolar! A cap! The horse was avoiding any pressure on that side trying to get the bit away from the uncomfortable tooth. When putting pressure on the muzzle the neck subluxations which were caused by the stress of avoiding the uncomfortable tooth were causing the symptomology.

I adjusted the horse, pulled the cap, and the wolf tooth. Within a week, I expect that the horse will back up straight. SO anytime you are having a problem with a horse moving correctly be sure to check the horses mouth. Also be sure to have a dental examination done a minimum of twice a year and sometimes more often for the younger horse that is loosing teeth.

Filed Under: Dentistry Tagged With: , , , , ,

More Opinions on Horse Racing

May 10, 2008 By 4 Comments

The discussion continues on the problems with horse racing and what should be fixed in order to make it safer and healthier for the horse.

Monty roberts advocates for the horse in horse racing – A major step in the right direction would be to take whips out of racing. Roberts has been advocating this change for years and believes that now is the time for horse the industry to show their support for this change. …

Time for racing to rethink rules? – Eight Belles and trainer Larry Jones walk around the paddock before the 134th Kentucky Derby Saturday Opinion: Eight Belles’ death in Derby should serve as wake-up call for sport.

Filed Under: News Tagged With: , , ,

Horse Racing in the media spotlight

May 9, 2008 By 7 Comments

With the death of Eight Belles at the Kentucky Derby following on the heels of Barbaros death last year and here locally about the deaths happening at Arlington Park two years ago, horse racing is in the media spotlight and not in a favorable light. Three years of bad publicity may just force some changes in the industry.

There are many reasons for horses not to be racing at 2 years of age. The main one is that the skeletal structure of the horse is still growing and is incapable, in the majority of cases, to handle the stresses that racing places on the it. As for why horses race at 2 years of age, I have yet to hear a good reason that they have to race at that age. Obviously the industry has big money and investments are made. Having a horse wait another year or two before it possibly starts making a return increases the risk of the investment and slows the business of racing dramatically. Also traditionally horses have been raced at this age for many many years. So are these good enough reasons to continue racing at 2 years of age? Personally I do not think so.

As for is horse racing inhumane? I do not believe so and heres my reason..horse love to run, it comes naturally to them. If you have ever ridden a horse, especially one such as a thouroughbred, they love to go and they love to go fast. Interestingly, many of them actually love to race, they are not forced into it, they really want to do it. Ask any jockey or horseman that has been around the racing industry for even a short amount of time, they know when a horse just is not into it. They know if the horse really does not like it, that horse is not going to win and will be removed from racing very quickly. Now this does not mean that all of racing is humane. I believe some things need to be changed such as the age at which they are allowed to race needs to be raised. More turnout should be allowed, more rest and recovery needs to occur, and less pharmaceutical enhancements.

What do you think? Leave a comment let us know your opinion.

Heres a couple of other opinions from the web…

Talk Back: Racing Breakdown – The death of Eight Belles at last Saturday’s Kentucky Derby has spurred a national debate over horse racing and the safety and welfare of the animals (NPR’s Tom Ashbrook led a discussion of the contrasting perspectives on Wednesday’s …

The dark side of horse racing, redux – In yet another puff piece over the weekend celebrating Presque Isle Downs racetrack -a salutary run-down on the abbreviated 25-day first season of horse-racing – the Erie Times-News trumpeted the track’s financial and related successes …

Filed Under: News Tagged With:

Horse Market: Ponies for Sale

May 7, 2008 By 1 Comment

Although the horse market is slow, there are still some good quality horses and ponies for sale. Prices may not be the best but for those really interested in their breed and furthering the development of it, breeding continues.  It will be interesting to see the numbers of this years foal crop – will they be down, will the lower prices of horses and the higher cost of care really affect how much breeding was being done? The problem – horse breeders would have had to know how bad the market was going to be a year ago, as it takes 11 months to cook a baby horse – (the length of pregnancy is 10 to 13 months in horses), so how much lower will the foal crop be his year? I am pretty sure that this years breeding season which is in full swing right now will be slower reducing the numbers for next year, but we shall see about this years number.

In the meantime check out this foal from The Pony Place USA – They are sure very cute. This one is 4 days old at the time of the pic…winks-filly.jpg

Filed Under: News Tagged With: , ,

Purina Horse Food Recall on the East Coast

May 6, 2008 By 1 Comment

If you are receiving this email -

I just called my feed store, and they confirmed that this was true, Purina
has recalled many of their feeds due to the potential aflatoxins as a
“precautionary measure” (his words).

From another list

Subject: PURINA RECALLS HORSEFEEDS

I think it is important for all horse owners to know that Purina has
issued two massive recalls this month affecting almost their entire horse
feed product line. This recall was not made available to the general
public. Notices went to the dealers directly. It is unconscionable that
they have made no effort contact the end users. On 4/9 they recalled 27
equine products, including senior and the platformline. On 4/21 they
recalled another 18 products. The problem is Aflatoxins. Aflatoxins are
toxic and one of the most carcinogenic substances known. They can cause
liver disfunction, immune suppression, and neurological difficulties.

Please share this information with your horse keepingfriends. It seems
that the only way this information is going to get out, is among
ourselves.

It actually is true. You can find the recall on Purina’s website —> Eastern U.S. Feed Product Retrieval

Filed Under: Nutrition Tagged With: , , ,