myFREEDM®
Laminitis topic page
How can I recognise an acute bout of laminitis?
- Lameness / turning pain on both front hooves or all 4 hooves
- Alternate relief of the hooves
- Relieving position: front legs
placed far forwards, hind legs backwards
- Unusually long lying down
- Heavily warmed hooves
- Palpable pulsation on the side of
the horse's leg (arterial course)
- Painful face (eye wrinkles, tense
mouth area, narrow nostrils)
The first measures until the vet arrives:
- Soft ground: If hoof boots and
myFREEDM therapy soles are available, put them on immediately. Alternatively,
and otherwise additionally, litter the sick box thickly so that the hooves can
dig in a little
- Withdraw feed except for some hay,
possibly soaked to wash out some of the sugar and offered in a close-meshed net
- Cooling: The most effective way is with ice - crushed ice or frozen peas - which should cover the hoof, coronet band and fetlock.
Tip: Simple socks are suitable for filling with ice, which can be fastened tightly to the leg with claw tape or tape after filling. You can also use freezer bags and place them filled around the leg above the hoof capsule and secure them.
Note: If cold-induced laminitis is suspected, cooling is counterproductive. In this case, other measures will help: Covering, hoof boots with myFREEDM soles against cold ground, possibly heat gaiters.
Soft and shock-absorbing cushioning 24/7 with myFREEDM therapy soles. At the same time, the energy return of the unique Infinergy® material can effectively support the hoof structures, so that a change in position - rotation or sinking - of the coffin bone is counteracted as far as possible.
X-rays are used to check whether the coffin bone has rotated or sunk. They can also be used as a guide for hoof treatment. X-rays should therefore be taken both when the laminitis occurs and after a few weeks. This allows you to check the success of the measures taken.
Further therapeutic path
If all measures are effective, the flare-up can be over in a few weeks. If there is no change in the position of the coffin bone, light exercise can be started. With myFREEDM therapy or sports insoles in the hoof boots, the hoof sole, coffin bone and the regenerating horn platelets of the coffin bone carrier are protected.
The situation is different if a drop or rotation is detected: the hoof capsule must grow down completely in a new attachment, closely accompanied by proper hoof trimming. Depending on the horse and hoof condition, this takes between 9 and 12 months, during which movement is limited to what the horse does on its own in a quiet environment.
In addition to medical care and nutritional and husbandry adjustments, the hoof condition is crucial for further development. The hooves must be kept in the best possible shape over the long term, which works best with short trimming intervals.
What happens next?
The causes that led to the relapse must be permanently eliminated. A high percentage of patients suffer from metabolic disorders. A customised feed plan, which must be consistently adhered to, helps. The hooves - their shape, position and horn quality - should always be given a great deal of attention. The goal is a healthy, efficient bare hoof that is optimally protected with hoof boots and myFREEDM soles in the event of heavy use.
The direct line to myFREEDM hoof health counselling:
Hoof technician Christiane Herrmann - phone 0157 37545724 / e-mail: beratung@myfreedm.de
Order myFREEDM soles:
https://myfreedm.de/Shop/
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