Countermeasures for pasture-associated laminitis in ponies and horses.
Abstract: Laminitis occurs throughout the world in horses and ponies and has major welfare implications. It is obviously important to be able to recognize and treat the condition in its early stages so that pain and suffering are kept to a minimum. However, ideally it would be preferred to be able to recommend certain interventions/countermeasures that avoid or prevent the condition from occurring in the first place. Because pasture-associated laminitis occurs with grass consumption, one obvious way to avoid the condition is to prevent access to pasture and to feed forage alternatives that are known to be low in rapidly fermentable material. For the majority of horses, total restriction is not always a viable or desired option for financial, welfare, and health reasons. It also may not be necessary for those animals that are not predisposed to laminitis. This review discusses the possible countermeasures that could be considered now and in the future in the following 7 key areas: 1) Identifying animals predisposed to the condition; 2) Limiting development of insulin resistance; 3) Avoiding high intakes of rapidly fermentable material; 4) Preventing/reducing the formation and absorption of the various "triggering factors"; 5) Reducing/preventing oxidative damage; 6) Preventing/reducing matrix metalloproteinase activity; and 7) Preventing changes in blood flow. It is unfortunate that little or no hard data exist at present on effective countermeasures, only mechanistic evidence for avoiding risk factors. However, there is much to gain, and research in this area is urgently required.
Publication Date: 2006-06-15 PubMed ID: 16772514DOI: 10.1093/jn/136.7.2114SGoogle Scholar: Lookup
The Equine Research Bank provides access to a large database of publicly available scientific literature. Inclusion in the Research Bank does not imply endorsement of study methods or findings by Mad Barn.
- Journal Article
- Review
Summary
This research summary has been generated with artificial intelligence and may contain errors and omissions. Refer to the original study to confirm details provided. Submit correction.
This research paper discusses potential preventive measures for pasture-associated laminitis in horses and ponies, a harmful condition that occurs globally and has significant welfare implications.
Understanding Laminitis and its Impact
- Laminitis is a painful and harmful condition that affects horses and ponies around the world. Recognizing and treating it early is essential to reduce pain and suffering.
- The ideal scenario would be to prevent the condition from developing in the first place. This type of laminitis is associated with grass consumption, so a straightforward countermeasure might be to restrict animals’ access to pastures and instead feed them forage options known to have low levels of rapidly fermentable materials.
- However, total restriction isn’t always possible or desired due to financial considerations, animal welfare concerns, and health reasons. Also, total restriction might not be necessary for animals that aren’t predisposed to laminitis.
Potential Countermeasures for Laminitis
- The research reviews potential preventive actions in seven key areas. These include: determining which animals are predisposed to laminitis, reducing the development of insulin resistance, preventing high intake of rapidly fermentable material, inhibiting the formation and absorption of trigger factors, reducing oxidative damage, controlling activity of matrix metalloproteinases, and preventing changes in blood flow.
- All these countermeasures are explored from a theoretical perspective, as, unfortunately, there is currently little or no hard data available on effective preventive measures. There’s only evidence suggesting that avoiding certain risk factors might help,
Future Research Needs
- Despite the lack of solid data, this research area is crucial. Significant gains can be made by understanding how to prevent laminitis in horses and ponies.
- As such, the paper underscores the urgent need for more research on effective countermeasures against pasture-associated laminitis.
Cite This Article
APA
Harris P, Bailey SR, Elliott J, Longland A.
(2006).
Countermeasures for pasture-associated laminitis in ponies and horses.
J Nutr, 136(7 Suppl), 2114S-2121S.
https://doi.org/10.1093/jn/136.7.2114S Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Equine Studies Group, WALTHAM Centre for Pet Nutrition, London, UK. pat.harris@eu.effem.com
MeSH Terms
- Animals
- Fermentation
- Genetic Predisposition to Disease
- Horse Diseases / etiology
- Horse Diseases / prevention & control
- Horses
- Inflammation / etiology
- Inflammation / prevention & control
- Inflammation / veterinary
- Insulin Resistance
- Lameness, Animal / etiology
- Lameness, Animal / prevention & control
- Metalloproteases / physiology
- Physical Conditioning, Animal
- Poaceae
- Regional Blood Flow
Citations
This article has been cited 7 times.- Stefaniuk-Szmukier M, Piórkowska K, Ropka-Molik K. Equine Metabolic Syndrome: A Complex Disease Influenced by Multifactorial Genetic Factors. Genes (Basel) 2023 Jul 27;14(8).
- Mota-Rojas D, Wang D, Titto CG, Gómez-Prado J, Carvajal-de la Fuente V, Ghezzi M, Boscato-Funes L, Barrios-García H, Torres-Bernal F, Casas-Alvarado A, Martínez-Burnes J. Pathophysiology of Fever and Application of Infrared Thermography (IRT) in the Detection of Sick Domestic Animals: Recent Advances. Animals (Basel) 2021 Aug 5;11(8).
- Meier A, de Laat M, Reiche D, Fitzgerald D, Sillence M. The efficacy and safety of velagliflozin over 16 weeks as a treatment for insulin dysregulation in ponies. BMC Vet Res 2019 Feb 26;15(1):65.
- de Laat MA, Hampson BA, Sillence MN, Pollitt CC. Sustained, Low-Intensity Exercise Achieved by a Dynamic Feeding System Decreases Body Fat in Ponies. J Vet Intern Med 2016 Sep;30(5):1732-1738.
- Celi P, Gabai G. Oxidant/Antioxidant Balance in Animal Nutrition and Health: The Role of Protein Oxidation. Front Vet Sci 2015;2:48.
- Mlyneková E, Zaťko S, Halo M, Imrich I, Halo M Jr. The Effect of Seasonal Changes in Non-Structural Carbohydrates in Pasture on the Metabolic Profile of Horses with Laminitis. Animals (Basel) 2026 Jan 15;16(2).
- Gartland B, Strunk W, Schulte B, DeGraves F, Koostra J. Time budgets differ in horses during continuous and space-restricted rotational grazing. Vet Anim Sci 2024 Sep;25:100371.
Use Nutrition Calculator
Check if your horse's diet meets their nutrition requirements with our easy-to-use tool Check your horse's diet with our easy-to-use tool
Talk to a Nutritionist
Discuss your horse's feeding plan with our experts over a free phone consultation Discuss your horse's diet over a phone consultation
Submit Diet Evaluation
Get a customized feeding plan for your horse formulated by our equine nutritionists Get a custom feeding plan formulated by our nutritionists
