Equine laminitis of alimentary origin: an experimental model.
Abstract: Acute alimentary form of laminitis was uniformly induced in 11 of 12 horses by administration of a starch and wood flour gruel and could be graded by previously established (Obel) and presently defined criteria. The experimentally induced laminitis was similar to naturally occurring laminitis, as determined on the basis of lameness severity and vital signs. Packed cell volume, leukocyte count, and total protein were significantly increased (P smaller than 0.05) at 24 and 40 hours after administration of gruel. Arterial systolic and diastolic pressures increased, central venous pressure decreased, heart rate increased, and rectal temperature increased consistently within the 56-hour experimental period. Of the 11 affected horses, 7 horses had Obel grade 3 lameness (horse moved most reluctantly and vigorously resisted attempts to lift a forefoot) at 40 hours after gruel was placed in the alimentary tract, 2 horses had Obel grade 3 lameness at 32 hours, and 2 horses had Obel grade 3 lameness at 48 hours.
Publication Date: 1975-04-01 PubMed ID: 1124880
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- Journal Article
Summary
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This research experimented with inducing acute alimentary laminitis, a serious horse disease affecting the foot, in horses by giving them a specific diet. The research showed that similar results could be achieved in this way as with naturally occurring laminitis, with measurable effects on the wellbeing of the horse.
Experiment Setup and Conduct
- In the experiment, researchers fed 12 horses a gruel of wood flour and starch to induce an acute alimentary form of laminitis, a severe and painful inflammation of tissues in the horse’s hoof.
- The study used established (Obel) grade system and their own defined criteria to assess the severity of the induced laminitis.
- During a 56-hour observation period post administration of the gruel, the health parameters of the horses including packed cell volume, leukocyte (a type of white blood cell) count, and total protein were monitored. These parameters were significantly increased at 24 and 40 hours post gruel administration, indicating the impact of the diet on the health of the animals.
Results and Findings
- The study found that this diet-based approach could consistently induce laminitis in 11 out of the 12 horses within the observation period.
- Other changes observed in the health of the horses included an increase in arterial systolic and diastolic pressures, a decrease in central venous pressure, an increase in heart rate, and an increase in rectal temperature, further evidencing the effects of the induced laminitis.
- Out of the 11 affected horses, 7 displayed severe lameness (Obel grade 3) at 40 hours after the gruel administration, indicating severe discomfort and reluctance to move or lift a forefoot. Two horses displayed the same level of lameness at 32 hours, and another two at 48 hours.
- The consistency of these results suggests that the diet induced form of laminitis is similar to the naturally occurring cases of the disease in terms of symptoms and measurable health parameters.
This study contributes to our understanding of laminitis, a common and debilitating equine disease, and paves the way for further investigation into diet-based triggers and possible prevention or treatment options.
Cite This Article
APA
Garner HE, Coffman JR, Hahn AW, Hutcheson DP, Tumbleson ME.
(1975).
Equine laminitis of alimentary origin: an experimental model.
Am J Vet Res, 36(4 Pt.1), 441-444.
Publication
Researcher Affiliations
MeSH Terms
- Administration, Oral
- Animal Feed
- Animals
- Blood Pressure
- Blood Proteins / analysis
- Body Temperature
- Cellulose / administration & dosage
- Central Venous Pressure
- Dietary Carbohydrates
- Female
- Foot Diseases / etiology
- Foot Diseases / physiopathology
- Foot Diseases / veterinary
- Heart Rate
- Hematocrit
- Hoof and Claw
- Horse Diseases / etiology
- Horse Diseases / physiopathology
- Horses
- Male
- Rectum / physiology
- Starch / administration & dosage
- Time Factors
- Wood
Citations
This article has been cited 21 times.- Peixoto Rabelo I, Barroco de Paula V, Carvalho Bustamante C, Santana AM, Gomes da Silva D, Baldassi AC, Canola PA, Araújo Valadão CA. Acute phase proteins levels in horses, after a single carbohydrate overload, associated with cecal alkalinization. Front Vet Sci 2023;10:1043656.
- Bustamante CC, de Paula VB, Rabelo IP, Fernandes CC, Kishi LT, Canola PA, Lemos EGM, Valadão CAA. Effects of Starch Overload and Cecal Buffering on Fecal Microbiota of Horses. Animals (Basel) 2022 Dec 6;12(23).
- Luethy D, Feldman R, Stefanovski D, Aitken MR. Risk factors for laminitis and nonsurvival in acute colitis: Retrospective study of 85 hospitalized horses (2011-2019). J Vet Intern Med 2021 Jul;35(4):2019-2025.
- Li H, Liu J, Zhu W, Mao S. Intraruminal infusion of oligofructose alters ruminal microbiota and induces acute laminitis in sheep. J Anim Sci 2017 Dec;95(12):5407-5419.
- Dern K, van Eps A, Wittum T, Watts M, Pollitt C, Belknap J. Effect of Continuous Digital Hypothermia on Lamellar Inflammatory Signaling When Applied at a Clinically-Relevant Timepoint in the Oligofructose Laminitis Model. J Vet Intern Med 2018 Jan;32(1):450-458.
- Kristoffersen C, Jensen RB, Avershina E, Austbø D, Tauson AH, Rudi K. Diet-Dependent Modular Dynamic Interactions of the Equine Cecal Microbiota. Microbes Environ 2016 Dec 23;31(4):378-386.
- Harlow BE, Lawrence LM, Hayes SH, Crum A, Flythe MD. Effect of Dietary Starch Source and Concentration on Equine Fecal Microbiota. PLoS One 2016;11(4):e0154037.
- Shepherd ML, Ponder MA, Burk AO, Milton SC, Swecker WS Jr. Fibre digestibility, abundance of faecal bacteria and plasma acetate concentrations in overweight adult mares. J Nutr Sci 2014;3:e10.
- Wang L, Pawlak EA, Johnson PJ, Belknap JK, Alfandari D, Black SJ. Expression and activity of collagenases in the digital laminae of horses with carbohydrate overload-induced acute laminitis. J Vet Intern Med 2014 Jan-Feb;28(1):215-22.
- Liu X, Fan H, Ding X, Hong Z, Nei Y, Liu Z, Li G, Guo H. Analysis of the gut microbiota by high-throughput sequencing of the V5-V6 regions of the 16S rRNA gene in donkey. Curr Microbiol 2014 May;68(5):657-62.
- Biddle AS, Black SJ, Blanchard JL. An in vitro model of the horse gut microbiome enables identification of lactate-utilizing bacteria that differentially respond to starch induction. PLoS One 2013;8(10):e77599.
- Wang L, Pawlak EA, Johnson PJ, Belknap JK, Eades S, Stack S, Cousin H, Black SJ. Impact of laminitis on the canonical Wnt signaling pathway in basal epithelial cells of the equine digital laminae. PLoS One 2013;8(2):e56025.
- Steelman SM, Chowdhary BP, Dowd S, Suchodolski J, Janečka JE. Pyrosequencing of 16S rRNA genes in fecal samples reveals high diversity of hindgut microflora in horses and potential links to chronic laminitis. BMC Vet Res 2012 Nov 27;8:231.
- Wang L, Pawlak E, Johnson PJ, Belknap JK, Alfandari D, Black SJ. Effects of cleavage by a disintegrin and metalloproteinase with thrombospondin motifs-4 on gene expression and protein content of versican and aggrecan in the digital laminae of horses with starch gruel-induced laminitis. Am J Vet Res 2012 Jul;73(7):1047-56.
- Coyne MJ, Cousin H, Loftus JP, Johnson PJ, Belknap JK, Gradil CM, Black SJ, Alfandari D. Cloning and expression of ADAM-related metalloproteases in equine laminitis. Vet Immunol Immunopathol 2009 Jun 15;129(3-4):231-41.
- Stokes AM, Venugopal CS, Hosgood G, Eades SC, Moore RM. Comparison of 2 endothelin-receptor antagonists on in vitro responses of equine palmar digital arterial and venous rings to endothelin-1. Can J Vet Res 2006 Jul;70(3):197-205.
- Bailey SR, Baillon ML, Rycroft AN, Harris PA, Elliott J. Identification of equine cecal bacteria producing amines in an in vitro model of carbohydrate overload. Appl Environ Microbiol 2003 Apr;69(4):2087-93.
- Andersson L, Bergman A. Pathology of bovine laminitis especially as regards vascular lesions. Acta Vet Scand 1980;21(4):559-66.
- Masty J, Stradley RP. Paneth cell degranulation and lysozyme secretion during acute equine alimentary laminitis. Histochemistry 1991;95(5):529-33.
- Jensen RB, Walslag IH, Marcussen C, Thorringer NW, Junghans P, Nyquist NF. The effect of feeding order of forage and oats on metabolic and digestive responses related to gastric emptying in horses. J Anim Sci 2025 Jan 4;103.
- Tuniyazi M, Tang R, Hu X, Zhang N. Methylated tirilazad may mitigate oligofructose-induced laminitis in horses. Front Microbiol 2024;15:1391892.
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