Laminitis: A Debilitating Disease for Horses

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A horse with laminitis will stand in a
A horse with laminitis will stand in a "sawhorse" stance, with all four legs angled out from the normal position.
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Jacinto Vasquez rides Foolish Pleasure (#4)to win the 1975 Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs.
Jacinto Vasquez rides Foolish Pleasure (#4)to win the 1975 Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs.
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Jacinto Vasquez rides Foolish Pleasure (#4)to win the 1975 Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs.
Jacinto Vasquez rides Foolish Pleasure (#4)to win the 1975 Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs.

Jon Geller, DVM offers his farm animal health experience in caring for cows, calves, horses and sheep. This issue covers laminitis, a deadly disease for horses that can be easily prevented. 

An ounce of prevention could save your horse a world of pain.

Fort Collins, Colorado, November 1994

The stallion was sedated and quickly settled down. Sure enough an exam revealed a sky-high heart rate and brick-red gums — unmistakable signs of colic. A belly tap, done by carefully inserting an 18-gauge needle into the horse’s abdomen, yielded a tube of thick, brownish blood-tinged fluid. A ruptured stomach was suspected. Too many injections of painkillers, given to treat the stallion’s laminitis, had eaten through his stomach wall, allowing feed to spill into the abdominal cavity and causing severe infection and the resulting colic. Laminitis was attempting to claim yet another victim.

  • Published on Apr 12, 2021
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