How to Prevent Laminitis in Stall Resting Horses
Laminitis, also called founder, is a condition in which a horse's hoof laminae gets inflamed. It can affect all four feet, but the Ultimate Horse Site explains it is usually limited to the front hooves. It has several causes, including stress and eating too much grain. This risks are elevated when a horse is on stall rest due to illness or injury because it is stressed from the confinement and isn't working off any energy. It can get laminitis if you don't take precautions.
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Instructions
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Cut back on the horse's grain. It requires less energy-rich food because it won't be getting any exercise while it is on stall rest. Kandi Kline of Broadstone Equine Insurance recommends feeding as little grain as possible to maintain the animal. Talk to the veterinarian supervising the horse's recovery about how much grain it actually needs. The Ultimate Horse Site recommends avoiding corn, barely and wheat because they pose the highest founder risk.
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Increase the horse's hay ration. Horses in the wild spend their days grazing. It is unnatural and unhealthy to confine them without providing a similar opportunity. Kline explains you can provide as much low protein hay as the horse will eat without causing founder. It will be less stressed because the food will keep it busy, which eliminates a laminitis risk factor.
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Prevent boredom with stall toys. Horses are made to move around for a large part of the day. They need to relieve energy when they are penned up on stall rest. You can purchase durable stall toys from tack shops that can be hung in the stall. The horse can push, pull, chew and swing them. Kline recommends hanging empty milk jugs rather than paying for special toys. The activity will reduce the horse's stress level, which helps protect it from laminitis.
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Allow the horse to see other horses if possible. Isolation is very stressful for equines because they are herd animals. They gain comfort from being around others of the same species. Keep the horse in a stall with a window that looks out into a pasture with other equines or keep it in a stable with other occupants that can be seen from its stall. This will prevent founder by keeping its stress down.
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Tips & Warnings
You will prevent other common stall rest problems when you take precautions against laminitis, according to Kline. Reducing food and keeping the horse happy and occupied prevents illnesses like gastric ulcers and colic and bad habits like wood chewing.
References
- Photo Credit horse image by Henryk Olszewski from Fotolia.com
