Can Acorns Cause Laminitis

Barbaro winner of the 2006 kentucky derby fractured his right hind and developed sll 2 months later.

Can acorns cause laminitis.

Essentially there are three main causes of laminitis. Although laminitis occurs in the feet the underlying cause is often a disturbance elsewhere in the horse s body. Laminitis is quite unlike any other equine disease. The bark leaves and acorns contain an acidic chemical commonly known as tannin.

Supporting limb laminitis sll a severe protracted non weightbearing lameness e g. Fortunately in the last 10 to 20 years there have been great strides in understanding the causes of this terrible condition. The causes vary and may include the following. Further a thorough history can help the practitioner determine whether the laminitis likely developed due to systemic disease carbohydrate overload medications such as corticosteroids or.

While the exact mechanisms by which the feet are damaged remain a mystery certain precipitating events can produce laminitis. It is essential to determine the cause of laminitis so that we can provide the correct long term treatment strategies. Laminitis is a complex cascade of events that causes the soft tissues laminae within the hoof to swell weaken and die. There are more than 60 varieties of oaks in the continental united states.

When thinking of how laminitis occurs it is important to think of it more as a clinical sign rather than a disease in its own right. Acorns are seeds or nuts produced by oak trees. Horses ponies donkeys mules and wild equids the disease process involves a breakdown of the bond between the hoof wall and the distal phalanx commonly called the coffin bone pedal bone or third phalanx p3. It can damage the liver and kidneys of horses.

Laminitis is now regarded as a syndrome that occurs secondary to something else rather than a discreet disease all in itself. Two of the most common complications veterinarians face are injuries to the subsolar. A fracture or septic joint condition can cause laminitis in another leg usually the other leg in a pair. Tannin has a bitter taste and is an astringent contracts tissues and draws out fluids.

Equine laminitis has been with us for a long long time. This has allowed much more focused research and effort in treating the cause rather. This can all occur before any symptoms are apparent and once the process has started it is extremely difficult to stop. Overload metabolic and inflammatory.

Laminitis itself is a precarious condition but complications can make cases even more challenging to manage.