Iron Causes Laminitis

According to at least one expert equine vet anaemia may be one of the most over diagnosed problems in equine medicine.

Iron causes laminitis.

Iron overload symptoms in horses are likely a combination of direct iron effects and induced secondary deficiencies of other minerals. In clue like fashion i m declaring the cause of my six horses laminitis over the last 18 years as an excess intake of iron from weeds trace mineral blocks and well water leading to insulin resistance and the insulin form of laminitis. The causes vary and may include the following. Equine laminitis has been with us for a long long time.

These include coat changes of bleaching and red ends on dark manes and tails often hoof issues such as laminitis and abscessing. Common causes of laminitis in horses. Laminitis involves the failure of the bond between the hoof wall and the distal phalanx commonly called the coffin bone pedal bone or third phalanx p3. Laminitis means inflammation of the laminae of the horse s hoof.

This has allowed much more focused research and effort in treating the cause rather. In clue like fashion i m declaring the cause of my six horses laminitis over the last 18 years as an excess intake of iron from weeds trace mineral blocks and well water leading to insulin resistance and the insulin form of laminitis. Iron deficiency anemia is rare and too much iron can potentially lead to laminitis as well as create an imbalance with other minerals. The classical one and one area that has been investigated in greater detail is an excessive intake of carbohydrates in the diet.

Before we get into what causes laminitis in horses let s quickly cover what is laminitis. Laminitis is now regarded as a syndrome that occurs secondary to something else rather than a discreet disease all in itself. Can elevated iron cause laminitis. To protect your horse choose a vitamin mineral supplement that.

Laminitis in horses is caused by the number of different factors acting alone or in combination. Although laminitis occurs in the feet the underlying cause is often a disturbance elsewhere in the horse s body. Furthermore forages pasture hay hay pellets or cubes are already high in iron making supplementation unnecessary and possibly dangerous. Digestive upsets due to grain overload such as excess grain fruit or snacks or abrupt changes in diet.

Following on from the post suggesting a possible link between iron and laminitis owners often contact tls to ask whether an iron supplement should be fed to a laminitic horse that has been diagnosed as being anaemic. Fortunately in the last 10 to 20 years there have been great strides in understanding the causes of this terrible condition.