Dr. Judith L. Mulholland

Severe lameness in a front or hind hoof may lead to unilateral weight bearing for a long period of time. The front feet are carrying more of the body weight, and are at greater risk of supporting limb laminitis.

For example a limb bone fracture or infected distal joint may lead to this. After only 24 hours, the loaded foot has decreased tissue perfusion to a marked extent. The ischaemia of the tissues leads to laminitis. Prevention may be achieved in these cases by wrapping the loaded leg in a firm, evenly applied elastic support bandage, the hoof should be balanced and shod well for maximum support if possible, and the horse stabled on sand or soft bedding. Lying down and taking the weight off this leg is the best therapy as it will aid blood flow through the tissues.

It is a good prognostic sign when the horse is getting up and down unassisted e.g., with an olecranon fracture that has not been plated and is left for conservative healing with the horse confined in a stable for up to 2 months. Horses who have not been given the right size stable, suitable bedding, and just the right amount of pain relief may stand for days - weeks, and if they do get down, may have trouble getting up and risk further injury. Some horses seem to avoid lying down because it is too hard to get back up. It is as “if they lay down they may never get back up”.

In all cases, create the right environment and treat the injured limb 'if possible' ASAP, so that it can begin to take a share of the load. Surgeons & specialists go to a lot of trouble to get the horse to take at least part of the load on the injured limb as soon as practical.

The bigger the horse, the greater the risk when laminitis does occur as there is increased pounds per square inch of pressure on the weight bearing laminitic surface. Therefore, for this reason alone, size and weight are factors in the severity of the disease and the prognosis.

Horses which have been put into a cast e.g., tendon injuries, fractures etc., which have had the heel lifted with some form of wedge as part of the cast, may need to have a dense polystyrene foam wedge placed under the heels of the normal leg so that the limbs are level in length and angle. This may increase the load able to be taken by the damaged limb immediately.

Monitor the digital pulses, heat and swelling of the weight bearing limb and take steps to prevent laminitis at the early stages. Low doses of non-steroidal antiinflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) may be required on a daily basis throughout the recovery process.