Infections That Cause Laminitis

The objective of the study was to determine whether horses with chronic laminitis can have undiagnosed laminar infections without an active hoof abscess.

Infections that cause laminitis.

Causes of laminitis in horses. The endotoxins are circulated to blood and through the digital artery enters into the sensitive laminae of the hoof and may arise laminitis. Hoof capsule defects cracks flares cracks contracted heels. Environmental puncture wounds or gravels.

The sensitive structures of the foot are susceptible to infection if any of these structures are damaged or weakened. Common causes of laminitis in horses. In addition any infection in the body can produce enough toxins to damage the sensitive blood vessels and cause laminitis. An increasingly common cause of the disease is a hormonal imbalance called cushings disease and womb infections after foaling are a well known cause of laminitis.

They have hypothesized that pasture induced laminitis might develop as a result of exposure to potential bacterial pathogens that are present in pasture grass and are ingested as horses graze. 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. It is essential to determine the cause of laminitis so that we can provide the correct long term treatment strategies. Typically causes of foot infections can be broken down into.

In very lame horses for example with a fractured limb the opposite leg is forced to carry extra weight overloading the laminae and sometimes causing laminitis in this sound leg.