Laminitis/Hannovarian

Question
QUESTION: My 15 year old Hannovarian gelding just came from the equine hospital after his 2nd bout of laminitis.  The first time was approx 8 years ago and, at the time, I thought it might have been road founder as he had just come back from New Mexico (to southern Ca) where he was ridden daily on rather hard ground.  It was right after their return that he foundered the 1st time.  This time, we noticed his sheath was swollen and the vet (via hindsight ?) thought that maybe, with the extra weight he was carrying - oops- and perhaps a low grade infection and some leg swelling...well, it spilled over into founder.  My question is this: what is the optimum diet for him now (as I have no faith now in what had been recommended to me before: grass hay/Manna Pro Super Horse Elite-10/stabilized rice bran as initially he had lost weight during his recovery) ?  What, if any, treats can he have...and how should I watch his daily health to make sure we don't go through this again....take his temp ?  weight tape daily ?  He will be on stall rest for the next 3-4 weeks, timothy hay three times daily, no treats.

ANSWER: Hi Anneke,
Thank you for your question and I apologize for taking so long to answer.  I was thinking of how to address this topic exactly.  You see, I have some very definite personal theories on laminitis that may be somewhat outside of the norm...and was trying to decide if I should go out on a limb and share them, or go with the industry standard.  Decided on somewhere in between :-)

The general recommendation for horses that have foundered is to avoid starch at all costs, and minimize if not eliminate lush grass. My personal view is that starch does not cause a horse to founder but rather establishes a condition in the hindgut that can trigger laminitis if other bad conditions align...complicated theory!  So by eliminating starch from the diet, you don't set your laminitic horse up for future problems.  If your horse's body weight is a concern, you can use fat (which is where the stabilized rice bran comes in) as an energy source for weight gain.  Be cautious as it is best that a laminitic horse not carry too much extra weight.

You should probably include minimizing alfalfa use, which I realize may be difficult in California as from what I've seen you have mostly alfalfa hay. The recommendation of feeding grass hay is a good one, especially timothy which is quite safe.

Laminitis has a few early warning signs that you can look for and monitor.  As a horse starts to founder, the temperature of their feet will increase significantly.  Get an idea of what is normal hoof temperature for your horse and compare daily.  Because there is enough guess work in just feeling the foot, you can buy a heat gun that you aim at the hoof and it gives you a specific reading.  Try to take the measurement under the same circumstances every time to avoid the environment effecting a change in temperature.  Also, the digital pulse at the hoof level begins to throb as blood flow is restricted through the hoof.  You can find the digital pulse on the inside of the fetlock (feel for a cord like bundle of artery, vein and nerve).  Press lightly to measure the pressure of the pulse.  You need to first find what is normal for your horse as every horse will be slightly different.  If the pulse becomes stronger, it could be a sign that your horse is relapsing.

Finally, avoid treats.  The best treat for your horse right now is a safe diet.  The advice you have been given so far is reasonable (although I would like to take a look at the Manna Pro to ensure there is no added starch in it) and should help minimize the risk of reoccurrence.  

If it were my horse, I would also try and keep the horse's hindgut as healthy as possible.  Feed yeast in some format, yeast culture at 60 grams/day or live yeast at 30 grams/day.  And I also like to feed an antihistamine to any horse that I fear is foundering...part of my own theory. I keep grape seed extract (mine is from 'Basic Equine Nutrition') on hand just for that reason.

I hope that helps to some extent.  If you have any more questions please let me know...and again I'm sorry for the delay.  

Thanks, Corlena

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Is there a particular hindgut supplemet you would recommend (I had been using one called Livestock Answer that I have gotten from Colorado...and is there a reference book you would recommend that I read ?

thanks again...please no rush...Will is on stall rest for the next 3-4 weeks.  Oops...I forgot...are carrots also verboten ?

appreciatively,
aky

Answer
Hi again Anneke, I actually make up my own hindgut supplement for just such occasions but it is more for my own use.  From what I have seen on paper, I really like the new 'Lifeforce Formula' from Alltech, Inc.  You can order it directly from their customer service desk.  I would feed a yeast product as well, as they did not include it in their mix (or so I was told from one of their reps when we were comparing recipes).
And although I have nothing against carrots, I would avoid treats for now.
Hope that helps, Corlena