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. This can all occur before any symptoms are apparent and once the process has started it is extremely difficult to stop. Acorns are seeds or nuts produced by oak trees. Essentially there are three main causes of laminitis. While the exact mechanisms by which the feet are damaged remain a mystery certain precipitating events can produce laminitis.

The causes vary and may include the following. This has allowed much more focused research and effort in treating the cause rather. Laminitis is quite unlike any other equine disease. Laminitis inflammation of the lamina of the hoof is a common and potentially devastating foot problem that affects all members of the equine family.

Overload metabolic and inflammatory. There are more than 60 varieties of oaks in the continental united states. Supporting limb laminitis sll a severe protracted non weightbearing lameness e g. Laminitis itself is a precarious condition but complications can make cases even more challenging to manage.

The bark leaves and acorns contain an acidic chemical commonly known as tannin. Laminitis affects nearly 10 of the equine population and can occur with sudden onset in horses ponies and even donkeys. 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. It can damage the liver and kidneys of horses.

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. Although laminitis occurs in the feet the underlying cause is often a disturbance elsewhere in the horse s body. Fortunately in the last 10 to 20 years there have been great strides in understanding the causes of this terrible condition.

A fracture or septic joint condition can cause laminitis in another leg usually the other leg in a pair. Laminitis is a complex cascade of events that causes the soft tissues laminae within the hoof to swell weaken and die. It is essential to determine the cause of laminitis so that we can provide the correct long term treatment strategies. In this article we will take a look at equine laminitis symptoms and treatment because a prompt recognition of horse laminitis and its treatment is essential to reduce the long term severity and improve the horse s overall health.

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.