Ламинит у копытных: причины, симптомы и лечение.

Disease of the feet of hooved animals

Laminitis is a disease that affects the feet of ungulates and is found mostly in horses and cattle. Clinical signs include foot tenderness progressing to inability to walk, increased digital pulses, and increased temperature in the hooves. Severe cases with outwardly visible clinical signs are known by the colloquial term founder, and progression of the disease will lead to perforation of the coffin bone through the sole of the hoof or being unable to stand up, requiring euthanasia.

Commonly known as road founder, mechanical separation occurs when horses with long toes are worked extensively on hard ground. The long toes and hard ground together contribute to delayed breakover, hence mechanical separation of the laminae at the toe. Historically, this was seen in carriage horses bred for heavy bodies and long, slim legs with relatively small hooves; their hooves were trimmed for long toes (to make them lift their feet higher, enhancing their stylish "action"), and they were worked at speed on hard roads. Road founder is also seen in overweight animals, particularly when hooves are allowed to grow long; classic examples are ponies on pasture board in spring, and pregnant mares. A notable example is the 2006 Kentucky Derby winner Barbaro. Transport laminitis sometimes occurs in horses confined in a trailer or other transportation for long periods of time. Historically, the most extreme instances were of horses shipped overseas on sailing ships. However, the continual shifting of weight required to balance in a moving vehicle may enhance blood circulation, so some horsemen recommend trailering as an initial step in rehabilitation of a horse after long confinement. Laminitis has been observed following an equine standing in extreme conditions of cold, especially in deep snow. Laminitis has also followed prolonged heating such as may be experienced from prolonged contact with extremely hot soil or from incorrectly applied hot shoeing.

Pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction, or Cushing's disease, is common in older horses and ponies and causes an increased predisposition to laminitis. Equine metabolic syndrome is a subject of much new research and is increasingly believed to have a major role in laminitis. It involves many factors such as cortisol metabolism and insulin resistance. It has some similarities to type II diabetes in humans. In this syndrome, peripheral fat cells synthesise adipokines which are analogous to cortisol, resulting in Cushings like symptoms. A retained placenta, if not passed completely after the birth of a foal, can cause mares to founder, whether through toxicity, bacterial fever, or both. Anecdotal reports of laminitis following the administration of drugs have been made, especially in the case of corticosteroids. The reaction may be an expression of idiosyncrasy in a particular patient, as many horses receive high dose glucocorticoid into their joints without showing any evidence of clinical laminitis. Even horses not considered to be susceptible to laminitis can become laminitic when exposed to certain agrichemicals. The most commonly experienced examples are certain herbicides and synthetic nitrate fertilizer.

Whilst diet has long been known to be linked to laminitis, there is emerging evidence that breed and body condition also play a role. Levels of hormones, particularly adiponectin, and serum insulin are also implicated, opening up new possibilities for developing early prognostic tests and risk assessments.

Early diagnosis is essential to effective treatment. However, early outward signs may be fairly nonspecific. Careful physical examination typically is diagnostic, but radiographs are also very useful.

New non invasive horseshoeing methods are available for farriers to take advantage of. They encapsulate the damaged hoof, protecting and supporting the sensitive internal structures. This prevents further deterioration, whilst also immediately reducing pain and improving the horse’s ability to move. The resulting comfort also reduces overall stress levels, leading to a faster recovery as the horse can quickly return to a regular routine.

Complications to laminitis include recurrent hoof abscesses, which are sometimes secondary to pedal osteitis, seromas, and fractures to the solar margin of the coffin bone.

Informally, particularly in the United States, "founder" has come to mean any chronic changes in the structure of the foot that can be linked to laminitis. In some texts, the term is even used synonymously with laminitis, though such usage is technically incorrect. Put simply, not all horses that experience laminitis will founder, but all horses that founder will first experience laminitis.