Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Severity and outcome of pasture laminitis in UK horses
By Menzies-Gow, N J et al.·Published in The Veterinary record·2010·Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Severity and outcome of equine pasture-associated laminitis managed in first opinion practice in the UK.
- Species:
- horse
Plain-English summary
A group of horses with pasture-associated laminitis, a painful hoof condition, were treated at veterinary practices in the UK. Most of the horses were overweight and had varying degrees of laminitis severity. After eight weeks, 102 out of 107 horses were still alive, with better outcomes linked to lower body weight and mild laminitis. Many horses returned to riding, especially those without a history of laminitis. Overall, the treatment was deemed successful, with a good outcome reported in 77 cases.
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Abstract
Data from 107 cases of pasture-associated laminitis were obtained from first opinion practices to study factors associated with severity, survival and return to ridden exercise. There were 43 mares and 64 geldings, with a median age of 11 years. Of the 107 animals, 33 were small ponies, 45 were large ponies/cobs, 17 were small horses and 12 were large horses. Ninety-seven animals were categorised as having laminitis as defined by Cripps and Eustace (1999): 76 had mild (Obel grade 1 or 2) laminitis and 31 had severe (Obel grade 3 or 4) laminitis. Forty-three animals had previously had laminitis, and were significantly less likely (P=0.02) to have severe laminitis than those that had not. Eighty-nine animals were overweight, and there was a trend (P=0.09) towards severe laminitis cases having a higher body mass index. Eight weeks after disease onset, 102 animals were alive. Lower bodyweight, optimal body condition, mild laminitis and category of acute/chronic founder as defined by Cripps and Eustace (1999) were significantly associated with survival. There was a trend (P=0.06) towards treatment with acepromazine being associated with survival. Of the 81 animals that were used for riding, 48 were being ridden again; this was 2.6 times more likely in animals without previous laminitis. The clinical outcome was judged by a panel of three veterinarians as 'good' in 77 of 107 of cases. Clinical outcome was significantly associated (P=0.03) with horse type: the outcome was 'bad' in none of the small horses, compared with 15 of 45 large ponies/cobs, 11 of 33 small ponies and three of 12 large horses.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20817896/