What are the signs of horse laminitis?
Obviously the pain felt by the horse can vary from mild discmfort with lots of shifting of weight and tenderness around the sole, to very severe pain with reluctance to actually bear weight either on individual feet or more commonly on both front feet or all four feet (with occasionally a horse which refuses to stand up from lying down). Commonly both forefeet are affected and the horse takes up an abnormal stance with much of its weight shifted to the hindlimbs so the horse appears to be leaning backwards with its front feet held in an unusual position out to the front of the horse. Occasionally the foot pain is diffuse and hard to see and the horse will simply appear uncomfortable and restless, maybe with excess sweating and these cases can appear to resemble abdominal pain or colic. Long term or chronic cases will show the easily recognisable but frequently misinterpreted ‘laminitis rings’. These are growth rings in the hoof which represent periods of altered horn growth. Parallel l
