Laminitis and the Equine Metabolic Syndrome

Laminitis and the equine metabolic syndrome.

Although much has been written about laminitis in the context of its association with inflammatory processes, recognition is growing that most cases of laminitis examined by veterinarians in private practice are those associated with pasture grazing, obesity, and insulin resistance (IR). The term 'endocrinopathic laminitis' has been adopted to classify the instances of laminitis in which the or...

Laminitis in the Obese Mature Horse Peripheral Cushingoid Syndrome (“Equine Metabolic Syndrome”)

Obesity is a very common medical problem with which modern horses are faced in large part because of the impositions and requirements of modern management practices. In many respects, the tendency for adult horses to develop obesity and the endocrinopathic consequences of obesity-associated insulin insensitivity closely parallels adult-onset diabetes mellitus in human beings. Non-insulin depend...

Equine obesity: beyond the equine metabolic syndrome

Laminitis is a common and debilitating condition which initially presents as an acutely painful condition of the feet and often warrants euthanasia. The condition has multiple aetiologies but acute pasture-associated laminitis is most frequently encountered and is often recurrent. The incidence and impact of laminitis led to the identification of derangements of carbohydrate and lipid metabolis...

Equine Metabolic Syndrome

Equine Laminitis: A Revised Pathophysiology

Vasodilation precedes the development of carbohydrate overload laminitis. Circulating laminitis trigger factors activate lamellar enzymes, which lyse the attachments between the distal phalanx and the inner hoof wall. The clinical signs of laminitis occur when the lamellar architecture disintegrates. The amount of pain correlates with the extent of lamellar pathology. A substance produced by St...