Dr. Getty, I have a 16 year old paint pony,(Chippewa), who foundered three years ago. I also have a 10 mo. old miniature colt, (Vinnie). I have been feeding Plattform's Miniature horse/ pony feed. Vinnie gets 4 0z. daily and Chippewa gets 8 oz. daily, this is divided into two feedings. I am also including horse shoers secret for their hooves, Vinnie gets a sprinkle and Chippewa gets 1/2 oz. they have free choice of grass hay. My question is: do I need to add Laminex or D-Carb to Chippewa's rations to help him from foundering again? Maybe one of those products and drop the hoof supplement I'm feeding.
thank you,
charleen

Where are you from? Iowa

How did you locate this forum? by searching laminitis supplements

Hi Charlene,

If you are feeding the commercial feed according to directions, then another vitamin/mineral supplement is generally not necessary. And, the hoof supplement may also provide nutrients that would cause overlaps. So, I cannot, at this point, recommend another supplement without taking a closer look at everything you're feeding. I do offer personal phone consultations and you may find this beneficial.

One thing I would definitely add to their diets is Quiessence -- this is a magnesium/chromium supplement that will not interact with what you are currently feeding since most horses do not get enough magnesium. This supplement will reduce circulating insulin levels, which will significantly reduce the changes of another laminitis attack.

So, please let me know if I can assist you further.

All the best,

Dr. Getty

Where are you from? Bayfield, CO

Hello There,
I have a pony 12 yr old who suffers from laminitis the farrier recently told me his soles have dropped,
And did not attempt to shoe him just trimed his hoves
could you tell me more about this ?
As I am worried as I do not know much about it farrieer is coming every 3 weeks to trim and said it should be better by the spring could you advise me what on diet and grass intake if any

Where are you from? Morpeth Northumberland UK

How did you locate this forum? On Google

Hello Ann,

Laminitis can have many causes and frankly, I would need to talk with you more to figure out your particular horse's situation.

However, most cases of laminitis are caused by insulin resistance caused by the horse being overweight. Cushings Disease is another cause. And, in both these cases, the risk sigificantly increases when a horse is fed a diet that is high in starch and sugar.

So, the first thing you want to do is to remove any cereal grain from the diet. This means no sweet feed, or feeds made from oats, corn, barley, wheat, etc. A low starch commercial feed is fine.

Grass hay -- all your horse wants -- is the basis for the diet. Alfalfa can also be added to a small extent. I like to add some because it boosts the quality of the protein in the diet, thereby promoting the formation of new, healthy tissue.

There are supplements that are important to fill in the gaps and provide additional nutrients to ease inflammation and lower circulating insulin levels. Laminex is worth considering.

So, I hope this helps. If you would like to delve into this further, please let me know and we can set up an appointment to visit over the phone.

All the best,

Dr. Getty

Where are you from? Bayfield, CO