Laminitis is a devastating inflammatory disease of the hoof that causes severe pain and can lead to permanent lameness, yet is largely preventable through careful management of diet and metabolic risk factors.
Laminitis is among the most feared equine diseases because of its capacity to cause permanent, life-altering pain and disability in horses that may previously have been fully functional. The welfare impact is severe: horses with chronic laminitis may experience continuous low-grade pain punctuated by acute flare-ups, requiring constant management and potentially leading to euthanasia when quality of life becomes unacceptable. The tragedy is that the majority of laminitis cases are preventable through management decisions that owners can make and control. Grazing restriction during high-sugar grass periods, diet management, weight control, and early treatment of metabolic diseases dramatically reduce laminitis risk. Owner education is the most powerful preventive intervention available.