Illinois Valley News, Cave Junction, Ore. Wednesday, April 30, 2014
The Farrier’s Corner: by Ray and Michelle Smith
Although we wrote this ar-
ticle last spring, it is important
enough to run each year. By the
second week of April we have
seen four horses with founder/
laminitis. Most laminitis cases
occur in the spring, but they can
happen at any time of year.
We refer to April as “found-
er month”. Founder, (a.k.a. lami-
nitis) is thought to be a metabolic
disease. Horses that are insulin
resistant, have thyroid issues or
diseases such as Cushings (a pi-
tuitary gland disorder) are pre-
disposed to laminitis. However,
any horse can develop laminitis
given conducive circumstances.
It is a serious condition and can
result in death.
Laminitis has many causes
including retained placentas fol-
lowing foaling, toxicity, extreme
concussion and compensation
weight bearing due to injury.
However, the most common
cause is feed related.
With warm spring weather,
grass emerges from dormancy
and begins rapid growth. The
carbohydrate load in young
spring grass can be very danger-
ous for equines. Horses should
be gradually introduced to spring
pastures. Those with a predispo-
sition to founder should avoid
them altogether.
Overfeeding of “hot feeds”
- large amounts of grains and rich
hays such as alfalfa - to inactive
horses commonly causes lamini-
tis. Horses fed in this manner,
that have not yet succumbed to
laminitis, often founder with
the addition of spring grass or
stress.
While systemic in nature,
laminitis manifests most obvi-
ously in the feet. Earliest vis-
ible signs are generally lameness
(often initially in the front feet),
heat in the hooves, sweating, in-
creased vital signs and shifting of
weight from side to side or front
to rear. The heat is evidence of
in ammation of the structures
(laminae) which secure the foot
within the hoof capsule. As the
condition worsens, the laminae
fail and the coffin bone (toe) may
rotate downwards or sink with-
out rotation. In severe cases, it
may perforate the sole.
Founder treatment is a team
effort of the owner, farrier and
vet. Laminitis may be acute and
severe or chronic with occasion-
al lameness. Acute cases require
immediate veterinary attention.
Chronic cases are often managed
by farriers alone. Two things are
important at the onset, assessing
the extent of damage and diag-
nosing the root cause.
There are many shoeing
products developed for laminitic
horses. However, there is a say-
ing, “anything will work some
of the time, but nothing works
every time.” Depending on the
case, farriers may opt only for
careful, regular trimming to low-
er heels, bring the toe back and
ease breakover. They may, how-
ever, decide on shoeing. Opin-
ions vary over which shoes to
use and when to use them. The
following are a few options: re-
verse egg bars (open toes), heart
bars, rolled toe shoes and screw
on clogs. Shoes may be applied
with frog support pads or at
pads with dental impression ma-
terial or other soft packing for
cushioning and support. Boots
may also be an option.
Founder shoeing packages
are short-term therapeutic treat-
ments. They will not cure an
animal, but may help it survive
the episode and recover as well
as possible. Although severity
varies, laminitic hoof damage
is irreversible. Depending on
medical circumstances and hus-
bandry, horses may or may not
experience recurrent bouts.
There are some “red ags”
that indicate a predisposition to
laminitis. Recent research con-
ducted at Virginia Tech indicates
a correlation between cresty
necked horses and the develop-
ment of laminitis. The greater
the crest, the greater the predis-
position. Easy keepers are also at
risk. These horses become, and
remain, overweight on minimal
feed. Both cresty necked horses
and easy keepers may have un-
derlying metabolic disorders.
Horses with long curled
hooves, or hooves with uneven
wavy lines originating at the
heels and encircling the hoof,
may have already suffered one
or more laminitic episodes.
Awareness of laminitis ex-
tends into antiquity. Writings
from 300 B.C. refer to “Barley
Disease” where horses fed ex-
cessive amounts of grain devel-
oped laminitic symptoms. An
equine report approved by the
Roman Emperor Constantine in
900 A.D. listed possible causes
for founder. To this day, the con-
dition remains poorly understood
and difficult to treat. Preventa-
tive husbandry and early detec-
tion of symptoms remain the best
tools in combating laminitis.
Page A-11
2014 Oregon
legislative updates
By
Judy Hoyle
IVN Contributing Writer
The Oregon Senate and House of
Representatives passed many bills in the
short 2014 session. Here’s a wrap-up of
healthcare related bills that passed.
HB 4154 Cover Oregon Modifica-
tions: Reimburses people who tried un-
successfully to sign up for Cover Oregon
for any public subsidies for which they
qualified through April 30 authori es the
Governor to remove board members and
requires Cover Oregon to report more data
about enrollment and costs to the Legisla-
ture.
SB 1582 OM P Authori es Oregon
Health Authority, overseen by Oregon
Medical nsurance Pool Board, to make
expenditures for transitional medical insur-
ance pool program from ending balance
of moneys received from premium assess-
ments and from reinsurance program funds.
This bill takes care of the high need OM P
patients that have yet to secure health care
coverage through Cover Oregon.
HB 4085 Cancer Prevention Requires
insurance coverage for preventative mea-
sures taken during colorectal screenings. If
polyps are found during a screening cov-
ered by insurance, removal of the polyps
should also be considered preventative.
HB 4028 Problem Gambling n-
creases amount of funds allocated to Prob-
lem Gambling Treatment Fund to pay for
problem gambling treatment, for advertis-
ing treatment program, and for data collec-
tion related to problem gambling.
SB 1541 Crop Donation Tax Credit:
Extends sunset and raises the tax credit
from 10 percent to 15 percent for farmers
who donate crops to food banks and other
programs. This is an economic develop-
ment bill as well as a nutrition bill, since it
helps farmers recoup some of the cost in-
curred in harvesting and transporting crops
to assist vulnerable families.
HB 4050 Expands Self Insurance: Al-
lows businesses to purchase re-insurance to
cover a fully self-insured employee health
benefit plan. Several businesses have had
great benefits in terms of financial savings
and employee health by self-insuring. This
removes any minimum number of employ-
ees to allow more companies this option.
SB 1531B Medical Marijuana Dis-
pensaries: Allows cities and counties to
impose local restrictions regarding medical
marijuana dispensaries. Allows local gov-
ernment to place a one-year moratorium on
dispensaries while they develop regulation,
such as on dispensary location and operat-
ing hours.
HB 4094 Minor n Possession (M P)
Creates defense to possession of alcohol
by person under 21 years if evidence of of-
fense resulted from person’s having sought
medical assistance for alcohol poisoning.
Allows minors to call authorities when
someone’s life is at risk, without concern
they will be penali ed.
HB 4109 Basic Health Care Study:
Requires Oregon Health Authority to study
the feasibility of a health care program
to cover people below 200 percent of the
federal poverty line, and to cover legal im-
migrants during their first five years when
they are not yet eligible for the Oregon
Health Plan.
HB 4124 Youth Suicide Intervention
and Prevention Coordinator Moves posi-
tion from Oregon Health Authority’s Pub-
lic Health division to Mental Health and
Addictions requires annual reports to the
Legislature and five-year strategic planning
to combat the high rate of suicide.
Juvenile ... Continued froam A-1
“For many of these kids, their time at the shelter or de-
tention center may have been their only interactions with adults
that were positive and reinforced good social behavior,” Gatlin
said. “We bonded to these kids and vice versa. Some of them
opened up more readily than others, but they all understood that
we were there for them, not for ourselves. And the staff was fan-
tastic. They really reinforced that safe and protected atmosphere.
It’s really sad that our at-risk kids no longer have that resource.
There’s a drastic and terrible need for the youth.”
“We’re doing the best we can with the vastly limited re-
sources and we’ve done a pretty good job of maintaining what’s
left of the Juvenile Justice department, which includes juvenile
Southern Oregon
probation, some counseling and court services,” Goodwin said.
“And we’re doing that work without the backup of having our
facilities, but it’s getting more and more difficult and innocent
children are paying the price.”
“In a nutshell, we’re not taking care of our kids in a way
that I feel they deserve, and that’s a shame,” Goodwin added.
When they're behind bars
they're not stealing:
Alternative Medicine
Will be returning for the monthly clinic
to their Cave Junction location at the
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