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Laminitis

Updated: Sep 27, 2022

Laminitis - it literally means an inflammation of the laminae of the horse’s foot. Laminae refer to the insensitive and sensitive tissue that is located between your horse’s hoof wall and coffin bone. The laminae are tiny finger like structures that interlock and secure the coffin bone to the hoof wall and keep the bone in place. If your horse’s blood flow to these laminae is disrupted, inflammation occurs that weakens the laminae structures and interferes with the hoof wall to bone bond making the laminae unable to hold the coffin bone in place. That is exactly what laminitis is – an inflammation of the laminae. Laminitis can affect one or all feet, but it is most often seen in the front feet simultaneously.


Laminitis is a part of a systematic inflammatory response predisposed by many factors including Cushings ,toxins, obesity, high sugar/carbohydrates/starch intake, insulin resistance, equine metabolic syndrome , tying up or excessive work, excessive weight bearing, concussion, fillies and mares coming into season, cold weather, serious cases of colic, infections, retained placenta, and drug inducement.

Laminitis can be a multifactorial problem that in some cases is very hard to predict.


Certain types of horses are prone to laminitis such as easy keepers, horses with cresty necks, obese or insulin resistance horses.

Laminitis is commonly seen in overweight ponies or horses given high intakes of carbohydrates, starch dumping occurs because there is only limited capacity to mobilise enzymes such as amylase and glycanase to break down sugars / starch .

Horses usually eat small amounts over long daily periods so only small quantities of enzymes are released continuously. Consequently, excessive feeding of such carbohydrates results in an overload where instead of being digested in the high gut they are dumped in the hind gut .


Lactic acid producing bacteria flourish in such circumstances, producing high acid concentrations which will kill good cellulolytic bacteria normally responsible for roughage breakdown and digestion.

Endotoxins are released, gut wall areas are acid damaged. Ulcers & colic can occur with a cascade of events resulting in laminitis.


The addition of GT Performers patented hindgut PROBIOTIC is aimed at reducing the starch digestibility & increase dry matter digestibility. The superior PREBIOTIC in GT Performer + Aloe Vera is a highly selected strain that attracts and traps these lactic acid bacteria removing them from the gut allowing the remaining good bacteria to flourish. The probiotic in GT Performer grows in the hindgut helping create low oxygen conditions perfect for anaerobic bacteria to ferment normally and flourish .

Prebiotics and probiotics work in synergy to reduce lactic acid in the hindgut and resultant endotoxins that predispose to laminitis.


The prebiotic and probiotic we use are especially important in promoting all types of good microbes to flourish in their correct ratios which are as individual as a thumbprint for your particular horse thus maximising the maintenance of a healthy gut.

GT Performer + Aloe Vera can aid the management of acidosis/laminitis by changing an otherwise dysfunctional microbiol gut.

Affected horses can benefit significantly by having the risks reduced of having these complaints and others occurring again in the future when GT Performers premium gut health supplement is added to their daily diet.



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