At the ECIR No Laminitis Conference in 2025, I was honored to host a breakout session. My presentation was discussing pain associated with laminitis, which was not pain from the laminitis itself.
The 20 minute breakout session has been uploaded to Youtube and is available here. It’s easy to listen to, with ideas that may help make your horse more comfortable.
This newsletter discusses the key points in that video.
◆︎ Understanding secondary pains
➡ Compensatory muscle pain: Can occur from shifting their weight off their front feet.
➡ Arthritic joint flares: Can occur from cold weather or from the hypersensitivity that frequently accompanies laminitis.
➡ Pressure sores: Can be very painful from extended periods of laying down. We also have to be careful to watch for boot rubs.
➡ Muscle pain: Can occur from laying on large muscle groups for an extended period of time.
➡ Hypersensitivity to cold: Can occur with cold-induced hoof pain.
◆︎ How to help the horse – Environmental control:
☛ Deep bedding: Provides cushioning and protection from the cold ground.
☛ Feeding height: Avoid feeding hay on the ground, as reaching down shifts weight back onto the painful front feet. Use hay nets hung at a comfortable height. If the horse is laying down, feed near the horse, so the horse doesn’t need to get up.
☛ Temperature control: While most of us do not have heated barns, we do have bedding, blankets, boots and socks to help make our horse more comfortable.
◆︎ How to help the horse – supplement use:
Supplements may be helpful to support a horse that has laminitis and associated body pain.
Commonly used supplements are:
Devils Claw: Used extensively for horses experiencing pain when you don’t want to be administering phenylbutazone every day.
Boswellia: One of the mechanisms of action of Boswellia is to support the mitochondria. This has been supportive in human studies of knee osteoarthritis and skeletal muscle pain.
ALCAR: ALCAR is known to help support the relief of pain. It is an antioxidant which helps the mitochondria within the cells. It may also be helpful for healthy nerve functioning.
MSM: MSM has been used extensively to reduce oxidative stress.
Ultra-micronized PEA: This is an excellent supplement that supports normalized pain signals. It helps reset the nerve threshold and conduction. This is supportive of many different types of pain.
Mov-Ease: Is a proprietary blend of bioflavonoids, which helps downregulate the pain response.
◆︎ Parting thoughts:
Pain is a complex phenomenon. While it’s important to be aware of secondary pain for laminitic horses, it’s most important to address the root cause of the laminitis. Work with your veterinarian to test to see if the hoof pain is caused by elevated insulin levels, PPID, or cold-associated hoof pain. He/she can help you develop a treatment plan based on his/her diagnosis.
We do the best we can for our horses. Understanding secondary pain associated with laminitis is a part of that.
Do you have a special photo or story that you’d like to share? Email to sales@mybesthorse.com
Disclaimer: Statements regarding dietary supplements have not been evaluated by the FDA and are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease or health condition.
©Joan Kulifay, MSc. 2025