>>> In the UK, there's a real difference between laminitis and founder - is it the same in the USA, or do you use the terms interchangeably?
They are different, but related terms. Laminitis is the root disease, actually a symptom of something else being awry, where the lamina become inflamed. Founder is actually the rotation of the coffin bone, which doesn't ALWAYS occur after laminitis, but often (usually?) does. The two terms are often used interchangeably in the common vernacular though, and that doesn't bother me. >>>> while laminitis is a more cover-all term used for the chronic or the acute condition. I think the suffix "itis" refers to inflammation, doesn't it? >>>> In my experience, the vast majority of laminitic ponies over here have originally got laminitis through being overweight. And mostly, they got to be fat in the first place by the usual route - too much food, not enough exercise. No, that's not exactly what research is showing. The fact that the horses were overweight was probably not literally the cause of the laminitis. Both the overweight condition AND the resulting laminitis stem from the same metabolic condition - research is just now getting into unraveling all these root causes, so I suspect that today's theories will continue to be refined for many years. If it were just the overweight and lack of exercise, many more horses would founder than do, even in the same herds. Think of it like diabetes. Some people simply won't get diabetes no matter what...but if someone has the tendency towards it, they can certainly prolong its onset, possibly even permanently, with diet and exercise. However, we also know some relatively thin people who are diabetics. My dad was only a few pounds overweight when he was diagnosed with Type II diabetes when he was 47 years old. He was one of the most physically fit and active people I've ever known, but he still came down with diabetes. I'm convinced it was just going to happen to him. He was, however, able to control it with just diet and exercise for about 20 years, but after that, he had to go on insulin. Karen Thomas, NC No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.5.503 / Virus Database: 269.15.17/1103 - Release Date: 11/1/2007 6:01 AM IceHorses Community for Photos and Videos: http://kickapps.com/icehorses "The greatest enemy of the truth very often is not the lie- deliberate, contrived and dishonest -- but the myth -- persistent, persuasive and unrealistic." "All truth passes through three stages. First, it is ridiculed. Second, it is violently opposed. Third, it is accepted as being self-evident." ~ Arthur Schopenhauer [] Lee Ziegler http://leeziegler.com [] Liz Graves http://lizgraves.com [] Lee's Book Easy Gaited Horses http://tinyurl.com/7vyjo [] IceHorses Map http://www.frappr.com/IceHorses Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/IceHorses/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/IceHorses/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
