Nutritional Aspects of Colic and Laminitis

1
Nutritional Aspects of Colic and Laminitis

• Paul D. Siciliano, Ph.D.
• Associate Professor Equine Nutrition
• Dept. of Animal Science
• Equine Science Program

2
Overview

• Colic Laminitis
• Defined
• Classification
• Risk factors
• Diet related mechanisms
• Nutritional strategies for prevention

3
Colic

• Defined
• abdominal pain

4
Overview

• Colic
• Defined
• Classification

5
Colic

• Classified according to the disease causing it
• Ileus
• Spasm, intraluminal obstruction, paralytic ileus,
  displacement/strangulation
• Inflammation
• Enteritis
• Ulcer
• Gastric ulcer, intestinal ulcer, dorsal colitis
• False colic
• Pregnancy, rhabdomyolitis, liver diseae,
  renal/bladder disease
• (White, 1999)

6
Overview

• Colic
• Defined
• Classification
• Risk factors

7
Colic

• Risk factors
• Do not imply direct cause and effect
  relationship
• Diet/feeding characteristics
• Internal parasitism
• Intrinsic factors (e.g., age, breed, sex)
• Medical history
• Management
• Weather conditions
• (Goncalves et al.,2002. Vet. Res. 33641)

8
Overview

• Colic
• Defined
• Classification
• Risk factors
• Diet related mechanisms

9
Colic

• Diet/Feed related risk factors and mechanisms
• Meal feeding rapidly fermentable CHO
• Ex Large (gt5 lbs) grain meals
• Sudden change resulting in an increase in rapidly
  fermentable CHO
• Ex Initial turnout on spring pasture

10
meal feeding rapidly fermentable CHO

• Large concentrated meal increases rate of passage
• Some starch escapes S.I. digestion

• Factors that unfavorably alter hindgut
  environment
• Meal feeding rapidly fermentable CHO
• Sudden diet changes

• Increased starch in the hind-gut
• Intense fermentation

11

• Further decrease in pH
• Increased uptake of VFA into mucosa leads to
  intra-cellular acidification and damage to the
  mucosa
• Altered fluid balance

• Increased VFA production
• Decreased pH

Increased lactic acid producing bacteria (lactic
acid stronger acid, poorly absorbed)
Increased concentration of rapidly fermentable CHO
?
?
?
12

• Lactate Production Increases
• pH further decreases

• VFA Production Increases
• pH decreases

VFA Production ? VFA absorbed
VFA- H
VFA- H
VFA- H

• Dissociated
• Ionized

VFA- H
VFA- H
VFA- H
VFA- H
Un-dissociated
VFA-H
VFA H
Epithelial Cells
VFA H
VFA H
VFA H
VFA H
VFA H
VFA H
VFA H
VFA H
13
Colic

• Diet related risk factors and mechanisms
• Inconsistent feeding schedule
• Inadequate amount of feed

14
Microbial Fermentation
Microbe
Fibrous Non-Fibrous Carbohydrate
15
Colic

• Diet related risk factors and mechanisms
• Inconsistent feeding schedule
• Inadequate amount of feed

May contribute to gastric ulcers
16
Colic

• Diet related risk factors and mechanisms
• Water quality quantity

17
Colic

• Diet related risk factors and mechanisms
• Sand consumption

18
Overview

• Colic Laminitis
• Defined
• Classification
• Risk factors
• Diet related mechanisms
• Nutritional strategies for prevention

19
Colic

• Nutritional strategies for prevention
• Maximize forage
• _at_ least 1 of BW
• Maintain gut fill
• Total feed intake 2 of BW
• No more than 5 lbs of grain/feeding
• Grain lt 50 of total feed intake

20
Colic

• Nutritional strategies for prevention
• Gradual changes
• Grain 1 lb every 3 d
• Hay 25 every 3 d
• Pasture Start w/ 1 hr, then increase 1 hr every
  3 d

21
Colic

• Nutritional strategies for prevention
• Consistency
• Time of feeding
• Amount of feed fed

22
Colic

• Nutritional strategies for prevention
• Clean abundant water
• Heated water
• salt

23
Colic

• Nutritional strategies for prevention
• Avoid feeding that promotes sand intake

24

• Sand Colic
• Prevention
• Pysllium administration
• What is it?
• Originates for the seed husks of Plantago
  (plantain) psyllium
• Expands when wet
• Laxitive (metamucil)

25
Ribwort (P. lanceolata)
26

• Sand Colic
• Prevention
• Adequate DM intake
• Pysllium administration
• How much?
• ½ cup / d for 2 wks
• Then ½ cup / d for 1 wk of every month
• What about wheat bran as a laxative?

27
Overview

• Laminitis
• Defined
• Classification
• Risk factors
• Diet related mechanisms
• Nutritional strategies for prevention

28
Laminitis

• Definition
• inflammation of the laminae
• gross oversimplification
• Complex diseases involving multiple body systems
  (cardiovascular, renal, endocrine, blood
  coagulation, acid-base, and immune system)

29
Laminitis

• Definition
• Major manifestation of the disease occurs in the
  foot.
• Failure of attachment between dermo-epidermal
  junction"

30
Laminitis

• 4 phases
• Developmental
• Acute
• Subacute
• chronic

31
Overview

• Laminitis
• Defined
• Classification
• Risk factors

32
Laminitis

• Risk factors
• Grain overload
• May take 12 to 18 hrs post consumption for
  clinical signs to manifest
• Leads to digestive upset in the hindgut
• Exact relationship to the clinical findings is
  uncertain

33
Laminitis

• Risk factors
• Lush spring pasture
• Contain high sugar content (i.e. fructans)
• Mechanism similar to grain overload

34
Laminitis

• Risk factors
• Obesity?
• Insulin resistance

35
Overview

• Laminitis
• Defined
• Classification
• Risk factors
• Diet related mechanisms

36
Laminitis

• Pathophysiology/mechanisms
• Specifics are unknown
• Three primary theories exist
• Vascular hemodynamic theory
• Toxic, metabolic or enzymatic theory
• Traumatic or mechanical overload theory

37
Relationship between rapid fermentation in the
hindgut and mucosal damage Implications for
colic and laminitis

• Further decrease in pH
• Increased uptake of VFA into mucosa leads to
  intra-cellular acidification and damage to the
  mucosa

• Increased VFA production
• Decreased pH

Increased lactic acid producing bacteria (lactic
acid stronger acid, poorly absorbed)
Increased concentration of rapidly fermentable
CHO (e.g. starch, fructans)
?
?
?
38
Relationship between rapid fermentation in the
hindgut and mucosal damage Implications for
colic and laminitis

• Lactate Production Increases
• pH further decreases

• VFA Production Increases
• pH decreases

VFA Production ? VFA absorbed
VFA- H
VFA- H
VFA- H

• Dissociated
• Ionized

VFA- H
VFA- H
VFA- H
VFA- H
Un-dissociated
VFA-H
VFA H
Epithelial Cells
VFA H
VFA H
VFA H
VFA H
VFA H
VFA H
VFA H
VFA H
39
Laminitis

• Microbial trigger factors enter circulation
• Possibilities
• Endotoxins
• Exotoxins (e.g. matrix metalloproteases)
• Monoamines

40
Bailey et al. (2004) Eq. Vet. J. 167129
41
Overview

• Laminitis
• Defined
• Classification
• Risk factors
• Diet related mechanisms
• Nutritional strategies for prevention

42
Laminitis

• Nutritional strategies for prevention
• Similar to colic
• Nutritional management of horses w/ chronic
  laminitis
• Caloric intake
• Neutral energy balance
• Source structural CHO
• Supplemental micronutrients
• Trace minerals
• Biotin?

43
(No Transcript)
44
Unsoundness in the foot

• Laminitis