Potter S J, Bamford N J, Harris P A, Bailey S R
Melbourne Veterinary School, Faculty of Veterinary and Agricultural Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Werribee, Victoria, Australia.
Equine Studies Group, Waltham Centre for Pet Nutrition, Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire, UK.
Aust Vet J. 2017 Oct;95(10):370-374. doi: 10.1111/avj.12635.
The aims of this study were to (1) report the incidence of laminitis among a population of horses and ponies attending Pony Clubs in Victoria, Australia, and (2) describe the dietary and management practices of the sample population.
Researchers visited 10 Pony Clubs over a 10-month period. Horse and pony owners completed a questionnaire to provide information on management relating to diet and exercise. Owners were also asked to report their animal's history of laminitis, if any.
From a survey population of 233 horses and ponies, 15.0% of animals (35 individuals) were reported to have suffered from at least one episode of laminitis. Of the animals that had suffered from laminitis, more than half had experienced multiple episodes. The majority of previously laminitic horses and ponies (71.4%) had not experienced an episode of laminitis within the past 12 months; however, 14.2% had experienced an incident within the past month. The proportion of ponies affected by laminitis (31/142; 21.8%) was significantly higher (P < 0.001) than the proportion of horses affected by laminitis (4/91; 4.4%). The incidence of laminitis within the pony group sampled was 6.5 cases per 100 pony years, while the incidence in horses was 0.55 cases per 100 horse years.
This study provided information on the incidence of laminitis in the general population of pleasure horses and ponies in south-eastern Australia. It also provided an overview of dietary and management practices. Given the high incidence of animals that had been affected by laminitis (and the associated welfare implications), this study highlights the importance of owner education regarding appropriate feeding and management strategies to reduce the risk of laminitis.
本研究的目的是（1）报告澳大利亚维多利亚州参加小马俱乐部的马匹和矮种马群体中蹄叶炎的发病率，以及（2）描述样本群体的饮食和管理习惯。
研究人员在10个月的时间里走访了10个小马俱乐部。马匹和矮种马的主人填写了一份问卷，以提供有关饮食和运动管理的信息。主人还被要求报告其动物的蹄叶炎病史（如有）。
在233匹马和矮种马的调查群体中，有15.0%的动物（35只个体）报告曾患过至少一次蹄叶炎。在患过蹄叶炎的动物中，超过一半经历过多次发作。大多数曾患蹄叶炎的马匹和矮种马（71.4%）在过去12个月内未经历过蹄叶炎发作；然而，14.2%在过去一个月内经历过一次发作。受蹄叶炎影响的矮种马比例（31/142；21.8%）显著高于（P < 0.001）受蹄叶炎影响的马匹比例（4/91；4.4%）。抽样的矮种马群体中蹄叶炎的发病率为每100匹矮种马年6.5例，而马匹的发病率为每100匹马年0.55例。
本研究提供了澳大利亚东南部休闲用马匹和矮种马总体群体中蹄叶炎发病率的信息。它还概述了饮食和管理习惯。鉴于受蹄叶炎影响的动物发病率较高（以及相关的福利问题），本研究强调了对主人进行关于适当饲养和管理策略的教育以降低蹄叶炎风险的重要性。
