Laminitis: prevention and early intervention in surgical and medical case management

Insulin resistance and laminitis in broodmares

“…Due to the potentially catastrophic consequences of sepsisassociated laminitis, aggressive prophylactic measures to prevent or slow the progression of laminitis should be instituted immediately. These measures include administration of a systemic cyclo-oxygenase inhibitor, such as flunixin meglumine or phenylbutazone, digital support with solar pads or packing material and heel elevation with a wedge pad, and distal limb cryotherapy [99]. Distal limb cryotherapy applied prior to or during the developmental phase of experimental laminitis induction has been shown to greatly reduce clinical and histological evidence of acute laminitis, in essence preventing the disease [24].…”

What's new in laminitis research? II: advances in laminitis treatment

“…Only the ice-water immersion boot and the dry-sleeve cooling device succeeded in keeping the lamellar temperature at or below 10 C. None of the other methods cooled the hoof to temperatures below 15 C, so they would not be expected to provide the full benefits of digital hypothermia as studied [2]. Corticosteroids.…”

“…While its value may have been overestimated in some areas, it is nevertheless a useful drug in the prevention and early intervention of SIRS, and therefore of laminitis. The clinical value of "low-dose Banamine," or what has been controversially termed the "anti-endotoxin dose," where flunixin meglumine is administered at a dosage of 0.25 mg/kg q8h, has been questioned, and in its place a dosage of 1.1 mg/kg q12h is recommended in the well-hydrated patient [2]. Flunixin meglumine is a nonselective inhibitor of the COX enzymes, and a potent inhibitor of COX-1.…”

“…If there's one essential take-home message from this research, it's this: there is no single "feral horse hoof" model on which we can base assumptions about the optimal structure and function of the equine foot nor design strategies for optimal care of the domestic horse's foot. The characteristics of a feral horse's hoof appear to primarily be a function of the environment in which the horse lives [1,2]. In particular, foot morphology in the feral horse is affected by the distances traveled and the abrasive qualities and mechanical properties of the footing.…”

“…In particular, foot morphology in the feral horse is affected by the distances traveled and the abrasive qualities and mechanical properties of the footing. Furthermore, foot pathology is common in feral horses, so the feral-horse hoof shape may not be a suitable ideal for us to emulate when managing the domestic horse [2]. Hoof Shape.…”