The 2nd edition of “Laminitis & Founder” is now available as an eBook download on our website. The book discusses the prevention and treatment of laminitis & founder for the greatest chance of success. Below is a small excerpt from the book:
The foot must be understood before effective treatments will be adopted.
Once there is a more thorough understanding of the anatomy of the foot and the sequence of events in the disease process, effective treatments for laminitis will be adopted. Ineffective fads or unproven treatments will then be discarded because of inconsistent results that also can be dangerous to the health of the horse.
For instance, giving a horse phenylbutazone (Bute) so that it continues to stand and walk on the injured laminar and solar tissues is contraindicated (not advisable). Also, vasodilators will not open crushed blood vessels. Vasodilators will cause the vascular muscle walls to relax and the vessels will actually leak more fluid into the interstitial space to further crush them. Giving a horse anti-histamine and vasoconstrictor drugs is more logical.
Another example: Standing a horse in sand, on foam blocks or putting on a “sole pack” to support the bone is not advisable. If you understand the blood supply of the foot, you will readily see that the sensitive sole will be further damaged by having the horse stand with pressure on the sole. However, transferring weight from the damaged sensitive laminae to the frog using a heart bar shoe is recommended, as there is much less circulation in the tissues under the frog than in those under the sole.
A farrier with knowledge of laminitis and the anatomy of the foot understands how to make and fit a heart bar shoe. A veterinarian with knowledge of anatomy and circulation of the foot will understand not to give pain relievers if this encourages the laminitic horse to remain standing and produce further damage to the internal structures of the foot by compromising circulation to the coffin bone (The Principles of Horseshoeing – P3). When this happens, you may swap a few hours of pain relief for a lifetime of lameness and pain.
This is a difficult decision because of the veterinarian’s emotional and professional responsibility to relieve pain. However, the most effective pain relief is for the horse to lie down in deep bedding. This not only avoids the side effects of pain relief medications, but also facilitates the application of cold packs.
Trust yourself to learn and understand what is best for your unique horse. You have the responsibility to choose the best possible care and make crucial informed decisions for your horse(s) — use it wisely. The informed horse owner can help make decisions with trusted professionals to provide the horse with the greatest chance of getting well.
To download the eBook, visit our website and complete the required form. Once submitted, you will receive an e-mail containing downloadable links to the e-book. Please check your spam and junk folders if you do not receive the e-mail. Contact us at 1-800-624-1873 if you have any questions.