Using nutritional and pharmacologic approaches to reduce the likelihood of endocrinopathic laminitis occurring is an important part of managing at-risk horses. | Photo: iStock

Horses with equine metabolic syndrome (EMS) and pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction (PPID) are at a greater risk of developing laminitis than healthy horses. Dietary changes can help reduce that risk and are one of the most important aspects of keeping affected horses healthy.

Those changes are not necessarily cut and dried—they require planning, sourcing of proper feed products, and management shifts. Teresa Burns, DVM, PhD, Dipl. ACVIM, an associate clinical professor of equine internal medicine at the Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine, in Columbus, reviewed how veterinarians can use nutrition and medication to help manage endocrinopathic laminitis cases at the 2017 American Association of Equine Practitioners Convention, held Nov. 17-21 in San Antonio, Texas.

“EMS is prevalent in equine populations, and we’re learning more about how to manage it,” she said. “PPID is also very