Laminitis begins well before clinical signs occur, at the cellular or even the molecular level, and addressing platelets might be a key to prevention or early treatment. Jamie Textor, DVM, Dipl. ACVS, an equine surgeon and PhD candidate at the University of California, Davis, spoke about the role of platelets in laminitis during the Sept. 17-18 Laminitis West Conference, in Monterey, Calif.

Inflammation is central to most cases of laminitis, and Textor discussed cellular events that happen before that inflammation manifests itself in clinical signs.

"Early on, we're talking about cellular events," Textor said. "That's going to be the best opportunity we have to intervene, by understanding the cellular processes and trying to target some of them before they become a vicious cycle."

The components of laminitic inflammation at the cellular level are neutrophils, platelets, and monocytes. Textor focused on platelets because research indicates that they are inflammatory cells, are very sensitive to endotoxins, and might be the first responders in laminitis