Because laminitis compromises the equine foot so drastically, horses with the disease are more prone to foot infections and abscesses. During the Sept. 17-18 Laminitis West Conference in Monterey, Calif., Bob Agne, DVM, an equine podiatrist at Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital in Lexington, Ky., discussed how to diagnose and treat such infections.

The structural damage that results from laminitis restricts blood flow to the foot, which makes infection more difficult to fight. Agne said that the stretched and scarred white line in laminitic horses is particularly susceptible to infection.

Nail in Hoof

Penetrating wounds, such as this nail puncture in the central sulcus, are particularly dangerous

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