A new fund has been established at the Colorado State University Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory (VDL) to help support research related to diagnosing equine dermatology problems. The fund was created in memory of a horse who was euthanized as the result of a minor scrape on his fetlock.

Mary Lou Lane had owned her horse Cappy since 1986. In 2007, he sustained a minor scrape on one of his front fetlocks. Although Lane treated the scrape promptly, Cappy soon began to develop an infection and complications, including alopecia (hair loss) and lesions from his fetlock to the coronary band. Laminits was the next issue to set in, and soon after that, the hoof stopped growing completely.

Despite Lane's constant work with her veterinarian and farrier, Cappy's condition continued to worsen. Finally, after two and a half years, Lane was forced to euthanize Cappy.

In a final attempt to find out what had killed her horse, Lane sent Cappy's lower leg and hoof to Colorado State for examination. Researchers still have not been able to determine what caused the infection in the leg