Understanding the Venogram

This procedure allows veterinarians to see blood flow in the foot.

Although it’s still not widely used, the venogram (a procedure for visualizing blood flow within the foot) has been acclaimed by many as an essential tool for treating lame horses, especially laminitic ones. In her presentation “Aspects of Normal Digital Venogram, Anatomy, Parameters, and Variations” at the 16th annual Bluegrass Laminitis Symposium on Jan. 16, Amy Rucker, DVM, of the University of Missouri, discussed this procedure with illustrations, venogram images, and video to provide what one attendee described as “exactly what we need in order to understand this better.”

“The venogram is a very simple procedure that doesn’t require any special equipment (that a veterinarian doesn’t already have),” she began. “And it allows you to assess a horse, develop a tailored treatment program, and assess the horse’s progress.”

Beginning with a detailed description of normal hoof