Venograms have added to our knowledge of laminitis and other common foot problems, in large part because for the first time we can see the structural components of the vascular supply to the horse’s foot.
“The venogram is the ticket to fixing all those laminitis cases you’ve been missing,” Amy Rucker, DVM, said at the Bluegrass Laminitis Symposium (held Jan. 25-28 in Louisville, Ky.). Rucker, a practitioner with Midwest Equine in Columbia, Mo., discus
When a horse has a foot problem, effective communication bewteen farrier, vet, and owner is key.
When it comes to laminitis, everyone’s got a pet theory–their favorite explanation of why it occurs, how to prevent it, and/or how to treat it. The reason we have these theories is because research hasn’t yet been able to give us solid, unassailable
Ask 10 people what a healthy hoof should look like, and you’ll likely get 10 variations of an answer.
When they are compromised due to disease processes such as laminitis, or poor internal hoof balance that leads to poor blood flow and overstressing of internal structures, putting the feet in comfortable alignment and applying massage helps them heal
Angular and flexural limb deformities in foals are concerns, to be sure, but they’re not necessarily kisses of death. At the recent Bluegrass Laminitis Symposium, Ric Redden, DVM, founder of the International Equine Podiatry Center in Versailles, Ky.
Working to correct low heels when they begin to develop is far more successful than waiting until the horse has had no heel for a long time. Low-heeled conformation is not healthy and can compromise soundness in the short or long term.
Baker, who is both a veterinarian and a farrier, presented a discussion of six case studies and what they taught him not to do in treating laminitis. He began by describing the following common causes of treatment failure.
Untreated white line disease can undermine your horse’s feet, causing lameness and coffin bone instability.
There isn’t yet a complete answer to how laminitis works and how to treat it, although researchers in several countries are working on it. D’Arpe characterizes the current state of laminitis knowledge by comparing it to the early stages of fracture
Many nutritionists and feed analysts are now saying that NSC isn’t the best measure to evaluate when you’re counting a horse’s carbs.
When a group of people are standing at the barn watching a “lame” horse move, many of you will say he’s lame in different legs. How do you know who’s right? If it makes you feel any better, picking out the source of lameness isn’t always easy fo
The annual convention of the American Association of Equine Practitioners, held in San Antonio, Texas, in early December 2006, had three sessions devoted to foot care that were open to farriers. Following are synopses of some of those presentations
Several lameness problems can exist in the rear (palmar) half of a horse’s foot; most bear the very general title of “heel pain.” The real problem is that without very careful diagnosis, lameness in this general area might be attributed to the
Stay on top of the most recent Horse Health news with
