The Laminitis Puzzle: Another Piece
- Topics: Article, Laminitis (Founder)
People have worked at understanding laminitis for centuries; it’s like putting together a jigsaw puzzle while still hunting for all the pieces. Recently, a human physiologist and an equine clinician at the University of Georgia provided another puzzle piece by describing the properties of the hoof’s blood vessels.
The combination of expertise in microvascular (small blood vessel) dissection from assistant professor Tom Robertson, PhD, and clinical equine knowledge from assistant professor John Peroni, DVM, MS, Dipl. ACVS, has led to landmark work in understanding the reactions of hoof blood vessels to laminitis. "It’s a great collaboration between basic science and clinical research," says Robertson. "Having finally isolated these arteries and veins gives us a whole new perspective."
Hoof blood vessel dysfunction is a known component of laminitis and, although it’s not well understood, is thought to be confined to the veins of the foot rather than the arteries. Robertson and Peroni mapped out the structure and explored the contractile properties of blood vessels in the normal equine foot, specifically the differences between arteries and veins.
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