b'NEAEP Conference Wrap SPONSORED BYmuch pressure hinders the blood sup- said. A crushed cushion will repair itselfto prevent and treat laminitis. Besides ply and causes the frog to atrophy.with myxoid cells, kind of a pre-stemreviewing tried-and-true, research-backedYou must trim inside the white linecell, he said. Theyre associated with de- techniques, he previewed other ways we every few days to keep the toe shortveloping adipose cells and fibrous tissues. might one day avoid or manage laminitis.until the foot is back under the horse,But, he reminded the audience, evenIn laminitis cases the laminae become he explained. Then you can trim everythough you might see subtle shifts in hoofdamaged and inflamed. In severe cases four weeks or less during the activebalance quickly, his approach is not athey separate, releasing the coffin bone to growing season (summer). quick fixit takes time and patience. rotate downward or sink. Many acutely orI deally, the frogs central sulcus is shal- You can always improve the trim tochronically laminitic horses must be eu-low and broad. The frog stay (centralimprove the internal structure of the tis- thanized due to the damage and relentless ridge) is critical to foot function. Do notsues. If you have a short toe, youll have apain. (Visit TheHorse.com/19532 to learn trim the frog. As soon as you trim it thepretty good foot, he said.whats happening on a cellular level.) Vets frog starts to retract, he said, and youhave identified three major forms based diminish its ability to dissipate energy. Control Your Horses Weight & Otheron the underlying causes:Bowker acknowledged that many vetsWays to Prevent, Treat Laminitis Systemic inflammatory disease (infec-and farriers are leery of trimming insideOne of the best ways to prevent thetion of the blood, or sepsis) causing the white line, and owners might be, too. devastating hoof disease laminitis is alsoacute laminitis;If you have a reluctant owner, farrier,one of the easiest, but people must realizeHyperinsulinemia (an endocrinopathic, trimmer, or even veterinarian, a ruler isthe need and, just as importantly, act on it.or hormone-related, issue); andgood, because youll see changes in threeCombating obesity in horsesa common Excessive weight-bearing on a limb.to four days, he said, referring to thecontributor to insulin dysregulation, aHeavy Horses (and Ponies) In one study movement of the wall, heels, and superfi- notorious precursor to laminitisis keyresearchers found that 40% of owners cial tubules on the wall. And the frogto prevention, but many owners simplyconsiderably underestimated their horses will expand to its optimal state in thedont recognize their horses are over- body condition (see page 40 for the right ensuing days, weeks, and months. weight, says Andrew van Eps, BVSc, PhD,way). There is this sort of body dysmor-Bowker noted that the literature saysMACVSc, Dipl. ACVIM, associate profes- phism thing, said van Eps. We need to digital cushion damage is permanent butsor of equine musculoskeletal research atchange our definition in our minds of that hes been able to turn cases around;the University of Pennsylvania School ofwhat constitutes normal body condition. internal changes can occur if the farrier orVeterinary Medicines New Bolton Center. That means not allowing equids to reach trimmer gives the foot an opportunity, heHe spoke about evidence-based waysbody condition scores as high as industry culture and some competition arenas have deemed acceptableevenfashionable.Bowker: What Goes Awry The insulin dysregulation (ID) basically, the bodys inability to respond Here are some insights and tips Robert Bowker, VMD, PhD, shared on the normal equinenormally to insulin releaseoften lurking foot and what goes wrong with typical husbandry practices: in these obese horses commonly leads 1. The foot is extremely adaptable. Conformation is a point in time. This can be corrected to laminitis. Van Eps said the best way and improved if the foot is given the opportunity. to manage ID in horses and ponies is to 2. The foot adapts to the environment (trimming, shoeing, loading, ground surface, moisture, control diet and reduce obesity. Exercise etc.), but the biggest environmental factors are the hoof care professional and the trim.is difficult in some of these patients, They can (cause) major environmental effects and greater biomechanical changes inhe said, whether due to extreme lack of a brief time period, he said. These changes affect the internal tissues (which) respondfitness or because the horse already has each time the foot is trimmed. laminitis, making it painful to work. Diet 3. All feet are different, even in the same horse and in the same pair of legs.4. Long toes and underrun heels are ubiquitous, and much of the horse industry acceptsmakes much more of a difference. them as normal. I have several thousand sagittal photos of feet(only) one of them isHe recommends weighing the horse, (balanced) 50:50 front to back, he said. then feeding hay at a rate of 1.5% of the 5. As the toe and coffin bone lengthen, Bowker says the bone remodels internally as it at- horses body weight per day as a simple,tempts to support the longer toe; the bone becomes more porous due to more movementreliable weight loss strategy.between the bone and wall. This increased porosity is not beneficial, he told The Horse. (Hay) should be either tested (for 6. Navicular bone movement up and down, due to mechanical changes, damages the deepnonstructural carbohydrate [NSC]digital flexor tendon and insertion ligaments of the distal sesamoidean impar ligament. levels) or soaked, he said, because these 7.With a long toe and underrun heels, the bottom end of the short pastern bone (P2) changessugars can exacerbate the condition. Also shape, too. It starts out symmetrical in its articulation with the coffin bone. But current stan- consider testing NSC after soaking (he dard trimming methods alter the biomechanics, Bowker says, as the end becomes asymmet- suggested Cumberland Valley Analytical rical. With the gradually increasing length of the coffin bone, chip fractures begin to appearServices for testing). Supplement the hay on the navicular bone, and they can appear (at any age), he told The Horse. Many associatewith a ration balancer to ensure vitamin these fractures with navicular syndrome. If you have a short toe, you dont have that. and mineral needs are met.Keep in mind not all horses with ID 32February 2020The Horse|TheHorse.comNEAEPWrapUp.indd 32 1/3/20 10:54 AM'