b'STEP BY STEP laminitis, explaining that damaged lamel-lae are weak for a period of time and vulnerable to further damage. and take steps to relieve the stress andWhat you do to the bottom of the strain on the lamellae interface betweenfeet is not as important during that the hoof wall and its inner structures. (acute) period as making sure the horse isnt stressing the feet by moving, he Managing Laminitis says. We can make the horse more Horses with EMS can suffer from eithercomfortable by providing some sort of acute laminitis attacks (often when firstcushioning that supports the frog and COURTESY DR. AMY RUCKERdiagnosed with the disease) or chronicsole and takes some of the weight off the soreness from earlier laminitic damage. hoof wall, but the best support is sand A horse with an acute bout needs tobecause it conforms to the bottom of be handled differently than a chronicthe foot. It supports the foot because it case, and the chronic horse needs carefulpacks in and evenly distributes under the management for the rest of his life, saysHoof cushioning or impression material can helpfoot, and when the horse turns it allows Rucker. If you think the horse is havingsupport a laminitic horses sole. the inside foot to pivot easily, without an acute episode, whether its had lami- gripping the ground. This give and easy nitis in the past or not, the main thing isIts important to provide affectedmovement put less stress on those inner trying to control/halt the laminitis. Thishorses soft footing to help support theattachments.might include endocrine management.foot, so the hoof doesnt meet resistanceThe other thing that sand does is ease We may use various medications (suchduring movement. I generally just getbreakover, says van Eps. When the foot as metformin, pergolide, etc.) to try tothe horse into a deeply bedded stall, saysbreaks over, the toe can dig in; the foot get the endocrine disease under control,Rucker. This provides cushion and give,can pivot with less stress on the lamellae. along with dietary management. Weand the deep bedding also encourages theWith this level of comfort and easy break-also restrict exercise because we donthorse to lie down and get off his feet. over, theres less need for a special shoe. want the unstable lamellae falling apartSimilarly, van Eps says he keeps acuteYour farrier can provide your horse further. cases confined during early stages ofwith similar support using dental/silicone impression or other hoof cushioning materials, van Eps adds. He also suggests using ice boots to cool the feet continu-Ask about our Price Match Guarantee ously for the first couple of days of an acute bout of laminitis to help reduce 1-866-820-1694 pain and inflammation.The industrys first 5-year DR Flat Panel WarrantyIf your horse seems more comfortable NOW! The new exclusive Portable X-ray Unit after a few days of confinement, however, Ultra 12040Hf VIP LIFETIME WARRANTY Ultra 9030Hf dont relax. The old rule of thumb was 120KvP/40mA90KvP/30mA to confine them a week for every day Lifetime RepairHot Swap Replacement25 pounds vetxray.com/service/warranty 15 pounds that they are lame, says van Eps. If the horse is lame for five days, he needs to be confined for five weeks. This seems like a long time, but it guarantees that this episode will be over and the tissue will have some integrity and strength again before the horse stresses it. Then the compromised lamellae, which stabilize and repair to an extent (though never to normal) over time, will be more likely to withstand the pressure of weight-bearing. After the first month or so, once the acute phase has passed and the horse enters a chronic phase, he might benefit from a more permanent hoof attachment. Some type of easy-breakover shoe, withFast and Durable support material for the frog and rearSuperior Software portion of the sole can be very helpful,CsI Pixel Pitch76 m Lightweight Wireless 10 x 12 says van Eps. 5 yr hardware & software warranty There are a lot of options, he contin-ues. Whats best will depend on the foot. This is why its important to work with a QUALITY | INTEGRITY | VALUEsince 1983 farrier and (be sure he or she has) access 54TheHorse.comTHE HORSE March 2018'