b'STEP BY STEP Then you can develop a long-term plan for the care of those feet, she says. We can see whether this shoe worked or to the veterinarians radiographs. Somedidnt work and whether we need to try horses and ponies, if they just have a littlesomething different or tweak it a bit. The rotation of the coffin bone at the toe,plan evolves as you go along.benefit from simply lifting/unweighting the sole area underneath the tip of theTake-Home Messagebone. This can be as simple as just aHorses with EMS (as well as insulin regular shoe or a shoe with a heart bar todysregulation and PPID) tend to be prone redistribute some weight off the wall ontoto developing laminitis. Early diagnosis of the frog. the root problem, careful monitoring, and As the chronic case stabilizes, Ruckerappropriate hoof care can help keep these says she then allows the EMS horse to doat-risk horses comfortable. light exercise to try to control his weight. Designing a Shoeing RegimenIndeed, veterinarians and farriers use many types of shoes and materials to help support and minimize stress on these horses delicate hoof structures.In shoeing, we are only limited by our own creativity, says Burns. The farrier can utilize any number of shoes on the market todayfrom clogs to EasyCare shoes that are wide-webbed. The prin-ciple is simply to ease movement in all Get back on directions, and the specific technique is up to the farrier or the owners finances or what the individual horse might need. track with Simply, no one shoe works for every horse.Tildren* Equipped with a set of hoof radio-graphs as his or her blueprint, the farrier can see where the coffin bone is posi-tioned and how the hoof angles look. A COURTESY DR. AMY RUCKERclose veterinarian-farrier relationship is quite valuable at all stages, but especially this one. We work together, says Rucker. Ill X ray the horse, and then well trim the foot, and check sole depth on X rays Dr. Amy Rucker shod this chronic laminitis case after. How is the position of the coffinwith a rockered aluminum rail shoe to try to pre-bone in relationship to the ground? shevent the deep digital flexor tendon from pulling says. We measure all those things.the coffin bone away from the dorsal hoof wall Armed with this information, shoeingand onto the sole.methods might include rolling or rocking the toes, applying the wooden clog shoesAside from the hoof care, we need to Burns mentions to help ease breakover,figure out why the laminitis is happen-and/or applying pour-in pads or impres- ing, because we need to address the root sion material to support the sole. cause, says van Eps. This is the only When the farrier is done we doway we can keep it from becoming an another X ray to see if we accomplishedissue again. This should be the primary the goal and got the breakover where weobjective. For years, weve tried to fix wanted it, Rucker says. these horses and ponies with shoeing/When the horses shoes are ready totrimming management alone and failed Do not use in horses with impaired renal function or with a history of renal disease. NSAIDs should not bebe reset, about six weeks later, Ruckerover and over again.used concurrently with Tildren. Concurrent use of NSAIDs with Tildren may increase the risk of renal toxicity and acuterecommends veterinarians take follow- Work with your veterinarian and far-renal failure. The safe use of Tildren has not been evaluated in horses less than 4 years of age, in pregnant or lactating mares,up radiographs to monitor hoof changesrier to not only manage your EMS horses or in breeding horses. Tildren is a registered trademark of Cross Vetpharm Group. All rights reserved. *CAUTION: Federaland make sure the horse is progressingfeet but also his lifestyle to ward off law restricts this drug to use by or on the order of a licensed veterinarian. 2018 Bimeda, Inc properly. future laminitis episodes. h56TheHorse.comTHE HORSE March 2018'