Laminitis Prevention and Intervention in Hospitalized Horses

Hospitalized horses are at an increased risk for developing laminitis as a complication of injury or illness.
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Horses hospitalized for serious surgical or medical conditions are at an increased risk for developing laminitis as a complication of their injury or illness. Thus, preventing laminitis or intervening early in these animals is key, according to James Orsini, DVM, Dipl. ACVS, associate professor of surgery and director of the Laminitis Institute at the University of Pennsylvania’s New Bolton Center. Orsini described his research on the subject at the 6th International Equine Conference on Laminitis and Diseases of the Foot, held Oct. 28-31 in West Palm Beach, Fla.

First, said Orsini, veterinarians must identify at-risk patients, such as those with a non-weight-bearing lameness or a systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS, such as pleuropneumonia). "Treating the primary problem is an absolute imperative in laminitis prevention and early intervention," he explained.

Take a performance horse with a non-weight-bearing lameness, for instance: He might have suffered a fracture or a catastrophic breakdown of the suspensory apparatus and is stressed, exhausted, and painful. Compound that condition with the likelihood that he’s on a high-carbohydrate diet, and you have a recipe for laminitis development.

"The first order of business is to stabilize the patient medically and mechanically (i.e., using a bandage, splint, or cast to help him avoid developing a contralateral limb lameness) and provide pain relief while the injury is fully evaluated and the patient prepared for surgery," Orsini relayed

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Alexandra Beckstett, a native of Houston, Texas, is a lifelong horse owner who has shown successfully on the national hunter/jumper circuit and dabbled in hunter breeding. After graduating from Duke University, she joined Blood-Horse Publications as assistant editor of its book division, Eclipse Press, before joining The Horse. She was the managing editor of The Horse for nearly 14 years and is now editorial director of EquiManagement and My New Horse, sister publications of The Horse.

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