Neurectomy for Laminitis

My veterinarian suspects my horse has laminitis. Would a neurectomy help my horse’s condition?
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Q: I have a lame horse (a 7-year-old KWPN gelding), and veterinarians suspect he has laminitis and osteoarthritis in the third phalanx (coffin bone) along with several bone structure problems. Since some veterinarians here suggest denervation of the limb (a neurectomy) as the last choice, I was wondering if it is a good idea and if it will cause complications. —Nafisseh Jafarian, Iran

A: Laminitis (a disease in which the interlocking leaflike tissues attaching the hoof to the coffin bone become inflamed and fail to support that bone) is a very serious and devastating problem; however, in many cases it is manageable. The first thing you need to do is confirm the diagnosis. Your veterinarian should identify the primary problem using regional anesthesia (nerve and joint blocks). Once your vet knows the source of the pain, he or she can perform additional diagnostics, including radiographs, ultrasound, MRI, or CT. Once the diagnosis is confirmed, you can begin appropriate treatment.

When dealing with laminitis, it is also important to identify the cause. Some causes are readily identified, such as grain overload, severe illness, and supporting limb laminitis (in which favoring an injured limb causes laminitis in the opposite foot bearing the weight), to name a few. Other causes can be less obvious, such as equine metabolic syndrome or insulin resistance.

Laminitis has several stages: developmental, acute, subacute, and chronic. The developmental phase is the period between the initial causal event and the onset of clinical signs of laminitis. The acute phase begins with the onset of clinical signs and ends either with structural failure of the foot (such as the coffin bone dropping or rotating within the foot) or the passage of 72 hours from the onset of clinical signs (whichever occurs first). The subacute phase begins 72 hours after the onset of clinical signs if no structural changes have taken place. If mechanical changes do take place, the horse enters the chronic phase—the indefinite period after structural changes occur

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