Evaluation of locking compression plate fixation of the distal phalanx to the hoof wall as a potential therapy for laminitis.

Background: Surgical stabilisation of the distal phalanx (DP) is a potential therapeutic strategy for severe acute laminitis.

Objective: To evaluate the effects of locking compression plate (LCP) fixation of the DP to the dorsal hoof wall.

Study Design: Ex vivo and in vivo experiments.

The effect of different grazing conditions on the insulin and incretin response to the oral glucose test in ponies.

Background: The oral glucose test (OGT) is a useful tool for diagnosing insulin dysregulation (ID) and is somewhat repeatable in ponies under consistent management. This study aimed to determine whether the insulin and incretin responses to an OGT in ponies differed after short-term access to fertilised pasture, compared to unfertilised pasture, by using a randomised, repeated measures study design. Sixteen mixed-breed ponies were classified as severely insulin-dysregulated (SD; post-prandial insulin ≥80 μIU/mL) or not severely insulin-dysregulated (NSD; post-prandial insulin < 80 μIU/mL) using an OGT prior to the study.

Insulin and incretin responses to grazing in insulin-dysregulated and healthy ponies.

Background: Supraphysiological insulin and incretin responses to a cereal-based diet have been described in horses and ponies with insulin dysregulation (ID). However, the hormonal responses to grazing have not yet been described.

Objectives: To determine if there is a difference in the insulin and incretin responses to grazing pasture between insulin-dysregulated and healthy ponies.

Persistent digital hyperthermia over a 48 h period does not induce laminitis in horses.

Persistent digital hyperthermia, presumably due to vasodilation, occurs during the developmental and acute stages of insulin-induced laminitis. The objectives of this study were to determine if persistent digital hyperthermia is the principal pathogenic mechanism responsible for the development of laminitis. The potent vasodilator, ATP-MgCl(2) was infused continuously into the distal phalanx of the left forefoot of six Standardbred racehorses for 48 h via intra-osseous infusion to promote persistent digital hyperthermia.

Field treatment and management of endocrinopathic laminitis in horses and ponies.

Endocrinopathic laminitis in horses and ponies has the potential to cause extensive damage to the feet before clinical signs of laminitis are apparent. Early diagnosis and intervention based on the detection and control of hyperinsulinemia are critical if the crippling changes that are seen in the disease are to be avoided. Preventing endocrinopathic laminitis, rather than treating it, is good practice management benefiting not only equine patients but also their owners.

Laminitis treatment: a personal memoir.

The author has completed 40 years as a veterinarian treating horses with laminitis. The article is a recollection of his experiences with laminitis and the various treatment methods he came across while trying to treat the disease.