How to Treat Laminitis

Nothing strikes terror in the hearts of horse owners quite like a laminitis diagnosis. It was, after all, what did in Kentucky Derby winner Barbaro; laminitis set in as a result of his having to favor a broken leg for so long. But his prognosis was not the norm. Contrary to myth, most cases of laminitis can be cured with proper care.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

1. Identify what caused the laminitis and remove that factor from your horse's environment. This is easy when the cause is obvious, as in cases where horses have overloaded on carbohydrates, perhaps by escaping from their stalls and finding stored grain. The cause is often a combination of circumstances: lush spring pasture plus working on hard surfaces or too little exercise plus skipping the farrier every so often.
2. Find a farrier who is experienced with laminitis and try corrective shoeing such as Heart Bar Shoes.
3. Get your veterinarian and farrier to work on the problem together. Treatment for laminitis should be a team effort. The drugs your vet prescribes are no more important than good farrier work.
4. Restrict your horse's access to grain even if this wasn't what caused the problem in the first place.
5. Use soft bedding in your horse's stall and limit his activity on hard or paved surfaces.
6. Try "natural trimming" methods if your horse isn't improving on anti-inflammatory drugs and with corrective shoeing. This involves trimming the hoof down far enough at the heel to correct the plane of the pedal bone if it has rotated.