Exploring Cryotherapy for Laminitic Horses

In the face of a life-threatening bout of laminitis, horses require aggressive pain management. In addition to traditional pharmaceuticals, cryotherapy can help relieve pain, but only if specific temperatures are reached.

Unlike humans, horses can tolerate prolonged cooling of their lower limbs. How cold their limbs and feet must be to benefit from the pain relief afforded by cooling was recently explored.^* In the study, healthy horses without laminitis had one forelimb submerged in a cool bath up to the accessory carpal bone. The temperature of the water bath was slowly lowered from 34° C to 1° C (93° F to 33° F). At specific time points during the study, skin temperatures were recorded, as were reactions to a pressure stimulus in the center of the cannon bone shaft.

Each horse’s response to a stimulus was determined using a device that pressed a small, blunt 1-mm pin onto the horse’s skin with increasing force until a reaction was observed. Reactions included lifting the foot, muscle-flexing on the tested limb, or shifting of the body weight away from the stimulus.

“The study revealed that horses were significantly less reactive to a stimulus once the skin temperature dropped below 7° C (44° F). In order to achieve a skin temperature of 7° C, however, the temperature of the water bath needed to be 2° C (34° F),” explained Peter Huntington, B.V.Sc., M.A.C.V.Sc., director of nutrition at Kentucky Equine Research.

Cryotherapy may therefore prove a valuable and much-needed adjunctive pain-relieving modality for laminitic horses.

“Many pharmaceutical drugs are currently used to manage horses with laminitis, but not all of those medications provide adequate pain relief in all patients. Further, some medications have important side effects that should be considered on an individual basis,” Huntington said.

An array of nutritional, physical, and endocrine factors can trigger inflammation and pain in the sensitive laminae, and that pain must be addressed swiftly for a positive outcome.

“Owners can help protect the hoof health of susceptible horses by limiting exposure to inciting factors such unrestricted access to lush pastures or overfeeding of grain beyond recommended meal size. While no one can absolutely prevent laminitis in any horse, as there are too many factors at play, working with a knowledgeable nutritionist is one way to stack the odds against laminitis becoming a reality,” advised Huntington.

Strategic supplementation can help keep the gastrointestinal tract functioning as it should. When searching for digestive supplements, choose high-quality products that are supported by science.

*Rainger, J.E., S. Wardius, C. E. Medina-Torres, S.M. Dempsey, N. Perkins, and A.W. van Eps. 2021. The effect of regional hypothermia on mechanical nociceptive thresholds in the equine distal forelimb. Veterinary Journal 269:105607.