Novel Treatment for Laminitis

Wooden clogs made from plywood can help horses recover after bouts of acute laminitis, according to Michael Steward, veterinarian. Laminitis causes bleeding, tearing of tissues, swelling, and pressure within the hoof capsule. If the coffin (or pedal) bone rotates out of position, it can crush soft tissue underneath it. Blood vessels in the hoof area become contracted, limiting blood flow and causing severe pain.

Supporting damaged structures and restoring blood circulation are goals of treatment which begins with trimming the hoof to a normal shape. A flexible sole impression material is then sandwiched between the sole and the plywood clog. This material redistributes weight from the painful toe area to other parts of the sole, allowing the compressed blood vessels to recover.

The wooden clog has a small flat area with rounded rockers at the toe and heel. As the horse moves, the action of the shoe stimulates increased sole growth and thickness to support the coffin bone which may have rotated out of position due to laminar tissue damage within the hoof. Held to the hoof with screws rather than nails, the clog can easily be removed for hoof trimming and resetting.

Anti-inflammatory medications that control pain and reduce swelling are used to help keep the horse more comfortable while injured structures heal. Steward warned that the wooden shoes will probably reduce pain in most horses, but they are not a guaranteed cure-all. Some horses with very severe laminitis will still be in considerable pain even after the clogs have been applied, and if the pain can’t be controlled and there is extensive damage to the hoof, euthanasia should be considered. On the other end of the scale are horses that feel so good after the clogs are set that they exercise too much, ending up with increased pain after bouts of over-enthusiastic running. These horses should be kept in smaller paddocks or pens until some healing has taken place.