Chronic laminitis in a 10‐month‐old Arabian filly

Abstract

Summary The case report presented here describes in detail the treatment and clinical progression of a case of severe chronic laminitis in a 10‐month‐old Arabian filly. Starting from the acute onset of clinical signs through the severe, debilitating progression of the disease, the report describes the medical, surgical and farriery treatment over a period of 8 months. The combination of deep digital flexor tendon tenotomy, hoof wall resection, corrective trimming and shoeing was successful in halting progression of the disease. The successful treatment resulted in new healthy hoof wall growth, re‐establishment of normal third phalanx‐hoof wall alignment and reversal of the degenerative modelling changes that occurred in the third phalanx. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study describing treatment of severe chronic laminitis in such a young filly.

Strategic shoeing adjustment is imperative in solving complicated hoof problems while managing distal phalanx rotation in a laminitic horse with sheared heels

“…15 Furthermore, the reverse shoe benefitted the laminitic hoof with toe pain by eliminating pressure on the toe portion while withstanding the load on the palmar region. 16,17 However, reverse shoeing must be performed with caution as considerable stress may occur at the contact point between hoof walls and the dorsal edge of the shoe's branches, in turn causing progressive lameness. 16 Sheared heels are defined as the medial displacement of the hoof wall, particularly in the palmar region.…”

“…An aluminium shoe with an upright toe, egg bar shoe and heart bar shoe were thought to reduce the mechanical force on the vulnerable lamellae in the horse with chronic laminitis 15 . Furthermore, the reverse shoe benefitted the laminitic hoof with toe pain by eliminating pressure on the toe portion while withstanding the load on the palmar region 16,17 . However, reverse shoeing must be performed with caution as considerable stress may occur at the contact point between hoof walls and the dorsal edge of the shoe's branches, in turn causing progressive lameness 16 …”