Waltham and Royal Veterinary College Organize British Laminitis Conference in March

(edited from press release received 25 January)

The WALTHAM^® Equine Studies Group and the Royal Veterinary College have joined forces to host a laminitis conference at The Royal Veterinary College at North Mymms, Hertfordshire (England) on Saturday 24 March 2007. Targeted at vets, researchers and others interested in the condition, the conference includes recent research findings and advice with respect to laminitis.

Pat Harris PhD MRCVS, head of the WALTHAM^® Equine Studies Group will chair the conference; she said: "This conference should bring you up to date with the current thinking on the pathophysiology of laminitis and how to manage affected animals. In addition, we will provide exciting new insights into ways that may help us to predict which animals are more likely to suffer from this debilitating condition, as well as management strategies that may reduce the risk of an episode occurring."

The program covers key aspects of laminitis, its possible causes and management regimens. Dr Annette Longland BSc, PhD will discuss "Starch, sugar, and fructans: what are they and how important are they?". Jonathan Elliott MRCVS (Professor of Veterinary Clinical Pharmacology) will look at new insights into the cause. Ray Geor PhD, DACVIM will examine the role of obesity and insulin resistance. Pat Harris will cover the nutritional counter-measures to laminitis. Celia Marr PhD, MRCVS will examine the medical management of the acutely laminitic Horse. Simon Curtis FWCF HonAssocRCVS will explain the role of the farrier in the management of laminitis. Nicola Menzies-Gow MRCVS (Lecturer in Equine Medicine) will provide insights based on various laminitis field studies. Jonathan Elliott will present a paper by Simon Bailey MRCVS (Lecturer in Veterinary Pharmacology) examining how an increased risk of suffering from this condition may be predicted now and in the future.

To register for the conference please telephone Kerry Knight on (011+ from the USA) +44 (0) 1908 576258. The fee is £30 (approximately $60US), which includes lunch and a full copy of the proceedings.

EDITOR'S NOTE: The Royal Veterinary College (RVC) is the UK's first and largest veterinary school and a constituent College of the University of London. Equine laminitis has been a focus for researchers at the College for the past 15 years. The research team involved includes pharmacologists, endothelial cell biologists, bacteriologists, endocrinologists and epidemiologists. The group has made significant steps towards understanding the link between events in the gastrointestinal tract and failure of the dermal-epidermal bonds within the hoof laminae. Recent work has turned to understanding the factors making some horses and ponies particularly susceptible to bouts of laminitis.