While there is still much that we don't know about laminitis, Donald Walsh, DVM has prepared a primer that should make clear the current state of practical information.
Please watch all five videos in the Animal Health Foundation's EQUINE LAMINITIS 2012 UPDATE and share these videos with everyone in the horse world. This is important information.
1 INTRODUCTION TO LAMINITIS
Does your horse have laminitis or founder? Would you like to prevent the disease? Are you concerned about the dangers of insulin resistance, obesity, over-grazing and hoof condition changes? Have you been told your horse is at risk for laminitis? If you answered yes to any of those questions, this educational video series could save your horse's life. Five concise, free, non-commercial videos from the non-profit Animal Health Foundation offer the latest practical and scientific information to help you help your horse avoid or overcome laminitis in its many forms. Your host: Donald Walsh, DVM, founder of the Foundation and a practicing veterinarian who specializes in laminitis and founder.
2 UNDERSTANDING EQUINE LAMINITIS: HOW DOES LAMINITIS OR FOUNDER AFFECT YOUR HORSE?
What happens in horses' feet during laminitis? What's the difference between laminitis and founder? You will learn three different ways that a horse gets laminitis and the many causes, including Equine Metabolic Syndrome and Cushing's Disease, or "PPID", and support-limb laminitis. The non-profit Animal Health Foundation and Dr. Donald Walsh offer the latest practical and scientific information to help you and your horse avoid or overcome laminitis in its many forms.
3 WHAT CAN YOU DO IF YOUR HORSE HAS "ACUTE" LAMINITIS?
Can you recognize "acute" (sudden onset) laminitis symptoms? How can you help your horse during this medical emergency? Dr. Walsh encourages horse owners to employ the only scientifically-proven method to prevent laminitis: "icing the feet" , or "cryotherapy". Does your horse need blood insulin tests to find the cause of the laminitis? The non-profit Animal Health Foundation and Dr. Donald Walsh offer the latest practical and scientific information to help you help your horse avoid or overcome acute laminitis.
4 CHRONIC LAMINITIS AND FOUNDER
Chronic laminitis means a life of ongoing, crippling pain for horses. What can a horse owner do? Dr. Walsh explains long-term ("chronic") laminitis and current methods of hoof mechanics to support damaged feet. He explains abnormal hormones and that Cushing's disease ("PPID") or Equine Metabolic Syndrome may be the underlying cause. You'll learn about hay testing and benefits of soaking hay in water. Finally, Dr. Walsh speaks frankly about putting some horses to sleep because of advanced laminitis.
5 PREVENT LAMINITIS IN YOUR HORSE
What are the best horsecare practices to protect your horse from laminitis? What are the risk factors? Can icing the feet help? What might a cresty neck or hoof rings mean? You'll learn to recognize early changes in your horse's feet before laminitis occurs and how to correct hormone levels before horses go lame. Dr Walsh suggests ways to prevent supporting limb laminitis in horses with leg injuries.
LAMINITIS RESEARCH. This video, made in 2011, explains the priorities of laminitis research in Dr. Pollitt's Australian Equine Laminitis Research Unit, which is funded in many of its projects by the Animal Health Foundation. It contains the core principles of the AHF concern to make laminitis research relevant and helpful to real people and real horses. Other studies funded by AHF have included genetic studies at Cornell University, endocrine studies at the University of Missouri and Cornell, and Katy Watts' innovative "Safer Grass" studies to analyze how grass founder might be prevented.
The Animal Health Foundation depends on large and small donations to fund research projects. All donated funds go directly to research; the foundation is run by volunteers including Dr. Walsh, whom you met in the video.
Further Animal Health Foundation research will enable us to prevent laminitis and "Free the Horse of this Disease".
Learn more about the Foundation and how you can donate or become involved in the fundraising process.
Thank you.
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Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any direct compensation for writing this post. I have no material connection to the brands, products, or services that I have mentioned, other than that I serve on the Board of Directors of the Animal Health Foundation, which is a volunteer position. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.