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Sometimes when bad things happen to good people, it brings out the best in other people.
Showing posts with label Support. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Support. Show all posts
Tuesday, February 12, 2013
Oklahoma Farrier, Victim of Trailer Theft, Boosted by Fellow Viet Nam Veterans
Sometimes when bad things happen to good people, it brings out the best in other people.
Friday, March 16, 2012
Laminitis Research Highlights Grayson Jockey Club Foundation's Research Lists for 2012
Of special interest is the announcement that a project on laminitis has received the Elastikon™ Equine Research Award. This is funded in part through a contribution by Johnson & Johnson’s Consumer Products Company, manufacturer of Elastikon tape and other equine products.
Of particular interest are the following projects:
LAMINITIS STUDIES
1. Digital Hypothermia in Laminitis: Timing and Signaling
Dr. James Belknap, The Ohio State University (Second Year)
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| Dr. Belknap |
The authors of this project report that “an integrated research effort over the last decade has enhanced the current understanding of the pathophysiology of equine sepsis-related laminitis (one of numerous causes of the disease). This has mirrored progression of sepsis research in human medicine by moving from (an earlier) concept . . .to determining that a marked inflammatory injury takes place and is likely to play a prominent role in tissue injury and subsequent failure.” However, there have been persistent failure of systemic therapies for organ/laminar injury in both human and equine medicine. One advantage laminitis presents is that it effects the hoof rather than visceral organs, lending itself to artificial cooling more readily.
In a present project funded by the Foundation, digital hypothermia (cooling of the hoof) prior to onset of carbohydrate overload-induced equine sepsis resulted in dramatic decrease in laminar inflammatory signaling. The next goal is to find pharmaceutical therapies which can accomplish the same without the cumbersome aspects of maintaining constant hypothermia to the equine hoof (hooves).
2. Laminar Energy Failure in Supporting-Limb Laminitis
Dr. Andrew Van Eps, University of Queensland (Second Year)
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| Dr. Van Eps |
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| Dr. Pollitt |
The project involves testing the hypothesis that supporting-limb laminitis is a result of reduced blood supply to the connection between hoof and bone (lamellar tissue). Further, that the blood supply in normal circumstances is encouraged by a regular loading and unloading of the legs and hooves (alternating which one is bearing the most weight). Injury to one leg interrupts that alternating pattern.
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| Dr. Richardson |
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| Support-limb laminitis is a special area of research interest for the researchers funded by the Grayson Jockey Club Foundation. It is believed to be a unique form of the disease that is precipitated by prolonged weightbearing on one hind limb or one front limb, caused by the opposite (injured) limb's inability to bear weight after surgery or injury. Tragically, the overburdened "good" or "supporting" limb develops laminitis in this scenario. (Hoofcare + Lameness photo) |
3. Laminar Signaling in Supporting-Limb Laminitis
Dr. James Belknap, The Ohio State University– First Year (2 Year Grant)
A recent USDA study indicates that approximately 1% of all horses in the USA suffer from laminitis at any given time, and approximately 5% of those animals die or are euthanized while many others remain crippled. Of the conditions which create laminitis, the development of the disease in the supporting limb of an already injured horse is one of the worst, since it is believed that 50% of those cases result in euthanasia.
The author reports that while there are hundreds of published papers in the literature about other forms of laminitis, reports on supporting-limb laminitis are restricted to clinical reports and case studies.
This project will “introduce a novel, non-painful model of supporting-limb laminitis and will allow for cutting edge bench research techniques to not only (1) test the current hypotheses on the cause of laminar failure, but also (2) provide an unbiased technique to determine the cellular events that occur . . .”
The investigator has performed a number of laminitis project for Grayson and the USDA, and has a well developed set of tools and techniques including laser micro-dissection of frozen laminar cells and an advanced “functional genomic” technique called RNA-Seq. By applying these techniques that have previously characterized laminitis caused by sepsis or metabolic syndrome to support limb laminitis, we will get our first understanding of what kind of drugs and treaments might prevent it.
This grant was selected by the board to receive the sixth annual Elastikon™ Equine Research Award.
4. Stem Cell Homing after IV Regional Limb Perfusion
Dr. Alan Nixon, Cornell University (First Year of Two-Year Grant)
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| Dr. Nixon |
Transplanted cells then exert normalizing and restorative effects . . .” The long-range goal is to provide a simplified approach to stem cell therapy. We cannot do this without verification of cell homing and impact. (The project) will map stem cell distribution in the tendons, ligaments, and joints of the forelimb after direct venous injection.”
LAMENESS STUDIES
1. AAV-IRAP Gene Therapy to Prevent Osteoarthritis
Dr. Laurie Goodrich, Colorado State University (Second Year)
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| Dr, Goodrich |
These researchers’ preliminary work utilizing AAV-IRAP suggests that cells of joints are easily re-programmed to produce beneficial protein. The aims of this project is to define the most appropriate dose of AAV-IRAP that will result in effective levels and answer the question of whether this approach can prevent osteoarthritis in the horse.
2. Investigation of Cell and Growth-Factor Dependent Tenogenesis
Dr. Martin A. Vidal, University of California-Davis (Second Year)
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| Dr. Vidal |
The author states that current methods of healing result in inferior scar tissue and re-injury rates ranging from 23% to 67%. Transforming growth factor (TGF) combined with platelet rich plasma will be utilized, and tests will be done on how they affect tissue growth, strength, and composition. ”
3. Stem Generation of Equine Induced Pluripotent Cells for Regenerative Therapy
Dr. Lisa Fortier, Cornell University (Second Year)
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| Dr. Fortier |
The author explains that, “ . . . this proposal is to generate induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS cells) from equine adult dermal fibroblasts. iPS cells are the only stem cells that are both pluripotenent and autogenous, making them the most useful for clinical application. The expectation is that the results of the studies in this proposal will provide the first published description of the generation and characterization of equine iPS cells.” This is part of a process of testing the overall hypothesis that equine iPS cells will enhance tendon regeneration in cases of tendonitis.
Also, “the technical expertise gained in this study could be used in the future to generate autogenous iPS cells for use in equine cartilage and neuronal regeneration studies.”
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| Go inside the horse's hoof...you'll be amazed what you'll see--in 3-D, too! Thanks for ordering; the program is in stock and ready to ship! |
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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 Hoofcare Publishing. 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.
Tuesday, July 05, 2011
On the Case with Austin Edens: Engineering Prevention of Support Limb Laminitis with a Removable Clog Screwed to a Shoe
The Steward Clog was developed by Dr. Mike Steward in Shawnee, Oklahoma as an economical way for him to treat the rampant laminitis cases in his area.
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| Standard Steward Clog screwed into foot |
Before we knew it, the once-lowly Steward Clog was turning into a designer horseshoe with a price to match. Not only that: in a few years' time, the clog design has gone full circle: the same concept can be utilized for both preventing and treating laminitis.
My eyes lit up when I saw a photo of a Steward clog of the latter type that looks like it has been to engineering school. And graduated at the head of the class.
Farrier Austin Edens probably chuckled as he set out to build a three-piece system out of a shoe that was conceived as the anti-system shoe. Consider Austin's illogical but ultimately functional design: he added not one, but two actual horseshoes, of two different metals, to a device that was meant to replace the horseshoe. Are three shoes better than one? The horse will decide.
Attaching the clog to a horseshoe so that the clog can be altered, replaced or removed--using a simple Phillips-head screwdriver and without re-shoeing the horse or disturbing its foot--is the bonus that an engineer-oriented mind like Austin’s can bring to the challenge of preventing laminitis.
Remember that the prospects for fine-tuning a shoe on the "good" foot of a horse with an injured limb are limited after the initial shoeing is done with the horse under anesthesia. The horse is not likely to be able to cooperate much in terms of lifting the good foot for shoe adjustment once he is standing. A removable device that screws onto a shoe and can be slid out from under the foot (and back on again) is a practical solution.
Some people still love a challenge; that is what this business is all about. Thank goodness Austin and people like him (and probably like many of you reading this article) are On the Case.
--Fran Jurga
PHOTO 1
1. I arrived at the vet clinic to find that surgical treatment for lacerated tendons on the injured left front leg of the horse had been completed. The horse was still under anesthesia and the “good” foot had been measured for the application of a support limb laminitis prevention shoe package. The surgeons asked me to add two inches of length to the horse’s right front, or “good” foot to aid in the prevention of support limb laminitis in that foot.
PHOTO 2
2. The surgeon asked me to elevate the "good limb" two inches so that it was the same length as the limb in the cast. The cast and its wear material on the near fore added almost two inches of length. My job was to extend the contralateral limb beyond the length of the cast limb and to prevent support limb laminitis. Using wood was the best way for me to elevate the limb.
The first step in creating the appliance was a beveled aluminum shoe with side clips, which I made from 1/2” x 1” aluminum bar stock.
PHOTO 3
3. The aluminum shoe was nailed on--not an easy thing to do on a leg that is dangling in the air and bouncing whenever the hammer touches it.
PHOTO 4
4. When I forged the shoe, I made six holes around the perimeter of the shoe, countersunk at 45 degrees. A block of wood (clog) 1.5 inches thick was shaped to the shoe, and also tapered behind the toe of the shoe for ease of breakover. I screwed in six 1 5/8” long wood screws through those holes into the wood. They held in the wood at 45 degrees, giving a good hold across the clog. A simple Delta Challenger horseshoe was nailed (with horseshoe nails) into the clog to prevent the soft wood from wearing.
PHOTO 5
5. One of the final steps was to pour Vettec’s Equipak into the cavity of the sole, filling up any space that existed between the foot and the plywood. This was a little awkward to do. I used Play-Doh for a dam to hold it in the foot.
PHOTO 6
PHOTO 7
About support limb laminitis
Laminitis is usually thought of as a disease with a medical basis, but it can also be caused by mechanical conditions. Both excess concussion, known as road founder, and lack of movement can result in a disruption in the metabolism of one of more of a horse’s feet. The most common scenario is when a horse injures a leg and the opposite, or contralateral, limb bears more than its share of weight. The horse may not shift weight regularly off the “good” leg, or there may be some circulatory or other reason why the laminar junction of of the hoof wall-coffin bone interface becomes compromised. Because the horse may be unable to shift its weight away from the pain of the laminitis, support limb laminitis is especially painful for a horse.
In order to prevent support (contralateral) limb laminitis, many equine hospitals routinely apply heart-bar shoes or go through a special protocol to pre-emptively shoe or cast the good foot when the horse is in surgery for an injury.
About Austin Edens
Austin Edens is a farrier who is based in Dripping Springs, Texas, and Wellington, Florida, but you might run into him almost anywhere in the world. He is widely known as one of the most successful and consistent international farrier competitors in history (including being World Champion) and a popular judge. Austin’s farrier work today is centered on a sport horse client list and challenging veterinary collaborations such as the one illustrated in these photos. He is also a product consultant and clinician with Delta Mustad Hoofcare in the United States.
On the Case is a new feature of the Hoof Blog. Brief photo- or media-based problem-solving reports on cases from subscribers will be featured. Text and photographs © 2011 Hoofcare Publishing.
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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 Hoofcare Publishing. 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.
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Midnite: Mini's Back on All Four Hooves Thanks to Prosthetic Boot
Midnite is a miniature horse at a rescue farm in North Texas; he has lived his whole life with a deformed hind foot that is missing its coffin bone, according to the Rescue.
Have you heard about Midnite? His story is all over the Internet and television news shows today. This young miniature horse was a law-enforcement rescue case who hopped into Ranch Hand Rescue in South Argyle, Texas on three legs. He couldn't put his left hind hoof down because...well, because it just wasn't there.
Midnite may have come to a safe, new home, but even as he gained weight and his overall health improved, he wasn't cheering up and that was a challenge. Almost as much of a challenge as simple movements like laying down, or getting back up. Scampering around with the other animals in the paddock wasn't an option. He won over the hearts of everyone at the rescue farm, especially director Bob Williams, and Bob decided to see if they couldn't do something to help the little guy.
The first attempt was using a donated Soft-Ride hoof boot (thanks, Soft-Ride!), with its removable gel-pad orthotics. These rehabilitation boots are familiar to many Hoofcare and Lameness readers, and lucky come in a vast array of sizes--even tiny enough for a mini. They taped the boot on the stump of his pastern each day and removed it each night. The staff massaged him, and powdered his stub, and they learned a lot about three-legged horses, especially how they need to re-disribute their weight after a long time of not using one of their limbs.
Here's a YouTube interview with Lane Farr, designer of the prosthetic clamshell boot.
From seeing a bit of improvement with the Soft-Ride boot, the rescue team, led by Bob Williams, scratched their heads and wondered what a human orthotics designer might be able to design for a tiny artificial hoof replacement.
Enter Lane Farr, a prosthetic designer with a lifelong connection to horses and a way with carbon graphite and fiberglas and gel foam. Lane designed a prosthetic support device that he told me both allows the little horse to bear some weight on what passes for a hoof, and also transfers some of the weight to a passive load share state rather than the direct load straight down the bony column through the pastern.
Lane told me that there is no medical history on the little horse,but that the assumption is that the deformity is congenital--it was present at birth.
The support/weight transfer boot has been through a couple of stages of re-design and Midnite is now able to run with it on, as you can see in the AP video.
I thought you might like to see these other videos, which show the boot up close. I'd love to see the inside of the boot and the gel construction and will ask Lane and Bob if we might get pictures of that. They're both busy with reporters today, and I know how they can be.
Hoofcare and Lameness apologizes for the ads on these and all videos. They are embedded by the hosts and they're just there, sorry. These television stations and media outlets are generous to allow Hoofcare and Lameness to embed the videos, or to post them on YouTube the way that Associated Press did. Many won't allow embedding at all, which is why many great stories can't be posted on the Hoof Blog. But for those who do work with us--the ads are ok, even though I will probably never need an orthodontist in Fort Worth! It seems like the least I can do for the privilege of sharing videos with you.
This short video has some good close-up views of the boot.
Finally, a big thanks, hats off and high-five to Bob Williams, the Board of Directors of Ranch Hands Rescue, Prostheticare, and Lane Farr for all their hard work on behalf of this little horse. I know some people say, "So what? Why bother?" but I would remind you that these are real people, without a lot of money to invest in a single case and who are pretty much self-taught, who took a risk and came up with a successful, low-impact way to help this horse.
What none of these videos tell you is that Ranch Hand Rescue could use your donation to help Midnite and all their other rescued animals. Here's a direct clickable link to their PayPal donation page. Please help them out!
It is true that with a $14,000 price tag, this clamshell design isn't going to sold every night on eBay, but this story has received more press than any story since Molly the Pony back in 2008, and I can tell you that that story had an amazing impact on the way that people think about going the extra mile and burning some extra brain cells before they give up on a horse.
I'd also like to thank Bob and Lane for taking the time to return my pestering calls when they have way too much going on already. Like me, they think you all, the readers of this blog, might be the ones who can make a difference.
Please prove them to be right.
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Tweet 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 Hoofcare Publishing. 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.
Thursday, September 09, 2010
Leg Boots for Sport Horses: Protection? Support? Do They Work?
How much do you know about protective and supportive leg boots for sport and performance horses? I don't mean just the difference between polo wraps and jumping boots, but how much do you really think they help prevent injuries to structures like the always-vulnerable suspensory ligament. Do you know the difference between protection and support?
British equine science consultant David Marlin PhD is about to teach you a lot more in this lecture kindly videotaped and provided for us by the US Eventing Association.
David's campaign to test horse gear the same way we test human gear makes a lot of sense and this video is a first step to understanding more about what some of the superficial leg injuries in eventing are like, where in the lower limb the horses tend to hit, how hard they tend to hit and whether a boot or wrap can make a difference.
Sit down, relax, and take this in, or make some time later to come back and watch this. Please Tweet or email this page to others so that this information can spread. It may sound basic, but we find over and over again that it is the most basic things that people often do not understand because they seem so...well... basic, that they don't bother to ask questions. This is written by someone who has put boots on upside down plenty of times and been publicly embarrassed for it!
I will certainly suggest to David that if there are to be rules about boots that marking "top" and "inside" should be mandatory.
Thanks again to US Eventing and to Dr. Marlin for providing this excellent lecture.
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