Treatment For Acute Laminitis

There is no proven or consistent treatment for laminitis o grady said.

Treatment for acute laminitis.

Recommended treatments include intravenous fluids parenteral antimicrobials flunixin meglumine and hyperimmune serum or plasma. If all of his feet are affected he may prefer to lie down. They include dimethyl sulfoxide dmso acepromazine aspirin flunixin meglumine heparin isoxsuprine and warfarin. Consequently treatment regimens for both acute and chronic laminitis generally remain empiric and are based on the past.

Other options for analgesia include detomidine butorphanol morphine or a constant rate infusion of a cocktail of sedatives and analgesics. If his front two feet are affected he may rock back to remove some of the weight on his front feet. Some cases need trimming of the hoof. Feed only grass hay until advised by your veterinarian.

Figure 7 free lunging on a soft surface is a good way to re introduce exercise after laminitis in horses and ponies with ems. Stop feeding all grain based feeds and pasture. After exercise always ensure that the lameness has not returned and the horse walks out well. The aim is to help relieve pressure stabilise and maintain correct foot balance and rehabilitate the foot.

Symptoms will change as laminitis progresses from acute to chronic. Laminitis is very painful so initially you will notice your horse is very uncomfortable. In serious cases of laminitis acute or chronic where the prognosis is poor euthanasia is often recommended to prevent further suffering. Options for pain management and alternative treatment options may be suggested by your vet.

Treatment will depend on specific circumstances but may include the following. A variety of medications to treat the acute and refractory forms have been used with a variable degree of success. Additional laminitis preventative measures include the administration of anti inflammatory drugs vasodilator heparin oral aspirin and placement of the horse in the stall. A case of acute laminitis in horses may take several days to weeks to respond.

Treatment of laminitis if a horse or pony displays these symptoms it is important to call a vet immediately and follow treatment plans carefully. Diagnosing and treating the primary problem laminitis is often due to a systemic or general problem elsewhere in the horse s body. Every horse is different and will show different symptoms and different degrees of pain recognise and investigate any of these signs too many horses go undiagnosed because the early signs of laminitis are not picked up the earlier you recognise the symptoms remove the.