My horse has Laminitis

Dear Dr. Teskey,

While searching the web tonight looking for information on hoof resection and other treatments for chronic Laminitis, I read some of your writings on the damage caused by shoeing horses.

Since I pulled my 22-year-old Gelding's shoes in early spring, he has had
the first abcess (front right) in the ten years I've owned him.  Now he
has chronic Laminitis in both front feet.  He is 9-11 degrees rotated in the left front, and 13-15 in the right front with some sinking.  I'm wondering if you might have a different approach to treatment.

Thank you for your consideration.

Hi there,

There's so many things that need to be considered in these cases.  Depending on how long your horse had been shod and how much damage exists inside the hooves, recovery can be quite variable.  If your horse was not laminitic in shoes prior to pulling them, it does not sound right that he is in such a bad way right now.  Depending on how he was trimmed since the spring as well as other factors such as nutrition, hormonal balance, amount of movement, work schedule, etc.  I would suspect the trimming has been a problem and/or the hoof boots are not fitted correctly.  If you don't have hoof boots, this is an oversight that should be corrected ASAP.  Visit EasyCare, Inc for hoof boots such as the Easyboot Epics as well as Comfort Pads that can be cut to fit inside the boot.  They are wonderful at giving horses some relief.  Depending on who you have trimming and their familiarity with natural hoof care, things may get better pr worse.  Trimming this kind of horse with this problem is not easy.  Farrers in general cause more harm than good when they trim.  Someone familiar with natural hoof care techniques is much more likely to get you on the right path.  A quick search on the "net" or word of mouth in your area may lead you to someone like this.

If you're unable to find someone to help, and you have a trimmer that is willing to take some direction, (and you're willing to utilize a natural hoof care approach),  I can do an in depth consultation with you.  Please send pictures, and a complete history, etc.  I can give you my impression and recommendations and follow up with you.  If other things come up later on, which they usually do, I can continue to consult with you the same way as long as is needed. Meanwhile, there's a ton of stuff on various websites that will come up if you do some simple computer searches.

Keep up your search.  You're on the right track.  Let me know if I can help you.

Dr. Tom T.