Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Cold hoof treatment lowers laminitis risk in horses with colitis
By Kullmann, A et al.·Published in Equine veterinary journal·2014·Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Prophylactic digital cryotherapy is associated with decreased incidence of laminitis in horses diagnosed with colitis.
- Species:
- horse
Plain-English summary
A group of horses diagnosed with colitis (inflammation of the colon) were treated with a cooling therapy called digital cryotherapy (ICE) to see if it could prevent laminitis, a painful hoof condition. Out of 130 horses, only 10% of those treated with ICE developed laminitis, compared to 33% of those who did not receive this treatment. The study found that using ICE significantly lowered the chances of developing laminitis, suggesting it could be a helpful preventive measure for horses at risk. However, horses that did develop laminitis had a much lower survival rate compared to those that did not.
People also search for: horse colitis treatment · laminitis prevention in horses · digital cryotherapy for horses
Abstract
REASONS FOR PERFORMING THE STUDY: Recent research suggested that prophylactic digital cryotherapy (ICE) improved lameness scores, diminished histological changes and early laminar inflammatory signalling in horses following oligofructose administration. In clinical practice, horses at risk for sepsis-associated laminitis receive ICE. Evidence to support this practice is lacking. OBJECTIVES: To determine factors associated with development of laminitis in horses diagnosed with colitis, including ICE. STUDY DESIGN: Multicentre retrospective case series. METHODS: Medical records for horses admitted to 2 university hospitals diagnosed with colitis with evidence of systemic inflammatory response from 2002 to 2012 were reviewed. Horses were excluded if they exhibited signs of laminitis at admission, were ponies, miniature or draught breeds, or <2 years old. Data were analysed using univariate and multivariate logistic regression. RESULTS: Twenty-seven of 130 horses (21%) developed laminitis. Seven of 69 (10%) horses treated with ICE developed laminitis compared with 20/61 (33%) horses that developed laminitis but did not receive ICE. Factors associated with laminitis included site of hospitalisation, admission respiratory rate (↑) and blood L-lactate (↑), and ICE (↓), P<0.05. Horses treated with ICE had 10 times less odds of developing laminitis compared with horses treated without ICE (odds ratio 0.11, 95% confidence limit 0.03-0.44). Sixteen horses (16/130, 12%) were subjected to euthanasia in hospital. Fourteen of these horses had laminitis and 2 did not develop laminitis. Survival for horses with colitis that developed laminitis was 13/27 (48%) compared with survival for horses with colitis that did not develop laminitis, 101/103 (98%). CONCLUSION: Laminitis occurred in more clinically compromised horses. Use of ICE reduced the incidence of clinical laminitis in the study population suggesting that digital cryotherapy is an effective prophylactic strategy for the prevention of laminitis in horses with colitis.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23927380/