Cold Therapy For Laminitis

Standing the horse in ice water is an old time remedy but now veterinarians have ramped up the treatment and discovered how helpful cryotherapy can be.

Cold therapy for laminitis.

Some 30 minutes after discontinuing the cold therapy soft tissue perfusion increased to 86 6 percent of pre treatment values. Cold has an anti inflammatory effect causes vasoconstriction narrowing of blood vessels provides pain relief and lowers the metabolism of the tissues. The cold treatment decreased soft tissue perfusion in the hoof to 80 5 percent of pre cooled values. You can either use a muck tub with ice and water or use ice boots to apply the ice to the horse.

Scientists and veterinarians disagree about the actual effect the physiological reactions the correct application method and minimum temperature. With the heat treatment the soft tissue perfusion was 25 1 percent above the pre heated values. Cold therapy is much the same as it is in humans. Some horses that develop laminitis make uneventful recoveries and go on to lead long useful lives.

No single treatment works in every case of laminitis but researchers are learning more about what s likely to work best in each of the three types. For safety a 2 c 35 f minimum needs to be respected and a cooling period not exceeding 72 hours. Apply cold therapy icing the feet applying cold therapy cryotherapy has been shown to prevent or reduce the progress of sepsis related laminitis. Cryotherapy or cold therapy has been shown to prevent laminitis in the at risk equine patient and is often recommended for relieving pain and inflammation in the acutely laminitic horse.

Apply cold therapy to the feet to reduce inflammation and pain but not if cold induced laminitis feet cold management of laminitis feed low nsc 10 diet based on grass hay protein minerals vitamins linseed do not starve. Buckets or therapy boots filled with ice water. You ice down the horse s feet just as you would an injured knee or ankle in a human. Your veterinarian may be able to advise you on new therapies that may include standing your horse in ice water to prevent the onset of laminitis after a predisposing cause such as a retained placenta or a known grain overload.