Dr. Schell,
I have a gelding that was diagnosed with laminitis 2 years ago and we have struggled with his condition ever since. He has had special shoes applied, turned out onto a dry lot and fed low starch feeds. He is also on bute daily for pain as well as several other medications to control his condition. Is there anything that your product, Cur-OST, can offer him that he hasn’t had already?
Signed,
Painful in Alabama
This is a very typical type of question that I receive via email. Many horse owners are struggling with laminitis, especially this time of the year. Springtime brings with it new grass growth that can be very high in carbohydrate or sugar levels. This sugar not only leads to weight gain, but can contribute to the development of insulin resistance as well as a host of other health conditions in the horse. The typical therapies for a foundered or acutely laminitic horse are to remove them from pasture, dry lot confinement, low starch feed, foot support by means of special shoes, pain medication and possibly a few supplements. I have to admit that I too, as a veterinarian, followed this train of thought for over a decade and yes, we did see some horses improve clinically, but what a terrible life they lived, confined to a dry lot while all their buddies are out on pasture. They are almost being punished for enjoying their life and eating. The long story short is that our clinical research at Nouvelle Veterinary is indicating that many of these horses, laminitic and insulin resistant, are presenting with moderate oxidative stress (see previous blogs). The source of the oxidative stress is most likely underlying metabolic problems and chronic inflammation. It becomes a vicious cycle, as the oxidative stress builds, more cellular damage is done and more inflammation is produced, making the condition of laminitis and insulin resistance worse. I think the key is to determine if oxidative stress is present in these cases and then treat accordingly. Cur-OST was designed to help reduce inflammation naturally as well as combat and neutralize free radicals in oxidative stress conditions. In our hospital setting, this is exactly how the product works. In a high percentage of laminitic horses admitted to our hospital, we can place them on the Cur-OST product twice daily along with foot support and very low doses of phenylbutazone, and have them show marked improvement in their lameness within 3-5 days. This is a far cry different than what we would expect with traditional therapies. Cur-OST is a different approach to equine inflammatory conditions, but one that shows tremendous promise.
So…to answer the question, YES, I think Cur-OST has ALOT to offer any horse with laminitis.
Tom Schell, D.V.M.
