Prognosis
The sooner the diagnosis is made the faster the treatment and the recovery process can begin. Rapid diagnosis of laminitis is often difficult since the general problem often starts somewhere else in the horses body. With modern therapies, most laminitics will be able to bear a rider or completely recover, if treated quickly, and if the laminitis was not severe or complicated (e.g. by Equine Metabolic Syndrome or Cushing's disease). Even in these cases, a clinical cure can often be achieved. Endotoxic laminitis (e.g. after foaling) tends to be more difficult to treat. Successful treatment requires a competent farrier and veterinarian and success is not guaranteed. A horse can live with laminitis for many years, and although a single episode of laminitis predisposes to further episodes, with good management and prompt treatment it is by no means the catastrophe sometimes supposed: most horses suffering an acute episode without pedal bone displacement make a complete functional recovery. Discovery of laminitis, either active or relatively stabilized, on an equine prepurchase exam typically downgrades the horse's value, as the possibility of recurrence is a significant risk factor for the future performance of the horse.
Several radiographic abnormalities can be judged to correlate with a worsened prognosis:
- Increased degree of rotation of P3 relative to the dorsal hoof wall
- Increased founder distance, the vertical distance from the coronary band (seen with a radiopaque marker) to the dorso-proximal aspect of P3
- Decreased sole depth
- Solar penetration by P3
Read more about this topic: Laminitis