Page 43 - 2020 Stallion Register

“The target temperature for cold therapy for laminitis is to maintain the hoof wall at 5 to 10 degrees Celsius for 48 to 72 hours. Researchers found that the only method that really got the temperatures low enough and had the most positive e° ect was use of ice slurry, submerging the feet.”
LAMINITIS
There is not much scientific documenta-
tion regarding actual benefits of cold therapy in horses. “The exception is laminitis. Cold therapy is the only thing that has actually been proven
to stop progressive effects of laminitis. One of the first studies used the oligofructose (sugar overload) model to induce laminitis in the test horses. This is a known model for laminitis. The researchers applied cold therapy to the horses just before they gave the sugar overload. Those horses did not get the classic signs of laminitis that we typically see with that model,” says Seabaugh.
“That was exciting, but rarely are we able to apply cold therapy before we know that a horse is going to develop laminitis. So, the researchers fol- lowed up with another study; they gave the oligo- fructose first, and once the horses started to display signs of laminitis at a walk, they added the cold therapy. That, too, reduced the severity of laminitis. This study provided the first evidence to support the use of cold therapy for acute laminitis,” she says.
“This disease is so frustrating, but if a person can start cold therapy soon enough, it can be very beneficial. If a horse is showing signs of laminitis, you need to call the veterinarian immediately, but if in the meantime you can begin cold therapy it could be very helpful for the horse.”
As a follow-up to their first studies, the researchers tried various methods of applying cold, to see what might work best. They did everything from submerging the feet in buckets of ice-water slurry at different levels (hoof high, pastern high, fetlock high) and compared ice- water slurry to use of gel packs around the feet and ice-filled bags secured around the pastern.
“The target temperature for cold therapy
for laminitis is to maintain the hoof wall at 5
to 10 degrees Celsius for 48 to 72 hours. The researchers found that the only method that really got the temperatures low enough and had the most positive effect was use of ice slurry, submerging the feet. If you can get the horse to stand in buckets and keep adding ice-water, this is often your best route. You have to maintain constant cold, so this necessitates continually adding new ice slurry,” says Seabaugh.
“One of the things we do with horses in our hospital is put the feet in heavy-duty bags filled with ice slurry and keep changing them as the ice melts. These are taped higher on the leg— about fetlock level--to hold them in place. Once
we secure the bags to the feet the horses are comfortable with this because they are able to move around (not having to stand in buckets).” Depending on time of year and temperature, a person has to replace the ice every 1 to 2 hours
EQUINE ATHLETES RECOVER˜ ING FROM PERFORMANCE
Another use of cold therapy is to help athletes recover quicker from the strains and stresses of performance. This has proven to be beneficial with human athletes and is now being applied in horses.
“We often see human athletes with ice packs taped to their shoulders or using an ice-bath after a performance. In the racing world, we often see horses after a race standing in buckets of ice-water, or ice boots up to their elbows or past the hocks,” says Seabaugh.
There are several products and modalities being used for equine athletes, such as the cold salt-water spa in which the horse stands in a tub of circulating cold salt-water up past the knees and hocks. “In the rehab centers and other places that utilize these, this method has been a great addition to their programs,” she says.
Another company called Game Ready makes products that circulate cold water through a special boot. “Utilizing some of this technol- ogy when it’s available can also be helpful. The ice-water keeps circulating around the limb and has a pulsing effect as well. It doesn’t get the feet cold enough for treating laminitis (not as cold
as an ice slurry), but keeps the limbs adequately cold for treating athletic soreness,” she says.
Human literature has shown the benefits of cold therapy for human athletes. “One article, for instance, showed the effectiveness of cold water immersion on post-match recovery in elite football players. The players participated in a match and then had some performance tests during the 24 to 48 hours after the match, after being randomly assigned to different groups. One group utilized passive recovery, another utilized cold therapy recovery, and another used contrast water therapy (hot and cold). The only group that showed a significant beneficial effect was the one that utilized cold water immersion. Those athletes came back to peak performance faster and had less pain and fatigue after the match. The cold water immersion helped them
Heavy-duty bags ÿlled with ice slurry are taped higher on the leg—about fetlock level--to hold them in place. Depending on time of year and temperature, a person has to replace the ice every 1 to 2 hours
If you can get the horse to stand in buckets and be able to keep adding ice water, this is often your best route. You must maintain constant cold, so this necessitates continually adding new ice slurry.
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