The American Association of Equine Practitioners Foundation is calling on veterinarians to volunteer information about naturally occurring cases of laminitis for the first study of The Laminitis Research Project which will attempt to identify risk factors and future research priorities.
Laminitis Research Project to identify risk factors
AAEP calls on vets for information about naturally occurring cases of laminitis.
The Laminitis Research Project unites veterinarians and horse owners in a collaborative effort to uncover new information about the causes, prevention and treatment of laminitis. One of the most complex conditions confronted by equine veterinarians, laminitis, is a demobilizing disease that affects the critical laminae structures of the equine foot.
Researchers coordinating the first study in the project series, A Case-Control Study of Pasture- and Endocrinopathy-Associated Laminitis (PEAL) in Horses, are currently seeking cases from practicing veterinarians in the United States and Canada.
This study is supported by the Foundation and by Prascend® (pergolide mesylate), manufactured by Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica, Inc. By identifying risk factors associated with this form of the disease, researchers hope to develop strategies for management and prevention, as well as identify priorities for future laminitis research.
“It is our belief and hope that our study of naturally occurring cases of PEAL will identify factors that can be further investigated as means for preventing or controlling this form of laminitis,” Noah Cohen, VMD, Ph.D, DACVIM, principal investigator of the PEAL study, said. “We are reliant on the goodwill and commitment of AAEP members in the United States and Canada to help us obtain the necessary information and samples from affected horses and unaffected horses that will serve as controls.”
Veterinarians can contribute to the study by submitting first-time occurring cases of PEAL in horses they see in their practices. Each participating veterinarian will be asked to gather data including signalment, diet, housing and health management, morphometric measurements, and blood samples from one incident case of laminitis and two control horses.
To sign up, visit the study website at http://www.vetmed.tamu.edu/laminitis
Participating AAEP-member veterinarians may also enroll in the study by contacting the Dr. Michelle Coleman, the study coordinator, at mcoleman@cvm.tamu.edu or (979) 219-3523. Upon registration, the participating veterinarian will be sent all necessary study materials, including access to the study survey, instructions on performing morphometric measurements, and blood collection and shipping supplies.
The AAEP Foundation, a 501(c)(3) organization, was created in 1994 as the charitable arm of the American Association of Equine Practitioners. The AAEP Foundation’s mission is to improve the health and welfare of the horse through support of research, education, benevolence and the equine community. Since its inception, the Foundation has allocated more than $2.2 million to support its mission.