Experimental Drug Offers Laminitis Hope
Friday, 16th November 2012
Horses suffering Laminitis, an often life-threatening hoof condition, have been offered a beacon of light via an experimental drug, reportsbloodhorse.com. “Discovered by entomologists doing research on biological insect control substances,” the new drug “now holds some promise as an effective treatment for laminitis.” Known as t-TUCB, the new drug will undergo clinical trials by “veterinarians at the University of California, Davis, School of Veterinary Medicine.” Due to how crucial a breakthrough this might prove for the equine community, the early findings have been announced far earlier than would normally be the case, with Alonso Guedes, an assistant professor at UC, Davis, School of Veterinary Medicine commenting: “This is an unusual step for us to announce this so far in advance, but because euthanasia is often the only way to alleviate pain in severe laminitis, we felt that it was important to let the veterinarians and horse owners know that this compound has shown potential as a treatment.” The latest high profile victim of Laminitis has been Gr1 winner Paynter, who has been in and out of recovery over a prolonged period.