Dr. Judith L. Mulholland

Corticosteroids vary in their ability to induce laminitis e.g., (Prednisolone < Dexamethasone < Triamolone) and the effect may be dose related. Traimcinalone is used for intra-articular injections of fetlock joints and in much of the medical literature the advised dose for the number of joints should not exceed 18mg/horse. These drugs vary in their effect between horses, the sicker the horse, the more likely laminitis is to occur. However, it is often the acutely ill animal that requires corticosteroids. Therefore, it is a combination of health status, dose and potency which combine to cause the effects leading to laminitis.

Corticosteroids and NSAIDs all act synergistically (together), and the effect of combining them can be to increase the degree of side effects dramatically compared to the increase in drug dose. Therefore these drugs should NOT be used in combination with one another.

Equine Cushing’s Disease or Equine Pituitary Gland Hyperplasia (EPGH)

Refer to this section of the website.