The Animal Health Foundation Celebrates 25 Years of Helping Horses!

The Animal Health Foundation’s quest to understand laminitis and end the disease in horses began 25 years ago. We celebrated our 25th anniversary on Saturday, November 21, 2009 with an all-day Equine Laminitis Conference and a dinner-auction fundraiser party that evening. 

Researchers currently funded by AHF presented the latest knowledge in the field of equine laminitis.  Conference speakers included Drs. Chris Pollitt, University of Queensland; Phil Johnson, University of Missouri; Samantha Brooks, Cornell University; Amy Rucker, private practitioner; and Kathryn Watts, Forage specialist.

Horse owners as well as veterinarians and farriers attended the conference which offered 7.5 hours continuing education credit to veterinarians.

A dinner party and silent & live auctions were held in the evening.  The fund-raiser party featured dinner, entertainment and horse and farm-oriented auction items as well as artwork, jewelry, trips, tickets and other enticing gift items.

AHF is a volunteer organization and all proceeds of all events are used to fund equine laminitis research. The Animal Health Foundation’s goal is to Free the horse from laminitis.

For more information and pictures from the event, go to AHF 25th Anniversary Events...

Carolina Laminitis Symposium

The 1st annual Carolina Laminitis Symposium will be held May 15, 2010, in Columbia, SC. It will be an all day seminar dedicated to providing the horse owner with the latest laminitis research. In addition to providing a wealth of information for horse owners, proceeds from the event will be donated to the Animal Health Foundation. For more information and to register for the event, go to their website at: www.carolinasymposium.org

 

International Wild Equid Conference

Our friends at the Australian Brumby Reasearch Unit will be conducting a worldwide Wild Equid Conference. The conference will be held in Australia from June 21 thru June 26,, 2010. For details please read the event flyer. Or check out the unit's web site: www.wildhorseresearch.com.

 

Comfort Your Den in 2010

Harvest Arts Gallery in Eureka, Mo will have featured exhibits of thee local artists in March and April to benefit the AHF. The artists are Leslie Faust, Steve Grzyb and Lanie Frick. Each has donated a piece to be raffled off for the benefit of the foundation, Our sincere thanks to Harvest Arts and the artists. For more information, please visit the gallery's website at: www.harvestarts.com

 

 

Cornell University Seminar: The Role of Insulin in Laminitis

 

The role that insulin plays in equine laminitis continues to gain interest among researchers.  Dr. Don Walsh was invited by Dr. Ned Place of Cornell University to speak on the subject to the Department of Population Medicine and Diagnostic Sciences.  On October 7, 2008 he gave a presentation, “Equine Laminitis – the Role of Insulin”, which was based on the results of a field study Dr. Walsh carried out in conjunction with Cornell’s endocrinology laboratory.

 

The field study showed there is a significant correlation of insulin levels to endocrinopathic laminitis cases: the higher the insulin level, the greater the severity of laminitis.  Insulin levels also make it possible to predict the possible onset of laminitis, to monitor an ongoing case of laminitis and to help in managing the treatment of a case.  The results of this study will be published in a paper which has been accepted for publication in the Journal of Equine Veterinary Science in February, 2009.   The authors of the paper are Donald M. Walsh, DVM, Catherine M. McGowan, B.V.Sc., Ph.D., Thomas McGowan, B.Sc., DVM, Stephen V. Lamb, B.S., Barbara J. Schanbacher, DVM and Ned J. Place, Ph.D, MD

Dr. Don Walsh, AHF and Dr. Ned Place, Cornell University

During his visit to Cornell, Dr. Walsh met with Dr. Tom Divers and Dr. Ned Place regarding improvements in diagnosis and treatment of insulin resistance.  He also met with Dr. Samantha Brooks who is involved in a genetic study of laminitis and will be providing DNA samples to her for use in the study.  And Dr. Walsh conferred with Michael Wildenstein, Cornell’s resident farrier, on treating laminitic patients.

The results of the insulin/laminitis field study will be posted on this website following publication.

 

Dr. Walsh Inducted Into International Equine Hall of Fame

     The Animal Health Foundation is proud to announce that Dr. Donald M. Walsh has been inducted into the 2009 International Equine Veterinarian Hall of Fame.  The award was presented at the 6th Annual International Hoof-Care Summit held Feb. 3-6, 2009 in Cincinnati, Ohio.  The Summit is a gathering of some of the top farriers, equine veterinarians and educators from around the world. 

     “This group consists of equine veterinarians who have made a substantial difference in the lives of horses and their owners”, according to Frank Lessiter, editor/publisher of the American Farriers Journal and host of the International Hoof-Care Summit.  Members of the Hall of Fame consist of two categories, Practicing Veterinarian and Research & Teaching Veterinarian, and are honored for advancing Equine Veterinary Medicine. 

     New members of the International Horseshoeing Hall of Fame were also inducted at the Hoof-Care Summit.

     The March, 2009 issue of American Farriers Journal will include an feature saluting the new Veterinarian and Farrier Hall members and highlighting the careers that have led to their inductions.  Dr. Walsh’s great interest in equine laminitis and the establishment of the Animal Health Foundation to fund laminitis research will be included in the article.