Case Study: Chronic Inflammation and Low-Grade Laminitis Recovery
Equine Podiatrist: Sian Hilbourne
Horse: Cookie, 5 year old Shetland
Background
At his first appointment in July 2025, Cookie was very footsore, presented with an excessive heel-first landing and a reluctance to walk. It was clear that he was suffering from symptoms characteristic of chronic inflammation, with high heels and long toes.
It was likely that Cookie had experienced some laminitic rotation, but the client was not in a position to get X-rays, so we trimmed cautiously and safely to get Cookie more comfortable.
July 2025, pre-trim
July 2025, post-trim
May 2026, post-trim
Cookie was turned out in a lush field with unrestricted access to rich grass. Luckily the client had an area around the stables where Cookie could be kept virtually grass-free. He was “restricted” to a large yard with an area of hedgerow and a large sand loafing area while we stabilised his inflammation by removing the environmental factor that was likely causing it.
As he recovered and became more comfortable, we slowly opened up a small area of hedgerow with a bit of grass, and he is now living in this larger almost grass-free area very happily.
As a precaution, we did get Cookie a blood test to check his insulin levels, which came back below the threshold for EMS, but this will be something we monitor as he gets older.
Cookie is currently thriving, is comfortable and has been stable within a few weeks of my intervention (through removing Cookie from grass) and throughout 2026.
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