A number of equine veterinarians are trying the treatment protocol for refractory laminitis developed by Matt Frederick and his wife, Susan Tierney Frederick. One who is convinced of its effectiveness is Bryan Umstead, who practices in Livermore, Calif.

“I’m very enthused about it,” says Umstead. “I don’t have any hesitation about using it. Matt is definitely onto something here.”

Umstead has used the Permax-based protocol on about a dozen horses, including refractory cases as well as horses  developing laminitis for the first time.

“It has resolved the problem in all of them,” says Umstead. “Of course, if the coffin bone has already rotated, that’s not going to just go back, but the laminitis itself is resolved.”

Remarkable Case

The 1986 graduate of the University of California-Davis veterinary school said one case was particularly remarkable, as it involved a horse which has been suffering from refractory laminitis for years.

“When I first saw the horse I was handed an envelope that must have held a third of a box of X-ray films,” he says. “The horse couldn’t be ridden. We brought his toes back and started him on Permax. Within 2 weeks he was trotting around like a normal horse.”

Umstead says he used the major digital pulse associated with laminitis cases as his principle clinical symptom.

“In every case, that pulse was resolved completely,” he says. “The first time, I just couldn’t believe it.”

Has Some Data

Umstead has done limited testing to back up the Fredericks’ theory. He has…