Barbaro was reported in good spirits Friday, but full recovery for the Kentucky Derby winner and slated Preakness champion is still up in the air.
“You cannot give up; you can?t assume the end result is failure,” said Kim Hammond, chief of Falls Road Animal Hospital in Baltimore and former veterinarian for South Dakota race tracks.
Laminitis results from putting too much weight on one leg, which Barbaro has done since breaking his rear right leg in the Preakness, he said.
The laminae, an area in the hoof, is full of blood, and excessive pressure stops the circulation, killing the bone and creating skin ulcers.
Barbaro cannot be saved with a leg amputation because a three-legged horse is physically unfeasible, said Joanna Engstrom-Brown, an instructor at Gunpowder Stables in Kingsville.
The disease progresses quickly, and if Barbaro continues to put pressure on the foot, the laminitis will worsen. Initially, laminitis is reversible, but in Barbaro?s case, it cannot heal until his broken leg heals and the weight is evenly distributed. With two unhealthy hind legs, laminitis may spread to his front legs.
Engstrom-Brown said some experts believe laminitis is more common in thoroughbreds bred for speed, making their bodies more delicate.
Hammond said “economic considerations for Barbaro” are playing a role in the extensive treatment, because most horses with fractures like Barbaro?s are rarely operated on because of low success rates and high medical costs. The potential of Barbaro?s future offspring has raised questions of artificial insemination to save the bloodline. However, Cindy Deubler, associate editor of Mid-Atlantic Thoroughbred, said all racehorses registered with the Jockey Club must be naturally reproduced. However, Barbaro?s dam and sire are alive and could reproduce a full brother or sister. Cricket Goodall, executive director of the Maryland Horse Breeders Association, said: “This has been a very serious turn of events, we are all hopeful, but the industry as a whole is very discouraged by this.”
Barbaro?s Career: First-place results
» Maiden, Delaware Park in Wilmington, October 2005
» Laurel Futurity, Laurel Park in Laurel, November 2005
» Tropical Park Derby, Calder Race Course in Miami Gardens, January 2006
» Holy Bull Stakes, Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, February 2006
» Florida Derby, Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, April 2006
» Kentucky Derby, Churchill Downs in Louisville, May 2006
Source: www.espn.com
