HEADLINES
• The 2007
AHF benefit raised
a record amount
of money for laminitis research.
• Four AHF
researchers joined an international field of laminitis experts
to exchange ideas
in Florida.
• The hospital
now offers digital radiographs.
HOT TOPICS
• Laminitis
• Shock wave therapy
* Horse Heroes party
• Dr. Walsh recounts memorable stories from his 35-year career.
A mission for Homestead Veterinary Hospital
During Don Walsh's nearly 40 years in the field, he's given particular attention to one disease, laminitis. The crippling hoof disease destroys the tissue supporting the coffin bone and often leaves a horse in so much pain, the horse must be put down. To date, the cause remains unknown, and there is no treatment or cure.
Walsh's introduction to the disease came early,
as
a third-year veterinary student at the University
of Missouri-Columbia. It was his first day in the
equine clinic, and the first appointment was a
laminitic pony owned by a close family friend.
The pony's coffin bone was about to drop through
the sole, and the
supervising clinician asked Walsh
to deliver the news to the friend
that the pony
needed to be put down. Shocked that there was
no
treatment and saddened to have to make the
announcement,
Walsh learned to hate the disease that day.
In his early years of practice, he didn't see many cases of laminitis,
but he studied the disease relentlessly. Those studies included the
methods of Harry Bond, an old Illinois horse medic who used
homeopathic remedies and herbal curatives that seemed to be more
effective than conventional treatments.
As the cases of laminitis rose over the decades, Walsh's frustration grew due
to the lack of knowledge about the disease. He and several St. Louis friends started the Animal Health Foundation in 1984 to raise money for research. Laminitis was supposed to be the first of many diseases solved over the years, but that solution has remained elusive, and other diseases have had to wait their turn. Through private donations, charity dinners and an annual benefit horse show in St. Louis, the group managed to raise thousands of dollars year after year. With the addition of the Internet, people across the country have joined the cause, raising money at a faster rate than ever. To date, the foundation has contributed more than $850,000
to scientists.
Walsh maintains close contact with the researchers, including Dr. Chris Pollitt at the University of Queensland in Australia, and says that the answer to what triggers laminitis may be known soon.
