2021 Lecture Schedule

Orientation ~ Meet hosts Cindy McGinley and Sherry Morse, who will walk you through how this remote conference will unfold, and help you have the best conference possible.

Nancy Collins, ECIR Group Inc. President

Welcome

Eleanor M. Kellon, VMD

**EMS – What It's Not.
Equine science literature, recommendations, and marketing for various treatments of Equine Metabolic Syndrome (EMS) commonly compares this uniquely equine issue to human research. This lecture will explore EMS from a comparative medicine perspective, i.e., showing how it does or does not compare to metabolic syndrome and type II diabetes in people, and how this influences management.

Eleanor M. Kellon, VMD

**Protein and Iron — Their Effect in EMS and PPID Horses.
Protein has long been suspect as a driver for metabolic issues in horses (but with little research to support or understand this hypothesis). The impact of iron overload on Equine Metabolic Syndrome (EMS) has been largely overlooked. This lecture will review the possible impact of dietary protein, and the effects of (Pituitary Pars Intermedia Dysfunction) PPID and EMS on protein metabolism. Iron overload and the most current published report on iron overload and hyperinsulinemia will be reviewed. Attendees will learn how to evaluate dietary protein needs and understand precautions to be considered when feeding protein supplements, as well as learn dietary management for horses with iron overload.

Kathleen Gustafson, PhD

**Pros and Cons of Forage Analysis and Targeted Supplementation.
The bulk of the equine diet is forage. Dr. Gustafson will provide a detailed summary of how to acquire a proper sample, how to interpret a forage report, and how to apply the results to specific equine requirements. Attendees can expect to learn sampling techniques, how fiber components limit nutrients and macrominerals, the most common mineral deficiencies, and strategies to correct common deficiencies and excesses. Attendees will also learn differences in forage carbohydrates and which are implicated in glucose/insulin dynamics.

Shannon Pratt Phillips, MS, PhD, PAS

**The Effect of Exercise on Glucose Metabolism and Insulin Sensitivity in the Horse.
This presentation will focus on the basic science of glucose metabolism and insulin sensitivity, and how exercise — both acute (e.g., a one-time exercise bout) and chronic exercise (e.g., exercise conditioning) — affects it. It will summarize relevant research in this field, and will provide up-to-date information for horse owners and veterinarians about the importance of exercise for their horses.

Shannon Pratt Phillips, MS, PhD, PAS

**Strategies for Using Exercise as Part of Dietary Management for Overweight and/or Insulin Resistant Horses.
This presentation will be a more practical guide for increasing exercise in our horses and how the combination of dietary restriction and exercise can have an impact on weight-loss efforts and glucose metabolism.

Eleanor M. Kellon, VMD

**Common EMS and PPID Pharmaceuticals.
Use of pharmaceuticals in equine metabolic disease can be critical to good outcomes and more healthy equine lives. This lecture will review the indications, dosages, effectiveness, side effects, and controversies of the most commonly used drugs in Equine Metabolic Syndrome (EMS) and Pituitary Pars Intermedia Dysfunction (PPID), including pergolide, cyproheptadine, and metformin.

Eleanor M. Kellon, VMD

**Emerging EMS and PPID Pharmaceuticals.
Several new drugs have recently emerged for more successful treatment of equine metabolic disease. Attendees will learn current knowledge of newer treatment protocols, including cabergoline, bromocriptine, glyburide and canagliflozin pharmaceuticals for Equine Metabolic Syndrome (EMS) or Pituitary Pars Intermedia Dysfunction (PPID). Case histories will be reviewed.

Question and Answer Session

Break Out Sessions — Visit with the ECIR Support Team and Benefactors to discuss various topics.

Elaine Norton, DVM, MS, PhD, DACVIM-LA

**The Genetics of EMS.
We have suspected for over a decade that genetics contributes to Equine Metabolic Syndrome (EMS). However, we are just now discovering the full impact of genetics on this syndrome. This talk will focus on the heritability of EMS, as well as identified regions of the genome impacting this disease.

Elaine Norton, DVM, MS, PhD, DACVIM-LA

**The Impact of Genetics on Height and Insulin Dysregulation in Welsh Ponies.
Ponies have unique metabolic profiles and are at the highest risk of developing Equine Metabolic Syndrome (EMS). However, we have yet to determine why ponies have such a unique metabolic profile. This talk will focus on a recently identified genetic variant affecting both height and insulin dysregulation in a population of Welsh ponies.

Kathleen Gustafson, PhD

**Take it with a Grain of Salt – Navigating Nutritional Fact and Fiction.
Many feeding and supplement recommendations are based on feelings, testimonials, and bias without knowledge of the basic needs regarding deficiency remediation. Dr. Gustafson will highlight some common fears, myths, and misconceptions and explain the basic nutritional science behind supplementation. Attendees can expect to learn the rationale behind balancers, feeds, and targeted mineral balancing and how these apply to the equine population and, in particular, those with metabolic disorders.

**Reading the Foot – Thinking Vertically.
In the laminitic horse, understanding the current vertical location of the bones of the foot (relative to the hoof capsule and to sole thickness) can help eliminate some of the most critical errors in rehabilitation. This lecture will show attendees how external landmarks relate to radiographs; how to both estimate and measure the vertical relationship between the coronet and the extensor process of the coffin bone; and where bones are positioned within the hoof capsule to aid in trimming and shoeing decisions.

Pete Ramey, PHCP Practitioner/Clinician

**Reversing Hoof Capsule Rotation and Distal Descent.
The mechanics behind successful hoof capsule rotation reversal and distal descent reversal are subtle. Heel height and palmar angle are the most important balancing acts in hoof care and rehabilitation. In this lecture, attendees will learn how “the right” heel height is variable from horse-to-horse, even day-to-day, and how to evaluate and select the best current heel height/palmar angle to support healing.

Paige Poss, APF, Anatomy of the Equine, LLC

**Looking Internally at Distal Descent and Rotation in the Hoof.
This lecture will present a photographic glimpse of damaged and undamaged tissues, in order to gain a clearer idea of the internal shifts that can occur in hooves that are sinking or rotating. Understanding how and what tissues are being compromised when the hoof is changing can help create a better understanding of how to support and treat compromised feet.

Paige Poss, APF, Anatomy of the Equine, LLC

**Estimating Palmar Angle when Looking at the Hoof.
Visual inspection of the hoof is not a replacement for a good set of radiographs, but having a good idea where the coffin bone is sitting within the hoof capsule is crucial for a rehabilitating trim. The hoof capsule is rich with clues indicating palmar angles. Photographically exploring the relationship between external landmarks and internal structures will allow attendees to better understand and trust what they see in the capsule, presenting an additional way to assess whether changes to the palmar angle are improving or not.

Question and Answer Session

Break Out Sessions — Visit with the ECIR Support Team and Benefactors and discuss various topics.

Robert M. Bowker, VMD, PhD

**What is a Normal Foot? Questions Need to be Asked.
The importance of understanding the biology of the equine hoof and foot is critical to having a healthy and sound horse. What we often call “normal” anatomy is usually not normal. What we call a “sound” condition may not be healthy and can often have subliminal or insidious issues which eventually make a clinical appearance. In this lecture, we will illustrate what questions we need to ask to better recognize these issues. Research from detailed dissections and study of the distal limb in thousands of horses, both live and cadaveric, will bWe presented.

Robert M. Bowker, VMD, PhD

**Trimming Practices Can Encourage Decline in Overall Foot Health.
Trimming practices of the hoof capsule vary considerably from one hoof professional to another, but one constant remains: too often the frog and the sole are affected internally to promote the gradual decline of the entire internal structure, with most feet having some degree of decline in overall good health. Such practices usually result in the more obvious external changes of toe and heels, and an under development or atrophy of the frog. This lecture will illustrate how internal changes are much more drastic and catastrophic to the functioning of the foot than just mere change in shape of the hoof wall, affecting vasculature, support, and the architecture of the entire distal phalanx.

Robert M. Bowker, VMD, PhD

**Winter Laminitis: Why the normal trim can make an episode worse.
Most people believe the hoof wall is the primary loading structure. With the usual trimming only to the white line and neatening up the frog, the dorsal foot changes with gradual elongation and gradual alteration of biomechanics; these changes affect the vasculature to the dorsal foot negatively. Yet while blood flow to the foot remains unchanged, tissue perfusion to different areas of the foot changes. These changes to the dorsal foot reduce its effective perfusion. This presentation will show that with less effective tissue perfusion, the dorsal foot becomes compromised physiologically prior to laminitis with increased susceptibility to colder temperatures.

Robert M. Bowker, VMD, PhD

**How Trimming Can Improve Foot Structure and Function.
As we have seen in the previous lectures, most horses do not have perfectly healthy feet, yet as these issues are so common, we call them normal. By allowing the foot to adapt and respond to a correct physiological trim, the internal tissues can begin to improve, and become healthier. We will show that, if approached correctly, the internal anatomy can become truly “normal” again, allowing a healthier life for the animal.

Question and Answer Session