Finally! Some Good Data on DDF Tenotomy for Laminitis

Although the procedure has been promoted for decades, mixed results with disparate outcomes have been reported for deep digital flexor tendon tenotomy (DDFT) as a treatment for refractory cases of chronic laminitis.

Researchers from the New Bolton Center at the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Veterinary Medicine conducted a retrospective descriptive study of outcomes for 71 horses (8% of 864 horses hospitalized with laminitis) that received a DDFT over a 12-year period. The distribution of males and females, as well as breeds seemed to generally follow that of the referral population with Thoroughbreds, Quarter Horses and Standardbred horses most common. The median age was 9 years.

Horses selected for tenotomy tended to have higher Obel lameness scores and have rotation but no signs of sinking. The likelihood of laminitis complications increased with each year of age. However, horses that underwent a DDFT were much more likely to show improvement 3-6 months after discharge. While not a cure, the authors regard the procedure as a viable option for improving the quality of life and welfare of horses with severe laminitis. The dramatic improvement seen at 3-6 months also suggests that when combined with corrective shoeing, DDFT is not just a salvage procedure but can also offer clinically significant improvement for horses returning to light work.

— Orsini JA and Stefanovski D. JAVMA 2026. DOI: 10.2460/javma.25.12.0839

AI to Identify Horses with Increased Fracture Risk

With the help of artificial intelligence, a collaborative group of researchers from Washington to New York developed computer algorithms to identify Thoroughbred racehorses at increased risk of sustaining proximal sesamoid and cannon bone condylar fractures while racing.

Over a 2½-year period, accelerometer data from 15,755 horses competing in 42,623 races at 13 different racetracks were accumulated and analyzed. Stride data from the back straight and final turn were used to identify the 54 horses within this group that were retrospectively identified as sustaining injury (23 condylar fractures and 31 proximal sesamoid bone fractures). The horses were divided into three groups based on their risk of injury, scored from 1 to 5.

For horses with risk scores greater than 3 over three consecutive starts, the probability of injury given the risk profile was 74%. Most of the fractures (89%) occurred in the higher risk category with scores of 3 to 5. Ninety-nine percent of the horses with a risk score less than 5 did not sustain an injury. and only about 1% of horses that did not sustain a fracture were “wrongly” assigned a risk score of 5. Although not a perfect test to identify horses that will sustain an injury, the authors suggest models like this will help identify horses at higher risk of these specific injuries prior to racing so that diagnostics and prerace examinations for fitness to race can identify these horses and help prevent these catastrophic injuries.

— Hall NP et al.  JAVMA 2026. DOI: 10.2460/javma.25.08.0556

Coconuts for Wound Healing

From Brazil comes an investigation of using powdered coconut water (PCW) as a treatment to aide wound healing.

Coconut water preparations are thought to have vitamins, minerals, sugars and bioactive compounds that could promote wound healing. This study compared PCW to a traditional antimicrobial wound healing ointment. Using local anesthetics, two small experimental skin wounds were made on the backs of eight horses using a circular biopsy punch. Once a day, each wound was treated with either PCW or the standard antibiotic ointment while they were monitored for healing for 14 days at which time biopsies of the wound margins were obtained and compared between treatments.

While all the wounds healed over time as expected with no complications, there was no difference in swelling, discharge, healing rate or the microscopic tissue examinations between the treatment groups. The authors stated that the study failed to demonstrate any advantages or specific effects of PCW on the healing of skin wounds but still concluded that more studies are justified and needed to investigate the potential of PCW as a wound healing treatment.

— Meneses CSB et al. JEVS 2026. DOI: 10.1016/j.jevs.2026.106126

Leg Wraps Affect Movement

Researchers in Brazil conducted an experiment to determine if elastic and fleece leg wraps affected stride timing, limb movement and gait symmetry after 20 minutes of standardized round-pen exercise. 

Six normal adult horses were alternately exercised with no wraps or bandaged with each type of wrap applied using a standardized amount of pressure over a period of 3 days. Immediately after exercise, the horses were walked and trotted over a track while fitted with accelerometers as part of a wireless inertial measurement system to assess movement and stride timing and variability. In addition, head, withers and pelvic movement were assessed to axial movement symmetry.

Axial movement symmetry was unaffected by the type of wrap used. Oddly, there was no apparent consistency for how the limbs were affected between left and right sides. The type of wrap affected the mean duty factor and stance duration at the walk on the left forelimb, but not the right. Similarly, right forelimb retraction was affected but not left. Fleece wraps seemed to affect stance duration variables while the elastic wraps were more likely to affect swing duration and retraction.

The authors suggest the elastic material may provide a more dynamic stimulus by stretching and recoiling during movement, but this remains untested. The authors emphasized the results suggest distal limb wraps affect localized modulation of movement more than a generalized change in coordination, but the reader should also consider whether multiple comparisons statistical errors producing a false positive result could be present.

— dos Anjos LS and de Siqueira RF. JEVS 2026. DOI: 10.1016/j.jevs.2026.106151