Layz D Equine Services, LLC

02/09/2026

Winter Respiratory Health
Though it has been a mild winter here in the Bitterroot, respiratory issues can stll happen. Try our Respiratory Blend support supplement to keep your horses lungs healthy. $25 for 600 grams, a 30 day supply.

You’ve heard of “winter cough” or “stable cough”. You wonder if it’s caused by a draft or a virus. Winter has special respiratory challenges.
◆︎ Outdoor housing:
Although you may have heard that outdoors is best for your horse’s respiratory health, it still has its challenges.

➡ Cold dry air: When a horse inhales, the respiratory mucosa warms the air and adds humidity. This can cause drying out of the mucosa, with the cilia unable to remove the debris effectively. This allows particles to become trapped in the lower airway.

➡ Bronchoconstriction: Cold air can also cause bronchoconstriction of the airways.

◆︎ Indoor housing:
To combat the cold, many people have enclosed barns. While this can reduce the heat loss in the horse, it exposes the horse to contaminants in the barn.

➡ Ammonia: This is a common problem in barns. It is a respiratory irritant. One of the problems is that ammonia gas is heavier than air. While you may not detect a strong odor while standing, the concentration is much higher at ground level. This affects horses when they lay down to rest.

Ammonia negatively affects the lining of the lungs. It damages the lung epithelium and the cilia to become less effective in removing debris. Additionally, it causes swelling of the airways and inflammation of the mucous membranes.

➡ Dust: We all know that hay and dust is common in barns. This is also a respiratory irritant.

01/19/2026

How Does Insulin Cause Laminitis?
By Dr. Kellon on January 18, 2026

It is now widely recognized and accepted that insulin resistance can cause laminitis. Research has shown that it is the high insulin levels themselves that have this effect, even in normal horses that are experimentally infused with insulin. The question remaining is how does insulin do this.

It has been suggested that high insulin levels cause inflammation and inflammatory cytokine release which then causes laminitis but research on tissue levels so far says no, that’s not the case: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24246153. Furthermore, equine obesity and blood insulin levels do not correlate with blood levels of key cytokines called http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20649750d in human metabolic syndrome: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23216530. Likewise, levels of cytokines in fat depots were no higher in insulin resistant horses than in insulin sensitive ones: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20649750 One study did find higher levels of the cytokine TNF-alpha in ponies with a history of prior pasture associated laminitis but seven other markers of inflammation showed no difference compared to ponies that had never had laminitis: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19108899

It is known that disorders that cause severe hind gut acidosis and damage, such as overload of grains or chickory root fructan, trigger laminitis by activation of tissue destroying enzymes called matrix metalloproteinases. That’s not the mechanism with insulin induced laminitis either: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21333362

There is one thing linked to IR that might be an important factor. That is elevated levels of endothelin-1. Endothelin-1 is a very potent vasoconstrictor. High insulin exposure also causes increase in receptors for endothelin-1 within the hoof, increased resistance to blood flow, tissue edema and changes in the laminae typical for metabolic laminitis – elongation of the secondary laminae. The detailed mechanism for the changes in the laminae is not known but the overall situation is similar to a heart attack in the feet. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=horse+laminitis+endothelin

We have much more to learn but by discarding the mechanisms that do not apply, and focusing on the unique changes associated with laminitis in insulin resistance, progress will be made in understanding the mechanism and the best way to treat these horses.

Eleanor Kellon, VMD

These data suggest that the nuchal ligament depot has unique biological behavior in the horse and is more likely to adopt an inflammatory phenotype than other depots examined. Visceral fat may not contribute to the pathogenesis of obesity-related disorders in the horse as in other species.

01/11/2026

Dont always believe marketig hype.
A reminder for those who have tried InsulinWise, or the knockoff 707 MetaStable, both have a money back guarantee. If you start these products at the same time as a diet or medication change, you will not be able to tell if they did anything. From the looks of the research results for both of them, you shouldn't expect much, if anything, to improve just from those products.
--
Eleanor in PA
www.drkellon.com
EC Owner 2001
The first step to wisdom is "I don't know."

12/15/2025

Bubbles the mini is ready to go home today. Im having full right shoulder replacement surgery on the 23rd so I wont be able to work on her so there is no reason for her to stay.

Here are photos of her final trim here on Saturday and reminders of what she arrived with. I think her new farrier will be able to continue to keep her sound and hopefully the pastern joints will continue to relax and she will have a more flat foot landing.

11/21/2025

LayzD Supplements. New formulas available. New package sizes.

11/14/2025

Remember the mini mare with the twisted hooves, walking on the sidewall. She's been here about 40 days. After a couple of rehab trims and several touch ups in between she is getting closer to walking flat. There is still a long way to go. Hopefully the owner will let her stay past the end of the month.

10/20/2025

⚠️Share Share Share ⚠️

Sunday Challenge (‘cos I know you spend Sundays with your extended family 🐴 🐴 😜)

The angle of the coronary band gives us important information about the internal structures of the hoof…

Here’s an easy way to check if your horse is in the danger zone 🚨…

or not 😌…

Stand your horse on a flat surface…

Place your camera low and parallel to the side of your horses leg…

Take a photo 📸

In photos ~ Click ‘Edit’ then the ‘pen’ tool button, here you can use the ruler to give you the angle of the coronary band 🎉

If your phone doesn’t offer this tool then a protractor works well too 😉

Yes, the angle of the coronary band will change slightly between trims…

However, if you are ever seeing angles similar to the red lines then, for the sake of your horse…

It’s time to ask questions… 🤔

So what did you find out? Post below👇🏼 ❤️

10/14/2025

09/03/2025

Here's an interesting comparison between human and equine anatomy from our friends at Barrow Veterinary Service:

"Did you know that horses are actually walking on the tips of their fingers and toes? 🐎👣

This diagram shows how the horse’s leg bones compare to ours. What looks like a single strong hoof is really the distal phalanx (or coffin bone) – the same bone that makes up the tip of your finger! The long and short pastern bones above it help absorb concussion, while the cannon bone provides strength and support.

Over time, horses evolved to lose most of their “extra toes” (shown in gray on the left). What remains is a highly efficient structure designed for speed, weight-bearing, and shock absorption.

Understanding this anatomy is one reason hoof care and regular farrier/veterinary visits are so important. Any imbalance or injury in these bones can affect the entire limb and your horse’s comfort.

So next time you watch your horse gallop, remember – they’re essentially running on a single finger, protected by a hoof! 💨🐴"

08/23/2025

2nd full front trim on Dusty the TWH mare. Before and after. A normal size hoof now but still things to correct in following trims