Veterinary hirudotherapy for horse laminitis: Results of a nationwide study in Germany

The objective of the study conducted from May 2008 to August 2009 by the German Hoof Orthopaedic Society (Deutsche Huforthopädische Gesellschaft e. V.: DHG e. V.) was to investigate the efficacy of hirudotherapy in treating laminitis. The data was collected from 112 bloodsucker applications in 57 laminitic horses. In 84% of the cases, evidence of improvement in the clinical symptoms was noticeable after the application of hirudotherapy. The study results vividly show that the use of bloodsuckers in the treatment of laminitis comprises of meaningful therapy measures especially for acute cases.