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Botox for the equine hoof sounds like a punchline until you learn the science behind it. We sit down with Dr. Kali Slavik and repeat guest Dr. Andrew van Eps to explore a simple but high-stakes question in equine biomechanics: what happens when you inject botulinum toxin into the deep digital flexor (DDF) muscle, the muscle-tendon unit that helps control the rotational forces acting on the horse’s foot and distal phalanx (P3)? 

We walk through the anatomy in plain terms and then get into the study design, using healthy horses with one treated limb and one control limb to reduce variability. Kali explains how they used wireless pressure sensor membranes to quantify ground reaction forces at different hoof regions and track center of pressure during stance and at the walk, a powerful alternative to traditional pressure plates when you want more real-world movement data. Andrew shares what he expected to see and what surprised him once the numbers came in. 

Then we dig into the findings that matter most for equine laminitis: reduced toe force during breakover and a meaningful palmar shift in center of pressure, including changes seen even when the horse is just standing still. We also cover the practical realities, including the short-lived effect (about two weeks), who this may best help (think acute onset laminitis tied to SIRS or hyperinsulinemia), why it is less suited to chronic or support-limb cases, and the big barriers of cost and technical ultrasound-guided injections. We close with study limitations and the next research step: a blinded placebo-controlled trial that also looks at P3 rotation outcomes. 

If you care about laminitis treatment options, hoof biomechanics, and how veterinary research turns measurements into better decisions, listen now and share this with an equine colleague. Subscribe, leave a rating and review, and tell us what question you want answered next.

AJVR article: https://doi.org/10.2460/ajvr.25.12.0452

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