| Kentucky Derby winning horse "Barbaro" has a | | | | time. |
| potentially fatal disease in his left rear leg, but | | | | The veterinarian said that though the complication is |
| veterinarians are pledging to do all they can to save | | | | serious, Barbaro continues to eat well, his weight is |
| him. | | | | maintained, his heart rate is normal and the stability on |
| Chief surgeon Dean Richardson said in a conference | | | | his right hind leg is good. |
| call Thursday that Barbaro has a severe case of | | | | Laminitis is an inflammation of the connective tissue |
| laminitis, an inflammation that has virtually destroyed the | | | | between a horse's hoof and the bone in its foot. If the |
| colt's left rear hoof. | | | | tissue is damaged, the horse loses the connection |
| The inflammation developed because Barbaro had to | | | | between the bone and the hoof. |
| bear most of his weight on his left hoof after his right | | | | The condition is extremely painful. The only treatment |
| hind leg was shattered at the Preakness Stakes May | | | | is for a horse to regrow the hoof wall, in much the |
| 20th in Baltimore. | | | | same way a human being would have to re-grow a |
| Richardson said that as long as Barbaro is not | | | | fingernail if the nail had been ripped off. |
| suffering, vets will continue to try to save him. | | | | Some information for this report was provided by AFP |
| However, Richardson said recovery will take nearly six | | | | and AP. |
| months, and the horse could be euthenized at any | | | | |