http://www.philly.com/mld/dailynews/sports/15195596.htm

Update on Barbaro is positiveBy DICK JERARDI
jerardd@phillynews.com
Exactly 3 weeks after Dr. Dean Richardson presided over a news conference where none of the news about his patient was good, the news on Kentucky Derby winner Barbaro is about as positive as could be imagined.

At the New Bolton Center in Kennett Square on July 13, Richardson revealed that Barbaro had developed laminitis in his left hind foot, calling it "basically as bad a laminitis as you can have."

Imagine someone ripping off your big toenail. And then trying to grow it back. Laminitis is incredibly painful in horses and often fatal. Richardson did not try to kid anybody that day, saying that Barbaro's chances for survival were "poor."

Richardson and his staff, however, were not giving up. They treated the pain aggressively with a number of medications. They gave Barbaro round-the-clock care. The patient, who fractured his right hind leg in three places early in the Preakness and was a longshot to survive that, has responded again.

According to a statement released by New Bolton yesterday morning, Barbaro's "left hind hoof is slowly showing evidence of regrowth after surgery last month to treat laminitis. Laminitis occurs when laminae, the strong connecting tissues that attach the pedal bone and the inner hoof wall, are inflamed."

"The coronary band [the portion of the hoof that is responsible for continued downward growth of the hoof] is beginning to re-establish itself," Richardson said.

The left hind is encased in a foot cast that is changed daily. The right hind remains in a longer cast.

"The original fractures have apparently healed well, but the cast is necessary to protect the pastern fusion," Richardson said. "This protection is required because he must bear most of his weight on the right hind limb due to the laminitis in the left hind leg."

When he explained that Barbaro had developed laminitis, something that often happens when a horse bears too much weight on a "good" leg, Richardson also said growing back the hoof would take months. This has been only weeks, but so far so good.

With horses, good things often take quite a long time to manifest themselves, while bad things can happen in almost no time. That is what Richardson has fought since the Preakness on May 20. The surgeon and his team appeared to be winning for 6 weeks. Then, it looked as if they were losing. Now, they appear to be winning again. But this race is far from over.