A method for treating or preventing laminitis is provided comprising administering to an ungulate a therapeutically or prophylactically effective amount of a camelid protease inhibitor. Typically the ungulate is a horse and the camelid protease inhibitor is an inhibitor of equine metalloproteinases and equine serine proteases. The inhibitor may be isolated from blood from healthy camelid or may be generated by inoculating camelid with purified equine metalloproteinase enzymes and serine proteases or with snake venom metalloproteinases, such as those obtained from
