Advice please cushings/laminitis/abcess

F

flash1

Well-Known Member
Joined
12 April 2009
Messages
184
Visit site
I would be interested if anyone has any advice please. My old mare has recently had laminitis, poss cushings related has been on pergolide for apro 6 weeks and was recovering very well. a week ago after a trim from farrier she was very lame vet came out and said poss abcess but not really sure. have been polticeing and there is some improvement but she is still lame, there is a smell and some black discharge on poltice.
will get vet out again in a couple of days if not better but would be interested to know if anyone has experience of anything like this please
 
Ponies with cushings are more likely to have problems like absesses and infections, and this soggy weather probably hasn't helped. Keep poulticing and tubbing in salt water.
 
I would get a better vet. My little welsh sec B has severe laminitis and when we got the vet out she said it could be cushings and did blood tests. Did your vet not do blood tests? Really its the only way you can be sure that the lameness isnt caused by cushings. I dont really know about abscesses, but really your vet should be able to tell you if it is an abscess or not. Sorry for slagging off your vet, but I think you should get a second opinion.
 
Hi, I look after a pony that had laminitis and wouldn't improve. It was initially (mis?)-diagnosed as an abscess but when he didn't improve, vet blocked the lame front foot and he was lame on the other, so changed diagnosis to laminitis.

He had the standard laminitis treatment and management but he kept worsening, going lame also behind and getting more depressed over the next three months. He tested negative for cushings but vet diagnosed EMS and put him on pergolide and modrenal as a bit of a long shot, and within a few days he started to improve.

He improved slowly for a couple of weeks then went really sore again on the front foot that showed up lame first. Fortunately he was due for shoeing and the farrier had a look. He suspected an abscess and after LOTS of digging and poulticing, a few days later a massive abscess burst. He carried on improving and has been back in full work ever since except for a very mild case of lami. His x-rays were OK all along though and there wasn't much movement of the pedal bone.

No one knows if the abscess was there all along and triggered the lami, or if it developed because of the bad lami, but either way, yes I have a pony who has had these complications and I'm pleased to tell you he is now fine and I really hope yours will be too!
smile.gif
 
You should get the vet out immediately to determine exactly what the problem is. The fact that your horse has had laminitis meens that this should be treated as an emergency.

Horses will laminitis are prone to abcceses but you need a vet to diagnose if it is an abcess rather than something else.

Your vet needs to determine what caused the Lamainitis so that the treatment of your horse can be based on cause.
 
Just to be clear, she has had laminitis about 8 weeks ago vet came out and she was put on danilon acp and kept in on thick shavings bed with soaked hay etc she was then put on pergolide as the vet suspected it was cushings related she made a good recovery and was just starting to go out on restricted grazing when after a trim she went very lame vet came out and thought it may be a abcess but could not find it. she has been polticed and some discharge has come out has improved slightly over the last few days.
she did not have the blood tests for cushings as the vet said that due to her age it is very likely that cushings was playing a part in the laminitis she had also kept some of her winter coat which is a symptom of cushings.
I was just asking if anyone had any experience of abcess in cushings/lamanitic horses.
The vet has been several times and will come again if ness.
Thanks for your replys
 
The vet should take x rays to determine if there has been any rotation or dropping of the pedal bones.

Yes I have got two horses who have both had Laminitis in the past and also Cushings disease and are both on 250 mg of Pergolide.

The Abcess's appeared many month after the initial incident of Laminitis but where a result of it.

Having said all this long term you need to keep the weight of your horse well down so that she is showing her ribs and haunches. There is no doubt that when they carry far less weight the incident and severity of the incidents of laminitis are reduced.

Again I would strongly recommend that you get your vet straight in to determine what is causing the abcess.
 
Thank you for your reply, She did have xrays with the lamanitis attack. vet was out 4 days ago and could not find the abcess, as I said was advised to poltice and wait and see by the vet The farrier has been again now and found a large abcess and has opened it up so hopefully it should drain now. Her weight is now quite good but am worried about how much grazing she will be able to have in future she really does not like being in and as she is a old lady i am concerened about her getting stiff.
 
Mine are 27 and 24 and have daily turn out in a well drained sloping field with mature grass. I use electric fencing to keep them in a third of an acre and slightly move a few of the electric fence posts each morning to let them have a few munch-fulls of longer grass. When they come in at night they get a feed of half a scoop of bran, one scoop of Hi-Fi Light, a mug full of Lo-Cal, a measure of Formula 4 feet (Robert Eustate Laminitis Clinic), Cod liver oil and dampened with water and of course their Pergolide. They also get 2 -3 slices of well soaked hay. (one - two hours in fresh water). (Soak them in a builders cement mixing trough).

I keep their weight well down so that they are showing their ribs and haunches.

They are ridden daily for 1 - 2 hours during the week and at weekends up to 4 hours.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top