Any experiences / advice - sore feet change of grazing

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ha903070

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Wondering if anyone else has any experiences of this and any advice please?

Big horse, 17hh 6 years old, shod front feet only.

Moved yards 8 weeks ago, spring grass coming through, been in work all the time normal weight, suddenly very footsore on forehand. Pulse in fetlock area can be seen. Vet has been out put foam pads on and turned her back out in a smaller area, both soles are sore but she is only lame on one foot. Suggestion of some laminitis and to get a graxing muzzle which I will do when the shop opens tomorrow (if they have an X full one).

However two years ago, similar time after moving yards again with autumn grass coming through we had the same problem on her hinds. She was box rested for a few days and came sound after the rest. Not shod at that time. Never had back shoes on as this mare kicks.

Is this likely to be laminitis or are some horses prone to sensitive feet after yard changes, the grazing on each move has been to better pasture than before. This mare is NOT fat and works 5 days a week.

Any advice / suggestions. She is not on box rest on this occasion.
 
a pounding digital pulse that can be seen and foot soreness definitely sounds like laminitis to me. If she has had laminitic signs before then you need to be wary of the quality of the grazing she has access to. Unfortunately this time of year when you get that first flush of spring grass it can be a nightmare for laminitis. Horses don't have to be overweight to get laminitis either.
 
Sounds awfully like laminitis to me. No offense but your vet seems to be a bit laid back about this. Usually they need to be boxrested completely on a deep bed, soaked hay, no hard feed, bute, some other drugs as well and the rest needs to be continual until sound. There are lots of people on here who will know more and the laminitis trust website is brilliant.

If a horse has early laminitis it needs to be off the grass - it is too late for a muzzle or small turnout as I understand it.
 
Yep, its laminitis. The horse obviously cant take the better nutrition, despite not being fat. Im surprised shes not on box rest, a horse with laminitis needs confinement as movement can cause more damage until the inflammatory phase is over and pain subsides.

Make sure you only feed high fibre feeds, low starch i.e. no cereals. Restrict grass from now on and consider getting the vet to assess for metabolic problems. Although tbh i would get a different vet as all cases of laminitis should be box rested at first and im surprised he/she has said its ok to stay turned out.
 
This sounds like laminitis to me too. I would take action very quickly to avoid a disaster. Laminitis affects horses far worse than ponies.

I would stable you horse for a few days and feed a small amount of hay that has been soaked for at least 24 hours to remove all sugars, and no hard feed. When she has recovered I would restrict grazing as much as possible, ideally on a small paddock.

Even though your horse is not overweight, they can still get laminitis.
 
Your horse has laminitis by the sounds of it - inflammation of the feet. You really should consider getting her in off the grass and confined to a stable on a comfy bed and fed an appropriate diet until she comes sound. I only say this because this is how my lad started back in August...something not quite right and sore on one front more than anything else...vet and farrier both put it down to an abcess so whilst I made his paddock very small, he was treated normally but polticed for an abscess (on vets instructions)...some three weeks later the vet called time on it and I got him over for xrays...they found it to be laminitis and the foot that had the 'abscess' was actually 12 degrees rotation of the pedal bone. If I had boxed him for a week or two at the time I thought he was 'not right' instead of trusting vet and farrier that it was an abscess we could possibly/probably have avoided the rotation. I am now - 8 months on - only just able to start walking him out in hand and hopefully able to ride him again too...a very long and painful process for all.
My lessons learn't tell me that in future if in any doubt whether laminitis or abscess, he will be stabled until sound without a doubt.
 
Agree with the others....pottamus has sound advice for you.

My mare 16.1hh has come into spring not as lean as I would have liked. She is a good doer and I struggle with her, 7years on and she's just been diagnosed with laminitis.

I caught it very early when she was lame in one foot. She's had 2 lots of xrays, has imprint shoes on, is bedded on deep shavings, soaked hay and is on bute and sedaline. Please be careful.
 
Thanks all for the replies, she is a lot better today and walking well, on one bute a day at the moment.

We have no stables as waiting for the planning so that is the reason she is not on box rest but the vet wasnt worried, the area she has is mainly dried mud with hardly any grass at all and she is getting hay to eat. She is so much more comfortable and is on less bute than she was on Monday. She isnt moving round much at all due to lack of space. There was some puffiness in her fetlock yesterday and Monday but this has now all gone down. Fingers crossed we and the vets are doing the best we can for her.

Vet has said if not much improvement by Friday morning to ring them to come back and see her again.
 
Sorry but I agree with the others, your vet seems to have a very laid back attitude to what is a veterinary medical emergency. If you have no stables then I accept that you cannot box rest, but the feet need as much support as possible, she should not be walking around on dried mud, if she has laminitis, which it sounds like she does, then the blood supply to the laminae is compromised, they begin to die, & when she walks around they will tear & the pedal bone will begin to rotate. She should have correctly fitted frog supports, be given acp to dilate the capillaries & help with blood flow & bute too. She is walking better because she is on bute, you need to check the digital pulses regularly to monitor how she is. Soaked hay is usually recommended, did your vet not give you a full programme of how to manage this? The recovery from this is going to take considerable time & very careful management. Also meant to say I am suprised that the vet has not suggested xrays, how can you tell what damage, if any, has occured without them, remedial shoeing may well be required, so the farrier will need to see the xrays to check the angle of rotation, if there is any.
 
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If you dont have stables then confinement in a small paddock is obviously all you can do to restrict exercise. However stabling on a deep bed also gives foot support, which she wont have on dried mud. Buy some gardeners kneeling boards and cut them to size and tape them on her feet for support. Either that or get loads of wood chip from your local tree surgeons and put that down in the paddock. You really do need to find a way to support the feet more.
 
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