Any thoughts? Footsore mini.........

WelshMisfit

WelshMisfit

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Hi,

I have a mini Shetland who is currently very footsore. He IS overweight and I have tried everything to get weight off him over the winter but he seems to exist on fresh air! :(
He's been turned out during the day over the winter in a muzzle, with no rug on and no extra hay on the field. He's had no bucket feeds, one small haynet overnight, 3/4 filled with hay and I've triple netted it so he has to really work at getting at it. He has no treats whatsoever.
I noticed he was a little footy about a month ago on taking him down the field. :( The path down to the field is quite stony and he was paddling a little bit as he walked down it, but once he was in the field, he was galloping around like a lunatic. I stopped turning him out and soaked his hay for 12 hours to leach the nutrients out of it. I've had the farrier out, he's trimmed his feet and he says he can't see any signs of laminitis. He's been in on a deep shavings bed for over a week now, but he still seems very sore on his fronts. There's no heat or digital pulse and he's not rocking back on his fronts at all. He's standing very square.
I'm baffled as to what it could be as he's not obviously lame on either front leg, just footy :confused: Any thoughts?
 
I do think it may well be worth a vet exam to definitely rule out laminitis I'm afraid, especially at this time of year. :(
Thrush is something else to consider.
 
amandap said:
I do think it may well be worth a vet exam to definitely rule out laminitis I'm afraid, especially at this time of year. :(
Thrush is something else to consider.
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^ This, she may have very mild lami and if caught early easily treated. Better safe than sorry.
 
Sorry, should have mentioned I'd spoken to the vet and she's prescribed a 10 day course of bute for him. If he's no better after 10 days I have to ring her back. Was just wondering if anyone else might have an idea as to what it could be.
I just don't know what else to do for him. He's his usual cheeky self, bright eyed and bolshy as only Shetlands know how to be and while he's in his stable, he looks completely fine. I took him out tonight and walked him a couple of yards and he still looked sore. Perhaps I'm seeing something that isn't there :confused: He just looked cautious as he was walking, if that makes sense.
 
montyforever said:
^ This, she may have very mild lami and if caught early easily treated. Better safe than sorry.
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I'm treating him like he has lami, as that was my initial feeling. He'd been turned out after a frost and came in looking a little sore on the stony ground. I phoned the vet and she came out to see him. Wasn't convinced he had it as he didn't have the typical laminitic stance, but said we'd treat him like he had it to be on the safe side. He has a deep shavings bed, no turn out, bute etc, everything that the vet has advised.
 
Hope this doesn't sound like doom and gloom but my little shetland does the same thing but usually only in frosty weather. There is no sign of heat or a particularly backward stance and only mild digital pulses so it foxed the vet the first time it happened but if it is allowed to develop it does become full blown laminitus. Like your pony, there was no obvious signs for the farrier until the following 8 week visit when there were clear signs of trauma in the hoof wall. I think you are doing the right thing by erring on the side of caution and treating as if it is laminitus - meantime, hoping that it is something simple like bruised soles. Best wishes
 
Can he be turned out in a grass free area? If he is in laminitis he my need to be off the grass altogether. I'd put him on to soaked and rinsed hay too and see if that helps.

This site does a diet sheet for laminitis.He wont need a 'feed' but some minerals such as magnesium and supplements may be helpful. http://www.metabolichorse.co.uk/

No treats or carrots etc. for the present.
 
Low-Grade Laminitis warning bells going off...if that's what it is, it sounds like you got him off the grass just in time! In LGL, you probably won't see the "laminitic stance". Does he look at all as though he's standing over his fronts, maybe putting his hinds farther under himself than normal? It's less obvious than the "rocking back" stance...pending further investigation, I'd continue to have him on soaked hay. Do you have a grass-free turnout area?

I hope some of the feeding gurus on here find your post! I hope your pony feels better soon! :)
 
Thanks Katkin, was hoping it would be something simple like bruised soles but I'd rather be over cautious and keep him in off the grass than risk it developing into full blown laminitis. Have one horse already who's had toxin related laminitis in the past, so definitely don't want to go down that road again! :(

amandap and spookypony.....yes I have an area on my livery yard where he can be turned out with no grass but it's a concreted area so not sure if it would be ok to turn out there while he's still sore. He doesn't seem to be standing over his fronts either but I will double check on that tomorrow as no one has ever mentioned that to me before.
I'm at my wits end as to how I can get some weight off him. I can't exercise him at the moment because of all this and I don't know what else I can do. I can't starve him because if he does have lami, it's the last thing I should be doing. Have even considered putting his muzzle on him while he's stabled! :(
 
A concrete area may not be a good idea for turnout while he is sore.
Could you tape off a strip down a side of the field where the grass is sparse (she writes hopefully) and put small piles of soaked/rinsed hay out for him. I have heard of horses managing to eat soaked hay wearing a muzzle. So if he is happy in a muzzle and you have observed him getting the soaked hay through it, that might be a way of increasing his exercise, reducing calories on a soft surface.

My mini prone to laminitis doesn't 'stand over' or rock back but is stiff and pottery when her laminitis flares up. I think you're very wise to treat as if he has laminitis. I hope he feels a bit better soon.
 
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