Filled in hollows above the eyes - warning of laminitis

Wagtail

Wagtail

Horse servant
Joined
2 December 2010
Messages
14,815
Location
Lincs
Visit site
With Spring approaching I thought I would warn people of the significance of fat pads above a horse's eyes. It's something that many owners, includng myself in the past, may miss, but it is highly significant. It means that such a horse has a high risk of developing laminitis. It means that they likely have a metabolic disorder such as insulin resistance or Cushings. Even if a horse tests negative to IR, I believe that filled in hollows above the eyes is a better indicator than blood tests. I got my mare put onto metformin tablets despite testing negative to IR and since recovering from her last bout of laminitis the hollows above her yes are back to normal. The other laminitis prone horse at my yard also tested negative but has fat pads above his eyes so we treat him as though he is insulin resistant. So take a careful look a your horse next time you see them. I wish I had noticed this small warning sign.
 
Last edited:
Well said. My old mare had Cushings, but was only discovered following a serious bout of laminitis. I remember noticing her hollows were filled a couple of months before and thinking nothing of it.

I may have been able to prevent her suffering a laminitis attack had I known the above.
 
kaiko said:
Well said. My old mare had Cushings, but was only discovered following a serious bout of laminitis. I remember noticing her hollows were filled a couple of months before and thinking nothing of it.

I may have been able to prevent her suffering a laminitis attack had I known the above.
Click to expand...

You did well to even spot it. It's something that you don't even tend to notice. It happens so gradually. But I would have saved myself and my mare a lot of heartache. Even one bout of laminitis can be devastating and do permanent damage. And it is something that you tend to think your horse is immune from if they are not your typical hairy pony. My girl has Cushings and IR as well.
 
PeterNatt said:
Also ensure that your horses are regularly blood tested and/or wormed using a specific wormer for emerging encysted small red worms as these can initiate an incident of Laminitis.
Click to expand...

Very good point. Blood levels can change dramatically throughout the year.
 
Thank you for posting this.

I was aware of the significance of fat pads, but I haven't checked them in ages. He has lost lots of weight since I got him and have become a little complacent, so I will check him tonight. xx
 
It was one of those things that when I thought back, I remembered noticing it and dismissing it. She used to get puffy glands occassionally also. But like you say, she wasn't a little fluff ball and had never had any issues with laminitis in the 17 years I had her.

Sadly I lost her the next year (around this time of year) on a beautiful spring day and again remember thinking "best go and fence off a pen for her" and then getting the phone call. :(
 
kaiko said:
It was one of those things that when I thought back, I remembered noticing it and dismissing it. She used to get puffy glands occassionally also. But like you say, she wasn't a little fluff ball and had never had any issues with laminitis in the 17 years I had her.

Sadly I lost her the next year (around this time of year) on a beautiful spring day and again remember thinking "best go and fence off a pen for her" and then getting the phone call. :(
Click to expand...

Oh no. I am so sorry. It is very easy to get too relaxed. I know I have done it too often with my girl. You don't want them to lose quality of life, but I now realise just how careful I need to be. She could still do with losing a tad more weight even though you can see her ribs easily. It's difficult when you can't exercise them. Hopefully she's on the mend again now and I am back on board, starting all over again with short periods of walk.
 
HaffiesRock said:
Thank you for posting this.

I was aware of the significance of fat pads, but I haven't checked them in ages. He has lost lots of weight since I got him and have become a little complacent, so I will check him tonight. xx
Click to expand...

Hopefully he won't have them!
 
Wagtail said:
Oh no. I am so sorry. It is very easy to get too relaxed. I know I have done it too often with my girl. You don't want them to lose quality of life, but I now realise just how careful I need to be. She could still do with losing a tad more weight even though you can see her ribs easily. It's difficult when you can't exercise them. Hopefully she's on the mend again now and I am back on board, starting all over again with short periods of walk.
Click to expand...

Thank you. But to be honest over the years I thought I'd have to make that decision for her (broken leg and navicular), so it was a blessing that she went peacefully in the field with her best friend on a beautiful day. She had shown no signs of distress and no other problems in the weeks before.

Fingers crossed, it sounds like your young lady is on the right road again. And i have everything crossed that we have a nice spring and summer for us all to enjoy :)
 
Wagtail my mare has puffy 'hollows' :( I need to get more weight of her don't I :( bad thing is she is coughing atm even with soaked hay and so tomorrow we are having some haylage delivered. I just can't win :(
 
Can anyone show pictures of what the hollows should look like, and what they look like when they are puffy? I think it can be difficult to spot sometimes, especially if your horse has a thick fluffy coat
 
Wagtail said:
With Spring approaching I thought I would warn people of the significance of fat pads above a horse's eyes. It's something that many owners, includng myself in the past, may miss, but it is highly significant. It means that such a horse has a high risk of developing laminitis. It means that they likely have a metabolic disorder such as insulin resistance or Cushings. Even if a horse tests negative to IR, I believe that filled in hollows above the eyes is a better indicator than blood tests. I got my mare put onto metformin tablets despite testing negative to IR and since recovering from her last bout of laminitis the hollows above her yes are back to normal. The other laminitis prone horse at my yard also tested negative but has fat pads above his eyes so we treat him as though he is insulin resistant. So take a careful look a your horse next time you see them. I wish I had noticed this small warning sign.
Click to expand...

100% Agree and has been the best indicator in my 2 boys... so much so that it is the first thing i look at every day now!
 
May I add another warning sign? The wobble factor of any crest. If the crest is solid and stiff it's a sign of lots of fat being deposited. If the crest is soft and wobbly that's much less risky.
 
My little mare has puffy hollows, and that added to various other symptoms (not laminitis) made me get her blood tested for cushings.....despite being low risk as she is only 10, her levels were just above normal, so she is on half a prascend tablet daily and seems much better in herself. She does, however, still have the puffy hollows, despite being a good weight.
 
Billie1007 said:
Wagtail my mare has puffy 'hollows' :( I need to get more weight of her don't I :( bad thing is she is coughing atm even with soaked hay and so tomorrow we are having some haylage delivered. I just can't win :(
Click to expand...

I'm afraid that it is a real warning sign, yes. The cob here also has them. He's not had laminitis...yet, but we are being very careful with him and he's on a constant diet, but still too fat. He lives on air.

CobsGalore said:
Can anyone show pictures of what the hollows should look like, and what they look like when they are puffy? I think it can be difficult to spot sometimes, especially if your horse has a thick fluffy coat
Click to expand...

I will have a good look through my pcs and see if I can find a couple of her for comparison. May take me a little while.
 
Deep hollows horse is underweight or usually a thin racehorse. Nice shallow hollow is normal. No hollow is to he cautious. A raised hollow is definitely worth watching and cutting down.
 
I have noticed that the crest can become inflamed, as can the hollows, literally over night and go again as quickly, with diet!

My boy was diagnosed with EMS in 2011 and PPID in November. He was also diagnosed with Hepatitis and I was advised on a diet by D&H, however, within days he developed a huge crest! I changed him straight back to his usual diet (speedi beet, micronised linseed and vits/mins) and the crest went again.

IMO if they have either a hard crest, fat pads above the eyes, apple bum or pulses, you need to change something... it can be as simple as walking out for 10 mins per day to get the metabolism going or changing their feed.
 
Yep, she could live of fresh air. Have just had a good poke around her and I would say she was about a 3.5 - 3.75 according to the condition scoring. I don't have to go hunting for her ribs, I can feel them but I can't see them. She has got fat pads on her shoulders still but hasn't got a solid neck or anything. Bloody horses!
 
I have tried to find two photographs from roughly the same angle of my mare.

Firstly, how her eyes SHOULD look, with hollows above them:

hollows_zpsc6acb64e.jpg


Now how they looked a few weeks ago during a lami attack and after I had taken her off the metformin:

filledhollows_zpsba24487c.jpg


Obviously, in the second one she has a longer coat as it is winter, but even with the longer hair you can see the hollows if they are there.
 
Last edited:
Hope these help.

First is my old mare showing the hollows above eyes. The second picture I found on google and shows puffy eyes.

Betty10_zps3d186390.jpg


puffy_zps8d2d9c1b.jpg
 
Pasha said:
100% Agree and has been the best indicator in my 2 boys... so much so that it is the first thing i look at every day now!
Click to expand...

Me too.

amandap said:
May I add another warning sign? The wobble factor of any crest. If the crest is solid and stiff it's a sign of lots of fat being deposited. If the crest is soft and wobbly that's much less risky.
Click to expand...

Yes, that is what my vet says. He says it is better to put a tape around the neck and measure the crest than to do it around the rib cage.

Maisy said:
My little mare has puffy hollows, and that added to various other symptoms (not laminitis) made me get her blood tested for cushings.....despite being low risk as she is only 10, her levels were just above normal, so she is on half a prascend tablet daily and seems much better in herself. She does, however, still have the puffy hollows, despite being a good weight.
Click to expand...

My mare was like that too. Only today have I noticed she is starting to get her hollows back. She is quite ribby, but still has an apple bum and chuncky shoulders.

putasocinit said:
Deep hollows horse is underweight or usually a thin racehorse. Nice shallow hollow is normal. No hollow is to he cautious. A raised hollow is definitely worth watching and cutting down.
Click to expand...

That's interesting, thank you. Though I did have an overweight horse that had really sunken hollows. He was an exception though.

Pasha said:
I have noticed that the crest can become inflamed, as can the hollows, literally over night and go again as quickly, with diet!

My boy was diagnosed with EMS in 2011 and PPID in November. He was also diagnosed with Hepatitis and I was advised on a diet by D&H, however, within days he developed a huge crest! I changed him straight back to his usual diet (speedi beet, micronised linseed and vits/mins) and the crest went again.

IMO if they have either a hard crest, fat pads above the eyes, apple bum or pulses, you need to change something... it can be as simple as walking out for 10 mins per day to get the metabolism going or changing their feed.
Click to expand...

It's amazing how quickly things can snowball out of control, seemingly overnight.
 
When my pony had a sudden random attack of laminitis a couple of years ago, when the vet came round to see him before even touching him he said 'he's got cushings.' His reasoning? Filled hollows and fat pads on his bum. Low and behold, he's got cushings!

The muzzle will be being dusted off within the next week or so:rolleyes:
 
Sophstar said:
When my pony had a sudden random attack of laminitis a couple of years ago, when the vet came round to see him before even touching him he said 'he's got cushings.' His reasoning? Filled hollows and fat pads on his bum. Low and behold, he's got cushings!

The muzzle will be being dusted off within the next week or so:rolleyes:
Click to expand...

Yes, sadly the first vet who saw my girl missed all these signs, and the fact that she had laminitis. It seems obvious now, but I hadn't really thought about the significance of her fat pads above her eyes or the strange double bump she had along the top of her quarters.
 
Thank you for posting this - with a very good doer native pony Spring/Summer/Autumn are my most feared months!

So sorry to hear about the horror stories - my heart goes out to everyone who has lost a horse to laminitis/cushings.

If anyone has an photo, to use as a reference, it might be helpful to see exactly where you mean - I think I know, but I'm definitely a visual learner!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top