'Footy' lame (prev Laminitis) - thoughts?

smallgirl

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I was wondering if you coudl have a think about the current situation with my horse please....it is a bit long so please bear with me...I am looking for advce and opinions as I feel a bit lost just now....

I have a horse who reacted last autumn (Oct) to steroid injections to his hocks for arthiritis giving him laminitis, he had a repeat course of treatment this spring (mid May) with 1/4 of the dose and went down with lami again, I caught it much earlier this time but still it was two weeks of horrendous box rest (he is not good at it) then turned him out with a muzzle while the spring grass came through (rest of May/June/early July).

Last night he cantered over to me at the gate as normal, as I walked him up the hill he wasn't as keen and bounding forwards as usual, tacked him up and as soon as I got on and tried to turn him he was relectunt to move his front feet across to make the turn, so I untacked him and walked/trotted him up which he was reluctant to do, he was more shuffly than lame if that makes sense both at walk and trot. There were no cuts, swelling or heat in any leg.

So as you can imagine alarm bells rang! Cue getting him onto a deep bed, soaking some hay, and checking his digital pulse, which was present but not bounding.

I rang the vet who popped out about an hour and a half later, when I walked him out he was sound in walk and trot, but the Vet agreed that his pulses were present but whether they were raised he wasn't convinced, he was the same vet who saw him in the spring with Lami and in his opinion this was not as bad as that time, he advised some Sedalin but nothing else overnight.

So I kept him in last night with some soaked hay and gave him some Sedalin. This morning he is sound but the pulses are the same, the Vet said if anything changed to call him if not then think about turning him out, I wouldn't say anything has changed by this morning however I have left him in again today as I am not 110% sure and wouldn't forgive myself if I turned him out and he got worse.

Ok what are peoples thoughts on this?
Does anyone with Lami horses have any experince of this?
Is he being a bit 'footy' (like older lami horses get sometimes)
Any other opinions?......
 

Jericho

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hmmm difficult one - it does sound like the start of lami again but that you caught it early. I posted a very similar post to yours yesterday although my mares pulses were fine just that her coronary band was hot, more in one than the other, and shifting weight across the front hooves.

If he was mine I would probably treat it is lami for a few days and keep him in if you can. The grass here is going mad what with sun and rain and sun and rain so if even the first lami was induced by the grass he will be more prone to it now. If no improvement in a day or so I Would call vet as he would need NAISDs to reduce inflammation


Good luck!
 

Dogstar

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I had a very similar thing too, posted on here and had good advice. My mare came in a little slowly and had flared nostrils, the vet couldn't really find anything but I was still worried, so I called the laminitis clinic and they said that I knew my own horse and if in doubt, keep her in on shavings for 4 weeks!! Not what I wanted to hear especially as a precaution, but I have penned her in on shavings and she has been in for 2 weeks now. Annoying - but better than another laminitis disaster :-( Good luck anyway.
 

smallgirl

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I guess I too think it is a mild case of laminitis, and I have caught it as early as possible and I guess to this sets the pattern for the rest of his life with him being susceptible and me being on tenterhooks for any sign of tenderness in his feet.

Any ideas for keeping him calm while on box rest? He has a stable companion but still box walks............toys don't work, he has soaked hay but can't have anything else, he has a radio on.......he is on Sedalin.......I'm out of ideas....and seriously fed up....
 

PurplePickle

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I have a lami prone pony, shes been footy even on a regime the last month or so, but no pulse and no heat so its different to her normal symptoms. I put it down to the odd weather at the minute the grass is shooting up even in the bare paddock so shes stabled until things settle.
 

Dogstar

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My girl was stabled for a week but it wasn't working; she was kicking the door, walls etc and starting to get a snotty nose (dust allergy) so I penned off a stable-sized area of her starvie paddock and filled that with shavings, surrounded by electric fence to keep her in and tyres to keep the shavings in place! She is happy as she is outside so can chat to/try to beat up her mates over the fence, she is sheltered by one side of the field shelter and she doesn't feel shut in. I bought her a dodecahedran toy which you fill with lami safe fibre pellets and she has been kicking that around so it's all good!
 
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brucea

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It's the season for it for a couple of reasons - the grass putting in a last push up before winter and the seasonal hormonal ACTH changes (his coat has probably started to change)

Right thing to keep him off the grass, make sure you are not feeding any mollasses in his food, and think about removing all cereals. Maybe add in a really good mineral supplement - and think about MgO suplementation.
 

spookypony

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Is there a bare paddock you could keep him in? When mine gets footy/reluctant to stride forward, he goes in a bare paddock with hay, and is happy again in a day or two. I don't think box rest is necessary at this point.
 

smallgirl

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Thanks so much for your all your replies, its great to hear other similar stories and how you're all coping. I feel like I'm not alone now in this situation.

I turned him out on Saturday morning with a muzzle and kept him in again Sat night on soaked hay, turned him out Sunday again with the muzzle and left it on him overnight, and this morning he is fine so I think this is the pattern now and he'll just have to get used to having the muzzle on pretty much 24/7.

A couple of times he has got the muzzle off by rubbing his face on the ground or his field mate's rug and pulling it over his head.

Has anyone got any tips for keeping it on? Its a greenguard black muzzle and the headcollar is done up as tight as feasibly possible......
 

Magicmadge

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My pony had a flare up 3 weeks ago. Even on the bare paddock. I have put it down to her getting all the new green shoots after alot of rain. She was footy on concrete but not lame, fine walking on the lawn, but pulses present in all 4 feet. She has been in for 3 weeks and have been advised to keep her in for another month after she is sound on concrete. Probably for the best as my grass has gone mad. When she does go out i am going to section off an area in front of the bare paddock shelter, she can stay there with hay during the day and in her box at night. Next year, very restricted muzzled turnout, poor baby!!!
 

smallgirl

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Thanks for the replies, it has made it much easier knowing I'm not alone in this....

He's muzzled 24/7 and back out as of Sunday, I'm watching him very closely but he is sound and there are no pulses, so I guess I get to play it by ear with him and the first sign of anything I take it from there.
 
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