Footy - laminitis again?

[margaretb]

P had a bout of laminitis in the early autumn and I changed her routine completely from being out 24/7 muzzled, to out during the day for short spells until she was completely sound (now out from 7 am til 5 pm), in at night with a couple of single handfuls of safe and sound, and approx 9lb hay overnight in a trickle net. I have got her weight down to around 485kg,and still aiming to get more off, she is a welsh cob x traditional cob 14.1 hh. She was portly. I have been checking for pulses twice daily since the last outbreak, paranoid! She is barefoot, not done much this winter. She had her feet trimmed 10 days ago and has been footy since on the slightly stoney track to her field, yet she comes in at speed over the same area at tea time. Last night I felt a slow pulse in one leg, not low down near her hoof but still prominent. I spoke to her previous owner who said when she had had her feet done she did not remove anything from her sole and she was never lame. She suggested a bruised sole or abcess developing. So two questions if I may, is a pulse high up indicative of laminitis or could it be a bruised sole? If the sole is bruised, and I have had trouble with footiness following trim, in future does the farrier have to trim the sole when he trims the hoofs. The vet is coming out tomorrow to do a tb test so will hijack her and get P looked at. Just sitting at work worrying!

 

[LucyPriory]

If the sole is bruised, and I have had trouble with footiness following trim, in future does the farrier have to trim the sole when he trims the hoofs. Just sitting at work worrying!

With the relatively rare exception I would not recommend trimming soles. It may well be simply this that has made your horse footy. As a consequence of thinning the sole and thus reducing the protection to the solar corium your horse may well have bruised themselves. Short term as a one off - your horse will get over it; repeated over the longer term there can be significant damage to internal structures.

But also be aware that with daytime temperatures over 5 degrees and night time temps well below grass can build up a lot of sugar. Because of this late winter/early spring is often a peak time for lami in the UK.

 

[margaretb]

Thank you for this, it is too much of a coincidence that she is footy after the sole is pared, the pulse has dropped this evening and she stayed off the grass until lunchtime today, so will continue with this practice whilst we have the frosts. Hey ho the joys of horse ownership!

 

[LucyPriory]

Thank you for this, it is too much of a coincidence that she is footy after the sole is pared, the pulse has dropped this evening and she stayed off the grass until lunchtime today, so will continue with this practice whilst we have the frosts. Hey ho the joys of horse ownership!

It is quite possible it is the sole paring. But don't discount your grass. Referring to my previous post - in these circumstances (low night temp and above 5 day temp for several days) even turnout for part of the day on grass may be too much for the sensitive ones. Which is why I am thrilled my girl is on a grass free track because she can now be out 24/7 otherwise for her even 2 hours of ordinary grass turnout at this time of year with these temps would be too much.

The reason the grass may be an issue is because when night temp is below 5 the sugar produced during the day is kept in the leaf as an anti freeze (temperate grasses) then the next day as temps go above 5 provided with adequate water and light the grass produces more sugar which is added to that already in the leaf. Then the night temp drops below 5 again so again the sugar is kept in the leaf. After a few days its the equine equivalent of candy floss.

In the summer when water is short (hopefully) and night temps are above 5 (please please) the sugar will be sent into storage overnight, plus with the water shortage the grass can't make so much. Which is why there are usually (not so much in 2012) fewer lami problems in a hot dry summer than in these soggy late winter/early springs.