Happy lami stories please

Clodagh

Clodagh

Playing chess with pigeons
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My old pony has gone down with laminitis today. Shes a scrawny pone and theres no grass so must be either her metabolism or concussion. She is still in work. (Was?).
Is on 10 days box rest on bute and sedalin and then being seen again by the vet. Its in her hind feet, which is where she had it before I got her. (2 years ago last time she had it)
What do you think? Soon back being ridden, 6 months off or retirement (or worse?).
I've never seen a pony so lame, I had to get my OH to help me get her in from the field this morning and before the vet came she was hopping from foot to foot.
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Oh poor pony, lami is so horrible for them. Hopefully the treatment will kick in quickly and she will feel much better tomorrow.

I wouldn't be thinking retirement at all just yet, it could just be the autumn grass too rich for her metabolism. With a few weeks rest fingers crossed she could be sound. I would see how she goes and how quickly she recovers, i have always found the Laminitis Trust really helpful if you need some expert advice

Hope she recovers soon xxx
 
i rescued a pony with laminitis and at one stage we practically had to carry her, she couldnt walk. twice she was given 2 more days to improve or be PTS. To cut a long and expensive story short she now lives out (on strict grass/mud paddocks obviously) and has a great quality of life. She isnt ridden as shes only a small pony but they can recover. Be warned though- It is very timeconsuming managing them. you need alot of vet and farrier help and its a costly problem. Worth every penny when you see them trot across a paddock though.

Good luck!
 
I've controlled it since I got her and yes its a pain. She has, for the last year been living out with the other horses, although with a muzzle on when we have grass.
She has done a lot of jumping this summer on the hard ground and perhaps it has just slowly damaged her already wobbly feet?
She can be on box rest for as long as she likes/needs and I've just been up to bute and sedalin her for bed and she looks quite bright, thank goodness the pain is manageable.
 
I have, just this week, been allowed to turn my nine year old mare out for the first time in four months.
She went down with lami, for the first time ever, and had to be trailered in from the field (by the way when they do go down with it you want to limit the amount of walking they do as it can cause severe damage to the lamini)
She was at the point of being PTS early August due to the severity of the pain and lack of improvement but after her second set of heart bars she suddenly turned a corner.Her absceses started to improve and as I say, now out for 30 min on a bare paddock.
It has cost an arm and a leg in vet,farrier,shavings and suppliments but she is home bred and I love her to bits.
The silly thing is - is that she is part bred welsh, my pure breds are fat as pigs and are all fine !
Good luck with your mare.
 
My boy came down with Lammi in June. Vet came out and told me it was extremely serious and recommended PTS. He's 22 and looking fab so i decided that i would try and see if he responded. He was put on 2 equinixin per day. 2 days later he went in for x-rays, despite still being very lame he did his best to drag me off the trailer and round the yard at the vets. His xray showed 11 degree rotation in both feet, 13mm sinkage in right fore, 12mm in left fore. I was advised that 14-15mm was very serious so the outcome was not good. I was lucky however that i got a different vet for the xray and she felt that it was important to look at the horse as well as the xray and as he looked so well thought it was worth a try. He came home, stayed on the equinixin and had heartbars on 6 days after diagnosis. I was advised that he would need to be on complete box rest for 8 weeks. After 2 weeks the vet returned for a check up and agreed that due to the improvement he could go out in the sand paddock. After 5 weeks he was given 0/10 lameness and allowed to start on grazing in a lammi paddock. Although i trust my vets i think the first vet has now eaten his words. I am back riding and was doing after 8 weeks of diagnosis. He should only have been coming off box rest by that time. Dont get me wrong i have taken my time with him and only gone at his pace but when your horse is sound and dragging you to and from the field its time to start work again! I never thought i would be riding him again and at one point wasnt sure whether he would still be with me but now he is amazing! we are on light hacking and the odd little trot in the school despite his attempts to canter off with the odd buck! He's off for his repeat x ray on Monday and I am praying for good news. The most important thing is to keep a nice thick bed to cushion the feet and lots of TLC. I took the first week off work and pottered around brushing him, trimming his mane and tail etc and it helped to keep his spirits up and fight it. If you've got a good vet and farrier who communicate thats half the battle. Good Luck, I really hope your pony fights it too x
 
<font color="blue">She has done a lot of jumping this summer on the hard ground </font>

Trying not to judge - but why?
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If she is late teens on, could be Cushing's. It's turn of the seasons and this is generally when it appears in the Cushingoid.
 
Whilst I have no outcome, just wanted to post that my lad has just been diagnosed with laminitis that appears to only be in one front foot. He has 11 degrees sideways rotation, nothing downwards so the vet did not appear too worried. He has had his feet re-shaped and hearbars put on and I am due to collect him from the vets this morning. So will speak tothe vet to find out what I need to do but understand I am looking at weeks box rest etc.
Two and a half weeks this has been going on and my farrier and vet both swore blind it was an abscess as only appeared in one foot so he has been in a small area of land around his stable for that time wandering about...I only wish this had not happened as it has probably been made worse for this...but hey ho I am hoping for a positive outcome over the next few months.
 
I'm glad she has turned the corner. Annoying thing is with Poppy you can see all her ribs, although she stores fat on her rump. Shes a funny looking lil pone!
 
Thats lovely and gives me hope.
Poppy is bright as a button this morning although on all those drugs she probably would be! The vet hasn't suggested x rays yet, he said wait for the 10 days first. I must go and get more shavings, I rushed off and got 3 bales yesterday (mine are normally on straw) but I don't think its as thick as it should be.
 
Shes my sons pony club pony so has jumped at rallies and so on.

I think I will ask for a blood test, if nothing else we may as well rule it in or out.
 
My vet said it was an abcess to start with as she only had a pronounced pulse in one hoof. After he had held it up to examine it though she sank down behind from taking her weight on the other hoof.
I shouldn't think the pottering about will have made it much worse for yours, good luck and let us know how you get on today.
 
as pony isnt fat? have you looked down the lines of cushings?and equine metabolic syndrome? and you will need an excellent farrier as foot balance is the long term key to maintaining soundness. get her bed really thick at least 10 inches and right to the door, has she got frog supports on to help prevent further rotation?
 
She has got Equine Metabolic Syndrome. Thats a pre cursor of Cushings isn't it? Blood tests needed I think.
My farrier is great, I have full faith in him. I will go and get more shavings now and no she hasn't got frog supports yet.
 
Thanks Clodagh, not stealing post but just to update you, my lad is back home in his stable on thick bed of shavings with all the usual drugs and treatment needed. It is only one foot that is affected and has the rotation.
He is going to be on a lot less hay than he is used to, going on vets instructions of 6 pads per day double netted etc. The vet wants him in his box for 2 weeks and then they want to come out and check him before deciding what to do next. He has heart bars on which are helpomg him a lot too. So we will see..on the long journey that I am sure this will be.
Good luck with yours by the way.
 
I'm glad hes home. Is he OK being in the stable 24/7? Poppy is luckily, and just neighs a bit as her sedalin wears off.
I can't decide whether to buy a replacement pony for my son, Poppy has bought him on so much shes a super pony. Its a bit early to say really but I have no idea how long she will be off for.
 
Thank you so much that was such a lovely thing to say! My boy has been through some tough times but i adore him I am so hoping its good news on Monday and I will let you know! x
 
I kept my bed as thick as I could, cost me a god damn fortune in shavings but worth every penny! Glad to hear that Poppy is keeping her spirits up, thats half the battle. Just one thing to be wary of, my horse got diagnosed with COPD this week as a result of him being in from the lammi so although you need a thick bed beware of the dust and spores too. I got a stall chain to let as much air in as poss whilst he was in. Made him a bit happier too being able to look out a bit further!
 
I bought my irish cob mare when she was 16 and discovered a few weeks later from my farrier that she had had laminitis around 6 months before i had bought her. I contacted the lady i got her from who confimed it to me i did have the choice of sending her back but i had already fell in love. I had my vet out who luckily had treated her for the lami with her previous home and put my mind at rest that with good management of her food intake should not cause any future problems. We have been together nearly 5 years and touch wood no laminitis i just keep her well exercised and feed carefully .
 
I just had a lovely ride on my lightweight cob today. He came to me just before Christmas....the day before he was due to be PTS after his owner reached the end of her tether after 3 yrs of on and off laminitis. He has over 11 degrees rotation on one front and over 8 on the other.
He is back in work and happy..
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Thats good to hear, hope she never gets it again its such an evil thing. My boy has had a 'freak' bout of it as my farrier says as he has never been your typical laminitic case - never been overweight, fed on hay, all safe feed, turned out gradually in summer. He's also never shown a laminitic stance just gone lame all of a sudden and gone from there. lets hope none of our horses have to suffer it ever again!
 
I'm really hoping, having heard all these positive stories that Poppy will soon be up and racing.
Laser, good point about the COPD, I will get her a stable door strap thing.
Shes terribly bored, poor little thing, and has 8 days to go yet before vet check. What did you do to keep them occupied?
 
I was lucky as he was pretty settled with munching away on his hay. I tried a few toys but he was scared of them!!! I was also able to turn out in the sand paddock after 2 weeks so he had a bit of a change of scenery. Not sure of the sugar content but what about putting a hole through a turnip/swede and hanging it up. My lad loves them and keeps him occupied getting his chops round it! I also gave him a lick for 15 minutes a day once he was on the mend. (used the mobility lick and after checking with them they said it was okay for laminitics in moderation up to half hour per day.)
Good News today, took Laser for his xrays (have got my horses name as my user name!!). He has gone from 11 degree rotation in both feet and today has 9 degrees in the right fore and 8 in the left. Sinkage has improved by 6mm. Vet was very pleased with him and i'm so proud of him! In the space of 12 weeks he has made a massive turnaround and defied the odds! Back for another xray in 6 months and to keep heartbars on for another 8 weeks then hopefully back to normal. Can also start to increase his turnout slightly now which willl help with the COPD. I am a very happy horse owner!!! Keep positive and you will get there too x
 
Brilliant news, well done you both. The turnip is a good idea, I will get one tomorrow.
Could you see a bow in his soles where the pedal bone had come down? Poppy's feet look normal but I'm not sure if they should/would anyway.
Shes box walking now, so obviously feels well enough for that! Shes not normally a demonstrative pony but has become much friendlier, mucking her out is difficult as shes all over me. I haven't taken any wet out yet as I don't know whether to move her out the stable while I do it. Talking of wet she is drinking no waterl, I change her bucket twice a day and honestly it doesn't go down at all. I know her hay is wet and I'm making her hi fi lite into soup but it doesn't seem right. Her skin doesn't seem dehydrated though.
Well done Laser horse and may he soon be back to normal. Are you hoping to return him to full work, jumping and so on?
 
Thankyou, I'm so pleased! I havent seen any bow in his soles and the farrier is really pleased with his feet. he is generally quite flat soled. He has a bit of a dip below his coronet band which the vet said yesterday is showing as scarring from the attack other than that his feet look normal too. I'm glad Poppy is keeping her spirits up. Laser would follow me round nudging and nuzzling then pin me against the wall to scratch his bum. he's a cheeky boy!
I tried to keep on top of taking the wet out so that it wasnt gassing him out with the ammonia but i would try and keep her in if you can until the vet says otherwise, especially if she would be coming out onto concrete or stomes etc.
Laser didnt drink much and still doesnt to be honest. I find that he drinks more if i only change his water once a day. he seems to prefer that rather than straight out of the tap. I use a sieve to fish out any strands of hay and make sure its nice and clean.
Laser does 'little and often' due to arthritis but he still has plenty of energy and gets very exciteable and loves a good buck! I dont jump because i worry about any extra strain on his joints. We used to do prelim dressage but no transport anymore so just generally hacking and a blast round the paddock. I'm going to gradually increase his work now and hoping to be back to the old routine by Christmas.
Hope Poppy liked her turnip!!
 
My pony had laminitis for the first time last year aged 18 despite being muzzled not overweight and in regular work.

She was on box rest with adlib soaked hay and on bute and ACP for 12 weeks although we started walking out in-hand after two weeks as she was sound, then had limited turnout in a muzzle for the rest of the summer.

She came back into ridden work at the end of last summer and hasn't had laminitis again (thank god) but she is kept lean and has restricted grazing for 6 to 8 hours a day from May to October.

I also only feed laminitis approved feeds and Baileys lo-cal.
 
Poppy didn't get a turnip, I remembered before I got it that she has wobby teeth, a couple have fallen out already and I should imagine a turnip would be the last straw! She finally had a drink last night, about 3/4 of a bucket so that was good.
She is my sons PC pony and he lives to jump, I won't make any decisions until the vet has been next week but I may have to look at retiring her and getting him something else. Aargh! She will always be here and would be quite happy as a pet but he adores her and she is such a superstar.
A gratuitous pic for you...
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Hi, reading through your posts you say your pony is ribby but stores fat on her rump. That is typical of Cushings. Our pony was diagnosed with Cushings nearly 3 years ago, she is now on Pergolide and although she has had some flare ups of laminitis. In between times though she is sound and very happy , well maybe not happy that she doesn't get much grass but otherwise she is fine
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I would definitely ask your vet about Cushings. hopefully with careful management your girl will make a full recovery.
 
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