Help - sudden onset of laminitus

[lydia2]

My dearest old eventer was shod on Tuesday. She has been totally sound and been working very well up to this point. On Wednesday morning she is cronically sore and looking very laminitic. The vet was out (other eventer has sprained his suspensory!!!) and thought that she looked like she had the beginnings of cushings (she is 19 has recently developed a dipped back and lost quite a bit of muscle over her rump) and could have laminitis too and what to investigate pedal bone rotation. This has made my mothers and mine hearts sink as she has been our best friend and the most amazing horse we could have ever had. What are people's experiences??? If she was suffering from pedal bone rotation would she have been sound and happy cantering round the school on Sunday and Monday???? Help!!! and any advice greatly appreciated.

 

[Rana]

Advice - treat as for laminitis (restrict grazing, box rest if needed, soaked hay etc), get blood tests to confirm cushings (or rule it out). There are treatments available for cushings.

Experience - my old pony came down with cushings related laminitis. She was 32, never shown a sign of it before (other than the long coat, but she was a "fluffy" anyway). She recovered quickly from the laminitis (thankfully!) and didn't have a reoccurence. We had to be careful about her grazing throught the year, and we were always aware of what she was being fed. In effect, she had to be kept as a true laminitic, even though the laminitis was caused by the cushings.

We had 5 more happy years with her before making the decision to let her go - at 37, it was just plain old age.

 

[Flame_]

Laminitis can, and often does, come on very suddenly and the horse can deterioate very quickly. It is possible that she could have been sound a couple of days ago and now has severe laminitis and movement of the pedal bones. I hope this isn't the case but the vet's right IMO to treat it as a possibility because if she does have this condition, the quicker treatment is given, the better the chance you have of her making a full recovery.

 

[lydia2]

Thank you for your advice.

Trying to fight back the tears. She has just been scanned and the pedal bone has rotated slightly and she is struggling to stand. She is going to have a blood test on monday for cushings as this would be the better diagnosis other wise we are going to have to make a very hard decision particualarly as my mother looks after them during the week while I work and cannot bear to see her suffer.

Cannot write anymore as fighting tears and will get odd looks from the office who don't understand horses anyway.

 

[chevs]

Very sorry to read about your mare. My mare was stuck with severe laminitis the day she foaled. Vet said it was the surging hormones and she rotated severely almost instantly.

My mare is 16 and has never had laminitis before. She has rotated to the point of almost coming through the sole. It's absolutely devastating and I know completely how you are feeling. I have had my mare all her life and also have her mother who is 30. My mare has been on box rest for 14 weeks and has had endless x-rays, farrier visits etc. She is on borrowed time but is doing a fantastic job with her foal who's 14 weeks old. This is her first foal and she loves being a mum, I'm so gutted. We're hoping and praying that we can keep going until her foal is weaned but we know that the day may come when she says she's had enough. Never in my wildest dreams did i think I'd loose her in this way.

Good Luck with your girlie, fingers crossed xx

 

[Pasha]

Oh Bear1 I know exactly what you are going through!

My 21 yr old lost a shoe in the field late last October which is unheard of for him. Farrier came and put it back on and he went lame! Farrier and vet both thught it was an abscess as there was a small hole, but after a week of poulticing, vet diagnosed Laminitis!

We've had him since he was 6yrs old with never a day lameness in his life! It was such a shock! Vet thought EMS as he is a good doer, had not lost muscle tone and showing no signs of Cushings! He had just competed in the Veteran Regional Championships where he was placed 4th and just qualified for a Dressage Championship 2 weeks before!

But the bloods came back raised ACTH so he started Pergolide! X-rays showed 8% rotation in one foot only, but he could hardly stand on it!

He was up and down, one day good, one day terrible with the vet increasing his Pergolide to 2mg/day. Then in February the vet decided everything was packing up and he needed to get out! Put him in a small paddock with his friend and for 2 weeks he seemed to get a new lease of life (still very lame) before suffering another acute attack of Lami!

My vet was on hols so his colleague came out and basically said he would be doing x-rays in the morning to confirm that the pedal bone was just about to drop through the sole and then we would have to call it a day!

We were devestated! I rang my vet on holiday in tears and he agreed to leave his holiday (what a star) and come and see him!

He said he's (my horse) not willing to give up yet so neither would we! He made him special pads using Styrofoam pads (as he could take the whole pad all at once) and put him on Metopirone! Within 2 days he was like a different horse!

Once he was out of the danger zone we had Stewart Clogs fitted and started walking him out in hand - 5 weeks later he had proper shoes on and went out again!

He's been out over 3 months now and touch wood he is ok! I can't ride him until his hoof has regrown, but he trotted accross the paddock sound last night

My advice would be to listen to your vet (they do know what they are talking about, but the trouble is we want quick fixes as we have to cope with our horses in pain everday and Cushings/Laminitis is a long slow road to recovery), but keep pushing for whatever the cause of the laminitis (be it Cushings or somethign else) to be under control ASAP! We waited far far too long for Pergolide to have an effect when in hindsight within a week you can tell if it's working or not!

I would also advise you to talk to the Laminitis Clinic! You will be advised by very well meaning people to pump your horse full of all manner of herbal stuff, do this and that, but The Laminitis Clinic are the experts and they do a range of products specifically to help those with Laminitis/Cushings/Metabolic problems and can help you with diet and management.

I wish you the very best of luck and hope your boy gets better very soon x

 

[Slinkyunicorn]

Would second the Laminitis Clinic - they are fantastic - have botha website and a helpline. They are the experts in treating laminitis and when you speak to them you realise how out of date even some vets are!!

Please please speak to them - they helped turn my mare around and she is now back in work and pain free.

Good luck - just follow the advice very carefully and don't be tempted too move her, lunge her etc for weeks. The bigger the horse the greater the pain - the slower the recovery the better the recovery and less damage that is done to the hoof capsule/pedal bone.

 

[brighteyes]

Don't give up yet! You are in shock and probably panicking quite understandably. I second all the advice above - deep, deep shavings bed, total box rest and feed as for a laminitic. You have to eliminate all exacerbating causes so the laminitis isn't given further opportunity or reason to progress.

As in the post below, I recommend getting onto the Yahoo Group 'themetabolichorse. The help and support and information on there is enormous and valuable beyond words.

You need a mighty fine vet and farrier prepared to go above and beyond and if he can be, you will save him.

Good luck and keep us informed.

 

[amandaco2]

i would treat aggressively- frog pads, box rest on deep bed, xrays to see how the feet are doing. only soaked hay to munch.sedalin and bute.

the vet sounds like he is getting to the bottom of the cause. thats the main thing for the long term management- control her triggers.

laminitis can come on within hours or weeks.

i hope shes ok, laminitis is horrible distressing condition.

 

[lydia2]

Thank you all for all your help. The vet has given her lots of bute and she seems more comfortable today. We have an amazing farrier as well, part of Total Foot Protection and they are brilliant with these things. The rotation of the pedal bone in very small so that is positive. I think it was more the shock, upset and realisation that she is getting old and not invincible and in so much pain so suddenly- she has never had a lame day before. Also she is on a really low starch diet and had minimium turnout in the first place.

She is being tested for cushings on Monday and then can be treated accordingly if that is the case. Keeping some serious fingers crossed.

Thank you all so much I just adore her so much but ultimately her comfort is of the most importance - but she is like my best friend. Some serious hugs for her tonight.

 

[Moggy in Manolos]

[ QUOTE ]
My dearest old eventer was shod on Tuesday. She has been totally sound and been working very well up to this point. On Wednesday morning she is cronically sore and looking very laminitic. The vet was out (other eventer has sprained his suspensory!!!) and thought that she looked like she had the beginnings of cushings (she is 19 has recently developed a dipped back and lost quite a bit of muscle over her rump) and could have laminitis too and what to investigate pedal bone rotation. This has made my mothers and mine hearts sink as she has been our best friend and the most amazing horse we could have ever had. What are people's experiences??? If she was suffering from pedal bone rotation would she have been sound and happy cantering round the school on Sunday and Monday???? Help!!! and any advice greatly appreciated.

[/ QUOTE ]

Regards your question about the future, well it does vary, really does depend on your horse.
My girl is 19 also, has very bad rotation, she has come sound and we are currently riding out 2-3 times a week. The vet said i would be lucky to rider her again, but we are there at the moment, i dont know how long it will last, but i am enjoying my time with my girl, we take things slow, i do not trot her on roads, and i barely let her out of walk, a small trot on soft ground only, maybe in autumn when the ground softens we may be able to have a little canter. I am taking it slow, she wants to go and seems comfortable but i dont want to go backwards so am going very carefully with the work
They can come sound, you can only try, all the best with your horse x

 

[Wooleysmum]

My 25 year old cob had pedal rotation in both fronts in 2004. He is sound and had been ridden regularly ever since he recovered . Do not lose heart, some are lucky!