how long for lammi horse to recover

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jaynedoc

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Hi

My horse has had only a touch of laminitis in front near fore she is sound in a straight line but nods on a circle or tight turns or uneven ground.

I rode her thinking she was sound about 5 days after she had a bit too much grass and went lame.

2 weeks on she is still a bit lame.

How long should I expect to give her to recover before thinking about a vet. She is not in pain per say as she quite happily stamps the floor with the same foot.
 
General rule....
Box rest until sound on no painkillers.. then a month more.
Find her digital pulse and take it regularly as this will help you know if she is in pain. Being lame is not always an indicator especially if all hooves are sore.
When the horse is sore the laminiae in the hoof are weakened...any movement before they are properly healed can weaken them further and cause the pedal bone to start rotating.
Please don't be in a hurry to get back into work...a month or so may seem a long time but it'll soon pass and your horse should be back in full work with no permanent damage. Rush it and you may end up in a worse situation.
If in doubt please call your vet.
This is a very useful website:
http://www.laminitisclinic.org/
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How long should I expect to give her to recover before thinking about a vet

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Any suspicion of laminitis should be treated as an emergency - so if your horse hasn't seen the vet - then they should do immediately.

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She is not in pain per say

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A horse that is showing any indication of lameness, has some degree of pain.
 
I learned the hard way, years ago, when my Small Fat Pony got it, he wasn't very lame just a bit stiff looking, but it turned out he had rotation in both fronts and 6 months off with remedial shoeing to fix it.
My skinny old pony has just got it and I called the vet immediately, as well as bute they give sedalin which helps as well.
 
You should call the vet. horse needs to be on box rest in a deep supporting bed. Rule is once it is sound without pain killlers it needs to stay in for a futher 30 days. There is then a fairly long drawn out rehab (see laminitis trust or phone for more info). It is worth it.
 
Recovery period for laminitis is a long drawn out process I'm afraid but it's worth it in the end. You should call the vet out immediately as laminitis is as much of an emergency as colic is. My horse had a lami attack last December caused by toxins in the blood stream. Vet was called and she gave him an anti-inflammatory injection immediately. I had to put him on a deep shavings bed ( approximately 18 inches deep) from back of stable to the front so that his foot was completely cushioned. He had to stay on this for about 6 weeks all told. Farrier came to take his shoes off as it's important to get the circulation going in the hoof again. Shoes hold the foot in a rigid position so blood doesn't circulate in the hoof as well as it does without shoes. He was on 2 sachets of bute a day for the first week, 1 sachet of bute a day for the 2nd week and then 1/2 a sachet a day for the 3rd week. The idea is to wean them off the bute gradually till they are sound without the painkillers. My horse seemed to be sound by the 3rd day after being diagnosed but I continued treatment as advised by the vet. You also need to feed hay only and no hard feed whatsover, apart from the tiniest amount to feed the bute in. I had awful problems getting my boy to take the bute as there wasn't enough hard feed to disguise the smell or taste of it. I had to literally hand feed him tiny amounts to get him to take it! He would have just left it in his bucket otherwise. Please get the vet out, you need expert advice on this terrible affliction. You need to treat it as soon as possible for the best possible outcome. Best of luck and I hope your horsey is better soon.
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[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
How long should I expect to give her to recover before thinking about a vet

[/ QUOTE ]
Any suspicion of laminitis should be treated as an emergency - so if your horse hasn't seen the vet - then they should do immediately.

[ QUOTE ]
She is not in pain per say

[/ QUOTE ]

A horse that is showing any indication of lameness, has some degree of pain.

[/ QUOTE ]

I agree! Laminitis is an emergency! A laminitic horse needs alot of care from the owner, vet and farrier. It is expensive and time consuming but vital! You must get veterinary help now
 
You should call your vet in immediately to get a proper diagnosis.

Also fit rubber frog supports to the front feet (see the Laminitis Clinic Web Site).

Your vet will provide you with painkillers and probably also suggest x rays. Your horse should be kept in it's stable on a very deep bed. Feed your horse one slice of one hour soaked hay every 4 hours while it is on box rest to keep it's digestive tract moving.

Normally your horse will require box rest for at least 4 - 12 weeks depending on when it goes sound and then can not be ridden for a further 8 weeks to allow the feet to recover.
 
Is this horse on painkillers? Laminitis should only be diagnosed by a vet and you really need to get your horse seen so that it can be managed properly. My vet and farrier are working very closely and i really wouldnt recommed managing this yourself or riding at all. I appreciate that it is costly after having paid out nearly £1000 over the last 3 months in vets fees and heart bar shoes for my horse but he is priceless to me. I couldnt agree more with everyone elses advice.
 
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