Is laminitis damage irreversible?

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moodiestmare

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I've got a companion pony I look after that is prone to laminitis. She is kept in a bald paddock/ stabled and has haylage to replace grass along with laminitic supplements and a small amout of laminitic approved food.

I don't really know much about laminitis though. Could someone please tell me if any time she had laminitis in the past (or if she got it in the future) would the damage be irreversible? Or could it be treated. How could a vet treat laminitis? Sorry if silly questions but I'd like to know as much about it as possible.
 
As far as I know, once a laminitic, always a laminitic!

I do believe that with certain trimming the laminitis can be minimalised but, unfortunately, once a pony/horse has had an attack, then you have to be careful about management for the rest of it's life.
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In a word, no you cannot reverse the damage.
The damage can vary greatly, worst results are pedal bone rotation, then you are up against it a bit as my vet said
An acute attack can be treated by the vet, its basically damage limitation, acting quickly could help prevent damage to the laminae.
It can be managed though, but it can be very hard.
I have a chronic laminitic with rotation in one hoof and it is sad that there is nothing you can do to reverse the damage.
Carry on as you are with restricted grazing and high fibre feed.
I would not feed haylage but i would feed soaked hay to a laminitic
 
Disagree with you Puss in Boots, even rotation can be reversed or rather corrected might be a better word, with time, the right hoof care/trimming and management, the pedal bone doesn't actually rotate back up but as the new hoof grows down, the pedal bone is pulled back up into alignment with the hoof capsule. Its an average of 9 months to grow a totally new hoof capsule and if the right care and support is given over that 9 months then there is no reason that a horse cannot be returned to its former state.

Its a very long road but if you have the time, money and management facilties then it can be done.

I have living proof alive and kicking in my field right now....... and no he isn't retired or a pretty field ornament, he is in full work.
 
hi moodiest mare, here are a fiew words on laminitis. before you can make any comment onthe case , or try to treat it, you must try to estlabish what caused it, this is so you can remove the cause. i f you think it is grass related you must remove the horse from grass. if it could be feed bin raid, remove it, ir it,s a mare check her reproduction system e t c if in doubt blame everything. everything i said so far would be systemic laminitis, caused by toxins in the gut sending poison to the feet, so you must remove the cause, and most important you must have all harmfull tensions and stresses removed from the feet. this must be done by a compitent person who knows the principal of the laminic trim.
there is a possability that the problem could be localised laminitis caused by flared toes, concission etc, this can be easly fixed with a proper trim. one more thing is that in many cases where you have systemic, you can also have local. the two working togeather make a horse very painfull,
also there is no chance of systeric laminitis getting better, even on a starvation diet, if the feet are not trimmed to remove all outward tugging. so in all cases restrict food intake and have a laminitis trim done. this is not a flat shoeing trim and should not be confused as one. if you need details you can pm me
 
[ QUOTE ]
hi moodiest mare, here are a fiew words on laminitis. before you can make any comment onthe case , or try to treat it, you must try to estlabish what caused it, this is so you can remove the cause. i f you think it is grass related you must remove the horse from grass. if it could be feed bin raid, remove it, ir it,s a mare check her reproduction system e t c if in doubt blame everything. everything i said so far would be systemic laminitis, caused by toxins in the gut sending poison to the feet, so you must remove the cause, and most important you must have all harmfull tensions and stresses removed from the feet. this must be done by a compitent person who knows the principal of the laminic trim.
there is a possability that the problem could be localised laminitis caused by flared toes, concission etc, this can be easly fixed with a proper trim. one more thing is that in many cases where you have systemic, you can also have local. the two working togeather make a horse very painfull,
also there is no chance of systeric laminitis getting better, even on a starvation diet, if the feet are not trimmed to remove all outward tugging. so in all cases restrict food intake and have a laminitis trim done. this is not a flat shoeing trim and should not be confused as one. if you need details you can pm me

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I would like to hear more on this trimming protocol........Would you please explain in more detail as to what you mean. TIA
 
just a fiew more words on laminitis. i,m not sure who said what, but some opinions are very good. firstly, there are cases such as pony,s with cushings or similar. these cases will most likely be laminitic for the rest of their lives, but can be kept comfortable by being kept clipped if they are very hairy to control body temprature, and very regular laminitic trimming. this is because their feet can grow at 4 times the norm.
localised, concussion, or sometimes called road founder, is fairly straightforward to deal with as it is not in the horses system, but is foot only, so remove shoes,[if shod] laminitis trim, and a period or rest will do the job.
the main reason i am posting this is in reply to a request to explain a laminitic trim and if a rotated pedal bone will ever go back to it,s proper position within the hoof capsule..
the subject is very complex and an entire book would be required to do it justice, but i will try to explain in a fiew lines.
when a p bone rotates , it has pulled away from the hoof wall and the tip is pressing down on the sole[if the entire bone drops down this is more serious] when this happens, there is no point in trying to force the bone back up as there is nothing to hold it there, also the bone has not moved beyond it,s natural movement as far as the other bones are concerned, so in fact all it has done is move a little without taking the hoof with it. so the new position must be respected, the entire hoof must now be trimmed using the new position of the pedal bone as the guide. this usually means creating a flat plane over the back3/4 of the sole/heels
when there is rotation, the bone tip will have swiveled down and back, and so will be near the frog tip, well back from it,s origional position at the toe, the toe must then be cut back in a new moon shape well into the white line, this cut should be vertical in order to prevent any hoof wall at the toe being pulled forward when the horse makes a hoofprint. this situation must be maintained to encourage new hoofwall growth growing down to form a good laminar connection, i have rehabilitated 100,s of horse using this method, it in effect means ,stop the rotation, make it secure, and grow a new healthy hoof around it. there are many hoof boots and resins on the market if the sole needs protection.
 
if prone always prone keep on bare paddock soaked hay not hayledge if you have to feed make sure it is low in sugar and starches it all depends on how far gone your horse has gone o if it is going to be reversed or not!
 
I would agree that you need to determine the exact cause of the Laminitis. Only a vet can determine this for you.

It may not be grass. It could be caused by an infection, emerging encysted small red worms, insulin intollerance or Cushing Disease

If for instance the horse suffers from Cushings Disease then it could be put on medication such as Pergolide.

However you are quite correct in keeping the weight down of the horse.
 
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