Is there life after laminitis?

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peanut

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My boy has a mild case of laminitis (fortunately it was caught early).

He's still young and I'm really wondering whether life will ever be normal again (hacking/local shows etc).

Can anyone reassure me that, apart from the obvious weight/grass issues etc, there is life after lami?

I'm worried sick
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MOST DEFINITELY!! YES!!

The only thing you will have to do is limit his grazing, especially in the summer months, but that is not the end of the world!!

There are lots of Lami feed stuffs and supplements that also help, and once he is sound and given the ok, I see no reason why you can't do all you want with him!!

We have a Sec A pony that had Lami REALLY bad, and after a long rehab, she was back in full work in no time!!

(((( HUGS)))) to your little man!!
 
yes there is there is no reason why not
as long as you manage his weight propley etc then there is no problems why he shouldnt have a next to normal life
 
Yes, provided that you put alot of effort into his treatment now and your future management is meticulous. I find many people underestimate the amount of effort required in looking after a laminitic but if you do everything you can then prognosis is better
 
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as long as you manage his weight propley

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Sadly weight hasn't been much of an indication this time. He was actually ribby when he got it much to the vet's amazement.
 
Yes there is!!
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This time last year my mare was on total box rest for 8 weeks and then a slow rehab. It has taken a year of very slow progress but she is now totally back to normal, in work and still unshod but totally sound and out on restricted grazing 24/7. The important thing is not to rush the recovery.

Contact the Lamintis Clinic - they have a fabulous website and they also have a helpline - they are the experts in laminitis and without them and my farrier my mare would not be in the condition she is in now - my then vets advised buting her and excercising here at 2 weeks when she could hardly stand!
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(and they are a big equine practise
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). The Laminitis Clinis deal with just laminitis so are up to date on all treatments, supplements etc and will help you with a diet etc

If there is anything you want to know or ask please send me a PM
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Laminitis can be caused by a number of different triggers or a combination of them. i.e. medical or traumatic shock, encysted emerging red worms, working on hard ground, steroids, Excessive Fructons in the grass, Insulin IntolleranceCushings Disease etc.

If your vet can determine the trigger(s) then it makes it much easier to manage them and avoid another incident of laminitis.
 
My gelding had the better part of 2 years off with laminitis of unknown cause ( "The more I see this pony the more I realise just how little is actually known about this disease..." quote from my vet).

Anyway over the 2 years he had phases of being pottery and phases of being absolutely crippled but never came right. At his worst he was on 4 bute and 4 acp a day (He is only 13hh). At one of the absolutely crippled stages the vet came on a Monday and said he would come again on the Fri and if he was no better we would have to call it a day, which I also thought would be for the best. No change in him so I'm thinking he is going to have to be pts, then on the Thu there was a little improvement, on the Fri there was a little more improvement so the vet said we will try him for a bit longer but next time he goes down hill thats it.

But to cut a long story short he never went down hill again, he very slowly improved and his medication was gradually reduced. 2 years after he first went wrong I had a sound and drug free pony.

He started back in work at the end of 2007, very slowly, and he is now in full work and I compete him in showing and small showjumping. He comes home with a rosette every time he goes out!

So yes there is definitely life after laminitis! (Sorry for mini essay
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Of Course!!
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we feed our mare Formula4feet and now you can barely tell she ever had it!!
I know you said weight wasn't an issue but in our case she has a muzzle in a small paddock on in the summer and is never put out if there is a frost in winter.
We were still competing until last year when she lost an eye and broke her knee. It really didn't affect her ridden life after her initial box rest period!

Good luck!
 
Thank you so much everyone.

Other than F4F which I know has an excellent reputation, is there any other supplement I should be looking at?

It is likely that corrective shoeing/sole supports are going to be suggested for my horse. Is this normally forever or just in the recovery period?
 
My friends 29year old had an attack last year, her first in 15 years. Now they are going for 30 minutes hacks again and having fun. Yes, you are going to have to be super-vigilant for the rest of his life, but there is no reason why he shouldn't have a perfectly good life.
 
Corrective shoeing is not needed in all cases - it will depend on the Xays and if there is any rotation, sinking etc - my mare was barefoot when she had her attack and has reamined barefoot - thanks to my farriers good management of her feet - and the amount of Happy Hoof and Formula 4 Feet she has had shovelled down her!!

As I said in my previous post - speak to the Laminitis Clinic as they will help with the correct diet/weight/amounts appropriate for your pony. They recommend Formula 4 Feet.
 
My mare has roll top shoes on her fronts just to stop her tripping as often (she started to trip slightly and wanted to rid the problem asap)

There's farriers formula I think but have been on F4F for the past 6 years now and her feet are in better condition than most the ponios on the yard. It also contains biotin yeast and horsey version of multi vits so that when her hay is soaked for hours and contains no nutrition shes still getting nutrients from the F4F!
 
agree with slinky unicorn re the Laminitis Trust- always very very helpful regarding feeding and prevention! Also feed wise only buy foods which are approved by the laminitis trust as oppose to those that support laminitis research etc
 
My little chap had silicon pads in the beginning and then imprints. When his imprints came off he had ordinary shoes on the wrong way. He had his shoes on the wrong way for a long time, he is now on his 2nd pair of shoes the right way round though.
 
Henry was diagnosed LGL (low grade laminitis) last July, at the age of 16yrs. First time ever, although he had had footy stages in previous years. He had 10 degree rotation of the pedal bone. Summer was a write-off and I didn't start working him until October/November, as he had another footy session in October when I tried to reintroduce grass, but since then we haven't looked back. I got his weight right down (it was out of my control in Spring last year and I moved him off the yard too late) over winter, restricted grazing from end of Feb and he's going great guns, now and we are at a fitness level where he can do greater than 4hr hacks again.

I only feed Hi-Fi Lite and Pink Powder/Mag Ox as supplements. The prognosis for lami is better, the earlier you catch it and the quicker you rectify/put into place any management issues. Henry thrives on PP and I don't plan to change that any time soon.

Henry actually had shoes taken off when he was diagnosed, so that he could be trimmed every couple of weeks to keep up with the toes and heels trying to run away! No corrective shoeing was carried out and he wasn't shod again until Feb this year, when I wanted to up the work faster than I could condition his tootsies!
 
My horse had a case of mild laminitis this time last year, he was on box rest for couple of weeks after which time he was sound so i carried on as normal. I was eventing him at the time so very fit, not over weight and a big thoroughbred so the vet put the cause down to stress rather than grass etc. I am very carefull now not to do anything on hard ground and what i feed him. I have continued to event him and touch wood he has been fine!

So yes, there is life after lami!!
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Yes there is life after laminitis!
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Especially as your horse only had a very mild case and you caught it early on, once he has recovered and as long as his weight/intake of food etc is monitored, there is no reason why he won't be able to continue doing whatever you usually do with him.
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However, if it was chronic laminitis, it could be a different story.

My pony had a bought of laminitis last year, it was only very slight and we caught it early on so after moving to a starvation paddock and loosing some weight he was fine! I have kept an eye on his weight all year and have managed to prevent him from gaining too much this spring!

I think once you are aware that your horse is laminitic and you take the necessary precautions to prevent it, you shouldn't have anymore problems.

I hope your horse gets better soon!
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QR My boy had acute Laminitis in all 4 feet when he was younger i often asked myself this question whether or not he would get back to bes and i was umming and ahhing whether to have him PTS, if he wasnt so young at the time (10) i would have done it. It took him a while to recover but He has been competing in western shoes barrel racing and is back to his best. The only issue he does have is very sensitive feet but that easy to manage with Equi boots. As for keeping it at bay again, its not that hard when you know.

So yes there most certainly life after it, especially in just a mild case.
 
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