4Hoofed
Well-Known Member
I will start with a little history, 16.2 TB Gelding, 10 yo, Ex-racehorse, whose done very little work in the last 18 months, history of navicular, suspensory ligament damage, and kissing spines. So sounder then we ever hoped after rehab for the suspensory ligaments, no dropped fetlocks.
Started coming in every night 2nd week of December as he was starting to look a bit poor. And when he stays in a fairly generous amount of haylage (about as much as he can each in 12 hours), which doesn't seem to be too sweet as my other horse is fine, and he goes off to la la land with too much sugar! He was on maybe a loose scoop of alfa a (the unmollassed version), half a scoop of fibrebeet, twice a day, topspec comp, biotin, gloucosime, at the recommended rates, and a cupful of conditioning cubes split between the two (Fairly high oil/Fibre, can't remember the starch/sugar levels, but I think it can't be too bad as I try and avoid them as a matter of course...)
Tuesday, around 7pm I go to get the boys in. Long story short, 2 1/2 hours later, one muddy owner, one upset 17.3 6yo, two unhorsey muddy family members, and our lovely painkiller providing vet we're dragging him out of the top of the 20 field absolutely hopping in front, mainly the off fore. Refusing to move, and then going with a very lame gait at speed when forced.
No obvious injury, heat, swelling. Warm feet, and strong pulses all round, so vet tentatively says Lami. However even she seemed sceptical. He is not a horse in fat condition. Maybe a 3 out of 9? You can see his ribs through his winter coat, defined wither, complete with scrawny neck, hip bones. Not unhealthy, shiny coat, happy in himself, spends all day playing with his herd mates and mooching about. By the end of the field he was rocking onto and off his toes, clapping his lips (he does this when he's stressed...) and shaking. Vet gave IV painkillers, said go as if lami. One bute am and pm,
So 4 days on he briefly seemed to start getting better, then back to how he was this morning. He's on very straw like hay soaked for 12 hours, and a handful of unmollassed chaff to get the bute in. Deep bed to the door, hay off the floor, all around the door to for his convenience. However, his feet seem to be quite cool for the last few days, he has trouble turning, and is striking his off leg out when he stands, BUT is often bending it and resting toe to the ground when he eats the scraps off the floor, or from a feed bucket? Bright in himself, but clearly in pain when he puts weight through it.
Is this sort of typical for lami? Just with him being kinda scrawny, in good health (apart from KS which vet doesn't think hurts him unless in work...), fine coat, no hard ground.. there is a little part of my brain screaming it's something else obvious! Vet is out on Monday to assess, but I can't stop picking over it! At around 4-5 pm he was happily picking at the little grass and interacting with his GF at the other side of 20 acre field, can lami kick in this hard and fast? Just wanted to see if anyone had experience this sort of thing before, I've never had a lami horse before. If it is Lami what else can I do to improve things for him?
Many thanks (and oreos and shortbread for any who made it this far!)
Started coming in every night 2nd week of December as he was starting to look a bit poor. And when he stays in a fairly generous amount of haylage (about as much as he can each in 12 hours), which doesn't seem to be too sweet as my other horse is fine, and he goes off to la la land with too much sugar! He was on maybe a loose scoop of alfa a (the unmollassed version), half a scoop of fibrebeet, twice a day, topspec comp, biotin, gloucosime, at the recommended rates, and a cupful of conditioning cubes split between the two (Fairly high oil/Fibre, can't remember the starch/sugar levels, but I think it can't be too bad as I try and avoid them as a matter of course...)
Tuesday, around 7pm I go to get the boys in. Long story short, 2 1/2 hours later, one muddy owner, one upset 17.3 6yo, two unhorsey muddy family members, and our lovely painkiller providing vet we're dragging him out of the top of the 20 field absolutely hopping in front, mainly the off fore. Refusing to move, and then going with a very lame gait at speed when forced.
No obvious injury, heat, swelling. Warm feet, and strong pulses all round, so vet tentatively says Lami. However even she seemed sceptical. He is not a horse in fat condition. Maybe a 3 out of 9? You can see his ribs through his winter coat, defined wither, complete with scrawny neck, hip bones. Not unhealthy, shiny coat, happy in himself, spends all day playing with his herd mates and mooching about. By the end of the field he was rocking onto and off his toes, clapping his lips (he does this when he's stressed...) and shaking. Vet gave IV painkillers, said go as if lami. One bute am and pm,
So 4 days on he briefly seemed to start getting better, then back to how he was this morning. He's on very straw like hay soaked for 12 hours, and a handful of unmollassed chaff to get the bute in. Deep bed to the door, hay off the floor, all around the door to for his convenience. However, his feet seem to be quite cool for the last few days, he has trouble turning, and is striking his off leg out when he stands, BUT is often bending it and resting toe to the ground when he eats the scraps off the floor, or from a feed bucket? Bright in himself, but clearly in pain when he puts weight through it.
Is this sort of typical for lami? Just with him being kinda scrawny, in good health (apart from KS which vet doesn't think hurts him unless in work...), fine coat, no hard ground.. there is a little part of my brain screaming it's something else obvious! Vet is out on Monday to assess, but I can't stop picking over it! At around 4-5 pm he was happily picking at the little grass and interacting with his GF at the other side of 20 acre field, can lami kick in this hard and fast? Just wanted to see if anyone had experience this sort of thing before, I've never had a lami horse before. If it is Lami what else can I do to improve things for him?
Many thanks (and oreos and shortbread for any who made it this far!)
