Lame on both hinds, my poor, sore horse.

So glad to hear he is improving with box rest etc, but what a worry for you. Hope the vet can give you a more definite diagnosis soon.

I found one of my terribly lame in both hinds one morning - vet diagnosed laminitis which was a huge shock as he was trim and on very little grass etc, but we then tested for Cushings and that was the cause.

Hope yours makes a full and speedy recovery.
 
Sprout, now your story is starting to sound familiar after today's vet visit. Vet reckons it is probably laminitis but as your horse, not 'fat' related. Possible a kind of toxic shock and we'll probably never find out what caused it, could be a reaction to the pain from doing the splits, could have eaten something he shouldn't have done. Front shoes off now too, Tinner is stil on box rest for another week, treatment has been as if it's laminitis anyway so we're hopefully doing the right thing. his stance is completely different to how it was on Saturday, then we was wobbling like a drunk and kind of cramped up behind, now he has a laminitis stance. Do wish there was a way of kindling out what has caused this (mind reading skills required here!)
 
Sorry to hear this. Mines was a toxic cause as well. Mke sure they xray the fronts as well. Mine had in all 4 feet but the backs were worst. Next Monday is one year from the first day we noticed there was something wrong. He's back out in a bare field now, not ridden yet but getting there. I had an amazing vet and farrier who have worked together to get him right, and it defo hasn't been cheap, but worth all the money and effort.
 
If you suspect laminitis and he has been in that much pain the X-rays really need to be taken ASAP to see what if any rotation there is so that it can be corrected straight away to make him more comfortable. Box rest and diet change alone won't help if there is rotation.
Re Cushings diagnosis....the test is only reliable alongside clinical signs as its very hard to detect in the early stages. No a negative result may be false if the hrse is showing clinical signs and should be repeated.

This is a useful site run by some very knowledgable people using the latest scientific research and their own experiences .
http://www.thelaminitissite.org/laminitis.html
 
An update. Tinner has been definitely improving over the last couple of weeks, to the point that he's been on one Danilon per day and 2mg sedalin(equivalent, cannot remember the name). He's been in the stable except for a couple of occasions when we needed to see how he moved. The muscles over the quarters have relaxed and he happily moves around on his deep shavings bed. He's been lying down a lot, and the heat in the hips and stifles has gone.

Vet and farrier visited together today for X-rays, these showed a very slight rotation in all four feet, slightly more in front, and generally less than Was expected. Walked him out and vet was very happy with how he moved. Farrier has trimmed accordingly today and will glue on Impriint shoes in a fortnight, the next time it will be heart bars. Vet a week after that for tests/assessment, he will be testing for EMS, if that proves clear then we won't know what caused it. We will build a track system if he can go out on grass again, I am thinking he will need a muzzle too and still come in for half a day on soaked hay, but we'll deal with that later.

So it could be a lot worse, and boy am I grateful that I have a good vet and farrier, and also that they work well together. Tinner was entranced by five people, two laptops and a lot of high tech expensive equipment in his stable!
 
Glad today went well, Imprints are great, but expensive :( I used them on another horse a few yers ago, and they certainley did the trick.
Mine hated me for the starved night before the insulin bloods!
Hopefully you'll get some good results, and the rotation will begin to improve shortly.
 
Glad he is improving...
Barefoot is definitely best if you can do it with laminitis
Did you test for Cushings? Finding the cause is the key to preventing it in future and if it's Cushings it can be treated.
Re his stance behind...he may benefit from some bodywork to help ease the muscles that have been tense through the pain of his feet.
 
I'm really glad he is getting better. I have had a fit six year old with it too.. I found out later that my land is very high in manganese and iron and that those prevent copper absorption, and that lack of copper disrupts insulin usage. You could perhaps consider putting him on an iron free, high copper supplement like Forage Plus our Progressive Earth sell. My other horse was fine, he was just more susceptible to it.

I think your vet let you down a bit to be honest. She told you to turn him out when even posters on here were telling you it sounded like laminitis. It was only for a short time and probably did no more harm, but I'm not quite sure she justifies the faith you have in her. If things don't go smoothly (iI expect they will) can i suggest that you get a second opinion?
 
_HP_ said:
Barefoot is definitely best if you can do it with laminitis
Click to expand...

I think it needs to be on a case by case basis. Mine would have been dead without heartbars TBH. Ultimately I would like him to go barefoot, but even a year down the line he is not ready yet. Its something I have discussed with both the farrier and Vet, and they are both happy to try when the time is suitable.
 
The laminitis is a secondary to whatever happened initially, there have been two vets and my farrier and so I'm happy and agree with what they found. I don't want to go barefoot from choice, although will do whatever the farrier and vet think is best, and imprints and heartbars are on the future menu for now. Thanks for all your input, I am hoping that one day I will have a happy six year old that I can work on. :-)
 
I think the main reason for barefoot initially is so that if there is rotation, it can be trimmed more regularly than usual to correct it.
A compromised hoof will often grow much quicker than a normal one.
Barefoot just makes it much easier to treat and to detect any flares ups in the early stages of recovery.
http://www.thelaminitissite.org/realigning-trim.html
 
Just to mention...once the cause has been identified and the laminitis correctly treated, there is no reason why lamintics can't return to a fully functioning life. It's not a death sentence anymore but there is a lot of conflicting and outdated information out there. I always mention The Laminitis Site because it's well researched and up to date .

Good luck with your horse OP :)
 
Thanks HP, he's had his shoes off pretty much since this happened and has had a trim after vet and farrier assessed him together, of course I'm going to do whatever is best for him, and hopefully we an come through this and learn from it....
 
Imprints on this afternoon, wow Britestar you were right, they are VERY expensive but there was an instant improvement in his ability to walk - first time out of the stable for a week or two and he fair towed me towards the field, two weeks ago he had to be encouraged to walk at all. Farrier says pulses in each foot are still very high, higher than he would expect, so I'm going to ring the vet about that tomorrow...
 
Gosh what a horrible few weeks it must have been for you OP. If you don't already have one it may be worth investing in either an equilibrium massage pad or the massage mitt (or similar products) to see if that helps ease the muscles in his back and rump. I realise this is secondary to the laminitis, but it may help him feel more comfortable. Good luck, i hope he returns to full soundness soon.
 
Spot_the_Risk said:
Imprints on this afternoon, wow Britestar you were right, they are VERY expensive but there was an instant improvement in his ability to walk - first time out of the stable for a week or two and he fair towed me towards the field, two weeks ago he had to be encouraged to walk at all. Farrier says pulses in each foot are still very high, higher than he would expect, so I'm going to ring the vet about that tomorrow...
Click to expand...

If he has pulses he really should still be on box rest...certainly no grass

You really need to find the cause as he shouldn't still be so sore . Have your vet tested for EMS and Cushings yet? And has the rotation been corrected?
 
Another who wouldn't give him any grass whilst he has pulses. In fact I would want him off all meds and totally comfortable for at least a week before putting back on grass.

Some years ago one of my horses got stress induced laminitis - he very definitely was not overweight and did not enjoy the enforced food restriction. He had 6 months box rest before being allowed to start work again and then another month before going out in the field - fortunately he was a very level headed horse. He returned to full work and never had another episode.

Hope all continues well with your boy.
 
I had a 6 yr old Shire with laminitis. She was, if anything, underweight. The vet (from a specialist equine practice) had no clue what was wrong - diagnosed abscess, even though she also had skin lesions. Blood tests apparently showed nothing useful. After about 3 months of no real improvement, following vet instructions to the letter, she was pts when she foundered. My farrier still blames the vet, many years and horses later. Research seems to suggest that she had some form of Cushings which could have been improved if she had been treated properly at the beginning.
Please ask for a 2nd opinion, from a different practice.
 
If a horse is still sore and on medication a week after getting laminitis then the cause hasn't been identified and treated.
Box rest and diet isn't enough if there are underlying causes such as cushings or if there is rotation which can really only be seen by X-ray.
The trouble with laminitis is that there is so much conflicting and out dated info out there.
OP...if you have Facebook, try the group EMS, PPID (cushings) and Laminitis UK for some great help and advice
 
There are alternatives to heartbars. My gelding went from putty pads straight into RX therapy boots with pads. Fabulous boots. He came sound.
 
Thank God, tests show no Cushings and no EMS. We can only assume it was a toxic laminitis although we won't ever know exactly what caused it. We won't be using the field that caused the problem again, and will be implementing a track system for all three boys. Tinner has left the stable and been released into a small paddock for 30 mins this evening, vet says build up to two hours, lead out in hand and/or ride, this will take as long as needed but he should be out full time again at some point and back in full work. He was predictably so very excited to be out, it was buck buck buck!
 
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