Lami/ not lami that is the question

[Ranyhyn]

Firstly may I point out the vet is coming out in the morning - this is simply to allay my own mind as I have had so much conflicting advice in the past 12 hours!

Ed is walking fine. Slightly stilted in trot. He has gained a lot of weight in the last two weeks, I hadn't noticed it and should have been weight taping him. He has virtually no heat in either of his fores - comparable to his hinds either and his pulse is just the higher side of normal, which I have attributed to the heat.

Nevertheless, he has been muzzled and is now in until the vet comes on a deep bed with soaked hay.


Initially I thought it might have been the heat, then I thought it might have been just a general lameness- but he's not so much lame as choppy...short in the stride.

After trawling through a lot of articles it suggests it does no harm to treat as lami - so thats what I am doing.

Thoughts? What else can I do? Never had even a whiff of lami before so I am learning on the spot.

Kitty

 

[Damnation]

What is his neck like? Has it become hard and cresty?

 

[f_s_]

Best to treat as a laminitis case and wait until the vet sees him.

You're doing the right thing imo. I'm doing the same with one of mine, exactly the same, no definite signs, but treating as laminitis.

Fingers crossed it's just the heat for yours

 

[Slinkyunicorn]

For now until the vet comes you have done the right thing getting him off the grass and into a stable. Soaked hay is also the right way to go. Fingers crossed it isn't lami for your boy. In the meantime have a look at the Laminitis Clinic website - you can also call their helpline if it turns out to be lami - they will give you advice on diet, rehab, long term management etc Please don't just rely on your vet for info on Lami - the Laminitis Clinic are experts in dealing with it and are totally up to date with treatments etc - thanks to them and my farrier my mare is sound and back in full work - the vet who saw her (from a big well known equine vets) speciality is AI so gave so very poor conflicting advice which would have resulted in long term damage for my mare.

Good luck tomorrow - for now you have done all you can do. Please update us tomorrow.

 

[f_s_]

Echo Slinky on this btw, great advice to go to the Laminitis Clinic, they know their stuff.

 

[Ranyhyn]

His neck isn't cresty as such, its very firm on both sides, but no obvious crest.

I wasn't sure what to do with the hay - he's such a guts I thought maybe it wasn't the right thing to do,but realised I couldnt leave him without anything, so soaked it well and truly so hopefully all he's doing is filling the gap with bulk rather than calories.

 

[legaldancer]

I had the same concern with our sec B a couple of weeks ago & took your course of action. The farrier came before the vet & he said she didn't have laminitis, the following day, the vet confirmed it wasn't, but much better to have been safe rather than sorry. Hope Ed will be fine too.

 

[Ranyhyn]

I will upload a photo of his neck for you to see - this was last week:
sorry my head is in the way

As you can see he is a bit of a lump, but in the last fortnight he's got quite a pot

He's in full work, jumping, fast work, schooling etc.

I'm really hoping the vet is going to smack me about the head and tell me to stop being such a numbskull

tell me he was just hot and bothered- but better safe than sorry eh?

Fingers crossed, thanks guys!

 

[Slinkyunicorn]

I think he looks lovely!!

But then I'm a sucker for a chunky monkey!!

You did right soaking his hay - will just keep his gut moving.

 

[Damnation]

You have done the right thing

And Ed is a lovely looking boy, I want to steal

 

[Ranyhyn]

Ahh he is lovely, and I too like them well built, but I think in my happiness to get weight on him after we changed yards mid winter, I then lost the plot a bit and let him get a little too well.

Whatever the verdict is tomorrow, I think he'll keep his grazing muzzle on now until we have nice stubbly summer fields again.

 

[tabithakat64]

You are doing exactly the right thing in treating your horse as if he has laminitis, until your vet can examine him. Unfortunately it does sound as though it might be.

BTW your horse is lovely

 

[Flame_]

You've done all the right things and you won't really know until the vet's been but I just wanted to say the ground has suddenly gone much harder which can cause lameness in itself, and show up foot problems, so its not necessarily laminitis.

I hope he's on the mend soon.

 

[Donkeymad]

Yes, you have done exactly the right thing. Are there any digital pulses?
keeping everything crossed it is not lammi, but if it is, it is not the end of the world.

 

[scally]

Gosh poor you he is lovely.

However I will be truthful, he is very overweight from your photos and lami is certainly not an unfair possibility even in hard work. If you look at the WHW website it has condition scoring for you to look at on video.

You have done everything right tonight so wait for the vet in the morning, you can do nothing else.

I really hope it is not lami, and just a hiccup and you can get him down in size. Bless him he has such a happy face.

 

[Ranyhyn]

I couldn't feel a digital pulse, but on reading a few more articles last night I think I was testing in the wrong place(I was going for the back rather than the side)

I am off to chuck him some more hay now before work - so will see if there is any change.

I am seriously hoping its just he's got some concussion/bruising from running about in the field or whatnot - as he walked the 200m or so from the field,fine, but we'll see what happens this AM

Thanks guys x

 

[Honeypots]

Fingers crossed its not laminitis..

If it is or for just for interest I find this site very useful..

http://www.laminitisclinic.org/