Laminitis advice & tips for persuading pony to take bute (also in vet..)

[Magic_Merlin]

Hi

Would be grateful for some advice please. Sadly vet diagnosed our 18 year old (young) pony as having laminitis yesterday after he came in from the field lame (he's never had it before) - gutted is an understatement as has so many carriage driving plans this summer and hate the thought of him being in any kind of pain.

Vet has put frog supports on and will have his shoes removed Wed (vet doesn't want to do it any sooner as thinks will be too uncomfortable) - seems a little easier with these on and seems more like his perky self. Vet has advised that he has just enough hay to keep him occupied and a handleful of speedibeet to hide bute in and keep his gut moving. Yesterday managed to convince him to eat the speedibeet but today he is having none of it (he can be quite fussy) - what can i hide it in that would be suitable for a pony with laminitis? I have left the feed in with him and not topped up his hay in the hope that as there is no other option he'll be persuaded but don't hold out much hope.

Also he has been in since first thing yesterday and has not drunk a drop of water - any tips to get him to drink?

Box rest is going to be a nightmare for him as he's quite an excitable pony who loves his work and can get agitated/fret a little when in alone. His field mate is staying in with him at night but out during day.

Have everything crossed that with help of good vet/farrier it has been caught early enough and he makes a full recovery.

Any advice from anyone who has dealt with similar will be greatly recieved.

Sorry its long.

 

[Devonshire dumpling]

When our pony gets laminitis ( haven't had to use frog supports this year we seemed to catch it just right) we soaked her hay for the day and put thick bedding all the way to the door to help her feet, we also have a stream running through out yard and she had really hot feet, stood her in there for 30 mins and her feet came out ice cold and didn't heat again for many hours, seemed to really help her!

I would try lots of different things to try to hide the bute, main thing is to make sure you don't give her much of whatever you try, so one bite and it's gone! try a marmite sandwich X or an apple cored,pop bute in and pop core back in! XX

 

[lachlanandmarcus]

If the apple core etc tactics dont work for very long (my horses can sense an 'interfered with' vegetable at 20 paces ) then either try danilon instead of standard bute (its alot more palatable, vet can help with this) or get a large (biiiigg) syringe from the vet and then dissolve the bute in a little very warm but not hot hot water and syringe it straight in. That way you know they have had it. You might need a headcollar on so they dont jerk their head out of the way, a bit like wormer dosing.

I was lucky with my lami girl, she is sooooo greedy (part of the problem) that she would eat food with bute in but my big chap wont and is colic prone so i use the syringe method on him.

 

[Montyforever]

Definatly try danilon, my mare stopped eating for the first few days when she was first diagnosed last year and she's never taken any medicine in her feed but she started to eat it (just in Hifi as well!)
Second all the advice above big deep bed all the way to the door small amount of soaked hay and keeping everything quiet calm helped my stressy mare through her box rest and she made a very quick recovery and was sound and comfortable within a month
are you giving a small amount of sedalin to help the hooves as well? I think that was very helpful as before she had the danilon she was eating the sedalin okay and it made her much more comfortable!
Good luck it's a horrible time

 

[KSR]

Dried mint put in the feed might be helpful

 

[zippo]

Bute paste/dosing syringe,no problems.

 

[spaniel]

If you have access to one at the yard put your bute in the freezer until you need to feed it. It helps take the edge off the taste. I have found cheap or homemade apple sauce works well to mix the bute into before adding to a feed.

 

[Slightlyconfused]

Danilon is tasty, mine eat it fine in a small handful of happy hoof. also is she on soaked hay? If so she might not be drinking as she will be getting alot of water from the hay.

 

[Magic_Merlin]

Thank you all for your replies - really helpful. I had thought about the apple trick but so worried of doing any more harm (vet said hay and handful speedibeet is all he should have) - however need to get the bute in somehow so tried it and it worked. He wasn't very impressed so may have to try one of the other suggestions this evening. I'll ring vet tomorrow morn and see if i can pick up some danilon or bute paste (as he takes wormer fine).

Haven't soaked his hay yet - how long is it best to soak if for? Someone suggested adding a teaspoon of salt to his water might help?

He is on a thick bed of shavings up to the door. Below that is rubber mats which are laid on sand.

Montyforever - not heard of sedalin, what does it do? It is a horrible time. Really hoping he makes a quick recovery as he is a bit of a stresshead in the stable.

 

[be positive]

Soak his hay for 12-16 hours then rinse well, this will remove the sugars from it and give him plenty of moisture he may well not need any extra water.

Danilon is much more palatable so I would get that so much easier than syringing.

 

[Montyforever]

It's a sedative in bigger doses, but a little bit of it improves the blood flow to the hooves and opens the blood vessels I think, hay should be soaked for at least 12 hours

 

[teasle]

Bute mixed with tescos value apple sauce (just the right consistency) and put in a large syringe from the saddlers worked well for me today.

 

[juliette]

My horse is currently on box rest and I syringe bute mixed with apple juice. He accepts this better than mixed with water.

I tried putting bute in feed with every conceivable thing to mask the taste but nothing worked.

 

[Pale Rider]

Bute is the recommended drug for laminitis, and in as small a dose as you can get away with is fine. It does however interfere with the regeneration of the laminae and can prolong the healing process.

You should bare in mind that the damage caused to the feet is only a symptom of the illness which is actually a massive attack on the horses metabolic system.

Stabalizing his metabolism is in fact more help that fannying about with he feet. Well soaked hay/haylage is all that should be on offer. Unmolassed beet is fine to carry some bute, but often they wont take it.

As far as the feet are concerned the damage is done and was done within hours of the onset of the attack. If you can get the shoes off all well and good but often this can be problematic. He will get much releif from being allowed to stand or lie on pea gravel 6"deep. failing that rubber mats and deep shavings.

He may well lie down a lot and stay off his feet untill abscesses burst out from the hoof. Whats going on inthere is like belting your fingernail with a hammer as hard as you can. The dead lamminae and puss will need to come out and he will not get little relief until it does.

Boots and pads can help a lot. When he is up, after the abscess stage, encourage him to walk out for gentle exercise, this quickly encourages the hooves to regrow, and reverse any rotation in the pedal bone. Too much box rest will hinder the pedal bone reversal.

 

[weeanne]

Apples apple sauce etc is full of sugar so I wouldnt chance it. Peppermint oil can hide the taste of bute also could try devils claw its for pain relief and anti-inflamatory. Could there be anything underlying? ie EMS or cushings as its first time and is at that age. Also low MJDE feed is best. Allan and page fast fibre would be better than speedibeat.
The joys of ponys, winter is soo much less work lol
Good luck

 

[JEZA]

Dear OP
I know its a nightmare. Just had my pony diagnosed 1 month ago. Vet said eggbar shoes etc, I said no-way!! Had shoes taken off.
Vet said box rest - my pony and me said no-way!! Out with a friend and muzzle on, in usual threadbear patch.
Try Danilon - mine wouldnt touch bute.
Vet said limit soaked hay to 3 kg a day - pony said no way!! She did very few poos and I could see colic looming. She has as much soaked, rinsed hay as she needs.
Mine also has magnesium, and vitamins.
Has your pony been tested for Equine Metabolic Syndrome, mine has this.She has started Metformin.
She then got a foot abcess.

However, 4 weeks later, started work, placed in dressage yesterday. Dont loose heart, I know its easy to, I even rang the local hunt to discuss having pony put down she was that lame.
Please dont loose heart, but read around the topic, there's many differing views as to what is best. Thats what I did, then I tried to choose what I felt was best for my particular pony. I hope you suceed with your pony, its a terrible disease.

 

[Pale Rider]

Dear OP
I know its a nightmare. Just had my pony diagnosed 1 month ago. Vet said eggbar shoes etc, I said no-way!! Had shoes taken off.
Vet said box rest - my pony and me said no-way!! Out with a friend and muzzle on, in usual threadbear patch.
Try Danilon - mine wouldnt touch bute.
Vet said limit soaked hay to 3 kg a day - pony said no way!! She did very few poos and I could see colic looming. She has as much soaked, rinsed hay as she needs.
Mine also has magnesium, and vitamins.
Has your pony been tested for Equine Metabolic Syndrome, mine has this.She has started Metformin.
She then got a foot abcess.

However, 4 weeks later, started work, placed in dressage yesterday. Dont loose heart, I know its easy to, I even rang the local hunt to discuss having pony put down she was that lame.
Please dont loose heart, but read around the topic, there's many differing views as to what is best. Thats what I did, then I tried to choose what I felt was best for my particular pony. I hope you suceed with your pony, its a terrible disease.

Fantastic post this, It's always hard going against the vet and farriers advice, but, there really is a much better way than the standard advice they come up with.
It takes courage to do this as very often other people around you will tell you, you are wrong.
Very often there is a perceived re lapse, but this is part of the recovery when the abscessing starts to break out, things pick up from there.
Excellent post Jeza, really enjoyed reading this.

 

[Magic_Merlin]

Really appreciate all the advice, thank you and helps to hear other people's experiences - esp those where pony has come sound again (gives me hope). Every pony/horse is so different and therefore guess important to read the horse/pony.

Definitely will start soaking his hay - he's one haynet a day and one at night. He has drunk a little over night which is good. He's associating apple and speedibeat with the horrible taste - so will touch neither now. Hubby is picking up a syringe today and will try a bit of apple juice tonight.

Vet is coming Weds with farrier to remove shoes. Will ask about EMS and ask to test.

He is starting to settle more in the stable, more like his usual cheeky self and seems more comfortable moving around (expect a result of the bute and supports).

Fingers crossed...

 

[suestowford]

I've got one who won't touch Bute - I've tried disguising it, freezing it and everything. He also won't touch Danilon.
In the end I got Bute in a paste in a tube, like a worming syringe, and that did the job OK.

Good luck with your pony, hope he comes right again for you.