Laminitis Awareness Warning!

MrsMozart

MrsMozart

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Just a quick reminder and warning to all!

Had Little Lad out for a couple of days on good grazing. Now, he's the right weight; he's reasonably fit; he's ridden at least five days a week; he's on Happy Hoof feed as he had laminitis last January; he gets nothing that could give him lammi.

But!

After two days on the field, I brought him in this afternoon and he has raised digital pulses in two legs (both hind)
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.

There's no lammi stance and he's not exactly footsore, he just didn't look right to me as I brought him in. But I rang the vet.

LL has had a Bute and he's on a bare paddock, with Little Cob to keep him company. We think we caught it just in time... fingers crossed for m'grumpy little lad.

HERE'S THE WARNING BIT:
Vet says that with the rain we've had and the odd bursts of sun, the sugars are going mad in the grass
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. So please - please, please, please, be very aware of the possibility of lammi - as I have learnt, it is not restricted to fat, little ponies! Horse get it, fit neddies of all sizes get it. Please take care.

Hot choccies for getting this far. If the message has sunk in, then you get sprinkles and flakes as well
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Edited to add: COLIC AWARENESS AS WELL, but I don't know much about that... ye!
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Thanks MM
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I was just saying on another post, this Hanoverian horse on the farm gets fed a handful of hard feed, 2lb of hay and your average field from 6.30am - 4.30pm and he came in with your typical lami stance and not able to barely walk. I wouldn't have even said he was fat!
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If he was, then Darcy is a rolling ball of lard. Glad he's loosing the weight now just in time.
 
I second this, i dont want others to have the stress and worry of having a chronic laminitic as its a constant worry, believe me, and i hate this weather as i know its a lethal combination for a laminitic.
Just wish i had never loaned her out to that darn riding school where she got a very bad attack of laminitis which has left us where we are now, you cant turn back the clock, you cant fix it, so be careful.
Good post MrsM
 
You've just said everything I was trying to say on the other post!
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Thank you for the warning -excellent advice, and I really hope that your LL gets better soon. Thank goodness he has a wonderful owner who knew exactly what to do and to call the vet.

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Very good post - can we extend this to a colic awareness warning too as the raised fructose levels in the grasses are creating havoc for a lot of horses - restrict turnout or muzzle or turn out at night/not during high peak times would be beneficial for anything that's susceptible.
Kate x

eta - this is not meant to be advertising or stealth marketing in any form - merely trying to help provide advice.
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Thank you for posting this! Yes, rain and sun interpersed really do increase the risk of any animal getting laminitis if they have access to grazing. Fit horses, fat horses, shetties, TBs, Arabs, Warmbloods, youngsters, veterans - all are at possible risk. Some horses sadly have a predisposition to it, and can get it whilst not overweight, whilst their porky fieldmates get away scotfree. (However, being overweight does greatly increase the risk).

Get your vet or farrier to show you how to take a digital pulse if you do not know already. If your horse shows potteriness, footsoreness, seems reluctant to move, has a lameness which cannot be otherwise explained, then suspect laminitis and remove the animal from the grass, cut out any hard feed, give it a deep shavings bed (which helps to support the internal structures of the feet), soak hay to remove sugars and get a definite diagnosis before you do anything else. A vet can give bute to ease the pain, ACP to increase circulation to the feet and advise whether any remedial farriery is needed.

Please do not think that it can't be laminitis because your horse is not fat, or is not a native pony, or that your grazing doesn't seem that lush. Prompt treatment of laminitis can make all the difference between a horse that recovers fully and one that has to be euthanised due to rotate pedal bones.
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Also, do try to learn as much about this awful disease as possible. The Laminitis Trust website is useful:

http://www.laminitis.org/

Also:

http://www.bhs.org.uk/_attachments/resources/425_s4.pdf

http://www.imprintshoes.co.uk/articles/fructans_in_grass_and_laminitis.htm

http://www.horseandhound.co.uk/horse-care-index/vet/tag/Laminitis

http://www.horsevet.co.uk/laminitis.php




 
A timely warning Mrs M. I have a pony with Cushings, which means she is very prone to laminitis. she is on Pergolide, lives on a starvation paddock, fed poor quality hay and hifi lite with about 2 hours turnout a day on better but by no means good grazing. On Thursday last week she was very slightly foot sore, no other symptoms but enough for me to stop the turnout onto grass, and give her half a bute for a couple of days. Back to normal now but whilst we have this sunshine and showers weather she isn't going to see the grass for a while. Incidentally my vet also has seen a greatly increased number of laminitis cases recently.
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Ditto this we have a thin arab on our yard who is laminetic! We have to be sooo careful with his feeding as he doesn't keep weight on easily yet the sugar contents and stuff have to be monitored.

Our paddocks are so bad at the moment there is not any grass to be worried about!
 
Thanks Mrs. M for making me feel better about keeping my new mini-shettie on an almost starvation paddock! We don't have much grass at the moment and I've been feeling so mean for the last few weeks. She's not had lammi, and maybe I'm being over cautious, but I'd rather be safe than sorry!

Sue
 
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