Laminitis Complications???

[Flame_]

Work's driving pony had laminitis at Christmas. Initially he went very lame on one front foot and for two weeks it was treated as an abcess. When it didn't improve the vet nerve blocked the foot and pony was lame on the other foot. Vet then diagnosed laminitis. Pony didn't improve for weeks and it soon became apparent he was affected in all four feet. However x-rays have shown all along that there is no movement of the pedal bones and have given no indication why the pony is still in so much discomfort.

The pony has tested negative for cushings but vet put him on pergolide in March anyway because we have his half brother who is cushingoid and on pergolide. He improved a lot at first but has since deteriorated again. He isn't crippled by any means but he finds it very hard to turn left. He is still on one bute a day and has been tried on navilox and now on something else (can't remember drug name) for EMS but neither have made any difference.

Anyway, today he had his front feet shod and the apprentices came on their own without regular farrier (one's almost qualified or maybe qualified already). They planned just to re-fit his heartbars and were asking how he's been doing. The farriers and vets don't understand why he doesn't get better. He was flinching today every time the farrier tried resting the inside of his left front foot on his leg to work on the foot. He established the pain is now coming from his inside heel on his left front foot. The pony didn't react to hoof testers anywhere at all and only flinched when he squoze(sp?!!) inwards around the heel, like a corn.

The farrier dug and poked around with a nail and there is one isolated spot the pony is very sore on. I'm tubbing and poulticing the foot over the weekend and seeing what happens.

Could it be an abcess as well? Does this happen a lot? Has anyone else has laminitics with sore heels but toes, although showing laminitis damage, that don't react to hoof testers?

The farrier's apprentice is hoping he's found a problem his boss has missed.

I just want our little lad to come sound, the clock's ticking on how much more time and money will be spent on him.

Sorry that got really long, thanks if you've got this far!!!!!!!

 

[rforsyth1984]

You let two possibly not yet qualified people mess with this ponies feet?!

I'm sorry to hear the problems you have been having with the pony, I can't really offer any advice, but I think in this situation I would want a foot/lameness specialist to have a look - could you not get a referal to one of the big equine hospitals? Seems like your vet/farrier havnt got a clue and are just shoving drugs (expensive ones at that!) in willy nilly and hoping it works?

I appreciate things can be difficult to diagnose (my horse had a suspected pedal bone fracture that went on to be suspected laminitis, suspected deep abscesses and eventually turned out to be deep solar bruising with some small abscesses and deep rooted thrush!), but seems like your vet is just wasting time and money here?

 

[scotsmare]

I agree with rforsyth - you need a referral to a specialist to get this sorted out.

 

[Flame_]

[ QUOTE ]
You let two possibly not yet qualified people mess with this ponies feet?!

The senior apprentice has been coming for years and does a better job than a lot of qualified farriers.

I'm sorry to hear the problems you have been having with the pony, I can't really offer any advice, but I think in this situation I would want a foot/lameness specialist to have a look - could you not get a referal to one of the big equine hospitals?

Would be my choice but boss's pony not mine, the vets haven't recommended it and pony's not insured. Bit of a difficult situation.

Seems like your vet/farrier havnt got a clue and are just shoving drugs (expensive ones at that!) in willy nilly and hoping it works?

I agree.

I appreciate things can be difficult to diagnose (my horse had a suspected pedal bone fracture that went on to be suspected laminitis, suspected deep abscesses and eventually turned out to be deep solar bruising with some small abscesses and deep rooted thrush!), but seems like your vet is just wasting time and money here?

[/ QUOTE ]

Hmmm.... Thanks.

 

[Flame_]

Thank you. Trouble is I doubt my boss will pay for that. I may have to raise the issue again next week if no change. I'm thinking that the sore heels thing we didn't know about before is pretty weird though, right?

 

[Eaglestone]

I was talking to my Farriers Apprentice who shod my horse, who has Cushings and suffered 10 degrees of rotation of the Pedal Bone, last week ... BTW when they get to a certain stage they are allowed to shoe horses on their own, as they can always refer to their boss if they have any questions, and at that stage in their apprenticeship they are very well qualified after nearly 4 years of so! .... anyway he was saying that they would not put on heart bars after a certain stage in Laminitis if at all ... they would use the Styrofoam (sp) pads I think

My boy never had heart bars, he had styrofoam then they tried another type, based on NB shoes (which were useless) and then just barefoot on a deep bed. We progressed to plastic shoes and then went back to his normal Natural Balance shoes and the Farrier assures me that this is the best for him.

I do believe that Cushing’s ponies are prone to foot problems i.e. abscesses so owners must be vigilant. So let’s hope that your pony will finally be able to progress further if it turns out to be an abscess

PS My friend was all worried when her old arthritic boy went lame and that her old boy was condemned, after having xrays and injections and other treatment … only to be told by the Farrier on Tuesday that he found an Abscess …. My friend phoned me in absolute glee, as she thought that she would never have him sound again ... and was so relieve it was 'just and abscess'

Good luck and I will be thinking of you and please give us an update

Edited ... my horse did not react to the pinch test when he had suspected Laminitis, this was before the 10 degrees of rotation, which was found on xray about a week later

 

[Flame_]

Thanks very much for that. I do wonder if an alternative shoeing method might suit him better. My farrier has an excellent reputation and the vets are always impressed by his remedial work, my only criticism is he's a bit traditional and somewhat dismissive whenever I make suggestions about different methods.

You seem to know so much about this subject, any advice is very much appreciated. I thought I'd heard somewhere that abscesses can follow laminitis but I do get confused and imagine things sometimes.

Maybe we'll see an improvement over the next few days, I just hope he's not done serious damage to the tendons or ligaments near his heels, I'm dealing with that with my own horse at the moment.

 

[custard]

Yes it could still be an abcess as puss in the foot can move around, it can also grumble on for weeks too. You don't say whether they used antibiotics but these can be a pain because the abcess never seems to 'ripen' and burst properly.

Tubbing the foot in warm salty water and poulticing it for a few days will probably help it along but don't do it for more than 2-3 days. It may also be worth putting the pony on a really small area of turnout since moving around gently can also help it come to a head.

Would also agree with cushings horses being prone to abcess. Apparently the disease lowers their immunity so they can get them in their feet, in the teeth and don't fight infection very well generally. At the end of the day it needs to be investigated properly but if it's not your pony it's difficult.

 

[amandaco2]

cushing horses are likely to get infections and abcesses is because their blood has high sugar levels due to the insulin resistance, thus the bugs can grow alot easier and faster.
poor boy hope he gets sorted soon

 

[Orangehorse]

I think custardsmum has give very good advice. So long as they are not completely hobbling (and as he is being shod he must be reasonably OK) it is best that laminitics can move around.

My horse's grumbling abscess developed when I turned him out after nearly 2 weeks on stable/very restricted, so it had the desired effect. Horse wasn't amused though.

After tubbing, dry the foot and maybe put some Suodcream in his frogs so you clean up any possible fungal infections too. Or use a solution of Teat Tree oil to soak, as this will kill most bugs.