laminitis horror

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kellykelbe

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My little pony was diagnosed with laminitis today. she has been uncomfortable on her hind legs for over 7 weeks now and had the vet out a number of times and each time was told something different. Today when i went down she was in a lot of discomfort on her back legs hopping from one to the other. She is now on pain killers and sedatives for a week and a deep bed. Is there anything else i can do for her and what is the out look I have never had to deal with this before and am worried sick she was brought for my daughter by her late father so is very special to us.
 
I'd be inclined to get the farrier & the vet out together to get x-rays done & a trim tailored to what they find. That way you know exactly what you're dealing with & it's amazing how much more comfortable they can be made if the angles are altered. The farrier may also be able to fit some supports to help her.

Outlook varies greatly, but by getting your vet & farrier working together, following instructions to the letter & giving her time to heal you're giving her the best chance. I'd really want those x-rays & a farrier fitting supports asap though.

Good luck with her x
 
Sorry about your pony give the girls at superfix a ring they have some great supplements called lamalert and freestep that really help horses with lami or those that are prone to it.
 
I do also agree about having x rays done so you know whats going on in the feet, as although the supplements are very good they can only do so much and having had one with lami this would be my first priority.
 
You need to get the inflammation under control by strict low sugar diet and treating any underlying condition such as PPID. Any mechanical changes need to be grown out with control of symptoms allowing good lamina connection and appropriate trim and support to the hoof and bony column. Any mechanical changes cannot be healed/repaired, they have to be grown out.
 
Nari said:
I'd be inclined to get the farrier & the vet out together to get x-rays done & a trim tailored to what they find. That way you know exactly what you're dealing with & it's amazing how much more comfortable they can be made if the angles are altered. The farrier may also be able to fit some supports to help her.

Outlook varies greatly, but by getting your vet & farrier working together, following instructions to the letter & giving her time to heal you're giving her the best chance. I'd really want those x-rays & a farrier fitting supports asap though.

Good luck with her x
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This...definitely and without delay. Strict diet management is also a massive key factor too as AmandaP has already said.

Fingers crossed for a complete recovery back to good health for your pony OP.
 
Kellykelbe, did your vet not give you lots and lots of information overload as to how to look after a laminitic pony and what the likely outcome is? The only reason I ask is that something in your post made me wonder if your vet is the best he possibly can be. I am not meaning this in anyway rudely, it's just you said you had the vet out a number of times and each time was told something different. Usually lami isn't all that troublesome to diagnose and I am surprised that if they were having trouble diagnosing the problem, they haven't done x-rays already. When you are struggling with things like this, having a vet that offers you all the additional practical advice can make such a tremendous difference. Going forward, diet control and the correct degree of turnout is going to be hugely important and you really need someone who can hold your hand in getting this right. Good luck, I hope she makes a speedy recovery soon.
 
Well had the vet back out today and he has given my pony the all clear saying she can go out a night and start to be slowy ridden again!!!!! He said there is no evidence of any rotation or any need to xray and that her feet look nice and hard. Seems all a little sudden
 
I'm sorry to hear that. Very old school but someone I know had a little pony with lami back on the. 80's vet advised PTS but they wanted to give her another chance. Vet advised to stand her in the cow barn due to the amonia... Apparently she was much better in the morning and with strict management never had it again and died last year at 39!
 
Too quick to let her out in my opinion. Is it a horse vet? I loaned a pony once to people whose vet failed to diagnose laminitis and she is dead now-agree with other posters who recommend vet and farrier working together, also the time needed for growth and repair, also the need for speed. Also to consider why she has it? EMS. Cushings, concussion, etc etc
 
horsemadmum1 said:
Too quick to let her out in my opinion. Is it a horse vet? I loaned a pony once to people whose vet failed to diagnose laminitis and she is dead now-agree with other posters who recommend vet and farrier working together, also the time needed for growth and repair, also the need for speed. Also to consider why she has it? EMS. Cushings, concussion, etc etc
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Me too. And prevention is better than cure, every time. Once they have had a dose they seem much more likely to have repeat attacks in the future. A friend had a very elderly pony with Cushings which was prone to lammi and found that magnetic boots made a huge difference to his recovery time.
 
kellykelbe said:
My little pony was diagnosed with laminitis today. she has been uncomfortable on her hind legs for over 7 weeks now and had the vet out a number of times and each time was told something different. Today when i went down she was in a lot of discomfort on her back legs hopping from one to the other. She is now on pain killers and sedatives for a week and a deep bed. Is there anything else i can do for her and what is the out look I have never had to deal with this before and am worried sick she was brought for my daughter by her late father so is very special to us.
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I lost the mare of a life time 2 years ago to laminitis, have some info here if you can to view it >>>http://horse-care-and-advice.weebly.com/l.html

also ideas for box rest here >>http://horse-care-and-advice.weebly.com/horses-on-box-rest.html

Mirror the above that is too quick to let her out again> my x vets did not diagnose my mare till after her second attack had gone un noticed. With this rain new grass will come which is bad for her
 
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kellykelbe said:
Well had the vet back out today and he has given my pony the all clear saying she can go out a night and start to be slowy ridden again!!!!! He said there is no evidence of any rotation or any need to xray and that her feet look nice and hard. Seems all a little sudden
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I would strongly recommend not doing this and getting another vet out asap for a second opinion.
 
kellykelbe said:
Well had the vet back out today and he has given my pony the all clear saying she can go out a night and start to be slowy ridden again!!!!! He said there is no evidence of any rotation or any need to xray and that her feet look nice and hard. Seems all a little sudden
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What TF???? Sorry OP, am not questionioning your management, but either the pony has laminitis, or it does not......... and if it HAS, then letting out for "normal" grazing is the very very worst thing you can do.

What were the symptoms that gave rise to the laminitis diagnosis? Was there the typical "laminitic stance"?? i.e. the pony stretching out its front legs in an effort to take weight off them, plus an increased digital pulse? and heat in the hoofs particularly the front ones? Also a thick/heavy crest??

Personally I think you need to change your vet - fast. I don't know who is in your area but I think you need to get a vet who is used to dealing with horses NOT small animal or even cattle, an equine-specific vet is what you need. How FFS can your vet tell if there is "no rotation" and therefore no need for X-rays? Rotation can only be determined by taking x-rays and then taking more at a later date to determine what is happening and the speed of that rotation. Sorry, but your vet is frankly displaying his/her ignorance of the condition by this remark.

Please take heed of other people's warnings on here about correct diagnosis and speed in which the situation is dealt with. My old boy had laminitis (as well as Cushings, the two are connected); and in spite of the very best care I lost him. Early diagnosis and correct early care is 101% vital.

Get another vet. Ask for X-rays and also for some bloods to be taken as you could be dealing with all sorts of things among them Equine Metabolic Disorder and/or Cushings, which can be a factor in laminitis. Do it NOW, don't delay, and don't let your pony out onto rich grass until you've got a vet that knows what they're doing. Coz (sorry, not wanting to frighten you) if you do the wrong thing now, you could lose the pony.
 
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please, please get a second opinion from a horse vet before you turn out or ride. as said previously rotation cannot be seen without an x ray...if you say where you are in the country someone may be able to recommend a good horse vet...
 
Thanks for all the replys it is an equine vet that I have had I am in Crowborough East sussex. Her original symptoms were extreme discomfort in the back legs. She came in from the field ok and then the following moring could hardly move on her hind legs so got the vet out when turning her she spun on her hind legs ather than pick them up she did have a strong pulse but her feet were not hot. She is now sound and off pain killers with no discomfort in feet when pressure applied she does have a thick crest and a little over weight which she is now slowly losing. He has suggested I get her feet trimmed. I was very surprised that he said to put her out at night with no muzzle and in during the day.
 
So the symptons were only apparent the next morning after being stabled at night? How long did it take before she was walking normally again? Do you hard feed over night in the stable?

I only ask, because laminitis in the hind feet only is pretty rare (I have not heard of it) and if it were my horse, I would be thinking along the lines of tie-up, especially given the other circumstances.

The whole thing just sounds a bit weird.
 
I would make sure she was tested for EMS and Cushings. I would manage her as a pony that had it anyway as it will do her no harm. Make her diet very low sugar by keeping her on an area without grass and feeding soaked hay. There is good information on the laminitis site http://www.thelaminitissite.org/
 
It is extremely difficult not to follow vets advice, however in this case I think that taking a conservative approach can not do any harm and can only do good.
By that I mean diet, get a weigh tape and measure one a week. Take photos too. I would let pony out at night with a muzzle assuming the grass is not lush, but I would feed a plain feed [Fast Fibre] just before turnout.
The hay has to be soaked to remove sugars, but then the minerals need to be replaced, and a bit of salt. Make sure no sugar or molasses in the diet [carrots/apples/lickits/molichaff etc]
Walking in hand if not in distress, and regular farrier check, not shoes, which cover symptoms and stop the natural movement of the feet and the related tissues.
If there is a pen where she can wander about so much better than standing inside.
 
I was thinking more sounds like tieing up.

omg cant believe he's said to turn out with no muzzle! My horse has it mildly about 7 years ago, my vet said to muzzle him so muzzled he was and has been since. I wouldn't sleep if I thought he was out without it stuffing his face!!!!!
 
NZJenny said:
So the symptons were only apparent the next morning after being stabled at night? How long did it take before she was walking normally again? Do you hard feed over night in the stable?

I only ask, because laminitis in the hind feet only is pretty rare (I have not heard of it) and if it were my horse, I would be thinking along the lines of tie-up, especially given the other circumstances.

The whole thing just sounds a bit weird.
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It only took a few days on painkillers to be walking better and I say in the hind legs they were the only ones that seemed uncomfortable she kept shifting the weight from one to the other. I am so confused I have 3 different vets with different advice one says she is fine one said at the begining it would be a long road but just box rest and another said she should have loads of test and x-ray i dont know who to trust now. I took her for a walk down the drive today and she was very full of herself tring to trot off.
 
I have just looked up tying up and now even more unsure. when i led her out of the stable it was definetly her back end that was uncomfortable and he then asked me to walk her down and turn her around and when doing this she could hardly turn would not pick up her back feet just spun on them and then refused to walk back so we had to push her he said there was an increased pulse but her feet were not hot. she is only fed a very small handful of hifi lite and has farrier fromula added. she has had problems with the back end for a few weeks on and off
 
You need xrays to see damage done if any this will hopefully confirm if it is lami or not.

Sounds more like tying up but that requires box rest and pain killers and blood tests to confirm levels of enzymes and stuff they use to measure if its getting better. My horse had it too and his levels were so high it was off the scale and he's a happy hacker, doesn't have to be a competition horse to get it he was fit through hacking. Had she been ridden night before the symptoms showed ?
 
Have to say that when my cob has had laminitis, it was diagnosed when he became stiff in his back legs. He is permanently managed as a laminitic and one of the signs I watch out for is any stiffness behind.
If it's any comfort to you, ponies are lighter than horses, so recovery can be quicker than with a heavy weight cob. The prognosis for my lad was that he would probably never be able to eat grass again. That was 2 years ago and since then, he's led a near to normal working life with lots of exercise, never muzzled but all hay is soaked, and only stabled in the day during the grazing season.
Treat your pony as laminitic and once he's over this episode, continue with the regime and watch him on a daily basis for any signs of sugar overload.
 
Okay had a different vet out today (my old vet before i moved) she was brilliant could see straight away that twinkle was still uncomfortable, has taken x-rays which show a slight roation of 2-3 degrees and can see on hind feet where the lamine has started to come away and there are pockets of gas which could turn into abcess. she has taken blood and put her on metformin she says just looking at her with all the fatty deposits she is certain she has ems. She is speaking to the farrier today and coming up with a plan for her feet and put her back on danilon to help with inflamation. So all good news. The question now is do I complain to the other vet who was ready to turn her back out on grass? I have not paid them yet.
 
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