laminitis horror

kellykelbe said:
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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Lucky you got another vet I wouldnt use them again, I have a mare with EMS she is on a great supplement from Superfix called freestep as I mentioned before it helps get rid of a cresty neck and abnormal fat pads, its not cheap but you can claim it from your insurance if you ok it with your vet, it really does work so in my opinion worth the money, I hope your pony makes a full recovery and thank god you chose to get another opinion as the outcome may have been very different:(
 
Pinkvboots said:
Lucky you got another vet I wouldnt use them again, I have a mare with EMS she is on a great supplement from Superfix called freestep as I mentioned before it helps get rid of a cresty neck and abnormal fat pads, its not cheap but you can claim it from your insurance if you ok it with your vet, it really does work so in my opinion worth the money, I hope your pony makes a full recovery and thank god you chose to get another opinion as the outcome may have been very different:(
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I have just looked at freestep and it does look promising how much does one course last them and then do you move onto the lamalert and again how long does one pack last
 
kellykelbe said:
I have just looked at freestep and it does look promising how much does one course last them and then do you move onto the lamalert and again how long does one pack last
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It depends on the dose I was told to feed two scoops twice a day of freestep and it lasts about a month then you go onto lamalert one scoop twice a day,my mare has been on freestep for just over 3 weeks and the crest is going and it was huge, the freestep is £90 but you should only need one pot then the lamalert is £50 and that should last about 2 months as its half the dose.
 
Most supplement seem to work because the pony is on a diet anyway. Many contain minerals that you could buy a lot cheaper elsewhere.
IMO, a good diet ie molasses free chaff or something like fast fibre, with a good mineral supplement and restricted grazing with supplemented soaked hay will get rid of fat pads just as well.
Your new/old vet seems to be much more clued up than your other one.

This site is excellent and very well informed and has a Facebook group where you should receive some great help and advice
http://www.thelaminitissite.org/
 
UPDATE

Ok the test result came back and she has cushings disease the vet wants to start he on medication, is this the right thing to do she has no symptoms yet apart from the laminitis. The farrier has been out and trimmed her feet he said i should have called him first and that they know more about the feet and when she is lame they should be called before the vet. But he has done her feet and given more advice than the vet. Where do i go now? do i only stick with the farrier or farrier and vet and do i start her on medication or wait until more symptoms start
 
She will need medication or will keep getting laminitis unfortunately, so you will need the vet again. Once started on medicine, the vet will have to test her every few weeks until the correct dose is found. She will improve greatly once on medication, good luck with her.
 
If she's laminitic I'd definitely start her on Prascend asap, without it you're unlikely to get on top of the laminitis & even if you do this time it will recur.

While I would agree about always getting the farrier involved when treating laminitis I'd want the two working together. Your farrier may know more about feet BUT he can't diagnose or treat metabolic problems & he doesn'thave x-ray vision. Ifhe's not prepared to work with your vet, or if your vet won't work with the farrier, then you need to change your professionals because you want a team that will work together to give your pony the best possible chance.
 
so pleased you got another vet. it is very important to start the medication as cushings is a progressive ailment and is the main cause of the laminitis...you will also need to make sure she is fed the correct diet and keep an eye on her weight. google cushings disease and you will find lots of info...you will need to keep her under the vet as regular blood test are needed to make sure the level of medication is correct and although your farrier is important he is not a substitute for the vet....good luck
 
I'm glad you are treating her with the Prascend. It will make a big difference along with a low sugar diet. Do not listen to your farrier when he say you should have called him first. He can't diagnose metabolic disorders and if a farrier said things like that to me I would be thinking of changing to a different one who was more willing to work with the vet.
If you find it very expensive treating with the Prascend and need to save, cut down on expensive feeds and supplements rather than stopping the Prascend.
 
kellykelbe said:
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.

UPDATE

Ok the test result came back and she has cushings disease the vet wants to start he on medication, is this the right thing to do she has no symptoms yet apart from the laminitis. The farrier has been out and trimmed her feet he said i should have called him first and that they know more about the feet and when she is lame they should be called before the vet. But he has done her feet and given more advice than the vet. Where do i go now? do i only stick with the farrier or farrier and vet and do i start her on medication or wait until more symptoms start.
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THIS is exactly what I would have expected to hear the first vet say from what you described. Go with this clued-up vet. The others need a very strongly worded letter, and see if you can get the x-rays proving their far too casual dismaiisal of the life threatening condition your pony has. I wouldn't be wanting to settle that bill in full. The advice they gave you caused some consternation and alarm to me and other people on here!

Sorry to hear she has EMS and Cushing's - you will really have your work cut out now. Read everything you can on it, because you need to be an expert to keep her comfy. The medication is expensive and the management has to be precise.


Good luck.
 
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I have sent a letter to them letting them know of my concerns and this was his reply:

Thank you for your letter of 20th August, I am sorry that you feel my advice was incorrect on the 13th August.



It is easy to be wise in retrospect, but my examination found normal digital pulses and no reaction to hoof testers. Therefore it was not an unreasonable judgment that twinkle’s laminitis had abated. Having seen hundreds of cases and owning a recurrent laminitic, I do not make rash judgements but carefully considered ones.



When I saw Twinkle in May you may remember that I checked her feet then and found them normal, Kathryn did the same in June she also offered further investigation at that point. Twinkle was only found to be definitely laminitic in July.



I will credit your account with the £82.86 as I have no wish to argue with you, my main concern as is yours, is Twinkles wellbeing


Firstly i was not offered any futher tests, I consider myself a novice when it comes to illness which is why I love all you people and your amazing advice, so if I was offered tests I would have taken them not knowing any different and wanting to find out what was wrong, I dont have a lot of income but when it comes to my baby money is no object.
Secondly when her feet were tested at the start they did not react hugly. He never asked to see her walk or trot otherwise he would have seen she was uncomfortable (which is the first thing the other vet did). He took no blood and told me she could go back on grass all night with no muzzle!!

No happy with this response so glad the practice is closing at the end of august!

Thank you to all of you for your great help if it wasnt for you I may not have heard alarm bells rining and got a second opinion.
 
I highly doubt your pony would have been presenting with those symptoms and not be showing a degree of obesity or the typical fatty deposits of the EMS sufferer, so sorry, prescribing overnight turn out was wrong. They simply make up for lost time when put out after dark!
 
So glad you've found a clued up vet. It really does make all the difference.

Cushings isn't the end if the world. It may take a while to get your head round what diet/management/drug/supplement regime works best for your pony, as getting the balance right can be difficult, but if you can get her stabilised her quality of life will improve no end.

My little cushings mare was well in her 30s when I lost her. It was her melanomas that got her in the end, not the cushings. Not long after my mare was diagnosed, I was considering calling it a day. She was depressed and her coat was awful. I'd just started her on monk's pepper and I'd gone to visit my mum for a few days leaving the OH looking after the pones. My thought was that I would look at her with fresh eyes when I got back and make a decision then. When I spoke to the OH on the phone I asked how Lu was. OH said 'She's cantering around the field bucking'. I though yeah, yeah, OH is just trying to make me feel better. But no, she actually was. I'd found out what worked for her and it was like a fog had lifted. She ended up outliving everything that was diagnosed at the same time as her.

They are all different though, so be guided by your clued up vet and don't worry if it takes a bit of trial and error to get doseages and diet right.

All the best xxxxx
 
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