Laminitis - is this the correct treatment?

[roxy007]

Hi - my niece's little falabella x mini shetland was really lame in her left front leg on Wednesday morning when I went to check them. She was fine the evening before, isn't ridden and is a little 4 year old pet. She also just has to look at grass and she's expands into a thelwell original so this year she has been strip grazed along with her other two mini companions. It doesn't seem to have made that much difference to their waist line and I am terrified they will get laminitis as they just seem such prime candidates. I called the vet as there was a little heat in the leg and she said to come and pick up some bute and give her a whole sachet straight away and the same the next morning and see how she was. She was still very sore even loaded with that amount of Bute so the vet came out yesterday afternoon and had a look. She couldn't definitely say she had laminitis just that she could have. She wasn't over reactive to the hoof tester but clearly didn't like it or being touched on the left side of her little frog however there was nothing evident there either. The vet tested all her feet and although not enjoying it she clearly wasn't struggling in pain. Vet gave me two weeks worth of bute - half a sachet morning and evening and told me just to let her forage so we've restricted her grazing further and put her and her two mini mates in together as she would stress without them. Just wondered if this is the correct treatment for suspected laminitis and if there is anything else I can do for her. Poor wee pony looks so sad and sore and to be honest the bute doesn't seem to be helping her that much. Should this be well into her system by now. When I checked her first thing this morning she was really sore still. She is grazing albeit on the limited area she has and is not lying down or looking depressed - she just looks very sore. Any help would be much appreciated as I have never seen a horse with laminitis other than in books therefore not sure what to do other than take the vets advice. In all honesty I am not confident with this particular (just qualified) vets ability and she is the only one the practice seem to use at the moment for call outs - I guess to gain experience but then again not at our horses expense I hope

 

[AmyMay]

My understanding is that anything with laminitis (or suspected) should immediately be put on a deep litter shavings bed (to support the frogs).

Was this an equine vet??

 

[roxy007]

Yes, she was an equine vet. She didn't recomend shavings but seeing as we have no stable only field shelters that was possibly why.

 

[BackInBlack]

yes they should be on a deep shaving bed. i'd phone and try to speak to a different vet and tell them that you don't think bute is having any effect. my horse goes really lame and hobbles around the field for 3 days and then he's fine - it's so hard to tell what he's done. but with my laminitic pony it tends to come on more slowly - shes not badly lame with it, just slightly.

 

[AmyMay]

I'd be inclined to buzz them back today and say you're not entirely happy with the pony, and would like another visit today.

The field shelter can always be rigged up into a stable of course.....

 

[maddielove]

I'd definately get a second opinion - pony's not happy so I don't think the vets done an adequite job.
Poor pony - hope the poor mite is feeling better soon!

 

[Stinkbomb]

Ive no idea about the laminitis but id be seeing if there is an alternative to the bute. Everyone knows the long term effects of bute but with minis even short term use is extreemly dangerous. See attached..

Bute warning

 

[fatpiggy]

You must get this pony off any grass at all immediately. It also needs total box rest as moving about with laminitis can cause further damage to the laminae and the next thing you know the pedal bone will have dropped. My friend's pony had a relatively minor bout 3 months ago, and she was box rested for 6 weeks. She is out on a small area with her old buddy during the day again now, but wears a grazing mask.

 

[joanne1920]

my vet recommended this... box rest, bute and ACP, no hay just straw as fibre, should be able to feel a digital pulse if its lami? my shetalnd mare was only slightly pottery, vet confirmed lami - this was back in may, and shes still recovering, still not in work, on restricted grazing with a muzzle during the day, stabled on deep bed overnight, still no hay or carrots! just straw and hifi lite with Lamiguard and vits and minerals x good luck and hope she feels better soon...

i would definately get a 2nd opinion x

 

[RachelB]

I only noticed my friend's horse had lami as she stood still to be caught, then she refused to turn a circle (or move at all). One check of her digital pulse and I got her in immediately. Twelve hours later (no vet called... long story) and she was leaning so far back she was almost falling over backwards in an effort to get the weight off her front feet (which made her back feet even worse, she had it in all four). When vet was finally called she had a HUGE dose of painkiller IV and a HUGE dose of ACP. She was on box rest for a couple of months with well-soaked hay, as it is vital to get them to rest. It could have resolved itself a lot sooner had the vet been called immediately and all other "laminitis protocol" been followed (but luckily the owner agreed to box rest her anyway).
I would probably be sectioning off the field shelter if it were my horse and using it as a stable.

 

[mrsbloggett]

As with the other posts, I would agree that you need to get the pony off the paddock and onto a deep shavings bed. I can appreciate how difficult this can be if you don't have a stable, but if possible I would urge you to make the field shelter into an enclosed pen and feed weighed rations of soaked hay and/or straw.

Regretfully there is no magical cure for laminitis only careful management and time. My pony had laminitis and was still sore on two sachets of bute twice a day. For most equines, bute will only takes the edge off the pain, not take it away completely, think of Ibobufen and a bad back in humans.

 

[amandaco2]

does she has raised digital pulses?
any suspected lamanitic needs taking onto strict box rest asap and fed only soaked hay/straw.
the bed needs to be deep and the type that packs into the foot-like shavings.
i would also be putting frog supports on too and treating pain and inflamation with bute(although not too sure if this is recomended in minis) and helping improve the blood flow to the feet with sedalin gel in the first few days.
i would keep her in for 3-5 days then walk her out to see if shes any better.if shes worse she needs reassessment and possibly rediagnosing.
she should also have xrays to determin any rotation of the pedal bone(once shes fit to travel)
do not feed any hard feed or grass.
the horse should have its feet trimmed regularly once they are not in the acute phase and be reintroduced to grass slowly.they also often require prolonged box rest-some people say 30 days more box rest once sound without bute.
you can start to lead out on soft ground in walk once she is comfortable off the bute and build up the exercise.a small bark area or similar is great as exercise is important to help heal the area(only once the horse is no longer acute-ie lame off bute)
horses can take months to recover