Laminitis - please help

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millieloulou

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My horse has been suffering with laminitis for 6 weeks. The initital x rays 6 weeks ago showed slight rotation in both front feet so she has been on box rest, imprint shoes, acp (6 a day) and Danilon (2 a day). She perked up after about 4 weeks although she was still quite sore. Then last week she seemed to go back to square one and was in a lot of pain.
She was due for her 6 week check at the vets on Monday to have more x rays and the x rays showed she had actually got worse. Her front left, the pedal bone was just about to break through her sole (you could see the cracking on the sole) and her front right wasn't as bad but there was still more rotation.
The farrier has built up the heel to try and divert the pressure through the frog rather than the toe to try and stop the pedal bone moving any more and has put imprint shoes back on both fronts.
I was in such shock that I didn't ask any questions, and to be honest my vet hasn't got a particullary nice manner about him either so I was just wonderieng what happens next? What happens if the bone does break though the sole? Would she have to be pts?
I am so worried that she has deteriarated since first being diagnosed. The one thing that is REALLY worrying me is that I am having to feed her this years cut of hay as I couldn't find anyone with last years. I think this is down to the fact that last years hay crop was so bad. I am soaking the hay for at least 12 hours to try and get everything out and shes only having 1 cut.
Is there anything else I can do? I feel so guilty seeing her in so much pain.
 
So so sorry to hear this. I lost my mare 3 weeks ago in similar circumstances.

We had her pts as Robert Eustace at the laminitis clinic gave a very small chance (10-20%) of surgery working and told us the surgery would only probably make her grass sound and she'd have to be strongly restricted for life. So no quality of life. Also, it was a couple of hours journey, she'd have needed someone in the box with her and may not have made it up there, would have been there 3-6 months at a cost of between 5 and 8k (insurance covers 3k) away from us and her friends at the yard. We just couldn't do that to her. The other option was rubber tubing but again, all vets and Robert said the rubber tubing was now not an option. It was all to do with the founder measurement, though, as well. We are not into keeping animals alive for our own reasons, so we made the decision to have her pts. If you see my thread on veterinary, you will see that she was in a lot of pain on the day we had her pts. The night before the sole had cracked open, the day she was pts it had got worse and the vet said that the next day it would have come through (this was in her best foot!). When it comes through it's a bleddy fine mess and untellable agony for the horse
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They CAN save them when the pedal bone has come through but very very rarely.

Sparkle was a wonderful horse and reading all these stories of laminitis really makes me cry every single time. It's an evil disease and once I am back straight again, I am on a one-woman cruisade!

If the horse is on a deep shavings bed, ACP, bute, not even moved from the box, having vet and farrier treatment regularly, no grass, soaked hay... sadly there's not a lot else you CAN do
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Sadly it does sound like she has deteriorated: Sparkle had it after having an infection and it was very mild, but then she had a 2nd attack which caused mild rotation and got a bit better but then had a 3rd attack which made her a sinker and meant she had to be pts
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We think there was something underlying that meant she kept getting new attacks and not getting better properly.

It sounds like you have a great farrier; maybe you can ask for a different vet to come out?

I am so sorry to have to share my story with you but it's important to me to be honest. You are doing everything possible and the only other thing I would suggest is talking to Robert Eustace like my vet did.
 
Having nursed my pony through laminitis 5 years ago, I know how heart breaking the disease can be. I was fairly lucky that my pony recovered enough to be ridden for about 8 months before he had another attack. In the end, it wasn't the laminitis that took him, he had suspected stomach cancer BUT I would have had him PTS (from the laminitis alone) as I couldn't bear to see him suffer again. 5 years later, the pain is still there but I know I did the right thing by him.
His laminitis was caused by steriod use prescribed for a bad reaction to fly bites. If only I'd known .......
 
Hi, I'm also sorry to say I had my 20 year old mare PTS two weeks ago today, she had very similar circumstances, she only had 5% rotation, appeared to be improving, then as we were reducing the danilon she went really lame, I noticed cracks in both front feet, the vet came and said there was nothing we could do. He thinks hers was mainly due to stress (she wasnt overweight at all). The only thing in all this is that as devastated as I am, I know I did the right thing, she hated being in, it didnt suit her personality at all. I hope your horse improves.
 
Sorry, I can't offer any advice, but my thoughts are with you and your mare and, whatever the outcome, I hope that she is out of her pain soon.
Big hugs.
 
Definitely get in touch with the experts at the laminitis trust immediately. You are doing everything you can but there may be some more/different medications and farriery approaches that they can suggest. Don't rely on your own vets to think of everything right up to date, nobody knows better than the specialists. Don't wait and hope for the best if your horse is deteriorating, there is a point of unfixableness with laminitis and you need to beat it while you still can. Please ring them right away.
 
Lillo... absolutely. I am still guilt-ridden now but I know in all honesty that I did the right thing. She loved to eat and would have been very tightly restricted for life. Even Robert Eustace at the lami clinic told us she would only ever be grass sound with the op which only had a maximum 20% success rate and was a new technique. She also hated being in and hated being away from the herd, which she was as most were out at least 12 hours a day while she was in and also if she'd gone off to the clinic I really think she'd have kept getting it from stress anyway, and there was definitely something underlying there.

My mare only had the crack in one sole at the toe, but the vet there and then told us there was not much chance. He phoned a lami clinic in Bristol who mentioned rubber tubing but THE lami clinic who he called the next day and spoke directly to Robert, just said no absolutely not, founder too far gone, only chance surgery and even then she could just wind up getting lami again after the op. I wasn't going to allow her to go through all of that for me, she'd gone through enough and given us many years of fun and happiness to boot.

Like I said, I still feel guilty, but all I have to do is look at the pics I posted on vet forum and how much pain she was in, to know we did the right thing.

YOU, OP, have to do what is best for you and your horse, not what others tell you to do. Our farrier and vet both told us that many people keep their horses going well beyond Sparkle's point and put them through excrutiating pain. I am not like that.

You know your horse and the vet/farrier know her condition. You will know if/when it is right to call it a day. But you must, must, must talk to Robert Eustace.
 
So sorry you've lost your horses, to those that posted. :'(

I also have a newly diagnosed laminitic (and also have this year's hay, so like you I'm soaking >12hrs).

MAJOR thing in your post is that you say 6 weeks in, the lami suddenly got worse - this ties in with the end of a shoeing cycle, when the feet are at maximum imbalance (incidentally, Henry was diagnosed the same week farrier was due, which would have been 6 weeks).

The first thing I did with my pony was have the shoes OFF and trimmed to put them in balance (as near as we could get, as he also has slight rotation).

One thing which happens in laminitic feet is that the toes shoot forwards and the heels put in a spurt of growth. This is because as the pedal bone rotates, pressure is placed on the sole and causes discomfort. Horse puts more weight on rear of foot, which stimulates growth there. You then get the whole foot pushed up and forwards, causing flare at the toe. I always compare that to extra wear on the hands, which produces callouses as the skin thickens to protect itself.

In my case, my farrier removed the shoes and trimmed initially, with me doing a second trim a week later, so as to correct the balance in stages, thus causing less stress to the laminae. A week and a half later and he's already off bute (only as of yesterday), but still penned in with a deep bed. He also went on founderguard straight away, to prevent any further lactic acid overload (due to this year's hay, remember!) and to prepare him for when his pen includes a bit of grass. At the same time, I started him on MagOx and 4 days later I saw a vast improvement in his crest. This is where I get MagOx from http://www.metabolichorse.co.uk/ Founderguard is POM, so available from the vet.

Sorry to say it never even crossed my mind to raise heels and the thought that with today's knowledge a farrier would do that horrifies me
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That INSTANTLY puts more pressure onto the toe and tears the laminae apart with the extra leverage. Think of when you wear wedges on your feet - where does all your weight go?

I hope this doesn't sound harsh, but can your vet recommend another farrier? I'm afraid I strongly disagree that you have a good one
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My own farrier agreed with shoes off and balancing, with a deep bed. Thankfully I have enough knowledge of feet to discuss with my farrier what to do (and he's of the same mindset, or I wouldn't have him!).

She won't be able to cope without shoes, now, so I would remove and literally tape therapeutic pads to her feet, with a farrier trimming them every couple of weeks to keep them in as good a shape as you can. You need to prevent further damage at this point and give the laminae a chance to re-attach, which is much more difficult on a normal shoeing cycle, especially while you have that massive growth coming through on the heels and toes.

I really hope she recovers ok. Second the laminitis trust suggestion. At the very least, give another farrier a call for a second opinion. Very best of luck. It sounds like you're doing everything right and following advice to the letter.
 
Absolutely agree, the heels must not be raised, more pressure on the toe, more stress & tearing. My farrier fitted heart bars, working to precision from the xrays, she had some rotation in one foot. My farrier trained with Robert Eustace for 2 years, & called him for advice, please please find another farrier immediately, don't know if the laminitis clinic hold a list of laminitis expert ones??? By the way, there is hope though, my mare is completely sound & competing happily at elementary level dressage.
 
Hmmm, I didn't think of it like that. My non-logical brain imagined the extra height in the heel making the horse take the weight there. I had never heard about it before, to be honest. My farrier didn't do this or mention it so I only have my own image in my mind.

There's always a big chance of getting better if it's just at the rotation stage, but you have to know that once you are at the stage where the sole has actually cracked, time really is of the essence. She's no longer just a horse with rotation, she's most likely a sinker. Robert's words were 'you've done everything as you should do but despite everyones' best efforts, some horses just don't respond to treatment'. Sparkle was one of those horses and no way would I have prolonged her agony further than it had been when even the leading expert was giving dodgy odds.

My girl also had heart bars, working to the xrays. They really helped her, but 3 days later she had another attack, two days after that the sole cracked and the next day it was even worse.

You must act now and I would urge you to get a vet to talk directly to Robert like mine did. I don't think I'd have been satisfied with the prognosis unless it came directly from the expert's mouth.

Good luck and best wishes to you and your mare.
 
I would suggest that you should not have shoes on your horses feet but should have rubber foot supports on your horses feet. These are kept in place with bandages and ducting tape. (Availabe from Laminitsis Clinic.

No shoes should be fitted unless x rays have been taken and a copy given to a remedial farrier. (The vet should be able to advise you of one that he normally works with)

I would definately find a more sympathetic vet that you can talk to and has an in depth knowledge of Laminitis.

Also have a talk with Robert Eustace at the Laminitis Clinic.

I have two horses that have had Laminitis (in one case caused by encstead emerging small red worm) and in the other case caused by being prescribed Steroids. They are 27 and 23 years old and are still happily hacking out for up to 4 hours at a time.
 
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