Laminitis recovery - shoes on or off

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alhijaz

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My Thoroughbred gelding is recovering from Laminitis after coming down with it about 6 1/2 weeks ago. He was shod with solar pads on and has been on box rest since. I started walking him out a little last week and he seemed quite good striding out and quite lively. I've carried on doing the same this week and i think he is looking a bit worse he still isn't tripping or going down on them but his head is low and the steps are becoming quite pottery. for this reason I've cut the walking down a bit as i can only walk him on concrete as the field is miles away. I've read a lot of information on laminitis and many people say they are better without shoes on and i'm starting to wonder if it is the shoes putting pressure on the outer wall and not spreading the weight across the whole foot that is still stressing the laminae and making him footy. I'm scared to take them off as if he is even worse barefoot they will have to go back on which will mean more nailing and this will make him sore again. His feet aren't in a great condition he has very flat feet thin soles and no heels. I've spoke to a barefoot trimmer who says to take the shoes off but i am wary. He is retired so i'm not trying to get him sound enough to ride just want him comfortable as soon as possible and i want to do the best i can to improve his feet altogether. Any advice would help.
 
My main advice would be to feed the barefoot diet to improve the hoof. Hi fibre, added minerals , micronised linseed, hay for fibre lo sugar forage, presumably horse is not overweight so should have free access to hay., or little and often. Must have deep clean bedding.

With any feet related problem I like to use Pro hoof [pro earth] to kick start things.

Without knowing the horse it is difficult to say, others have used hoof boots with pads for comfort when walking out. The farrier may or may not agree, but if things are not improving and going the other way, I think you can justify removing shoes.

I assume from what you say he is stabled 24/7, which is something would not like, is it possible to get him out in a large pen or small bare paddock.

I really do not like pads and shoes, you can't see what is happening for one thing, to my mind the hoof is going to have to build up strength and the first step is to walk on a suitable comfortable surface, using the natural mechanisms of the foot.
 
The statement "I'm scared to take them off as if he is even worse barefoot they will have to go back on which will mean more nailing and this will make him sore again" suggests that he has only been shod once in 6 weeks or thereabout, he will be growing foot fairly quickly at this stage of his recovery, or should be, most laminitics will require treatment, trimming or shoeing every 4 weeks or so in order to keep the balance correct, leaving for too long will let the toe get long and stretch the laminae further.
Whatever route you choose to go down it is important that you get the feet done before they start to look too long, leaving them to avoid him getting sore is counter productive to his long term recovery, it may be that he is not growing much foot but the fact that he has got worse suggests he needs something doing sooner rather than later even if it appears to set him back again for a day or two, your farrier/ trimmer will be best placed to advise how frequently he gets seen even if they come out and do nothing it is best to let them see him at this stage.
 
Just a comment, don't get upset, if the feet were already poor balance, thin soles etc, why did they get this way........ I think you need to adjust your whole management of this horse, sounds like he was tipped over the edge when the sugars in the grass increased.
 
MrsD123 - Thank you for the comments i am amazed as that is exactly what i was thinking of doing and you seem to be very knowledgable. Ive been doing loads of research lately and i was going to start him on Pro Hoof and Micronised Linseed and I would like to add a little bit of chop to it could you recommend any good but reasonably priced ones?
I do have access to a small round pen with sand in that he can go in with hay and also I can section a small paddock off with not much grass in so that was what I was hoping to do when he looked a bit more comfortable as I didn’t want to rush it as he’s bound to be lively when he first goes out.

The horse hasn’t got the laminitis from being overweight or too much grass he has had lots of issues with DDFT tears and lameness for the last year and isn’t improving and has now got laminitis so the vet thinks it’s down to stress or trauma already in the foot. He had previously been in wedge shoes for 18 months.
I know I need to keep him quiet and not allow him to gallop around so will definitely try the round pen and small paddock but it’s the shoe business I’m in two minds about on or off????? Are his feet strong enough to cope or will I make his laminitis worse and will the bone sink???? It’s a nightmare. Please help if you can.
 
Have you had xrays done of his feet? Could it be worth your vet showing these to your farrier and they can come up with a solution of which is better? You mentioned it was down to DDFT and lameness so you wouldnt want to make these issues worse, but I can understand your feelings with lami and shoes.
My old boy had lami brought on by EMS so slightly different, we had his shoes taken off for xrays and then fitted with lilypads for support, he had no sinking or rotation and had very good solid ID feet. After he was declared good and sound we had normal shoes put back on.
 
Yes we had xrays done 18 months ago which showed the damaged DDFT. He has already done 6 months box rest, been in wedge shoes and had quiet turnout over the last year for this injury and now has come down with Laminitis so it's hard to know which way to go with treatment from now on as i don't want to make one worse by treating the other. The only thing i can think to try is bareboot as thats the only thing i haven't done so far. I'm going to have the Cushings test just to rule that out and then change the diet to rule out all sugars and use a supplement for hooves but it's the shoes or no shoes i can't decide on. So fed up.
 
Whilst he is currently off work then there is no harm trying barefoot? Plenty of people on here will give you excellent advice with barefoot.
I would 100% test for cushings, and if its positive you can deal with things going ahead. If he has even slight lami now I would be changing his diet asap, as you dont want him to get another more severe case of laminitis, as its horrible to watch!
 
alhijaz said:
I know I need to keep him quiet and not allow him to gallop around so will definitely try the round pen and small paddock but it’s the shoe business I’m in two minds about on or off????? Are his feet strong enough to cope or will I make his laminitis worse and will the bone sink???? It’s a nightmare. Please help if you can.
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I think the sand school is a good idea with his soaked hay. Perhaps consider X Rays, hooves can change a lot in 18 months especially with laminitis and they will be useful to the farrier (or trimmer) for how to trim.
The bony column ends with the pedal bone, sole grows from this so sole support (not just frog) is important in laminitis I believe. I prefer thick, conforming pads either taped on or in boots because the sole is protected, supported and can also receive pressure and release stimulation as the horse moves and shifts weight which aids blood flow. You can also remove to disinfect (if needed)and clean and reapply yourself.
I wouldn't walk him out if he is not coping but self direted, well supported (sole) movement is good. I think others are right, more frequent trimming may be important especially if shod.
 
Have a look at Rockley Farm and search for Dillon with wedges,.
All the re-hab horses are vet referral and have had every type of shoe, most get back in to work at some level, so do not despair.
As far as I can make out most of the horses are turned out as much as possible, of course they have ideal facilities and expert management, but you have to do the best for your horse, and this means understanding how to proceed. There is a lot of stuff on that site.
PS
Dengie non mollassed lo alfa chaff is tasty and while expensive, you only need a small amount.
Non mollassed sugar beet pulp for his small feeds, plus some salt.
You can give him some Sedolin to try to stop him charging about, but it is is not guaranteed.
 
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what does your vet say?

most would say stop riding if he is lame as a starting point.

the lameness could be down to many things and you need a diagnosis, you also cannot view xrays taken 18months ago as being relevant to what may be going on now
 
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