Laminitis & sweating

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Bluebell1

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Our oversized Shetland came down with his first bout of laminitis today. I’m extra worried about it because since I bought him in he’s been really hot. He’s sweating all under his tummy and between his legs, but not around his neck. He doesn’t have a worrying amount of heat coming from his hooves/frogs. He also hasn’t drunk anything since he came in, although it’s only been half a day so I’m not too worried about that just yet. Is there any reason you can think of as to why he would be so hot? He does have a thick coat, being a hardy Shetland that lives out naked 24/7 (unless grass gets to rich- must have missed this lot though). I’m just worried the sweating is due to pain or another underlying issue. And anything you can think of to help - his stable is as ventilated as I can make it, and It’s an old building so isnt warm. Would it be a good idea to give him another bucket of water with electrolytes, or will they make his lami worse?

A bit about him:

He’s 13 years old, and is overweight, despite having been on a diet (grazing muzzle during the day, worried about leaving on at night but will do when he’s recovered). He’s eating fine, and has a nice deep bed of snowflake soft chip. He’s been in since this morning when I noticed him struggling to walk. Hes 344kg, and I’m planning on giving him 5kg of soaked for 12hours hay over a 24H period at the moment as recommended by the vet, although I will probably give him more like 6kg as I’m a little worried about starving him as I know that only makes things worse. He also gets a small handful of hifi lite, a sprinkle of baileys lo cal balancer and half a bute (as of this morning). I’ve just bought the lamiguard suppliment which I will start adding to his feed tomorrow.

Also another thing with keeping him moving. I have a completely non-grassy area of dry mud just a bit bigger than his stable that I plan to put him in for a few hours during the day, so he can still move around and doesn’t get to bored. Is this a good idea, or should I wait until he’s recovered? He’s still alert, although he is always very calm and rather lazy and is only slightly lame on grass, but very lame on concrete.

Thanks for all your help. I’m waiting for a call back from the vet to see what he suggests, but all of your opinions and previous reccomendations would be greatly appreciated as I’ve never had a laminitic before.
 
Has he been tested for Cushings? That causes odd patterns of sweating and autumn laminitis. I'd make sure he was tested by the vet for both Cushings and EMS.
 
He will be sweating due to being in pain, having a heavy coat, it is extremely mild at the moment,being overweight maybe all 4 or just 1 will be enough to make him too warm, I would not give electrolytes at this stage but would ensure he always has fresh water, he will probably be getting enough fluids from the soaked hay and I would make his tiny feed as sloppy as you can.

He needs to stay in on the deep bed until he is over the worst, he may be bored but that is better than moving around on painful feet and possibly doing further damage, get tough as in the long run he will benefit, 5kgs of hay is more than enough for him, he must lose weight and will not do so if you give him more than he needs.
 
^^^^^This
And he needs support for his pedal bone while the laminae can't do it, so he needs something like conformable bedding or styrofoam pads - the "dry lot" can come later when the inflammation has gone and his feet are more stable. I put mine on my manege rubber surface and he still went acute and developed sinkage, you really do have to provide that consistent support in the acute stage.
And x rays are really important so you know what is going on inside - are his pedal bones sinking or rotating. This is the "go to" site for all things laminitis related, I can honestly say without their advice my horse wouldn't have come out the other side http://www.thelaminitissite.org/ Well worth a read - good luck
 
I agree with bp above its very mild at the moment and laminitis is extremely painful so that would account for the sweating, I would also cut out the hard feed and syringe his meds and any supplements you want him to have, I know it's only a small amount but both feeds you are feeding have molasses which is definitely not good for a laminitic.

I would also test for cushings and ems because if he has either you need to medicate to get the laminitis under control.
 
Vet has not yet been out, will be tomorrow though. Thanks for all your help, it’s so nice to have other opinions. Will deffo get him tested for EMS and Cushings, and will make sure I only feed him 5kg of hay no matter how guilty it makes me feel! Good idea about syringing the supplements and Bute, I didn’t think of this, did want to cut out his hard feed but needed it to feed both of them. Will do this tomorrow morning. He should be okay in terms of bored-ness, as he’s pretty chilled out. Yard owner checked on him just now and gave him the other half of Bute as he seemed pretty grouchy (unlike him) and was still sweating. May seem a bit blonde, but can the vet X-ray at our yard? Always assumed they’d have to box to the vets for X-rays (I’ve never had to have them done). Will deffo get these done if can be done at the yard.
 
Yes most vets have mobile x-ray machines.
I would ask for a Cushings test and tbh would have got the vet out today. Laminitis is extremely painful and very serious. Vet may well prescribe Sedalin, which will help his feet and keep him calm in the box. Do not encourage him to move around until the vet gives the all clear. Your deep snowflake bed is good for supporting his feet, your vet/farrier may have some other ideas. Soaked hay will help to keep his waer intake up, rather than giving him extra hay, consider offering him plain oat straw chaff.
Fingers crossed he makes a good recovery.
 
When you contact the vet, ask if they have a portable x ray and let them know that you want him x rayed. Some vets are surprisingly reluctant but your hoof care professional will use them to do the best trim for what is revealed. One top equine vet used to say if he had simultaneous calls to colic and laminitis he would go to the laminitis first, it's that critical
 
Thanks. Unfortunaly he’s not actually mine, so I don’t have much say in when the vet comes out, I just check on him daily and let them know of any problems, and will be the one caring for him so want as much help and advise as possible on what I can do to make him comfortable! Praying he’s comfortable enough until the morning, I’ve done everything I can for now. Ill let you guys know how it goes tomorrow - fingers crossed it doesn’t get any worse over night. His stable is quite small so he shouldn’t move around too much which is good I suppose.
 
Oh wow, I didn’t know that about lami vs colic. The vet he is registered with is quite small and only has the one (maybe 2?) specialised equine vets (again, not my choice in which vet he’s registered with) so I’m hoping they have an X-ray machine, although am a little doubtful. I’ll call first thing tomorrow and ask if they can bring equipment for all of these. We have another pony at the yard showing a few signs of cushings (slightly curly coat & weight gain) so it will be handy if we can get him tested aswell.
 
Portable x-ray machine, really isn't specialised equipment, so I would be surprised if your practice doesn't have one/can't get hold of one. I use a mixed practice (admittedly a large one) and they x-ray at home. The good news is that the Cushings test is free atm.
 
Okay, that’s a bit more re assuring then. And if it’s free I may have a few oldies that may benefit from one too. May be pushing my luck though, but there’s no harm in asking. Do all vets do free cushings tests at this time of year?
 
Bluebell1 said:
Our oversized Shetland came down with his first bout of laminitis today. I’m extra worried about it because since I bought him in he’s been really hot. He’s sweating all under his tummy and between his legs, but not around his neck. He doesn’t have a worrying amount of heat coming from his hooves/frogs. He also hasn’t drunk anything since he came in, although it’s only been half a day so I’m not too worried about that just yet. Is there any reason you can think of as to why he would be so hot? He does have a thick coat, being a hardy Shetland that lives out naked 24/7 (unless grass gets to rich- must have missed this lot though). I’m just worried the sweating is due to pain or another underlying issue. And anything you can think of to help - his stable is as ventilated as I can make it, and It’s an old building so isnt warm. Would it be a good idea to give him another bucket of water with electrolytes, or will they make his lami worse?

A bit about him:

He’s 13 years old, and is overweight, despite having been on a diet (grazing muzzle during the day, worried about leaving on at night but will do when he’s recovered). He’s eating fine, and has a nice deep bed of snowflake soft chip. He’s been in since this morning when I noticed him struggling to walk. Hes 344kg, and I’m planning on giving him 5kg of soaked for 12hours hay over a 24H period at the moment as recommended by the vet, although I will probably give him more like 6kg as I’m a little worried about starving him as I know that only makes things worse. He also gets a small handful of hifi lite, a sprinkle of baileys lo cal balancer and half a bute (as of this morning). I’ve just bought the lamiguard suppliment which I will start adding to his feed tomorrow.

Also another thing with keeping him moving. I have a completely non-grassy area of dry mud just a bit bigger than his stable that I plan to put him in for a few hours during the day, so he can still move around and doesn’t get to bored. Is this a good idea, or should I wait until he’s recovered? He’s still alert, although he is always very calm and rather lazy and is only slightly lame on grass, but very lame on concrete.

Thanks for all your help. I’m waiting for a call back from the vet to see what he suggests, but all of your opinions and previous reccomendations would be greatly appreciated as I’ve never had a laminitic before.
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What has been said already - I like bedmax for support and maybe frog supports http://www.equilife.co.uk/products/frog-supports.html

Also maybe some laminator as it make the vessels in the hoof more flexible thus helping the blood flow. http://www.equimins-online.com/all-products/75-equimins-laminator-supplement-powder.html


If you can cold hose the feet or put ice bags round the hoof to try reduce the inflammation
 
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ILuvCowparsely said:
What has been said already - I like bedmax for support and maybe frog supports http://www.equilife.co.uk/products/frog-supports.html

Also maybe some laminator as it make the vessels in the hoof more flexible thus helping the blood flow. http://www.equimins-online.com/all-products/75-equimins-laminator-supplement-powder.html


If you can cold hose the feet or put ice bags round the hoof to try reduce the inflammation
Click to expand...

Thanks. I was hoping that the vet may give me frog supports, as delivery will take to long. Do vets usually do this? I just bought lamiguard and don’t want to give him to many supplements at once so think I’ll hold to this and if it doesn’t work I’ll try laminator.

I’ll hose feet when vet gives the all clear to take him out of his box! Maybe I’ll see if I have anything I can freeze for ice packs.
 
Bluebell1 said:
Okay, that’s a bit more re assuring then. And if it’s free I may have a few oldies that may benefit from one too. May be pushing my luck though, but there’s no harm in asking. Do all vets do free cushings tests at this time of year?
Click to expand...

It's actually the drug company that pays for the testing. You can get vouchers online but ime most vets can access the vouchers for you.
 
Pearlsasinger said:
It's actually the drug company that pays for the testing. You can get vouchers online but ime most vets can access the vouchers for you.
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And you still have to pay the vet for taking the bloods and sending them off - it's only the lab fees that are covered. But they are quite steep so its worth doing - the period for free lab fees is coming to an end so so get on it as soon as you can
 
JillA said:
And you still have to pay the vet for taking the bloods and sending them off - it's only the lab fees that are covered. But they are quite steep so its worth doing - the period for free lab fees is coming to an end so so get on it as soon as you can
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Yes but as the vet will be on the yard, there won't be the additional callout fee to pay
 
They’d normally treat the acute laminitis then if not better in a week or so, X-ray. X-rays immediately at the onset aren’t going to show very much.

Definitely test for Cushings. He’s unlikely to recover as he should unless it’s diagnosed and treated.

Good luck
 
Bluebell1 said:
Thanks. I was hoping that the vet may give me frog supports, as delivery will take to long. Do vets usually do this? I just bought lamiguard and don’t want to give him to many supplements at once so think I’ll hold to this and if it doesn’t work I’ll try laminator.

I’ll hose feet when vet gives the all clear to take him out of his box! Maybe I’ll see if I have anything I can freeze for ice packs.
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The difference with Laminator, it makes the vessels more elasticated so in turn it helps the blood flow in the feet
Laminator for horses, when laminitis is suspected

Laminitus is the inflammation of the sensitive laminae which lie between the hoof and the bone of the horses foot. To help combat this common problem we have developed a product called laminator for horses when laminitis is suspected. Laminator is an equine supplement for the nutritional support of the laminae and hoof integrity. Laminator for horses when laminitis is suspected also contains high levels of a unique source of Zinc, bound to an amino acid, a constituent of protein. It makes it all available to the horse, unlike conventional rock based minerals. Zinc in the right form is of paramount importance in producing strong keratin growth in the hoof. We also use very high levels of Biotin (Vitamin H) which when combined with the Zinc works wonders to produce strong new hoof growth. Laminitis was traditionally considered a disease of fat ponies grazing on lush spring and autumn pasture, but it can effect any horse and has even been known to infect both donkeys and mules. It can be caused by over eating or by any condition that leads to toxaemia or septicaemia, such as retention of foetal membranes after foaling, or even by excessive trauma to the feet. It can be an acute or a chronic condition. For these reasons is why we have many of our customers turning to laminator for horses when laminitis is suspected. Laminator is available in both a powdered and pelleted form and a typical 3kg tub will last around 60 days. Laminator for horses when laminitis is suspected comes at a great price to costing only £41.50 for a 3kg tub, if you require any further information on laminator for horses when laminitis is suspected, please contact us as we are always happy to hear from other horse lovers. All our products are tried and tested and come with the best interests of your horse at heart.
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