Laminitis

[Janah]

My poor companion girl aged 22yrs has got laminitis. She has got cushings and is on pergolide. Just had the vet to her. Can't believe it, in late Dec! According to the vet the fourth he's seen this week. Have got bute and acp tabs for her. She is on a really deep bed of miscanthus grass with soaked hay to eat. She has to be in for 5 days minium. I'm gutted for her.

Just a warning to be on the alert for laminitis despite the time of year.

 

[pottamus]

Thanks for the warning and hope your horse gets better soon.

 

[Eaglestone]

If she has been out on the frosty grass, that has been growing due to the warmer days then, that may be why your horse has unfortunately gone down with the Laminitis, and my heart goes out for you as it is such a horrid condition

When my old boy got a bout of it in July, after having a small amount of grass, but out for 24/7, he was on box rest (in his field shelter paddock in this case) for 10 days on bute he came through it ..... he also had his Pergolide increased from 1mg to 1.5mg and I was told to muzzle him. However I decided that I would keep him off the grass for a few weeks, as I knew that he would not cope well with the muzzle, and then recently have started to 'allow' him up to an hour of grass daily, however on these recent frosty days I have kept him off the grass .... tonight I allowed him 25 minutes

Please keep her off the grass as your Vet has suggested ...... what did they say about the Pergolide dose?

I can still recall the worst day of my life in my Horses' time and that was Christmas Eve 2005 as he was in so much pain with the Laminitis, and I was helpless and was on the phone to the Vet asking if I could do any more and it still makes me cry now ..... so I know how anyone with their beloved horse with this condition feels.


I wish you luck and send you and you horse >>>> hugs >>>>>

 

[alisonpook]

Thankyou for the warning - much appreciated - I believe this time of year can be particularly difficult for Cushing's horses partly because of the frosty grass and the short daylight hours - I remember a couple of years ago in mid December I was a bit concerned about my Cushing's laminitic as he seemed to be feeling his feet and I checked with the farrier about possible laminitis and his opinion was 'very unlikely at this time of year' but a quick phone call to the vet found that he had had four laminitis cases that week - most of which he felt were cushings related. I have learnt to tread carefully at all times of the year! Wishing you a speedy return to soundness.

 

[herbert]

Put 20 grms Epsom Salts in a small amount of High Fibre Nuts. I know it is out of fashion but it keeps my laminitic sound and I swear by it. Avoid grass except for an hour on a piece of very poor pasture.

 

[dozzie]

I was caught out in early January a few years ago. Not cushings related either! It happens! Will keep an eye on my oldies though so thanks for the warning. Hope your girl is ok.

 

[Janah]

Belle seems much brighter today. I think I caught it before "real" damage was done. I have had her out 24/7 because when she is in on hay she scours. Back to bum washing daily. I've tried all sorts of things to sort out her scouring, all to no avail. She is the cutest little Sec A.

My boy is having a breakdown 'cos she's not out with him. I have rigged up electric tape so he can go out in the paddock but come in the yard and "visit" Belle. He spent the 1st ten minutes after being turned out this am yelling for her and galloping about, bucking and farting like a lunatic. I thought if this goes on I'll need the vet for him too. He has sort of settled now, goes for a munch and comes in to see Belle, pausing to have a pee in his stable. Why he can't do that outside is anyones guess. Bless em.

I have heard of hormonise and thought I might try it, the epsom salts may help too.

Thankyou all for your good wishes for Belle.

Jane

 

[brighteyes]

Snap! Got a Cushing's 27 yo who had an acute attack in early Dec. I upped my pergolide dosage to 1mg from 500mcg and went into lammi overdrive. Never seen her so sore. Farrier trimmed her feet one week in and didn't see any signs of any rotation. Put her on Devil's Claw and Danilon, and already use ALA and Vit E as antioxidants and magnesium oxide (epsom salt theory) for maintaining insulin sensitivity. She has her hay soaked for 30+mins in hot water and has gotten comfy in just over a week and a half. Phew! I have to say, this time I thought it was it. I have never seen her lie down so much and hobble about. She's on megadeep Nedz Pro and was in previous times always able to get round happily on it. Not this time.

Really not sure what caused it but clamp down conditions will have to prevail now. She wasn't even out

so what else I can guard against is a bit difficult to say.

Thanks for the reminder.

 

[DuckToller]

Had the same last January - the change in daylight length seemed to set my cushinoid pony off. I used periactin - vets seem to prefer pergolide but periactin works better for some ponies, apparently. Went up gradually from 12 little tablets a day to 30 a day before we got it stabilised. Then in the summer we wound it down again to none and he is still fine but I am keeping an eye on him already.

So if pergolide isn't working, maybe ask vet about swapping to periactin, although they have to have a break in between. Bonus is you can buy periactin over the counter at any chemists for approx £1.30 for a box of 30 once the vet has worked out the dose (oops, vet won't be happy about that though!).

 

[Persephone]

I think you can buy Pergolide at the Pharmacist with a script from your vet.

 

[DuckToller]

Yes, think you can, but you don't need a prescription from your vet for periactin, so that means you can just go and stock up and don't need to ask your vet for repeat prescriptions once you know what dose to give (although getting into dodgy ground here!).

Just a thought - hopefully pergolide will kick in soon. I read on the Laminitis Trust website that they work differently and it depends on what hormones are out of balance due to the Cushings - worth a read. I also rang The Laminitis Trust and it cost £1 a minute and it was the best £30 I have ever spent as they were brilliant with advice. My vet had said it was time to PTS and I had bawled my eyes out for a couple of hours before I thought to ring them. My farrier was brilliant too, and here we are six months on and the pony has just started jumping again - wow. Never thought I'd see that.

 

[brighteyes]

What does periactin do?

 

[Persephone]

I'm glad your pony pulled through. Mine was pts 18 months ago due to laminitis caused by cushings. She was only 8

 

[ThomasTank]

I give our pony Agnus Cactus which is the chaste berry tree in a homeopathic form.
I have found it has cheered her up and she is not so mareish.
She also hasnt had any bouts of laminitis since being on it

 

[ThomasTank]

[ QUOTE ]
I'm glad your pony pulled through. Mine was pts 18 months ago due to laminitis caused by cushings. She was only 8

[/ QUOTE ]
That is really sad

~hugs~

 

[Eaglestone]

Jojobah
That is such a shame to lose a pony as young as 8 .... I believe that the youngest recorded Cushings pony was 8, but hoped that would have been a 'one off'. So so sorry

 

[Persephone]

Thanks all.

She was actually 6 when she was diagnosed with Cushings. I read at the time that in younger horses prognosis was not good, generally being two years before pts. I really thought she would make it longer but after rotation in both front pedal bones and a further acute laminitis attack I decided it was unfair to make her go on. She was on Pergolide and Founderguard, we also had her on a clinical trial of Agnus AC, even doing everything by the book she could not tolerate more than 3 hours on grass and I felt it was a poor quality of life for her.

RIP Holly

 

[Eaglestone]

Jojobah
She was a stunner, sorry to be ignorant, what was her breeding and how many hands?
RIP Holly

 

[Persephone]

She was a 14.2hh Sec A Dales Pony. Her registered name was Akehurst Annabell. Really sad about it as I got her at 6 months old.

Jo x

 

[Janah]

Jojobah, so sorry about your pony, so young.

Belle is doing fine. She is still on painkillers so the test will be when she comes off of them. She is very bright and seems happy in herself. She is enjoying all the attention.

My boy has resigned himself to being out on his own, though as I speak he is visiting Belle. She has a bar accross her stable as with the door shut, (I shut it at night) she can't see out, and he leans over it to groom her. They are so sweet.
Fingers and toes crossed all will be well.
Thankyou all for your good wishes.
Jane

 

[Persephone]

aaah! glad it's going well. Everything crossed for Belle!

Let's hope it's a one off and you manage to keep it at bay in future. Holly's first attack was really mild and she had 6 weeks in a starvation paddock resting and came back as good as new.

Jo x

 

[LeneHorse]

Jojobah sorry to hear about your loss- I lost mine to cushings related laminitis 5 years ago. She was not old either about 12-13.

 

[Persephone]

Rubbish isn't it. Let's hope they can make some breakthroughs soon. It is such a horrible disease.

 

[brighteyes]

In Cushing's cases, getting rid of the pituitary enlargement would be a good start! It's the unknown 'when' with Cushing's as our pony has has a really good summer out grazing with her muzzle on. Only bits here and there, but certainly not confined to barracks and miserable. I can't bear to think it's laminitis which will take her from us

and I guard against it most fanatically with all of mine simply as a matter of good husbandry. To think of all these showing types who deliberately overfeed for the rosettes - makes my blood boil......

 

[MurphysMinder]

So sorry to hear of your loss Jojobah. I lost a 12 year old pony about 30 years ago from laminitis, in January. She had been in all over Christmas, and just made no improvement so sadly had to make the decision to have her pts. She was only 12. Nowadays I think treatment is much better for laminitics.

Thanks for the warning about Cushings ponies at this time of the year. I reduced my 12hh to 500mg a day for over the winter, think I might speak to the vet about going up to 1 mg again. Hope Belle recovers quickly, sending loads of healing vibes.

 

[Janah]

Belle is now off of painkillers and I think she is ok as she has started pawing the floor if she thinks I'm not quick enough with her feed. Hi Fibre nuts.
Tomorrow may tell a different story. Fingers crossed. I have called the farrier to have him do a light trim, waiting for him to get back to me.

Jane

 

[Persephone]

Oooh! Fingers crossed. Let's hope she got away with it then!