Laminitis

collie

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23 July 2005
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Hi,
Any one got any advice for my Shetland pony. She came up lame around a week ago i thought it was laminitis as she had a pulse in her front feet. Vet called and confirmed it. She was kept in during the day and out at night on a worn small paddock for three nights. She is now belting around the small paddock and shows no sign of lameness pulse on front feet gone. As i have never had a horse/pony with laminitis i was wondering how long i need to restrict her grass intake to make sure it does not return. Vet did say Shetlands were better placed to deal with laminitis but i dont want her to get sore again as she is just a pet.
 
Well if it was laminitis, she recovered quick! my shetland was on box rest for 6 weeks, and only had it mild.
She will have to be carefully watched all the time, even in winter I muzzle mine.
 
you will have to restricted her grass spring and autum to a bare miminum winter he can have a bit more bit just a bit more i know there is no goodness in the grass come winter but you dont want him to get loads of weight on for you to try and get it off come spring again. dont put on frosty grass that can cause lammi as well!
 
Sorry to piggy-back on someone else's question, but, how should I know when it is safe to start exercise again? Mine was on bute for the first 1 1/2 weeks, so the lameness was gone by the time he was off it and pulse was gone within 2 days. I didn't want to move him to trot him up in that first week in case it did damage and the bute would have disguised any lameness anyway. He was kept on box rest for another 2 1/2 weeks (4 weeks in total) then muzzled on a restriction paddock, which is where he has been for the last 2 weeks. Should it be safe to start gradually lunging him?
 
Thanks to all for the replies. Having read other posts regarding laminitis i am beginning to wonder if it really was laminitis as she seems to have recovered very very quick compared to the norm.
 
HaffyHugs, if your pony is sound without painkillers on hard ground then I would walk him in hand first, perhaps for a week, every day; lunging is quite tiring for a pony who hasn't been ridden for a few weeks.
 
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