Laminitis

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louise1967

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My daughters pony got laminitis last Dec and it took 7 months to get him right again, he had all the cushings tests & x-rays all came back good, so with box rest and a starvation paddock made a full recovery and was being ridden again by July this year. Anyway still managing the condition, starvation paddock, hay instead of haylage, remedial shoeing every 4 weeks, and starting to work him, within 3 months he is very poorly again and now on all 4 feet, vet thinks too much work too soon even though he was only being ridden 3 times a week, I am devasted as my insurance wont pay for this condition after they have been paying for a year. Has anyone else had a reacurrence due to working a pony after laminitis????
 
Oh no you have been through hell and back, but I am so glad that you have stuck in there.

How old is your pony?

Could it be EMS if he is quite young ... I would talk to your Vet about putting your pony on Pergolide to see if that helps, even if he has not been tested for Cushings. My old boy went on it, just on the clinical signs and 3 years on he is happy and sound (fingers crossed/touch wood
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There are lots of members on here that can help and have been through what you are going through now ... we are here to help you get through what we have previously.
 
What is pergolide??? Our pony is 16 yrs old, a Welsh Sec A 12hh. We have had him 2 1/2 yrs and looking at his passport he has had quite a few homes, it makes me wonder if thats why he was getting passed on a lot. He has had a cushings test all ok, and x-rays no rotation in the front feet and slight rotation in the backs, its just all the keeping him in and pads the vets put in his feet, doesnt really make him better, the poor thing is bored out of his brain being in nearly all the time.
 
Pergolide is the wonder drug to help keep Laminitis at bay in Cushings/EMS horses in a nutshell
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Being a Section A and 16 it is possible that he is suffering from it ..... knowing what I know now I would strongly advise you to consider that it may be Cushings even though you have had negative test results .... unless your pony is overweight and eating lush grass, which could therefore indicate Laminitis due to other factors
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It may be worth PM'ing Brighteyes as she has a similar pony and is much more experienced than me
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Good Luck and << hugs >>

My chap is now 27 and went down with Laminitis for the first time at 24 and the Pergolide has saved his life ..... he is a Section D x
 
One of the driving ponies I look after had laminitis last Christmas. He tests negative for cushings but the vet has diagnosed him with Equine Metabolic Syndrome, and my money's on him developing cushings.

He took months to come sound but he is now doing well on pergolide and modrenal. It's definitely worth discussing long term medication with your vet.

Just out of interest, is your little welshie a grey by any chance?
 
I am going to talk to my vet about the 2 drugs that you have both mentioned. We cant go on like this its not fair on him, he may aswell be put to sleep than live the life he is living at the mo, being in 23 hrs a day is not good, this time of year is usually the only time of year that is safe for him to be out on grass and he's stuck in yet again. Thanks for all your comments!!!
 
If he won't get better, really insist that your vets try him on the medication long before you give up. Laminitis isn't fully understood yet but they're getting there. There's a major pattern for in in little, white welsh ponies in their teens and, this is only my opinion but, something goes wrong within their bodies, like with melanomas, and the medication can help this.

I hope you get him right.
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Do you have an area that he can go out in that has no grass and you can supply him with soaked hay so that he can be near other horses?

My boy is in a wood chip paddock with his own field shelter, so he is out with his mate, but contained from the grass and he is quite happy, although I stress like mad
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The vet just keeps saying to keep him in, put I have paid to have a small paddock fenced off for him its less than 1/4 of an acre within the other horses field, I cant understand why he cant be out rather than in, as long as hes on a soft surface with limited grass surely thats ok?
 
Hi - I recently read an article which suggested that with some laminitic cases that won't resolve it is well worth trying them as a somewhat last resort on a pergolide trial for several weeks or so . If you do decide to try pergolide please note it is often cheaper to buy from your local chemist with a prescription from your vet - but as my vets are now allowed from November 1st to charge for prescriptions this may have changed. As a guide x30 1mg currently cost me in the region of £12 - this is a month's supply for my horse. It tooks around 6 weeks for the tablets to have a positive effect on my horse.
 
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The vet just keeps saying to keep him in, put I have paid to have a small paddock fenced off for him its less than 1/4 of an acre within the other horses field, I cant understand why he cant be out rather than in, as long as hes on a soft surface with limited grass surely thats ok?

[/ QUOTE ] When the animal is actually enduring a laminitic attack, a lot of vets like to keep them in, as they feel that moving about too much can damage the laminae further and increase the risk of the pedal bone rotating. I know the Laminitis Trust advises that the animal should remain in the stable for 30 days after it is sound without painkillers.

However, after that stage a small paddock can be a useful way to keep these ponies. Some ponies do seem fine on a restricted area of grass, but some don't seem to be able to tolerate grass at all and may be better in a small grass free area if you can manage it.

With our old laminitic, we found that keeping her in a starvation paddock 24/7 didn't work, she still had attacks. The best routine for her was stabling, with two hours turnout in a small paddock in the morning and two hours in the afternoon. But they are all different and there is a bit of trial and error involved in finding out what routine works best for them.

If your pony is getting unexpected attacks then it might be worth soaking his hay to remove excess soluble carbohydrates - depending of the type of grass in the hay, when it was cut and how long and well it has been stored, some hay can have more sugar than laminitics can tolerate.
 
The second attack isnt grass or food related we dont think, he made a full recovery, living in a small paddock and was fine for 3 months, it all started when his work load was increased and with heavier riders, I think the weight and increased work too soon on his already delicate feet pushed him over the edge.
 
Hi, im can honestly sympathise with you. I took have a ex laminitic. He got it at the age of 8 through someone throwing grass cuttiings over a fence. He is now 15 and only had one set back - which was narrowed down to the hay being too rich.
Even now when he treads on the smallest of stones it hurts. I would be reluctant to put heavy weights on your pony due to stress.

Do you muzzle your pony?
What food are they on?

Feel free to Pm me if you want a chat!
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After him getting laminitis last Dec, he stayed in for a few months, then I paid to have a proper starvation paddock done for him, that is where he has been all summer, he didnt get better until July and then we had 2 perfect months, and now all this again, the vet doesnt think it was caused by food or grass, he hasnt been on any grass and is just on hay, the only thin that could have triggered it is the more excersice he was getting and the two heavier children that I let ride him.

I am hoping to try this drug called Pergolide that everyone has recommended, even though he has tested negative for cushings. I do think that his laminitis in his back feet, that he didnt have the first time round, may have been caused by the vet putting pads in his front feet and then pushing the weight onto the back feet, but then thats my opinion.
 
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