Laminitis

Bettyboo1976

Bettyboo1976

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Hi,

My pony ( 14'2 Overwieght Hafflinger) ( not my fault his obeseity! I bought him fat and has been on a diet for a while) has laminits, he is on week 5 of box rest, had one full box of Danolin and lots of sedalin, and is now on bute, and just finished another tube of sedalin, he Vet came again last week ( friday) and advised 1 bute twice a day and 1ml sedalin 3x per day, we followed instructions and he seemed to be getting better, vet advised to take him for small walks ideally round the soft sand school. which he was happy to do, but now for the 3rd time he seems to be going down hill again, and I'm at my witts end as to what to do, he gets a hand full of Alfa A lite with his bute, and about 2kg of soaked hay twice a day as per vets instructions, last night he didnt want to walk and layed down and has been there ever since but he is eating. Called vet again today he advised double his bute and call him tomorrow if no change..

What am I doing wrong? help please as I've never had a laminitc but i feel there must be more I can do for him??
 
Have you had x-rays done, & if so when? If he seems to be getting worse then I'd want more taken, ideally with a mobile machine so he doesn't have to be moved. You need to know what you're dealing with.

Has he got supports fitted? I'm assuming he will have since he's been seen by the vet, but if he hasn't then these need doing ASAP & in the meantime make sure he has a very deep shavings bed to give his feet as much support as possible. This is vitally important!

You say that he's laying down & refusing to get up & has been getting more reluctant to walk. To me this screams that you need a vet NOW. If your vet won't come then get another one, laminitis that's progressed to this stage is an emergency & no decent equine vet should be unwilling to come out to him immediately. You'll almost certainly need a farrier too, but without a vet they may be limited to what they can do as they will want to see x-rays.

Get on the phone to your vet now & don't take no for an answer. If they really do refuse to come this afternoon then ring round other equine practises & change your vet to someone who will!

I really hope he's ok.
 
vet was out on friday, he took bloods from him ( he suspected diabetes) bloods all clear, on saturday till tuesday he was 100% better but yesterday evening went down hill again, ( nothing changed in his routine or diet. phoned vet today, he said up his bute and I've to call him tomorrow if no improvement, thing is he keeps getting better then going down hill hense he thought diabetes..

his bed is deep, he has supports on, farrier coming on monday.
 
Get the vet out Very soon, perhaps a different one? And book a decent farrier to come at same time and work with vet. I wouldn't be moving him out of his box at all and personally I'd swap the alfa a for hi fi lite, just because every little thing might help. I really hope he starts to improve, as he sounds like he's in a lot of pain at the moment :(
 
I've had 2 different vets, 1st one gave danolin & supports and ACP, second one was on Friday..

I just don't get why he keeps going up and down :( he looks so depressed little man :(
 
Laminitis is horrible...my pony (13hh Haflinger/Welsh B/C type) was up and down for ages, at his worst he was on 4 butes and 4ml sedalin a day and he had imprints on too. It was like one step forward 2 steps back and we actually came down to 24hrs away from pts. It can take a heck of a long time to get the pony right...my pony started Christmas 2005 and eventually started back in work Sept 2007. Definitely if you are not happy with the vet then get another and make sure you have got the best farrier around too cos he will be one of your new best friends! Good luck and I hope your pony is ok.
 
Thanks,

I was more worried cos I thought ( me not knowing about lami) that he would get better in a few weeks, I didnt realise he could go up and down etc..

feel better knowing that this can happen.
 
Why oh why do vets advise that a horse walks when it has laminitis!!! :confused:

Of course the horse will 'appear' better if he is dosed up on painkillers but he is not better. Not until he is sound on no painkillers for a good few weeks after he has stopped his meds, is he better.

Please keep him on box rest until he is sound and painkiller free.

When a horse has laminitis and is in pain, his laminae are inflammed. These basically hold the structures of the hoof in place and if he is being walked while these are weak you could end up with rotation of the pedal bone and an even more serious problem.

Box rest, a deep bed and carry on withthe meds till he can do without, then box rest a further month, then start walking him out. Its a slow process but well worth it.
My pony had laminitis recurrently for 3 yrs with his previous owner because he never fully recovered each time. I've had him 18 months now and after doing the above he has been pain free ever since.

Feedwise...soaked hay plus something like Fast Fibre for his meds.

Keep it simple...detox his system

Good luck:)
 
When my 11.2 pony had Laminitus I kept her firmly shut away in her box to stop her from walking anywhere. She was on box rest for approx 7months over the winter, very small haynets that were soaked twice a day and her feed was Healthy Hooves and Speedibeet for her hind gut. The farrier was out every 6 weeks for her to trim her feet. I also have her on a very squishy rubber matted floor with a shavings bed too.

When the attack started she was only on Bute, 1 twice a day. Not long after she was off the Bute as she was as lame with the Bute as she was without the Bute. It was only when she was sound on concrete and could turn sweetly that I started to think of her going out. As she was still a little porky and cresty I kept her in for a further few weeks and then started to let her out for a little bit everyday and slowly extended the time out. She is still being weigh taped reguarly and doing well keeping my new rescue company out in the field. Farrier is now very happy to see her every 8 weeks for her feet.

Lami is horrible and takes a long time to recover from. You will need to keep an eye on your pony even after recovery. Also remember not to turn a Lami prone pony out on a frosty morning as this increases the sugar concentration in the grass. I did read not to lunge a pony that has had Lami for approx a year after recovery due to the stress it puts on the feet. I'm not sure how true this is but have stuck to walking my mare in hand just to be sure. Hope your pony starts to pick up.
 
I know how you feel, my horse came down with it on sunday. I had the vet out who treated him for colic ( long story) I kept him in and he was on no pain relief because laminitis wasn't diagnosed. But he did seem to get better once box rested. Had another vet out Tuesday he is now on painkillers and sedalin. I start to reduce the dose after today. Bit concerned my vet didn't put anything on his feet. When eveyone else seems to have them put on. He does seem out of pain as he is not lifting his legs. But mine is suffering more in his hinds. Its horrible isn't is? Hope both our horses make a full recovery. But i wouldn't even think of taking mine out of ths stable. I'm to scared to.
 
Black_Horse_White said:
I know how you feel, my horse came down with it on sunday. I had the vet out who treated him for colic ( long story) I kept him in and he was on no pain relief because laminitis wasn't diagnosed. But he did seem to get better once box rested. Had another vet out Tuesday he is now on painkillers and sedalin. I start to reduce the dose after today. Bit concerned my vet didn't put anything on his feet. When eveyone else seems to have them put on. He does seem out of pain as he is not lifting his legs. But mine is suffering more in his hinds. Its horrible isn't is? Hope both our horses make a full recovery. But i wouldn't even think of taking mine out of ths stable. I'm to scared to.
Click to expand...

My mare had nothing on her feet, just had them trimmed up to how the vet wanted. But I don't think she was too bad as she only had Bute and no sedalin. Plus she wasn't on Bute for long.

Hope both horses recover well x
 
Friday was a week ago & it sounds like things have changed a lot since then. I still say you need a vet out today. Upping his bute isn't the answer, not if he's hurting so much on 2 bute a day that he refuses to stand. Apart from anything else he's going to develop other problems if he stays down this long, horses aren't designed to lay down for prolonged periods.

At the end of the day you're a paying client & if you say you want a vet out that's what you should get. I don't go to Tesco's & pay to have them describe food, I pay to take it home & eat!

Please please please get a vet out today. It sounds to me as though something has changed for the worse & tomorrow may be too late if things have got really bad. If you really cannot get a vet, any horse vet, then please get a farrier out to check him. If he was mine I'd be treating it as an emergency & demanding something was done NOW.
 
One thing i didn't realise for quite awhile with my laminitic pony was the difference the quality of the hay makes to them. Like yours, I had mine on box rest and for a few weeks his recovery was going up and down. I had my hay analysed and even though it looked ok it was really high in sugars. So even after soaking for 12 hours it wasn't getting rid of enough to completely stop the laminitis. My pony has been so much better with lower quality hay, still soaked for 12 hours though. I rang round different suppliers and bought a load of 2 year old hay. Just a thought, it might be worth getting yours checked. Hope your boy is OK very soon.
 
Flash_28 My vet has told me to give mine 2 bute twice a day for 3 days, and 1 twice a day for 7 days, then i have to ring him. He has improved loads since Sunday he was crippled with pain. I'm just hoping it's been caught in time. He still has a pulse but it is getting weaker. My farrier was due this week but the vet said leave it for now.
 
Black_Horse_White said:
Flash_28 My vet has told me to give mine 2 bute twice a day for 3 days, and 1 twice a day for 7 days, then i have to ring him. He has improved loads since Sunday he was crippled with pain. I'm just hoping it's been caught in time. He still has a pulse but it is getting weaker. My farrier was due this week but the vet said leave it for now.
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Just take things a day at a time and do the best you can for him. If he is already improving then it is a good sign :) Keep us updated with both horses progress x
 
Bettyboo1976 said:
Hi,

My pony ( 14'2 Overwieght Hafflinger) ( not my fault his obeseity! I bought him fat and has been on a diet for a while) has laminits, he is on week 5 of box rest, had one full box of Danolin and lots of sedalin, and is now on bute, and just finished another tube of sedalin, he Vet came again last week ( friday) and advised 1 bute twice a day and 1ml sedalin 3x per day, we followed instructions and he seemed to be getting better, vet advised to take him for small walks ideally round the soft sand school. which he was happy to do, but now for the 3rd time he seems to be going down hill again, and I'm at my witts end as to what to do, he gets a hand full of Alfa A lite with his bute, and about 2kg of soaked hay twice a day as per vets instructions, last night he didnt want to walk and layed down and has been there ever since but he is eating. Called vet again today he advised double his bute and call him tomorrow if no change..

What am I doing wrong? help please as I've never had a laminitc but i feel there must be more I can do for him??
Click to expand...
[/COLOUR]Hey (-: I'm not very good with all the technical stuff with horses yet, but I do a recuring problem with my friends (Hafflinger funily enough) keeps getting Laminitis as he was rarley exersised. I'm sure this is not the problem with your horse but, a) for loosing weight lunge him a few times a day? This worked with a 3/4 Arab I was helping break in. There are a lot of painkillers which help horses with this problem to not feel the pain and when exersising they feel fit, but It is important to not overwork at this point as even though they cannot feel the pain, they will after. So 'yes' your vet is right as if he is not getting better double his bute, but If it was me I wouldn't give him the 2kg of soaked hay, as sometime this can make the horses feel a little heavier? and they then find it hard with moving around (like doing the exersise in the arena)

Sorry I'm not very good at explaining, but I hope your horse gets well soon :)
 
I know the feeling.
My 14.2hh mare has just recovered from lami - she has been on box rest for 8 weeks, only walking in the last week up and down the stable block.
We have just started to ride her again very slowly.
She had ups and downs too, one day she was jumping about in her stable the next she was lethargic and quiet - we put it down to her dropping fitness levels.
The first vet we had out told us it was arthritis (as there were no typical signs of lami) and to exercise her - thank god we had a 2nd vet out or we would have been riding her through laminitis!
See if you can find 2 (or more) vets with the same opinion and try their advice - its so difficult knowing what to do for the best, but you will get through it! :)
X-rays are a good idea, especially a mobile unit. And agreed with swapping the Alfa for the HiFi Lite, its very popular for laminitic ponies to get bute down them.
Good luck with him and I hope he's recovered very very soon!
 
Our 12h welsh got it in winter this year (after 3 years on good grass with no problems!) . I think that it was a combination of no rider, and stolen electric fencing. She wasn't overly fat, quite trim compared to others her size... The worst culprit was the haylage. One of the big mares showed signs of being a bit "footy" too. The pony didn't initially have obvious signs of lami - seemed lame on one shoulder at first. In winter, she was very bad, needing two months of boxrest - on thick bedding. The first time she went out it came back again. After the two months in her box, when she happily walked across the yard, we turned her out for an hour a day in a small, bare turnout paddock (20x20m), and gradually upped that.

She is now out at grass with the others in the day from 7am til 7pm. There are four of them on 10 acres of reasonable grass, with grazing muzzles (the shires ones) on all of them. I have to say that the muzzles are wonderful, and all of them are looking the trimest they have ever been... We changed back to haylage and soak her haynet. She only gets dengie light - and then only a bit to lick out of the bucket while the competition horses are fed...

Her feet have rings on them, but the vet said she should be fine if she's worked and her feet are shortened (our blacksmith is a lovely man, but does leave their feet too long, which can contribute to lami...) We have jsut changed to a new blacksmith, who says that the new horn growing looks ok, so my fingers are crossed...

All I'm saying is, it can take a long time on boxrest. Don't move them at all if you can help it, and keep the bed deep - put water buckets where they don't have to walk far, and keep speaking to the vet. Best of luck...
 
I am so sorry to read your post, I can fully sympathise as this time last year my novice event mare went down with laminitis 4weeks from her due date, (hers was due to matritis from the hormones of the foal), sadly the mare had foundered and after speaking with the laminitis clinic there was nothing that could be done, we got foal out she only lived 12hrs and then we had to put her down. During my time I wished I had insisted more of my vets as they were very casual about it, I would call the laminitus clinic they are very helpful and can provide so much advise, I also found my mare loved eating nettles that I had cut down and let to dry, (they are suppose to be good for getting rid of toxins from the body, and also the herb supplement milk thistle. Hope things improve for you.
 
Please please don't move her, even to muck out;

She needs to be on a deep bed and stabled for 30 days AFTER she is sound without any painkillers. 2kg of hay twice a day isn't much tbh, you need to give her 1.5 - 2% of her body weight; not feeding enough fibre can cause other problems.

Let her get sound first before thinking about exercise; take it slowly.

Please don't lunge her?!! imagine walking on your fingertips after you've had a nail removed :(
 
WandaMare said:
One thing i didn't realise for quite awhile with my laminitic pony was the difference the quality of the hay makes to them. Like yours, I had mine on box rest and for a few weeks his recovery was going up and down. I had my hay analysed and even though it looked ok it was really high in sugars. So even after soaking for 12 hours it wasn't getting rid of enough to completely stop the laminitis. My pony has been so much better with lower quality hay, still soaked for 12 hours though. I rang round different suppliers and bought a load of 2 year old hay. Just a thought, it might be worth getting yours checked. Hope your boy is OK very soon.
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OMG - that sounds familiar

My mare was diagnosed lamanitic at the end of March and she has been stabled for 9weeks. As the Yards hay is quite rich, my farrier got me some 3year old hay which ran out 2 weeks ago. Last week my mare went down hill, was very sore when turning in the stable - I put this down to reducing the bute. Vet told me to up it again and this week she's no better. I weigh and soak the hay for 12 hours.

My mare has been on bute & sedalin from the begining. When she was first diagnosed the vet put supports on until the farrier put Imprint Shoes on - she had her 3rd pair fitted last week.

I am at a loss at the moment and have been very tearful today x
 
GeorgiexPony said:
[/COLOUR]Hey (-: I'm not very good with all the technical stuff with horses yet, but I do a recuring problem with my friends (Hafflinger funily enough) keeps getting Laminitis as he was rarley exersised. I'm sure this is not the problem with your horse but, a) for loosing weight lunge him a few times a day? This worked with a 3/4 Arab I was helping break in. There are a lot of painkillers which help horses with this problem to not feel the pain and when exersising they feel fit, but It is important to not overwork at this point as even though they cannot feel the pain, they will after. So 'yes' your vet is right as if he is not getting better double his bute, but If it was me I wouldn't give him the 2kg of soaked hay, as sometime this can make the horses feel a little heavier? and they then find it hard with moving around (like doing the exersise in the arena)

Sorry I'm not very good at explaining, but I hope your horse gets well soon :)
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That is some of the most dangerous advice I have read on this forum so far :mad:
 
SirenaXVI said:
That is some of the most dangerous advice I have read on this forum so far :mad:
Click to expand...

I totally agree!

GeorgiexPony your advice goes against all the research done by the Laminitis Trust & would be extremely dangerous, possibly fatal, to follow. Exercise to control weight & avoid laminitis is good, but the OP's pony is already suffering laminitis & that changes everything. I would suggest you have a good read of the Laminitis Trust site http://www.laminitis.org/ & learn about the subject before you give advice!
 
Hi there, I have a 14.2hh New Forest pony who like yours was a tad overweight! He also went down with laminitis in Feb this year and I was distraught seeing him attempting to walk, it turns out he has metabolic syndrome and was also suffering from a decent level of stress at the time as his only field mate was away undergoing colic surgery! So I really do feel for you in this situation, he had xrays done and both his pedal bones had rotated more so in his right foot. He has had a specialist farrier working along side the vet with heart bar shoes fitted and put on the same box rest plan as yourself. Of course I went into a panic everytime he was led down or even seemed a little down in the dumps and it seemed to take weeks to actually start showing any real sign of improvement. He's on a strict hay diet with a small handful of highfi lite to take his meds for the metabolic syndrome. Mainly though as hard as it is, I hope you dont feel too disheartend by everything my boy picked up really well but it has taken a long time. Ultimately though I do truly believe that every spare minute of every day I spent down there just sitting next to him and giving him some one on one company really helped him through, hope he starts to seem better soon these horses are such a worry but worth it!
 
Not read all the posts but do feel for you, my mare has been in for six months box rest because of lami. We struggled for first month to find what was causing it, not diet related she was not obese so assumed as we had all that snow it was something to do with that. Anyway, she went down and wouldn't get up after a week on box rest, ended up with Vet at midnight and her going on fynadine for pain.

Long story short, she has been through the mill, good days and bad days, she had rotation of pedal bone in 3 feet but is now totally sound walking out 3 times a day for five minutes and having 10 minutes grazing in hand too.

It can be a long hard battle and needs 100% dedication to get them through it, but they can come through it. My mare ended up being Cushing's Disease causing the laminitis, she's only 16 and did not test positive but it was a last ditch attempt we put her on pergolide, within days she improved and continued to improve. She has been off all pain relief for a month, off sedaline for 4 months and now just has her Cushing meds.

Diet, OK this has totally worked for me and I have to be careful as my mare gets colic easily, but she is living on hay that has been soaked for a minimum of 12 hours, she is not restricted on quantity she has as much as she likes when she likes! Only feed she is getting is Safe and Sound a small handful 3 times a day. She has lost weight, although she was never really fat she now looks good - well maybe she was always a little heavy just never really noticed!

Get a good remedial farrier, she had her fronts grooved, heart bars and pads fitted, trimmed every 4 weeks, last trim the pads were removed and all the bruising has come to the surface - a lot of it! I have a great Vet but I did tell them if they thought I was giving up on the horse I would change Vets, also talk to the big feed companies, I had a lot of help from them, one even called my Vet to discuss all test results before recommending a diet - now that is a great service.

It is heartbreaking, but they can come through this although it means management for life is different, my mare will never go out 24/7 again, but she is happy, sound and still with us!
Good luck
 
PLEASE everyone, no more posts on this thread. Bettyboo1976 sadly lost Angel on Monday.

Maybe start another thread to discuss laminitis stories? The information is very useful but this just doesn't feel like the right place for it now.
 
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