Laminitus or absess?

L

lcharles

Well-Known Member
Joined
24 August 2010
Messages
1,082
Visit site
Ok, so even though ive had ponies/horses since I was 4 luckily i've never had one with either laminitis or an absess.

Last week my mare was slightly lame in trot coming back down the lane, she had seemed fine across the grass though, i jumped off checked for stones etc but saw nothing so walked her back home. I then told my part-loanee that she wasnt right on her front left leg and to not ride her for a couple of days. She then rode her on the third day and i asked her to let me how she was and to make her trot so she would know if she was lame or not as she obviously bobs her head.

She rang me and said she was fine so I though nothing of it until i rode her last night and she was clearly not right-i was annoyed that the part-loanee had said she was fine but annoyed that i'd trusted her and should of rode her myself again before allowing her to carry on riding.Maybe part-loanee isnt as experienced as i thought but she means well to my mare. I just thought it was a stone bruise so for it to be ok in 3 days was what i was expecting/hoping!

So she has no swelling but has a higher pulse and very slight heat by her coronet band, would this be a sign or lami or absess? I'm going to poultice it tonight and leave her in for a couple of days and then re-evaluate it then and get the vet out then if need be. She seemed ok last night on the grass but not in the indoor which is a carpet/sand/all sorts surface.

The vet saw her the day after i thought she had a stone bruise just as she was at the stables to see someone else and wanted to see my mare trotted up as she had an operation in december, and asked how she was but said that she couldnt tell how her back legs were as she was lame on the front and if it wasnt better in a couple of days then i should poultice it.

Few horses at our stables have had laminitis but are all fat, my mare isnt fat - she's ideal weight. Do only fat horses get lami?

Her field is muddy and wet with an ok amount of grass.

Lucky that ive not experienced either issue before but makes me feel so stupid to not know about the most common issues after so many years!

Any ideas?
 
Hard to tell without seeing the horse. Generally, tho, a lami horse would rock back to take weight off the front whereas with an abcess the horse would prefer not to put weight on a specific foot. With all this wet weather abcesses are common... Probably I would bring in and cover both options by taking off grass and also keeping the foot very clean and see where you are in a few days.
 
No not only fat horses get lami! Also recent research suggest hoof heat s not reliable for diagnosing abseccess or lami. For lami I would be looking for digital pulses and looking 'pottery' or the lami stance. For an abscess often they don't want to put weight on the foot at all and can look very crippled! Hope that helps.
 
Is your horse getting more lame? With an abscess they normally get progressessly more lame, until the abscess is drawn out.
Is it possible to get your farrier out to have a look, a bit cheaper than a vet, and should be able to let you know whats going on.
It could be a bruise rather than abscess or laminitis, poulticing wont do any harm either way.
Kx
 
Its so hard to tell as as others have said, Lami, abscess, bruising and corns can all cause raised pulses, heat and lameness.

My horse never had the typical lami stance, neither did he potter - he always rested a hind leg even in the acute stage!

What proved it to be Lami for him, was pressure exerted on the coronet band (casued an immediate reaction, whereas normally it doesn't - I now check reguarly!) and turning on a circle.

To test on a circle you should walk them forward (on the yard) and then turn them sharply one way, walk them forward and then turn them sharply the other way.... Lami horses will pivot on their hind legs rather than cross over.
 
lcharles said:
Do only fat horses get lami?
Click to expand...

No, its a myth that only fat horses get laminitis. One of mine got laminitis many years ago - he was a slim, fit pony at the time so in his case we believe it was caused by concussion (too much trotting on the road IMO, but I was only a child at the time and knew no better).

In my experience of absesses (one of mine used to get them regularly when he was shod, going barefoot has stopped it happening - dont know why!), I would say you KNOW when its an absess. My boy would be basically hopping lame, it comes on really quickly, normally a day or two. Its not usually a slight lameness. If the horse is lame on one leg then it could be anything (bruised sole or something more serious like a pulled tendon). Laminitis, they are lame all round - they look really stiff basically and they dont want to move forward.
 
Not all horses rock back on their heels. Specially in the onset, I would get the vet up anyway just to be sure. *When in doubt get the vet*.


No one here can tell you exactly whats going on , only guessing my mare wasn't fat when she got lami she was very fit and exercised 6 times a week.


The fact that the pulse is stronger is a warning sign that something is brewing. I would suggest you don't ignore these signs and get your horse checked out.:)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top