Low Grade Laminitis recovery

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Ranyhyn

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Sorry I know there is a similar thread below but my situation is slightly different.

Pony sore on front feet, after doing my usual abscess etc check I had the vet out who has diagnosed her with very early signs of lammi. Vet wasn't concerned slightly, as no pulse, so advised to keep off the grass at least until Christmas. Soak her hay etc and if no improvement then call them out and they'll start investigating.

I'm just asking for your experiences really on two things.
a) when should I expect to see and improvement?
b) when could we expect to start riding her quietly?
 
It's always very difficult as each horse is different but your looking at months not weeks, but I think I would want x rays done just to see what is going on, and also to get a proper diagnosis that it is laminitis, one of mine went very lame vet said treat as laminitis he went sound very quickly so we xrayed about a week later and he had no signs of laminitis just thin soles.

Is she on any pain relief?
 
Pinkvboots said:
It's always very difficult as each horse is different but your looking at months not weeks, but I think I would want x rays done just to see what is going on, and also to get a proper diagnosis that it is laminitis, one of mine went very lame vet said treat as laminitis he went sound very quickly so we xrayed about a week later and he had no signs of laminitis just thin soles.

Is she on any pain relief?
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Hi thanks for your reply

No, the vet was so laid back she was almost horizontal about it. Pony not in a laminitic stance, no raised pulses, pottery in trot but foot perfect walking across hardcore. More pronounced upon the turns in each direction.

Nothing prescribed apart from to take her off the grazing (we have good grass here despite the time of year) and re-assess if not resolved itself in three weeks.
 
She doesn't sound really uncomfortable then so if it is laminitis you have caught it early, I would keep her off the grass for now and see how she goes, I was never totally convinced mine had laminitis although he looked worse turning but he recovered to quickly really.

How old is she? Is she barefoot?
 
9 year old Section A pony, barefoot. Her feet have been allowed to get too long, when farrier attended two weeks ago he made me aware he felt she'd had laminitis fairly recently (but again not concerned she has it now)

She had an abscess at that time (Bacteria set it off maybe?) so she was kept in, then turned out by day so maybe that restriction and then influx of grass could have caused the footiness?

Ive only had her two months now (stress from the move triggered?). She's had no previous history of lammi apart from the supposed bout in her last short-term home (she was there 1 year)
 
My Connie had very low grade laminitis this year, caught it the day after he went lame and he had three weeks box rest, on Bute for a week, soaked hay and a deep bed. He was sound after the week of bute and started on restricted turnout with walking out in straight lines only. He then went away for 10 days to an equine swimming pool and swam, again in straight lines and once home began full time work. X-rays showed negligible rotation but I have had gel support pads put under his shoes to help with any concussion. He is in full time work, Irish clipped and out naked to keep his weight at a sensible level and is absolutely thriving on hay and balancer only.
 
HappyHollyDays said:
My Connie had very low grade laminitis this year, caught it the day after he went lame and he had three weeks box rest, on Bute for a week, soaked hay and a deep bed. He was sound after the week of bute and started on restricted turnout with walking out in straight lines only. He then went away for 10 days to an equine swimming pool and swam, again in straight lines and once home began full time work. X-rays showed negligible rotation but I have had gel support pads put under his shoes to help with any concussion. He is in full time work, Irish clipped and out naked to keep his weight at a sensible level and is absolutely thriving on hay and balancer only.
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Thank you, I’m
Hoping similar will happen with Pip
 
I do know that the lami app has been way up high in quite a few areas recently.

I would expect a LGL case as you describe to get more comfortable quite quickly if off the grass. Given your farriers observations and current situation it sounds like you may well need to manage her quite carefully and I'd be treating her as metabolic and considering testing for IR/EMS.
 
ester said:
I do know that the lami app has been way up high in quite a few areas recently.

I would expect a LGL case as you describe to get more comfortable quite quickly if off the grass. Given your farriers observations and current situation it sounds like you may well need to manage her quite carefully and I'd be treating her as metabolic and considering testing for IR/EMS.
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Thanks L, were lucky that as she’s at home we can do whatever she needs.
 
Laminitis can't be identified on xray until it's caused rotation, which is pretty advanced. Most cases never get anywhere near rotation if they are spotted early. I wouldn't be doing x rays unless she is still lame next week.

I would expect a pony without raised pulses to be fine a few days after being removed from grass, and if then completely pain free with no meds, to start walking and if no pain is shown, increase the exercise from there. But becguided by your vet on that.

.
 
You want a pic of mine when I bought him :p. He had been hunting fit in the march when sold, this was what he looked like by the June. I promised him he would never look like that again.
1934885_223362910437_2731227_n.jpg
 
Ranyhyn said:
Was he footy at all or had he got away with it.

Dear Frank the Trojan horse x
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No not at all! he was fine (which I kind of took as him not being too susceptible). Vet said he was fitter than he looked and to crack on.
Essentially the interim owner hadn't really ridden him for a few weeks and he was in a fairly large field albeit with a big group of horses that was clearly too much for him without exercise. When he hasn't been able to exercise a grass track has generally been the best option for him in summer.
 
My mare was fat when she got laminitis.
She's lost 80kg since May. Am hoping for a little bit more over winter so she goes into spring skinny. You don't realise how overweight they are until the weight comes off.
 
I have photos of the mare during her showing career (very successful) and its a shame for sure. She was in tip top condition then and not an inch to pinch as they say.

I can do a track, that's probably going to work quite well, my WB can be in the middle and the pony can track round the edge :)
 
Sounds like a plan :)
I do generally follow the feeding recommendations for metabolic horses these days as in retirement Frank has thrown up a crest at times, and at one point his tail head.
I absolutely have to keep him on additional magnesium oxide (stopping it was when he got a bit cresty).
We had some footiness issues in 2018 but this year I think we probably reached equilibrium with his teeth issues limiting his grass intake just enough to help too!
 
ester said:
Sounds like a plan :)
I do generally follow the feeding recommendations for metabolic horses these days as in retirement Frank has thrown up a crest at times, and at one point his tail head.
I absolutely have to keep him on additional magnesium oxide (stopping it was when he got a bit cresty).
We had some footiness issues in 2018 but this year I think we probably reached equilibrium with his teeth issues limiting his grass intake just enough to help too!
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See now the dreaded L word makes me scared to feed anything at all, but accept pony may need a balancer etc. And I read that AG is a useful supplement ( I would feed this to the WB during her seasons anyway so will have it) and also epsom salts?

What do you feed, as an example?
 
Pony shouldn’t need a balancer in my experience..soaked hay and restricted grazing..track grazing would be ideal..have a look at the laminitis site for feed recommendations but personally I would leave off unless she is going to be worked hard every day.
 
Thanks Micky, I have to be honest, I havent fed her anything and didnt really want to unless its absolutely neccessary. She's a first ridden so realistically she's not going to work hard at all really on the grand scheme of things!
 
I'd say for a horse on restricted grazing that they really do need a balancer, or preferably a powdered vitamin and mineral supplement. High copper and zinc, no iron and decent magnesium levels are the things to look for. Equimins Advance Complete can be bought in a pelleted form, or forage plus and progressive earth both do powdered supplements that you would need to mix into a handful of low starch and sugar feed. I use pink mash as its the lowest I can find, but theres other options
 
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