metabolic disorder causing laminitis/ help

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mischa

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has any one had any dealings with this metabolic disorder the vet seem to think my mare has this and has caused her to get laminitis, she was slightly lame on the thursday the farrier thought it might be a abcess he did t find anything called the vet and they said it was lami so we kept her in, by the saturday she was crippled called the vet again took her in for x-raysand her pedal bone has rotated they only give her a 50/50chance of making it she is a heavy weight cob which does not help her chances.she is strip grazed and wears a grazing muzzle during the day, the vet viewed her field and said there was no way she should of got it. anyone know of a horse surviving this she breaks my heart every day i see her.
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I don't understand why they have given her a 50/50 chance of surviving? My mare has rotation of the pedal bone and separation in one foot. She is also a heavyweight cob which has made her case worse, as her xrays 3 weeks ago were fine. But they can't say to me that she has a 50/50 chance as that is false - if we manage this right, she has a good chance. We have a good vet and farrier and are doing everything we can to help her.

Please keep the faith and get a second opinion.
 
oh god its good to hear your mare is doing ok my mare is on 2 bute a day, how much was your mare on, she also has these clogs on . is she still on box rest if so how long did they say she had to be. its been a month since the first x-rays and there coming back out on tuesday to do some more was that about the same for you. sorry about all the questions.
 
Read my thread: laminitis advice please.

Many people's horses have got through this. My mare is still in a bad way but she is SO bright and happy and we are getting her there. She is still on 2 bute a day, having remedial shoeing and trimming, regular vet visits and is in for at least another 2 months.

She started box rest on 27th may with a leg infection. She came laminitic 2nd June and has been on rest since then. She has at least another 2 months as she needs a month in after being sound off bute.

She had xrays at start June and there was not rotation or separation. She had xray last Monday and she had both in one foot and just rotation in the other. Her weight hasn't helped but she's had a second attack. In the words of the vet 'it's serious not terminal'. My mare doesn't have any other health problems though. She's 15 and this is her first time (due to infection and grass lushness leading to her gaining loads of weight quickly). She started with poultice/frog supports but had heart bar shoes fitted on friday in order to stabilise the pedal bone and speed up her recovery.

You should consider getting advice of another farrier as well I should think. He really should have mentioned the posibility of laminitis.
 
Im so sorry to hear this, I can tell in your words how distressed you are.

My boy Fred got lami 4 years ago and, although he has been clean since, its a constant battle to keep the weight off and we are always watching him and worrying. He was on box rest for 4 months and then allowed a small area of the track which was fenced off with electric fencing so he could nibble for 20 mins a day to start with. All year round he is in during the day and out at night. When ever I change his grazing he always gets the squits, no matter how poor the grass is. Now, prior to any change and also if I detect a change in him, I give him Coligone which clears him up overnight. I can feed him Hi Fi Light ad lib as well as his hay, ensuring that he has some fibre trickling through the gut when everything else is restricted. I also give him Equivite to replace the vits and mins he isnt getting from the poor pasture.

I do hope you get your mare sorted.
 
my mare is 5yrs old but shes handling box rest well shes still bright and cheeky, i have to say the farrier did mention laminitis thats why i got the vet out the same day, its good to hear about your mare its giving me lots of hope i bred this mare and love her to pieces , so want to do all i can to get her though this.Her mum has just birth to a sister a stunning black and white filly so its not all been doom and gloom.
 
HI,

I am going through exactly the same thing as you at the moment, my horse had laminitus last year (mild) recovered well, and this year i have been over careful restricting grazing and he has still come down with it mild again. & like you hes had xrays pedal bone has rotated aswell. very very sad hes only 12. Like yours he is a heavy cob doesnt do them any favours (hes not overweight) its just shear build on his legs bones etc.
hes is bandaged up at the moment with frog supports and on metacam as he was suffering quite bad. we took him to vets for xrays and we think the stress of this has bought out the lami more! i have the vet due out this wed to test him for this metabolic syndrome so then we may have more of an idea whats causing this. eventually he will have heart bars and filling in his shoes. i will keep you informed how things go and good luck to you let me know how things go for you to
 
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This may help
http://www.metabolichorse.co.uk/


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Agree with this recommendation. Contact this company now - the lady that runs this company runs a Yahoo support group as well and she is an absolute mine of information and help on metabolic issues.

Possibly your vets are "guarded" because I believe I am correct that unless you can get the metabolic condition under control that is causing the laminitis, it will be difficult as the laminitis will keep recurring.

With these types of horses its not as simple as restricting grazing/feed.

Another website that may be of assistance is

http://aepauk.proboards56.com/index.cgi?

You will need to register as a member (its free) and it is a barefoot organisation who run the board, but there are some very experienced trimmers and also a couple of owners on there that have a lot of experience of metabolic problems.
 
I know of several horses who cannot tolerate any grass at all - a couple of whom cannot even tolerate your average hay, even soaked for 12 hours. They are 100% sound and seem happy, on the blue or purple horsehage, supplemented with Spillers High Fibre cubes. No grass turnout though - in the school or in a completely grass-free paddock.

I also know of others who have been determined that their horses should be able to eat grass despite showing signs that they can't cope with it - they ended up with an unrideable horse with chronic laminitis.

Some horses do have the metabolic disorder so badly that grass (and sometimes hay) are out. They can still live a happy, useful life without it. Even stabled, exercised twice a day, is tons better than being in constant pain from laminitis that never really goes away.

Try the horsehage - if the hay you have is too sugary, it'll just be making things worse, if not, at least you'll know you've done what you can. My horse has been on it for over a year and you'd never know she has metabolic disorder as badly as she does. She looks in the peak of health, is happy, relaxed and out competing.
 
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