Question - wonder if anyone has experience?? (Sorry, a bit long!)

Kellys Heroes

Kellys Heroes

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Hi all,
I am slightly nervous about posting this and the replies I'll get, I think I might be edging on the side of overworried??

Bit of background....
My p/l mare is 14.2hh and (a very young!) 16 y/o. However probably about 14 weeks ago we put her on box rest as she was lame and we couldn't put our finger on what it was...to cut a long story short, the vets blamed it on arthritis and told us to limit what we did with her (gentle hacking until she got rid of the lameness) and see how she went. She was on bute for 2 weeks and still lame through that.
She then suffered two seizures in a fortnight (touch wood, she has never had one since) and the vets had no idea what caused them only that as she recovered herself quite quickly they didn't want to take it any further.
She was very quiet, docile and miserable which wasn't like her at all. She then started with lami - we think brought on by the stress of the seizures - and we quickly treated this as appropriate, and after a few more weeks of box rest (nightmare!!), the vet said she was clear and to have heart bars fitted and turn her out, begin to hack her again. (Just to add, we had a feeling it wasn't just lami that was causing a problem )
So, we proceeded to follow this advice, and for one week she was fantastic, sound, happy, alert etc and then after a week (I hasten to add, we hacked out and ONLY walked) she went lame again.
The vet has come down again today and said there is mild rotation in one front leg, but he's not overly worried. We are getting the farrier out a.s.a.p to give her more support under her frog, and the vet said we are able to start riding her again and turning out as soon as we want to.
I am just wondering what "the prognosis" (without that sounding so pessimistic ) is and if anyone has or has had a horse with very mild rotation? She is still very happy and vocal, she loves going out to play in the field (with her muzzle on ), she still thinks about her belly constantly (she has one handful of Happy Hoof, 1 scoop of Lamintech and 2 soaked hay nets a day), she loves her baths, fusses and days out to shows and the beach etc and is, in general, a very contented (and spoilt) horse.

Wine and choccies for whoever made it through!!

btw, I love her to pieces and if it means we can only lightly hack her and no more schooling or jumping, so be it!
(Also posted in Vet) :)
 
My pony Lucy had rotation in all four feet. I'm not entirely shore how much though as the whole thing is abit of a blur. I know the first thing the vet asked was "do you have the number for the kennels" :(
I got her through it and we went on for years doing showing, dressage, jumping, hunting atleast once a week and doing endurance rides of upto and inclu 80km. She was doing all this uptill Nov last year (about 8 years after the lami) when she was diagnosed with her current illness and has had to retire :(
My pony is one tough cokkie though :p but don't give up hope it is still poss you could do more with your mare. :)
 
Not quite sure what to suggest really. Seems a bit odd to me. I wonder if it was lammi in the begining and not arthritis. I have one going thro recovery from lammi at the moment, at one time he did appear to have a siesure it was the day after being given a sedative so put it down to that. He was fine one day and the next stiff and unwilling to walk, farrier was out at the time and trimmed his feet. Vet was called straight away and lammi was diagnosed. What is your horses weight like? we are getting ours down slowly but he will not be going out on grass for a while. he is getting good barley straw mixed in with well soaked old hay which bulks him up and keeps his gut going. Like yours he has got heart bar shoes fitted with a mesh and a gel to support the frog. Hope all goes well with your horse and that it gets better soon. I know they can have set backs so don't give up.
 
Cant help with the lami but my girl had a fit 2 months ago, never had one since and no reason for it vet said he thinks it was stress realated as she had been sedated and moved to a new field, was borderline lami but was lucky as caught it early. Hope you get things sorted and try to stay positive.
 
From what you have described above the most appropriate course of action I could describe would be to find another vet. A vet that is unconcerned about fits and has advised you to start riding again without determining a cause is being VERY negligent of YOUR safety. Also a vet recommending riding that soon after any attack of laminits, let alone with any degree of rotation is incompetant. And if he suggests turning her out whilst there is rotation you might as well just shoot her now. Phone the laminitis clinic. They at least know what they are talking about.
 
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