Severe laminitis in pony

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husmus

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Hello,

I wonder if anyone could advise. We have a wee Shetland pony that has come down with a really bad case of laminitis. We've had the vet visit and he has given us some pain killing powders and offered the advice of keep him off grass and restricted and feed him hay. We got him into a barn and he deteriorated. But he did find the energy to escape from it, walk down a hill and over a bit of bog. But now he won't move. Occasionally he takes a few steps and is now standing in a pool of muddy water. He also stopped eating, although he drinks plenty. The vet advised to leave him as he wants to stand on soft ground and the water is soothing.

But we're worried. The weather is warm and sunny (circa 20 degrees) and will be for a few days. Plus, my wife and I need to go out tomorrow for the whole day. But trying to move him is very difficult. He is in pain and could only be moved by force, and even then I am worried that he'll collapse. He is just so unsteady and walking seems impossible.

Any advice at all? Should we leave him or force him to the barn (500 yards, uphill)?
 
Personally I would get him confined in the barn for whilst you are out tomorrow. Bearing in mind he's only a little shetland, have you not got a few strong friends you can rope in to help you carry him up to the barn?
 
PennyJ said:
Personally I would get him confined in the barn for whilst you are out tomorrow. Bearing in mind he's only a little shetland, have you not got a few strong friends you can rope in to help you carry him up to the barn?
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We haven't got any strong friends, I'm afraid.

He would have to walk, which would involve pushing, pulling and tormenting him. I'm worried that would cause more harm than good.
 
Laminitis is an emergency as I'm sure you know. If he is too sore to walk then can you tape off an area with electric fencing around where he is? He should be fed only soaked hay soaked for a minimum of one hour but preferably up to 12 hours and rinsed. He will need easily accessable water to drink as well. I personally wouldn't leave him unsupervised tomorrow he is ill and the heat will stress him even more.

Getting him to walk to the barn will take a lot of time and patience... a couple of steps at a time. In the barn he needs to be on a deep bed of shavings given soaked hay and water.

Where are you? Have you a good barefoot trimmer near you that can advise on foot support for pain relief?
 
If you really can't move him then I would section off a small area for him where he is using electric fencing or whatever you can.
Personally I would want him back in the barn on a thick bed of shavings. Can you bute him up and either box him to the barn (best option) or walk him very carefully (depending on how far it is).
He should be stabled ideally on a deep bed with bute and should not be moved until he is pain free with no painkillers for approx a month afterwards.
Depending on the goodness of your hay I would also soak it for a least a few hours to rid some of the goodness from it.
Fast Fibre by Allen and Page is an excellent feed for good doer's if you need something to put the bute in.
 
Hi i have managed my horse for 3 years since almost losing him with this horrible disease and he had rotation in both fronts, firstly i would keep him confined in the barn i thats poss, he needs deep bedding , any hay given while in i would soak as long as poss to remove all sugars then rinse if you can before giving, my 15-1 was given 2 small slices over 24 hrs he had a ball with fibre cubes in and hi fi lite topspec bal which you prob dont need at moment , he also had about athird of a t spoon of pure magnesium, but thats calculated on bodyweight, the most important thing if he is struggling to walk at present is not to move him unless being assesed by vet or farrier and is he on any painreleif, i woulnt move untill painfree and sound for a month, when mine was put out in sand school before this sound period it caused more probs and his pedal bone nearly dropped , after reading on forums of many experiences it is still a grey area and what works for one horse when it comes to faqrrier work dont always work for another, also has he had x rays yet. good luck keep us posted
 
If he is not eating then it is an emergency situation. Whether you get him back to the barn or he stays where he is (if it's safe/secure and he has a drier area to move onto) he needs to have soaked hay within reach at all times. If he refuses to eat soaked hay try him on Fast Fibre. If he refuses to eat everything then you need the vet back out asap. He would also do better with another horse as a companion, they can go very quickly down hill when seperated from others. I think you also need to cancel your day out tomorrow unless you have someone else who can keep an eye on the pony for you.
 
You have an emergency situation which needs to be dealt with promptly.

Pony needs to be stabled, medicated and seen again by the vet.
 
Thanks for all the replies. I've just been down with him and he has moved out of his bog, and has taken small, very nervous steps. He is still not eating, which is a worry. But at least he's not gorging on the lush meadow grass.

With regards to hay, we have an issue actually getting it. There is plenty of thick straw about, but not hay. Through the winter most people where I live (north Jutland in Denmark) give their ponies grass wraps (small sileage sacks - basically freshly cut grass wrapped in plastic). We might be able to get hold of one of them. Do people think these are a good alternative to dried hay or would they worsen the condition? But then if he's not eating ...

We also tried him on soaked beet pulp which I was told is good for horses prone to laminitis. No luck in making him eat that.

I'd just like to get him into the barn but I'm worried about causing permanent damage. Like I said, the vet said to leave him but I have a feeling he would be better and less stressed in a cool, slightly dark barn. Then he can begin his rehabilitation.
 
By the sounds of it those grass wraps would be a very bad idea to feed if they are as you say basically fresh grass wrapped in plastic... what we'd call silage in the UK. Haylage is fed to laminitics in the UK by some people but this is very high fibre, low energy haylage, basically hay but wrapped in plastic. Sugar beet pulp is safe to feed but only if it is the unmolassed variety. Straw can also be fed but is not that palatable and if he is off eating anyway he probably won't touch it. Can you buy chopped straw (chop/chaff) in Denmark? You could try him on that but again make sure it hasn't been coated in molasses. Whatever you feed him needs to be extremely low in sugar and starch.

To make it easier for him to move to the barn you could make him some pads for his feet, stick them on with duck tape. You can buy specialised frog supports or just DIY some... get some foam or even just some baby nappies and wrap round the bottom of each of his feet. This should make him more comfortable in order to walk him very slowly back to the barn.
 
mrdarcy said:
By the sounds of it those grass wraps would be a very bad idea to feed if they are as you say basically fresh grass wrapped in plastic... what we'd call silage in the UK. Haylage is fed to laminitics in the UK by some people but this is very high fibre, low energy haylage, basically hay but wrapped in plastic. Sugar beet pulp is safe to feed but only if it is the unmolassed variety. Straw can also be fed but is not that palatable and if he is off eating anyway he probably won't touch it. Can you buy chopped straw (chop/chaff) in Denmark? You could try him on that but again make sure it hasn't been coated in molasses. Whatever you feed him needs to be extremely low in sugar and starch.

To make it easier for him to move to the barn you could make him some pads for his feet, stick them on with duck tape. You can buy specialised frog supports or just DIY some... get some foam or even just some baby nappies and wrap round the bottom of each of his feet. This should make him more comfortable in order to walk him very slowly back to the barn.
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Yes, we can buy dried chopped hay, and also a feed which claims to be good for laminitics. I was thinking of attaching foam to his feet in order to get him back to the barn

He's having a little walk now, albeit a very slow walk.

For the person that mentioned having company, he's got a companion. One reason the vet suggested leaving him on the pasture (although fenced in) was because of this.
 
If you can get him back to the barn this would be the best option for him long term.
However I appreciate that he doesnt want to move (who would blame him) so until you can reduce his pain levels can you erect fencing and a temporary shelter over him where he is? Im thinking garden gazebo/ temporary canvas stable something like that? Ive seen this done over here in the UK for horses with broken legs and it works well to keep the worst of the weather off them.

As to feeding him, any type of chopped hay or straw that you can get him to eat is better than starving. Make sure you take advice from your VET about how much and how often he is fed.
 
Unless you have time to manage it put him to sleep this is a very painful condition and sometimes not fair to keep them going as it is a HUGE commitment to every day make sure he is stable.
 
Regarding the pads....he needs some frog supports not just padding the whole hoof. You can use rolled up gauze or buy proper frog supports. They need to go on the frogs only and bandaged on...this will help alleviate the pain he is feeling on the soles of his feet but I do think the best thing for this pony is to stay where he is until he is more stable.
He is probably not eating due to the pain but it is important you get something in him as hyperlipidemia is a very real problem in ponies that won't eat for any length of time and will finish him off before the lami does.
Can you get his meds down him...syringe them if necessary. If he won't eat the sugarbeet then try syringing that too a little at a time.

This site is very helpful
http://www.laminitisclinic.org/Explaining Laminitis and its Prevention/Chapter 3.pdf
 
Can you not get a trailer down to him? I'd be inclined to find a few hefty blokes to lift him into a trailer and get him back inside.
Do you have any nettles? If you can find them, chop them down, let them wilt for a couple of hours to kill off the sting, and let him eat them, but obviously you need to address his pain levels before he might be inclined to eat.
 
i dont know exactly your set up but you cant leave him standing in a bog, even if he does feel more comfortable. This wont do the feet and skin much good and it is unsafe for him to lie down. He also needs shelter from the sun.

My advice would be to provide frog support- garden kneeling pads cut to the size of the foot and taped on are great because they compress slightly. Then find a way to get him to the barn slowly- can you transport him? Put a row of rubber mats down? Wood chips?

As for feeding, try and get hold of any fibre based feed with minimal sugar/starch. Make sure your beet pulp is unmollassed too. if the pony stops eating he can get serious complications, which may be fatal.

Is your vet a specialist equine vet? if not then you need to get a specialist. It seems you really need more help and advice than you have been given.

As has been said, laminitis is an emergency. It is a serious illness and needs alot of care and treatment if the pony is going to recover.

Good luck
 
Good news. He perked up just a bit and went on patrol around the pasture. He was very slow and his steps very deliberate. But I took the chance and hooked a rope to his harness and led him to the barn. He's in there now.

To the person asking about the vet. Yes, he only works with horses.
 
joeanne said:
Can you not get a trailer down to him? I'd be inclined to find a few hefty blokes to lift him into a trailer and get him back inside.
Do you have any nettles? If you can find them, chop them down, let them wilt for a couple of hours to kill off the sting, and let him eat them, but obviously you need to address his pain levels before he might be inclined to eat.
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Nettles? Thank you for that advice. We have an abundance of them. I will try that.
 
husmus said:
Good news. He perked up just a bit and went on patrol around the pasture.
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No no no thats not good at all.
The whole point of tryng to get him in and onto a super soft, deep bed is to protect his feet. You do not want him walking about, especially on firm ground!
 
mrdarcy said:
That is good news.

I really recommend getting in touch with this person:

http://www.hesteforstaaelse.dk/English/hesteforstaaelse.dk/index.html

She will be able to advise you best on dealing with laminitics in Denmark.
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I'll check that out, Mr Darcy.

And thanks for the concern.

I'm pretty confident that the problem was brought on by overgrazing now and too much in the way of sugars in his feed during the winter period. We had snow on the ground from December until April. He couldn't forage (snowiest winter in living memory and temperatures under freezing for months) and he probably was given more molasses in his feed than is sensible.
 
joeanne said:
No no no thats not good at all.
The whole point of tryng to get him in and onto a super soft, deep bed is to protect his feet. You do not want him walking about, especially on firm ground!
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I just wrote that I put him in a barn after he perked up. So he's not walking around on firm ground!
 
Oh I'm so glad he perked up enough to walk to the barn at his own pace.
Do contact that person on the link Mr Darcy put up, the little fella will need specialist trimming as part of his recovery. Also, someone over there in Denmark will be in a good position to advise on diet with what's available locally.

Best of luck for the little fella.
 
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