Sub acute laminitus

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Piedpiper

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What is this?
Before I get shot down, I'm not the horsey person in the family (in case you can't tell!!), that would be my OH. But my daughters pony has just been diagnosed with this and I'm not sure how to help my OH deal with it. I was wondering if some of you kind HHo'ers would help me, please.

Pony was fine this morning and was due to have her yearly check over by the vet at 1pm. I went to get her in and she wouldn't walk. I finally got her to the stable and could see that she wasn't her normal self. Vet turns up 10 minutes later and confirms that she has sub-acute laminitus on both front feet, but that it is very early on-set.

The vet has padded her front feet, given her ATP and I've got a supply of bute. We're to ring again in 10 days, providing all goes well, when he'll come out an x-ray etc. He's told me to feed her happy hoof as normal and to give her hay, but not soak it.

I've bedded her down really well and given her some hay for now. Does this sound right to you guys and do you have any tips for what we can do to get her over this?
Am I right in thinking that sub-acute means that it's early onset and that she stands a greater chance of being able to get over this?

I can't believe that this has happened as we are so careful in the amount of grass she has.

Thanks, Louise
 
It sounds just as the vet has described, acute Laminitis.

You are doing all the right things, continue to follow your Vets advise.

Aswell as a deep shavings bed you could give a multivitamin or something like farriers formula.

The pony has had an acute onset laminitis probably from the spring grass.

You need to google laminitis and research it.

Some people make the mistake of starving their pony so don't do that - it causes more problems. A lot of these ponies are insulin resistant.

In future you will always have to manage the pony well ie grazing muzzle, reduced access to grass, avoid hard ground etc. because it will be prone to further attacks. Don't feed cereals, sugar and starch.

Hope things soon pick up
 
Laminitus can be a tricky thing to understand, sometimes there just seems like no good reason for it occuring!
In your ponies case however it does really sound like she has had a tad too much spring grass.
As already mentioned, deep deep bed all the way to the door. Dont leave a single bare patch of floor, it really must be a good deep bed.
Double net the hay to make it last longer, and although its a divided camp on whether to soak or not, I would be soaking the hay. The longer the better.
Well done for wanting to learn about this, so you can support your partner. The laminitus trust has some excellent info and advice to follow

http://www.laminitis.org/
 
Thanks for your replies, it is appreciated.

I think the problem is the spring grass, but she is in a paddock with next to nothing in it. This she shares with sheep, who I would think would be getting the best of everything before she gets a look in. She was very over weight when we got her 18 mths ago and we have tried very hard to get her weight down. We have been very careful with what we allow her to have and we thought we were finally winning as she looks so much better. I think this is what has made it such a shock.
Speaking to our local feed merchant today I was told that there's a spate of lami atm. We had rain at the weekend and it seems to have triggered it.
Thanks again.
 
Piedpiper said:
This she shares with sheep, who I would think would be getting the best of everything before she gets a look in.
Click to expand...

Did you tell the vet this? You learn a new thing everyday, and thanks to Nailed (a regular HHO'er) toxin induced lami is something I have just recently learnt about.
Land that has been grazed by livestock (sheep in particular) can cause a build up of nitrates in the soil, which in turn can lower the PH level of the hind gut. This has now been seen to be a possible cause for lami. If you vet is unaware of the grazing companions of your pony, it would be worth letting him/her know.
 
Also sheep take the grass down very short and this dry weather will cause it to be more stressed as it grows,producing more sugars.
I have a pony who gets lami at the drop of a hat. A soaked hay net before she goes out, so her tummy is full, and long old grass (hard to find at the moment) seem to do her best.
 
Keep asking your vet if in any doubt...they are there to help. You sound like you are doing the right thing by keeping your pony in on a deep bed on bute...do not be tempted to let her out of the stable...even to muck out...movement is never good for laminitis, hence the box rest.
I have just started riding my boy out again following laminitis in Aug last year...unfortunately the vet and farrier thought it was an abscess as it was only showing in one front foot, so on vets instructions he was allowed a small penned area outside his stable to wander about in whilst he had a poultice on...sadly it was laminitis in the end and the movement had caused rotation of his pedal bone...so it was a long journey back to recovery. But he has made it though and like I say, we have been out for a short hack today...so do not worry as these things can be fixed and the best owner in the world cannot avoid it at times.
When my lad got laminitis he was being ridden 6 days a week, fit, slimish and on permanently restricted grazing and hay...he still got it though, although the vets still think it was a mechanical problem with what the farrier was doing as apposed to diet related.
It is a difficult thing to control and get right, but it is possible if you do not rush things.
If you do not know already, get your vet or farrier to show you how to check for digital pulses in the front legs, as this will help you to assess how your pony is doing...the stronger the pulse and easier it is to feel...the more pain there is in the feet...as a general rule of thumb.
Feel free to message me if I can help with anything.
 
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