Taking on a laminitic?

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happyhacking:)

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Been offered two horses on loan but have just discovered that one of them has had laminitis badly already this year. They are both very overweight. One has been backed but the laminitic has not been and my plan was to back her next spring. I already have a mare with a serious condition and am not sure I want to risk having another poorly horse. however she could be stunning with work. dont know what to do. Opinions please.
 
Absolutely not - you are asking for a lot of heartache, a lot of hard work, and a lot of expense.

Laminitis is potentially fatal, unless managed to the n'th degree - do you have the time, the facilities and the knowledge to cope ? You won't get insurance, and the horse will need the vet - do you have the money ? And maybe the horse will never come right, and cannot be ridden again.

Sorry to sound so negative, but bargepole springs to mind.
 
I would say, what type of management would you be doing with these horses? As if you will be stabling/limited turnout, the laminitis issue should not appear, they will not get overweight (or you could deal with it over winter so they will be the right size next spring) and you should be fine.

If you intend to keep them out on decent grass, then no.
 
Ask to speak to the vet who treated it. My decision would be based on the degree of irreversable damage done. I've known a few ponies who have had attacks due to awful management, who have later required no special requirements. Just the usual precautions anyone with half a brain takes with a native pony anyway. Eg keeping it a healthy weight & on suitable forage. But I've also known ones where the damage was too permanent to just use standard sensible management to avoid it.
If x rays were done I wouldn't place too much on the results of a single one, I'd want to see if it changed over time. I know one horse who had
 
Stupid phone. He had a seemingly severe attack, however x rays showed very little movement to the pedal bone, continued regular x rays showed it was almost continually worsening, & when he was pts for quality of life reasons, his xrays still weren't too bad. Another I knew had a seemingly mild attack but the xrays weren't hopeful at all. However the pedal bone is stable, & the horse lives a pretty normal life. And yet his initial xrays were worse than the formers when he was pts.
 
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