The Laminitis Thread

[Tia]

Sorry to read of all the posts lately where peoples horses have been struck down by this awful condition

. I know just how life-sucking it is when you are living the nightmare of laminitis.

I just wondered though; there appears to be so many people on here who have advice for laminitis owners, so how much of this information is based on actual positive results with dealing with this condition?

So, a couple of questions which may help those going through this ordeal with their beloved friends.

Who on here has actually dealt first hand with laminitis?

What was the trigger for it?

How did you deal with it?

How long were the symptoms evident?

Did the horse/pony recover fully from laminitis? If so, why: what do you feel made a massive impact on the recovery procedure?

Did the horse die from it? If so, how long after a diagnosis was made? And what lengths had you gone to prior to making your decision to end it all?

 

[angiebaby]

My pony got laminitis four years ago; I rescued him from a field of 16 acres, with just one other pony in it.
He is a 14.1h Sec D and he was 630 kilos, so grass induced laminitis!!
He was pottery, but no heat or raised pulse. Box rested on very deep shavings, no movement at all, not even to muck out. Bute once a day, 1.5% of body weight in hay, and a small feed of hi-fi lite and a handfull of high fibbre cubes, plus some speedi-beet, twice a day.

He was on bute for two weeks, kept stabled for a futher 30-35 days, still no movement. Turned out for 10 mins a day as soon as he was sound on the hard ground, gradually building it up to all day.

He fully recovered, and I started to ride him after 8 weeks, gradually building up his fitness to riding 2-3 hours a day.

I was very very lucky, he has superb feet, I have an excellent farrier, and a very good vet.

He is now 430 kilos

and is kept on a small paddock ( menage size) with his shetland friend from April to October, strip grazed by a couple of feet a day, ONLY when the weather is dry! From October he is let loose on 2 acres of long grass BUT with a muzzle on during the day and in at night with ad-lib hay. Still ridden 2 hours a day unless it is snowing

 

[flyingfeet]

16hh fit SJ got it triggered by a steroid injection for sweet itch

Dealt with by box rest for 8 weeks, traditional starvation (1 slice of small bale hay morning and night, 3 slices of straw)

Progessed to feeding D&H safe and sound to get brewers yeast supplement into him.

Sound after 2 weeks, out after 8 weeks at night in a tiny paddock. Currently still on that routine, in during day to avoid midges and out at night.

Been given clean bill of health, now being brought back into work 3 months later, won't be jumped on grass this year or pounded on the roads.

 

[Flame_]

I've dealt with 4 cases.

1. 13.2 grey welsh B x arab, eleven year old mare. Developed lami when already on box rest and bute recovering from a tendon injury. No response to treatment. Wouldn't improve. Tested positive for cushings but this was during early days for medications and pony was quite poorly. Gave up. PTS.

2. 13.2 bay crossbred show pony type, twelve-ish year old mare. Pony developed lami while living out on good grazing when over-weight. Complacency on my part totally. Straightforward box rest, bute, ACP. Then controlled exercise. Full recovery and has lived out for years with only two tiny bouts since (she's now twenty-seven). She just needs her weight managing and grazing restricting.

3. 13.1 grey welsh B, thirteen year old gelding. Developed mildish lami during carriage driving season when fully fit and lean. Attributed to stress. Same treatment as above. Full recovery. He had another serious attack while on his holiday later that year. Against my better judgement I did what is standard practice of turning ponies away at the end of the season. Found this pony unable to stand at seven am one morning and thought he might be a gonner. I think this attack was triggered by a sudden drop in temperature and a slight frost. It was November. He had the above treatment and responded slowly, but he did recover. I had his bloods taken while he was undergoing treatment and he does have cushings and has since been maintained on pergolide. He only did light driving for twelve months afterwards and we bought his half brother (case 4!) so he could become the spare. This pony has driven in the pair with no spare all this season (three years since bad attack of lami) and has taken all the work, although my boss hasn't done the national shows because we just thought that would be pushing him too far. The vets, the farrier and I all thought it was very unlikely this pony would recover at all. He does occasionally have very mild signs of lami coming on and he immediately get two weeks box rest, bute and asprin, then a week's controlled exercise. He's then come straight back to full work.

4. 13.1 welsh B grey, fourteen year old gelding. Half brother to pony 3. The one whose case I've described in posts on this forum since he had lami at Christmas last year so I won't recount it all again. He's the most puzzling and frustrating. Diagnosed with metabolic syndrome, on long term pergolide and modrenal. Now off bute and walking out and running around paddock looking level but intermittantly not right. He had heartbars but now doesn't and the same treatment as the other three just on a much longer time frame. Still hoping he'll come sound for next year. His x-rays have been good all along.

Hate laminitis.

 

[tabithakat64]

My small slightly overweight 19 year old Welsh cross Arab, had laminitis for the first time since I've had her (10 years) despite being muzzled and only turned out over night.
She was pottery and clearly in pain, put on 4 acp and two bute a day and on a deep shavings bed. X-rays were taken after a month. These show slight pedal bone rotation in both front feet from a previous boat of laminitis (vet and farrier have assured me it must have been before I had her), she was then taken weaned off the medication and was still sound so had a remedial trim.
After about six weeks she was allowed ten minutes walking in-hand twice a day and half an hours turnout, this has increased slowly every few days and she is currently on 4 hours turnout (muzzled) and up to an hours ridden work a day.
She has been allowed a vitamin and mineral lick and a handful of Happy Hoof throughout (this was what she was fed before she got laminitis) and is on adlib hay soaked for 24 hours then rinsed off and fed in a small holed haynet.
She weighed 350kg when she went down with laminitis and is currently a little lean at 318kg.

 

[LankyDoodle]

Who on here has actually dealt first hand with laminitis?
I have - 14.3hh welsh section d mare.

What was the trigger for it?
Off fore leg infection, stress from being boxed and away from friends so much, medication: it was stress-induced.

How did you deal with it?
She was already on box rest, bute and ACP for the leg infection. We called the vet immediately, who injected a sedative, gave more ACP, upped the bute, recommended shoes off and did xrays a few days later. She was only mildly laminitic at this point and had no rotation.
The vet visited three times in that first week and the farrier also came weekly. Our normal vet came back and did more xrays after the next attack. Told us to have heart bars fitted to stabilise pedal bone. Heart bars fitted, excellent improvement, sound in box. Then she had another attack and within days was a sinker. Vet out several times that week, phoned lami place in Bristol who said rubber tubing was an option (he phoned them cos lami clinic was closed at that time of night). He phoned the laminitis clinic and spoke directly to Robert Eustace, first thing in the morning on Friday 11th July (when her hoof had cracked even more and the pedal bone was ready to come through very soon). Robert Eustace said that with her founder and the sole in the state it was, she had a 10-20% chance of surviving the operation and have any level of soundness, and she would probably only ever be grass sound. She's be there 3-6 months away from us and her friends, and the 2 hour journey could have been enough trauma to have meant she wouldn't have made it up there. After the op she could have got lami again as she just kept getting more attacks. She had blood tests which were clear, but there was something underlying there as she shouldn't have kept getting ill.
I am satisfied that we went right to the top, spoke to THE guru on this and he said that we'd done everything right but despite everyone's best efforts, some horses just do not respond to treatment.

How long were the symptoms evident?
Nearly 7 weeks - from onset to death. She got better, then she got another attack which caused rotation, then she got better again and had heart bars fitted, then got even better and then had a third attack which made her a sinker.

Did the horse/pony recover fully from laminitis? If so, why: what do you feel made a massive impact on the recovery procedure?
No, she died nearly 7 weeks after onset, after weeks of us believing she would get better

She was 15 and under no circumstances was I going to allow her pain to be prolonged for some experimental procedure that even the expert didn't have confidence in.

Did the horse die from it? If so, how long after a diagnosis was made? And what lengths had you gone to prior to making your decision to end it all?
She did die, 6 weeks and 5 days after diagnosis of lami and 8 weeks after the infection. We went to EVERY possible length to save her and decided to end her pain at 650pm on 11th July 2008 because she really didn't want to be in pain anymore and we could not watch her rolling around (on ouble recommended bute and strong sedative), groaning etc. We spoke to THE expert, like we said, we had vet and farrier visitis at least once a week all through the illness. She had bioflow boots, epsom salts, soaked to death hay, bute, very deep shavings bed on rubber, and was moved around the minimum amount possible (she had to be moved a couple of times for xrays and also the week she had the heart bars on she had 5 minutes walking in a soft sand school on 2 days, but she was much much better at this point, which is why her death was such a shock). We willed her to get better and did everything we could, but she didn't respond to it and just kept getting worse attacks.
We did not end it all until she told us she'd had enough and until even the expert at the top told us there was little chance and no quality of life afterwards. If we'd waited another day the pedal bone would have come through on at least one side and we wouldn't have got her out of the stable.
We did the right things every step of the way.

 

[LankyDoodle]

Oh, and at 15 she'd never had laminitis before. We'd had her nearly 12 years.

 

[Rana]

Who on here has actually dealt first hand with laminitis? Have had 2 cases

What was the trigger for it? Elderly pony with Cushings, and overweight TB who caught me by surprise (welfare case in Jan, developed lami in May)

How did you deal with it? Restricting grazing and concentrate feed, feeding mostly fibre (some concentrate over the winter), bute and sedalin during the acute phase.

How long were the symptoms evident? Cushings pony had recurrent cases, so anything from a couple of days (caught at early stages) to a week (in the acute phase). Long term, she was pottery most of the time. TB - caught very early, so only a couple of days.

Did the horse/pony recover fully from laminitis? If so, why: what do you feel made a massive impact on the recovery procedure? Yes, both recovered fully (cushings pony was retired afterwards though). Restricting grazing probably made the most difference. Doing this in the early stages of lami can stop a full blown attack.

 

[wormhugs]

Who on here has actually dealt first hand with laminitis?
Me unfortunately- 15.1 Welsh cob 18 years old at the time.

What was the trigger for it?
He bruised a back foot and took all his weight on the other, so weight bearing laminitis, not related to body weight i.e. he wasnt overweight. He ended up with laminitis in all 4 feet and rotated pedal bones behind. For the last 2 years spring grass has triggered it even though a) the vet said it wouldn't- obviously damaged, sensitive laminae are just damaged no matter what the initial cause and b) he wasnt overweight.

How did you deal with it?
Shoes taken off and styrofoam pads duct-taped to feet, sedalin gel to keep him calm and Danilon. Deep bed right to the stable door, very small quantities of soaked hay and box rest for about 4-5 weeks I think. Subsequent attacks were not as severe, so less than 2 weeks box rest for each of those cases.
He is now muzzled in spring (was from about March this year, was super paranoid, didnt stop him going down with another bout

)

How long were the symptoms evident?
Eek, cant remember, but I do remember feeling horrifically guilty keeping him in after he was apparently 'better'

Did the horse/pony recover fully from laminitis? If so, why: what do you feel made a massive impact on the recovery procedure?
Yes, thank god. Recovery wise, even though it makes me feel SO evil, box rest with foot supports on, with a nice deep bed. And sedatives that not only help with blood flow, but also stop him box walking and help him cope with his enforced confinement.

Laminitis is absolutely horrible, its only the last month that my boy has gone out without his muzzle on, in a field with other 'delicate' boys.
Edited to add: I forgot to mention, but we are back doing all our riding activities that we were before

 

[Nailed]

Who on here has actually dealt first hand with laminitis? I have trimmed, shod many cases of laminitis varying from very mild cases with little bruising right through to horses whose pedal bones have dropped through there soles.

What was the trigger for it? Triggers I have seen vary from concussion in a young flat racer. Obesity in most cases, Cushings in certain cases and also toxins have been a trigger. I also know of three cases which were triggered by stressful situations and one case very close to my heart of a horse who had pertitonitis and this triggered a severe bout of laminitis and the horse was PTS

How did you deal with it? Heart bar shoes, bar shoes, Glue on (including the imprint method) 'dobbing' the toe of the foot off to return the pedal bone to the correct placement. Restricted grazing, Box rest and muzzling. Vuttign out all concerntrate and giving the horse N-SAIDs

How long were the symptoms evident? Cases have been both chronic and acute, the most acute being the horse with pertitonitis who was discovered to have it on the monday and PTS on the thursday as the pain was horrific!

Did the horse/pony recover fully from laminitis?
Again, most horses have made a recovery of some sort, some have had to be PTS and a couple have been perminantly on NSAIDs. Alot of the cases have also suffered reoccurrent laminitis.

Lou x

 

[Donkeymad]

Who on here has actually dealt first hand with laminitis?

<font color="blue"> I had a Welsh Section A who developed aged 9 years. She developed it in December and was at the time extremely trim (some said underweight) </font>

What was the trigger for it?
<font color="blue"> The cause was thought to be stress from a night time prowler somehow injuring her back. She was unable to walk properly for about three months. </font>

How did you deal with it?
<font color="blue">She was kept on very sparse grazing, supplemented with old hay. She was also given Aloe Vera Juice </font>

How long were the symptoms evident?
<font color="blue">Once started on the Aloe Vera her symptoms started easing within three days. I believe she was sound a month later </font>

Did the horse/pony recover fully from laminitis? If so, why: what do you feel made a massive impact on the recovery procedure?
<font color="blue"> Yes, she fully recovered, despite the pedal bone sinking to the sole. She was not boxed but was allowed to walk how/when she wanted. </font>

Did the horse die from it? If so, how long after a diagnosis was made? And what lengths had you gone to prior to making your decision to end it all?

<font color="blue">Died a few years later from GS (no further laminitis) </font>

 

[brighteyes]

<font color="blue">Who on here has actually dealt first hand with laminitis? </font> Me - twice

<font color="blue">What was the trigger for it? </font> Case 1 16 yo 13.2 native type. I thought I'd inadvertently overfed but hindsight (wonderful thing) and second case , 12 hands 20yo (now 28) leads me to think Cushing's. Both were late autumn onset in a not overweight pony on regular exercise and careful dietary management.

Second case also following a severe infection and treatment with AB's I think caused an attack.

<font color="blue"> How did you deal with it? </font> Vet and farrier for immediate anti inflammatory jab/ supply and shoe removal/hoof trim. Deep bed and box rest with swap to soaked forage and no grazing. Pony No.2, with the benefit of a Cushing's diagnosis also got Pergolide after 6 years being undiagnosed on above management and a stack of other supplements as recommended by Jackie JA Taylor of Yahoo Groups Metabolic Horse (top lady). Have also twice used ACP in the early stages.


<font color="blue"> How long were the symptoms evident? </font>

The attacks have varied in length and severity. No X-rays ever done but evidence from foot trims suggest a similar degree of separation in each attack. Surprisingly a lesser degree in a more acute attack was noticed on one occasion. Pony noticeably sore, slight shifting and stiff gait on deep bed of shavings, max dose bute and still very deliberate on corners out of box after three weeks. Only allowed out for 'testing' once shifting stops. Only one episode of lying down in case two, which lasted 24 hours and led me to think it was 'time'.

<font color="blue">Did the horse/pony recover fully from laminitis? If so, why: what do you feel made a massive impact on the recovery procedure? </font> Case 1 was PTS after a long retirement and the Cushing's symptoms (in retrospect) worsening. He was 26 and very stiff, tired and ready to go

Case two is still going, active, bright and coping well with a bit of riding (tiny, tiny jockey) She is on very careful management but goes out every day on unfertilized grazing, has lots of attention to coat, feet (now unshod due to nailing on trauma and no need for shoes) worming and teeth which I think, combined with Pergolide and my knowledge of the 'demon within her head' has at least armed me with some weapons.

It is a daily battle of watchfulness and diligence which so far has been rewarded. I am by no means fooled into thinking the above strategies will continue to work and that at some point soon no matter what I do, the laminitis will get her - if nothing else does

The biggest impact for me - allowing time, time and more time. Taking it one day at a time whilst building 'the bigger picture' as I go.

 

[Foxford]

Who on here has actually dealt first hand with laminitis?
I looked after an overweight TBx who was 16hh, he had an attack aged 6.

What was the trigger for it?
Overweight and underworked.

How did you deal with it?
It presented very acutely, stumbling and resistance to go forwards under saddle were put down to his lazyness. One morning he was hoping lame and could barely walk out of his stable. Vet was called, bute and box rest on a thick bed were prescribed. He was fed small amounts of soaked hay twice a day. A handful of hifi lite to have his bute with and that was it.

How long were the symptoms evident?
This lasted about 3 weeks by which stage he was able to go out for short periods on grass and be able to be ridden gently 5 weeks after the attack.

Did the horse/pony recover fully from laminitis? If so, why: what do you feel made a massive impact on the recovery procedure?
Yes, the horse hasn't suffered since. Simply losing the weight cured him in this case.

 

[maddielove]

[ QUOTE ]
Who on here has actually dealt first hand with laminitis?

[/ QUOTE ]
Me - my old Share pony, I didn't think he'd make it because he was in his 20's

[ QUOTE ]
What was the trigger for it?

[/ QUOTE ]
Grass, he escaped into long grass every night, yard decided not to tell us.

[ QUOTE ]
How did you deal with it?

[/ QUOTE ]
Box rest, bute, acp (possibly something else too)
He stayed in for 8 - 10 weeks vet said he was fine to go out for a little at a time but he came down again (following instrutions rigidly) and was box rested for another 3 - 4 weeks

He was stabled on Shavings with small hay rations (not soaked) and frog supports.

[ QUOTE ]
Did the horse/pony recover fully from laminitis? If so, why: what do you feel made a massive impact on the recovery procedure?

[/ QUOTE ]
Yes he did and was absolutely nuts after it.

I think following a strict regieme of meds and strict turnout afterwards help.
I truely believe he wouldn't have got through it without the loving we gave him though.
I had to hand feed him a lot because he was so depresed he wouldn't eat I spent hours and hours with him in his stable making him happy.

[/ QUOTE ]

 

[Shilasdair]

Who on here has actually dealt first hand with laminitis?
<font color="purple">Me! 13.2hh pony (Welsh A type), 15yrs old approx., belonged to the yard I managed. </font>
What was the trigger for it?
<font color="purple"> No apparent trigger at the time - contracted laminitis suddenly, mildly, in February in Scotland on a hay diet and starvation paddock turnout, working 1hr a day, but nothing extreme - and usually on soft tracks. In retrospect was tested for Cushings and did show tumour on pituitary gland.</font>

How did you deal with it?
<font color="purple"> As per vet's advice - box rested, fed hay, brought back into walking work as soon as sound. No dieting as was not overweight.</font>

How long were the symptoms evident?
<font color="purple"> Unlevel on all four feet, slight heat, shortened stride. Nothing very dramatic. </font>
Did the horse/pony recover fully from laminitis? If so, why: what do you feel made a massive impact on the recovery procedure?
<font color="purple">He recovered from that bout, but continued to have mysterious relapses completely unrelated to management. He lasted for another couple of years quite happily...after I had made efforts to rehome him when I left the yard (they were going to turn him out onto lush cattle pasture). </font>

Did the horse die from it? If so, how long after a diagnosis was made? And what lengths had you gone to prior to making your decision to end it all?

[/ QUOTE ]
<font color="purple">He did eventually get PTS as he had increasingly frequent bouts. It was in the early days of Cushings recognition in horses, and I remember having him tested was a complicated and lengthy procedure, and no drugs were available to control it at the time.

I don't regret what I did to rehabilitate him, even though, in retrospect it was all Cushings driven, as he had a couple of happy years before the end. Lot of work though.
S

</font>

 

[LeneHorse]

Who on here has actually dealt first hand with laminitis?
<font color="blue"> </font> Me, 6 years ago.
What was the trigger for it?
<font color="blue"> </font> I suspected my 13 year old arab x had cushings but the vets were reluctant to accept this saying she was too young. They eventually agreed to test her and it came back positive but before she could start on medication she took acute laminitis in all 4 feet.
How did you deal with it?
<font color="blue"> </font> She was X rayed and the results showed rotation and sinking, fronts worse than backs. I think my farrier wanted to call it there &amp; then but the vet wanted to try her in heart bar shoes and give the Cushings medication a chance to work. She was also on 2 bute a day.
How long were the symptoms evident?
<font color="blue"> </font> She had never had laminitis before and my farrier never mentioned her having any signs of it. Whe she had her attack I knew straight away what it was and got the vet out immediately.
Did the horse/pony recover fully from laminitis? If so, why: what do you feel made a massive impact on the recovery procedure?
<font color="blue"> </font> sadly no
Did the horse die from it? If so, how long after a diagnosis was made? And what lengths had you gone to prior to making your decision to end it all?
<font color="blue"> </font> I took the decision to have her pts one month after the initial attack. I could not bear to see her in so much pain and deep in my heart I knew my farrier was right and she would not recover. It was when she wouldn't lie down in the stable ( I think she knew she wouldn't be able to get back up) that I knew her time had come

 

[howengold]

Who on here has actually dealt first hand with laminitis?
Me, 8 years ago.

What was the trigger for it?
my daughters 5 year old Show pony escaped on several occassions in to my really lush paddocks, we highered the fencing to 4ft with an extra foot of electric fencing to stop her but she got out once more before the fructins did their worst. When a pony decides it wants the grass its not always so easy to stop them. As she wasn't over weight (I don't believe in 'round' show ponies) I wasn't as worried about her as I was my daughters shettie and Sec A.

How did you deal with it?
She was brought in when she was found on the ground one morning, I took fourty minutes to get her from my lower fields which normally I round the herd up in ten minutes. I filled a stable with a foot deep shavings bed put water and a tiny bit of hay in while we awaited the vet. She was sedated and spent two weeks in the stable before we were allowed to transport her to our local veterinary clinic for x-rays where we found her pedal bone had turned and we then had to take her home. She lived in 24/7 on deep beeding for 8 months, constant bute and sedatives forfour months (she was very agressive towards the vet and farrier for a while). After 8 month.

How long were the symptoms evident?
It happened over three days, she didn't show classic signs but did lie down in the field which was something she rarely did. on the third day I had already booked the vet out before I found her and knew as soon as I got to her what the problem had been. She wasn't a lami prone pony and had never been over weight even during the attack, the vet believes the lush grass was just one of the problems, the other was her jumping out on to very hard ground to get to my lush grass. She wasn't being ridden at the time as the ground was so hard and she didn't have shoes.
Did the horse/pony recover fully from laminitis? If so, why: what do you feel made a massive impact on the recovery procedure?
Star saved her own life. In the August/September my vet was the EGB team vet in the World Equestrian Games and was in Jerez, we had spoke before he left and he had given myself and farrier his mobile number to call him if we had any issues but I had decided that if there was no imporovement while he was away I had booked him to destoy her when he got home. The farrier was booked for Sept 19th she had till then for me to confirm the appointment. I took her off the sedatives and bute so I could see if there was any improvement and the following morning she knocked me flying when I opened her door to muck out! She went metal and was so hyper I got the farrier to double check her feet and although mentally she was a danger(she would rear at the chance of someone touching her fore legs..not even getting down to her feet) her feet were sound. My vet Mat, from 608 veterinary clinic ,was amazing as was my farrier Andy Bagnal. They kept me going when I was prepared to give up on her. I entirely owe Stars recovery and ongoing soundness to them and by the following May she was showing again successfully and I was so pleased to have a judge comment on how refreshing it was to see lean show ponies! We had often been placed down in the past due to the fact that I produce leaner ponies.
Did the horse die from it? If so, how long after a diagnosis was made? And what lengths had you gone to prior to making your decision to end it all?
I decided to have her pts in the august, 7 months after the attack, she had severe pedal bone rotation and really shouldn't be here. The vet asked me to wait a bit longer as he believed she was almost recovered, he saved her and Mat and Andy can take all the credit.

LATEST- STAR IS NOW JUMPING 4' WITH MY STEP-DAUGHTER AND COMPETES REGULARY. WE DECIDED THE JUMPING TALENT WAS ONE TO BE EXPLOITED. SHE TOOK 1 YEAR TO HAVE HER FEET HANDLED WITHOUT SEDATION AND NOW SHE DOESN'T EVEN NOTICE IT! SHE HAS NEVER RELAPSED AND LIVES OUT 24/7 STILL ALL YEAR ROUND. THEY CAN RETURN TO NORMAL HEALTH AND WORK WITH THE RIGHT SUPPORT AND GOOD MANAGEMENT.

GOOD LUCK TO ANYONE WITH THE PROBLEM THIS YEAR...IT CAN BE BEAT!

 

[angiebaby]

Howengold that is a fabulous story

 

[_daisy_]

Who on here has actually dealt first hand with laminitis? ive had 2 laminitics. My first pony only had it the once luckily. My 2nd pony is a chronic lammi sufferer and always has a touch of it every year. we were warned about her being a lammi when we bought her but they didnt tell us to what extent she is. After 1 month of owning her, she came down with it bad. Certainly made me rethink this little girls life and how to make it the best for her.

What was the trigger for it?1)pony was injured so was on box rest, then was allowed turnout but not ridden work. Unfortunately where she was on lively decided it was a cracking idea to turn her out on a field that had been rested. she was greedy, stuffed her face and that was the start of her lammi. 2) grass full stop is her trigger. As soon as April/May appears you can guarantee she will start with the lammi.

How did you deal with it?1)she was put on box rest, heart bar shoes, then turnout on a bare paddock. Subsequent years she was turned out with her muzzle on. This worked for her and every year was the same, she was muzzled for approx 3 months of the summer then she was fine after that. 2) she was put on box rest. The first time she got it she had gel pads in her shoes, then had them removed and had lily pads on. She had sedalin and bute. Then grazed on poor grazing with a muzzle on. Her further subsequent attacks which have all been minor, she has been put on box rest for approx a week, with adlib hay, small amounts of bute, then monitored carefully. She is now barefoot. she doesnt have any treatment along the lines of lily pads etc. My trimmer comes and does the necessary to her feet at the time.

How long were the symptoms evident?1) gradually appeared over about a week. We picked it up and brought it to the attention of the YM but they didnt seem that there was anything wrong. God we wished wed stuck to our gut instincts and called the vet there and then, but we were told we weve novice owners so told to follow YM advice. it then took her approx 4-6 weeks to recover enough to allow turnout of some sort. 2) i can tell the day she starts with lammi, her symptoms vanish over the period of 1 week. i am very lucky that i can spot her symptoms immediately. She is now muzzled 24/7 from April right through the summer. She hates being stabled and gets stressed so for her it is better to muzzle her and her be out in the field with her friend sthan stabled. the down side is I dont have anywhere in the field that has poor grass, hence the muzzling 24/7. She is happy and fit and thats the main point.

Did the horse/pony recover fully from laminitis? If so, why: what do you feel made a massive impact on the recovery procedure? Both ponies recovered very well from the lammi. the first more so as she never got it again. The 2nd pony will get a touch of lammi every year. I muzzle her at the right time but some reason she gets it at the same time. Next year is going to be much easier for me due to the grass i will have so she will be able to be on hard standing with hay and low amounts of grass where i dont have that now.

 

[Persephone]

Who on here has actually dealt first hand with laminitis?

I had a Section A Dales mare who developed laminitis at 6 years old

What was the trigger for it?

Undiagnosed, occult symptoms but she had Cushings Syndrome

How did you deal with it?

Box rest for 3 months on a foot deep shavings bed. After this time she was allowed turnout into the sand school with hay. Her feet were resected and she was treated using Bute, ACP and Pergolide.

My vet decided to try her on Founderguard, we let it get into her system then gradually started turning her out on dead , scrubby grass for 10 minutes and increasing by another 10 minutes every other day. She got up to 3 hours successfully but then with no warning came down with Laminitis catastrophically again.

How long were the symptoms evident?

18 months. It would come and go randomly.


Did the horse die from it? If so, how long after a diagnosis was made? And what lengths had you gone to prior to making your decision to end it all?

I had her PTS two years after the first diagnosis. There was nothing I could do except keep her in a stable for the rest of her life. We had resected her feet to realign the pedal bone, she was shod every 10 days with the vet present. Her x rays showed that she was as good as she was going to get. She was not even field sound and could not deal with grass. I had no choice.

Jo x

 

[jemjem]

My welsh sec d 20 year old mare was suffering with athritis so was given bute by the vet and told to leave her out to avoid stiffness. Up until this point I had been riding her 4 times a week and she was very fit. Once the athritis looked to have calmed down i reduced the bute and gradually took her off the bute. The day or so after i immediatley realised that she wasnt right on her front legs so brought her straight in the stable as I was sure it was laminitis. At this point it was very mild and the vet said to keep her in and restrict her diet. The farrier came ot a couple of wks later to do a trim and advised me also it was very mild case and that she should have her shoes back on. He did warn me that this would set her back a few days. 2 days went past and she was at the point where she could hardly move so i called the vet out immediatly they gave me more bute and said that they would come back in a couple of days to do xrays.

At this point I realised it was very serious and i felt so helpless. I had done everything I was supposed to do and the only thing that had changed was the feet had been trimmed and normal shoes put on as usual. I stressed this to the vet and she decided to take the shoes off, 2 days later she returned and did the x rays and took the shoes off and bandaged lily pad foot supports on and told me she would call with the x ray results.

I was so nervous dreading the phone call of what they would find!!! She called later that afternoon to tell me the x rays had not come out very well and only one was usable which showed severe rotation of the pedal bone. She told me to collect more drugs from the practise and they gave her aspirin powder, acp and bute. They told me to leave the lily pads on for 2 wks and call them to make another appointment in 2 wks.

I felt very much on my own? What had been the point in the x rays if they were no good? The extra drugs that she was on did seem to ease the pain a little but still no massive improvement.

My friends at the yard were great and talking to other people in the area helped as they all assured me it would be a slow process. The lily pads didnt stay put and i called the vets to tell them they had moved they said I could take them off and bandage them back on again. When I took the bandages off I could see that having them on for about a wk constantly had made her feet soft and she had sores. The vets didnt really seem to be too concerned but I was. I didnt want her to have pain from these pads aswell as the lami. Her feet also smelt really bad (very similar to thrush) so I washed them with hibi and put blue anibiotic spray on them which dried up the sores lovely. I then bandaged her feet up again with the lily pads (which is much easier said than done!!!!)

I called the vet after 2 wks and they sent somebody else out. I explained to the new vet of what had happened and told him that she had improved slightly. He told me to take her bandages off and bring her out of the stable and out onto the concrete in front of her stable. He said that with all the drugs she is on she shouldnt be in as much pain as she is and he said he was glad he hadnt seen her in more pain than this. He said I know you are attached to this animal but we cant keep her going like this. I was shaking with what he was saying but kept myself composed. I knew that she wasnt great but I could see slight improvement and of course she looked in pain in the concrete floor with no support on her feet!.

He said he would go back to the surgery and look at her only x ray and be in touch. When he left I was in bits and decided that I couldnt have this vet back to her as he had basically written off my horse when she was showing signs of slightly improving. Later that day I contacted a new vet practise I explained to the new vet what had happened and what the other vet had said.

He came out that afternoon. I was dreading yet another vet coming to look at her. My new vet came he was lovely. He understood how I was feeling and when he saw my mare he said she has pain but he still realised she had quality of life as she calls to people as soon as they walk on the yard she is interested in everything and the way she moves around her stable is quite good (this is very deep litter). He told me that i could give her 2 sachets of bute in a morning and 2 at night on her bad days to keep her more comfortable and he gave me sedalin gel instead of acp which he think seems to work better. He asked me to leave the lily pads off for a few hours each day to help heal the sores up on her feet. My new vet said I could call him whenever I wanted to chat or if I noticed a difference and he told me it would be a long road but we still had lots of other options and drugs we could use to help the process along the way. He said he seen much worse cases than this that had recovered and were now back in full work. This is what i needed to hear it gave me some hope!!!

A week and a half went by and my vet popped in to see how my mare was doing and he said we should have some more x rays done so that the feet could be trimmed accordingly and some imprint shoes put on. Farrier came out to do the other horses on the yard and measured up for the imprint shoes( he suggested putting metal shoes on and inserting gel into the sole as this was a cheaper option) I told him I didnt want metal shoes on her as I am sure the metal shoes being nailed on had something to do with the laminitis becoming so severe. Has anyone else come across this?

My farrier came to fit a pair of front imprints on fri 3 days ago. At first she walked very funny on them but three days have passed and she is going lovely now. Today you can hardly tell she has lami. Imprint shoes are strongley recommended by me. I know it is still a long road but the medication has gone down and she is moving nicely now so fingers crossed. Will keep you posted on how she is getting on and good luck to everyone out there dealing with the same thing. I recommend a very understanding vet and farrier, bute, sedalin gel, x rays and imprint shoes oh and of course box rest on a deep bed and poor quality hay!!!!!! Even when you feel sorry for your poor horse in the stable do not put them out on grass even for 5 min until properly better. Sorry if I have gone on a bit but when i read other peoples experience of lami it really did help me!!!

 

[Tia]

Thank you for telling us about the ordeal you and your mare have been through. Laminitis is a heart-breaking condition, regardless of whether the horse survives or not at the end of it. It is a period of your life that you will never forget.

As to your comment about shoeing; yes I found this with my pony. When she was well into recovery, my farrier made her little heartbar shoes as per her xrays. He came to fit them and within a couple of days, she was crippled again, so I had them taken off.

I also did some research on the use of styrofoam pads (at an earlier date) and there was enough going against them, that I also took these off my pony after about a week.

I used Old Macs on her once she had moved out of the acute stage and I have to say they were absolutely wonderful!

There are happy endings; I never thought our pony would survive, but she did and she has never had another bout of laminitis in the years following her ordeal. Mind you, it was much easier for me than for others as I very quickly figured out what the trigger was for her and thankfully it isn't grass.

Welcome to the forum Becky, and I wish you the very best for a safe recovery of your mare.