vet says subclinical lami but ok to turnout and exercise ?

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JLD

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Ok. Bit confused. 4 weeks ago vet came to do jabs on new pony. Pony sound but a bit footy on stones - diagnosed sub clinical lami from feet shape and ? bleeding under wall of hoof - no heat no pulses. Advised continue weight loss and lots of walk exercise. Pony has lost a good amount of weight on dietary management and in hand walk exercise, got vet to recheck apparently much better but still some signs of bleeding under hoof wall. No heat, no pulses no footyness at all. Bit disappointed and very worried about autumn grass flush and frosts, also confused as if lami why is it ok to turnout and exercise ? Any ideas ? Or is he just high risk so manage as if is. Hooves shows signs of past history of laminitis within last few years but I know he hasn't had any acute attacks in that time.
 
It does sound a bit confusing. What I would say is get a 2nd opinion from different vet if you are not sure what is right. It might be that he is high risk but sounds like you need more information coz it shouldn't be left to chance and risk a proper attack.
 
My understanding is that for low grade laminitis with no pulses, that 30p minutes work a day is the only requirement.

I think you are extremely lucky that you have a vet who recognises log all.

If you are concerned keep him in and work him, it will not hurt him and it will help you.
 
I am pretty much treating him like he has had it and will get it. Bare track, soaked hay, in 8 hours a day, no hard feed or carrots/apples. But not presenting like any form I have seen or heard of. My vet is great - seemed really switched on to it and very very up on EMS which is what we are assuming we are dealing with. I was just a bit confused as have only really dealt with full lami which clearly I don't want !
 
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It's a balance of two competing priorities with lami. If the horse is bad enough with it that they lame on softish ground and arent comfy moving around, then they need to be on box rest until they are sound without bute in the box. That's the full blown thing you've come across before.

However.....box rest is very bad for exactly the sort of circulation the hoof needs to promote blood supply and help long term recovery. So if the pony is able to do it without great discomfort, gentle exercise is massively preferable. Which means even with full blown lami the box rest timescales recommended these days will be less than they used to be (it used to be the longer the better to be on the safe side but now that downsides of that have been recognised and also the ability to test for and treat underlying issues like EMS have improved hugely).

And in EMS cases that's even more the case, with EMS sometimes the human diabetes drug Metformin is used to stabilise the EMS enough to allow exercise, it's that important to get them out and about.

Turnout ideally would be onto non grass surface but again even if its a field, the risks of a pretty bare paddock are balanced against the benefits of the circulation gained by self exercise in the field. Obviously a grassy or lush field would be unsuitable tho.

In summary, if it's mild and ESP if EMS related then your vet is up with the latest thinking that stimulation and exercise are critical in recovery from mild LGL.
 
When Shy had the same scare (luckily vet was over cautious), he was box rested for a week, and was just walked in hand. The second week he went out for a couple of hours with his muzzle on, in a fatty paddock. Then i got the vet to check him again.

It was a scary time - but you know what ? It was actually THRUSH that was the problem.
 
If you can determine what was the exact cause or causes of the Laminitis that would be useful as Laminitis can be triggered by so many different things. It is not just caused by Grass or EMS. It can be caused by numerous other things. One of mine had it as a result of emerging encysted small red worms (not detected in a worm count only a blood test).
It sounds as if you are doing everything right and I hope that your pony makes a quick and steady recovery.
For those interested there is a new injectable drug called Lamini manufactured by Wilowcroft Pharmacy of the U.S.A which has taken 17 years to develop and it is claimed stops the breakdown of the lamini. www.laminil.us
 
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JLD said:
I am pretty much treating him like he has had it and will get it. Bare track, soaked hay, in 8 hours a day, no hard feed or carrots/apples. But not presenting like any form I have seen or heard of. My vet is great - seemed really switched on to it and very very up on EMS which is what we are assuming we are dealing with. I was just a bit confused as have only really dealt with full lami which clearly I don't want !
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If he is on a bare track with soaked hay why keep him in for 8 hours which restricts his movement? Diet is the most important factor, movement the second in keeping lami at bay!! Good luck.
 
I've mentioned this before, but don't rely on heat and pulses for LGL. They're transient and so not reliable. Puffy fetlocks or coronet bands are more reliable for Henry. If your horse is footy during exercise, then I would invest in hoofboots and pads.

Mine is out in a field, which started as a bare paddock, but it's been expanded over time, so now I have to be careful, with the Autumn flush approaching. One thing I have found useful in the event of the grass being too short for muzzles is to feed soaked haylage, but muzzle them to make it last. That way I can feed on the floor, know that they're getting low(er) sugar fibre and remove muzzles at the end of the day.
 
JLD said:
Pony has lost a good amount of weight on dietary management and in hand walk exercise, got vet to recheck apparently much better but still some signs of bleeding under hoof wall. No heat, no pulses no footyness at all.
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Providing he isn't sore exercize is good in my book.
I would keep up with the dietary changes myself as they've obviously helped.
Personally I would be wary of grass turnout especially now the weather is changing.

Good on you and it's great the vet recognized sub clinical laminitis.
 
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