Casey76
Well-Known Member
First of all: AAARGH I had to abbreviate laminitis to lami which I hate - I think it really detracts from the seriousness of the condition by making it sound "fluffy"
Anyway, I'm making an enquiry on behalf of a friend who has her horses on the same yard as me.
Her older horse (who is a big built cob and approx 25 years old) has had a lot of health issues this year the latest one being an abscess on the point of his hip due to a presumed puncture wound which required two separate trips to the clinic.
While he was recovering from the abscess he became short striding on one front foot. As he has previously had a collateral ligament injury on this foot he was observed for two days until the farrier came out. the farrier then removed the silicone packing and pads from the front feet thinking that the packing may be causing too much sole pressure. Within a couple of days he became very pottery on the yard which is very stony. His daily bute was upped from 1 to 2 sachets, and he has been slowly getting better over the past week.
Yesterday the farrier was back out, and said that his foot had deteriorated in such a way he thinks he has laminitis in one foot. As a precautionary measure he has been taken off grass and will be turned out into a hardstanding pen.
The horse has been tested for cushings in the past, including March this year, and has been "clear," but he does have a very thick coat (though not wooly or curly), and he needs clipping all year round. He also has several other health issues, including atrial fibrillation and narcolepsy.
The horse is a poor doer needing quite a lot of food (currently 1.5 scoops of Baileys top line conditioning cubes 2x epr day), and has lost quite a dramatic amount of weight when he had the abscess.
If he does have laminitis, and if it is Cushings-mediated, what on earth can we feed him to safety gain (or even maintain) weight? Laminitis isn't treated with the same consideration here as it is in the UK and there is no feed available which doesn't have mollasses added. I get a mollasses free chaff imported from the UK, and I've offered the owner a bale until something permanent is sorted out.
Any ideas would be gratefully received.
Anyway, I'm making an enquiry on behalf of a friend who has her horses on the same yard as me.
Her older horse (who is a big built cob and approx 25 years old) has had a lot of health issues this year the latest one being an abscess on the point of his hip due to a presumed puncture wound which required two separate trips to the clinic.
While he was recovering from the abscess he became short striding on one front foot. As he has previously had a collateral ligament injury on this foot he was observed for two days until the farrier came out. the farrier then removed the silicone packing and pads from the front feet thinking that the packing may be causing too much sole pressure. Within a couple of days he became very pottery on the yard which is very stony. His daily bute was upped from 1 to 2 sachets, and he has been slowly getting better over the past week.
Yesterday the farrier was back out, and said that his foot had deteriorated in such a way he thinks he has laminitis in one foot. As a precautionary measure he has been taken off grass and will be turned out into a hardstanding pen.
The horse has been tested for cushings in the past, including March this year, and has been "clear," but he does have a very thick coat (though not wooly or curly), and he needs clipping all year round. He also has several other health issues, including atrial fibrillation and narcolepsy.
The horse is a poor doer needing quite a lot of food (currently 1.5 scoops of Baileys top line conditioning cubes 2x epr day), and has lost quite a dramatic amount of weight when he had the abscess.
If he does have laminitis, and if it is Cushings-mediated, what on earth can we feed him to safety gain (or even maintain) weight? Laminitis isn't treated with the same consideration here as it is in the UK and there is no feed available which doesn't have mollasses added. I get a mollasses free chaff imported from the UK, and I've offered the owner a bale until something permanent is sorted out.
Any ideas would be gratefully received.