# laminitis not improving



## seoirse (11 May 2011)

We are now into week 4 of box rest, he was doing okish and on Saturday went downhill again and is now back to the beginning pretty much. Got frog supports back on and I'm back to mucking out around him which is just awful cos he's a total prat. The vet is being so laid back about it and if he wasn't one of the best horse vets for miles I'd be getting myself even more worked up than I already am. GG is walking about okish in the box on his bedding, doesn't look too bad but is dreadful on a hard surface. I am trying to not move him out of the box unless absolutely necessary (like Friday when he excavated the whole box including rubber mats! Had to take him out to straighten it all out!).

The vet has mentioned the haylage might be the problem but this horse has severe respiratory problems and I've almost killed him in the past feeding hay, so its not really an option to take him off the haylage, though I am soaking it for 12 hours, before he has it, which I know is controversial in itself but I am pretty stuck for alternatives.

We've not had X-rays yet, as again, the vet is being a bit slow about it. The horse is 13, I've had him all his life, he's never had laminitis before and was fully fit and in great shape prior to this attack. Don't know what to do, other than push for the x-rays.


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## chestnut cob (11 May 2011)

Are you able to soak hay rather than haylage?  If you soak your hay for long enough it should remove the dust I think?


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## TGM (11 May 2011)

What sort of haylage are you feeding?  If it is an early cut rye-grass haylage then soaking it might still not remove enough sugars from it.  Have you tried using something like the Horsehage High Fibre or Timothy which have low sugar content?


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## pottamus (11 May 2011)

Sorry to hear about your problems...I presume your horse is on bute? My lad was not improving too well when he had it and his was down to the stress of being boxed, he hated it and was a right mess. With the vets advice, I fenced off a stable sized pen outside of his stable (he has a field stable), put bark chippings down and let him out to potter in the sunshine...he improved no end with this.
My lad also has COPD and was struggling terribly being confined, but I think low value soaked hay was his saviour...I was lucky that I had year old hay to soak.
My vet did say that if he had any other underlying problems like COPD type troubles in his lungs or stress, that until these were solved the laminitis would not improve. So I had to focus on these for a time and when we got that right, his laminitis improved in no time at all. 
My lad did go through hell though through being confined, he got so stressed that at one point he just stopped eating completely and started shedding weight at an alarming rate and then having dioreah problems. 
I would be inclined to get your horse on mature hay (have it tested) soaked. 
What dose of bute are you using?


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## seoirse (11 May 2011)

Thanks for the replies. He is on the high fibre haylage, supposedly suitable for laminitics but of course no-one would feed it to a lammy unless there was no other option! I really really can't give him hay, in any shape. I've tried soaking it for 12 hours, steaming it, rinsing it with running water for AGES, everything really. It's taken years to get his breathing problems under controls and I'm really keen not to set them off again. Plus I know that if I change him onto hay and his feet get better then getting him back onto haylage so he can actually breathe will be near on impossible having had laminitis. His breathing was so bad a few winters ago that he collapsed on boxing day and had to have emergency treatment. It was after that we gave up with hay completely and once we got him right after that episode he's never looked back other than the odd dust cough in the dry part of the summer he not been on any breathing meds for years now. Though I do have to keep him out all year round to maintain this, so of course he's got a bit of a tickle now from being in but he's not too bad yet but if I so much as show him a slice of hay I know he will soon be in a real state.

He is a little bit stressed being in, calling when things walk past etc, but not too bad, especially for a horse that lives out all the time. There are other horses in during the day and some that come in at night so he's not alone on the yard and he lays down at night and is fairly calm and pootles about in his box. He has his haylage on the floor and mixes it all in with his bed so it takes him ages to pick it all out which keeps him occupied! He's a thug generally anyway, its just his way, so trashing his box and 'helping' me while I muck out is quite normal for him. I do think he would be happier being out but its just not an option for me, I'm on a big livery yard and there is no way they'd let me put chips down on an area for him, plus he has a history of jumping out of the arena when loose schooled so I'm not sure I'd trust him anyway!

He's on 1 sachet of bute a day, down from 4 right at the beginning, though I think he could do with 1 twice a day really so I am going to up it tonight.

Such a nightmare. I am so concerned about the hay/breathing thing. Sat here waiting for the vet to call me to decide what to do next. I am at a total loss and so worried cos he's just not getting better.


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## TGM (11 May 2011)

What is he like with hay replacer chaffs?  Do these upset his breathing as well?  I just wondered whether you could replace some of his haylage ration with a low sugar/starch hay replacement chaff?


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## seoirse (11 May 2011)

He's ok on those sorts of things. He has a little bit of hifi lite morning and night with his meds in at the moment and I've fed him this in large quantities in the past when our grazing has been crummy and he's tolerated it fine, which is weird as its essentially hay and straw, but anyway, it works. It does have some molasses in though doesn't it? Is there a chaff alternative that is less sugary than hifi lite available or is that the best I'll get?

Impossible going to the feed merchants for advice I've been and asked them and all they want to do is sell me as much stuff as possible!


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## seoirse (11 May 2011)

Finally spoken to the vet, who thinks more hifi/less haylage is a good idea. He is coming tomorrow tea time to have another look though. I am praying for some sort of improvement when I get to the yard this evening!


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## ameeyal (11 May 2011)

Has your horse had blood tests done  for IR and ems and cushings?


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## seoirse (11 May 2011)

Not yet but I think that might be the next step I will raise it tomorrow when the vet comes. We have another horse at the yard that is IR and mine is a carbon copy of him so I wouldn't be surprised in the least!


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## YasandCrystal (11 May 2011)

Can you not use that sole support putty? You can get that from the vet. When our tiny pony gets bad we pack his feet with the putty and use vet wrap over the top or duck tape. I advocate a bare strip rather than just box rest as I think they get depressed inside and I think that some movement albeit pottering is essential. 
My little boy still has a touch of lami - I was giving him half a bute (he's 10hh) and 2 ACPs a day for a week. 
I agree that haylage could be your problem - mine cannot tolerate it. I also agree about the hay replacer.


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## Lotty (11 May 2011)

My mare had laminitis last year and she was on total box rest for 5months, only coming out for a very short walk for her x-rays.

As pottamus mentioned earlier low value hay soaked for 12 hours was her saviour. I rang the laminitis trust and they told me to feed 1 scoop of Happy Hoof morning and night and to weigh and soak her hay, they also told me to feed 1.5% of her body weight. My mare was on bute and sedalin which was gradually reduced as she got better. We did go through two periods where she went really down hill and her bute had to be upped again. It is a roller coaster ride.

My mare had imprint shoes fitted every 3 weeks then finally had heartbars fitted, she was x-rayed every 3weeks the day the farrier was due so he could see the x-rays.

I was allowed to start riding my mare in September and she is just about fully fit now. I really wish you and your boy the best.


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## Rose Folly (11 May 2011)

Read your thread with great sympathy as I've just been through what you are going through now - though things are lookingmuch better.

Very briefly, 10 year old cob mare, had her 6 years, never laminitic until this winter, During the appalling frosts over Christmas she went down with it. Vets from 2 different practices agreed that it had been caused by too-rich haylage (local farmer making it for the first time and it was more dairy-cow quality) and access to very frozen grass - our horses live out 24/7. 

Like your, my mare can't tolerate hay at all, soaked for 24 hours, whatever. It's a no-no, and like yours, she nearly died of RAO 2 years ago. Anyway, I've had a steep learning curve, and luckily have a very supportive vet, but these pointers might help.

1. Try bedding GG deep litter style with shavings (real deep litter - only the poos lifted). forget the wet bits, cover them with more shavings every day. I am using Bedmax, and its' brilliant. The bed is really deep now, and strangely doesn'tsmell of ammonia. I sprinkle freshtwice a day, and it's surprisingly economic.

2. She has been on Happy Hoof and Horsehage's Timothy grass but local supplies of the latter have now run out, so for the last fortnight she's been on oat straw. Great success, costs £4.50 per small bale from local farmer, and the bales last her about 5 days. I cheer it up by handpulling some sweet long grass and chopping it up to sprinkle like 100s and 1000s over the straw - I also chop up the green of bunched carrots very finely, and ditto cowparsley and water mint, of which we have an abundance as a stream runs through our field. She gets very little of the greenery but it's just enough to amuse her and damp down the straw. She has had no reaction to the straw, which isn't soaked, and I'm seriously considering that instead of too much haylage for next winter, as she's a plump Madam who lives on air

3. Don't despair. Mine has taken ages to come through this as she also got flexural dermatitis at the same time, so it was diffiult to tell where one lameness ended and the other began. She has not had X-rays, but is now going to have heartbar shoes - if only the farrier would get back to me!!! - she had two abscesses in one foot 10 days ago but once they were drained she has been sound as a bell since, clopping round in her concrete stable yard, spending little time on the bedding except for a zizz at night, and keep the neighbours awake playing with her horseball at 2a.m.!

Don't despair my nigihbour's pony has just receovered after a 4-month lami session and I have high hopes for mine. Please let us know how you get on, and hope this helps.


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## hunting mad (11 May 2011)

Have you got your horse on anything to help with his circulation???
Ask your vet for ACP,or garlic and rosehip and i think magnisium does as well.
I have just got a garlic mineral lick for our lami dartmoor....it a dengie lite,epecially for laminitic horses,i think!!!Will have a look when i next go back outside and double check i have the correct make


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## LucyPriory (11 May 2011)

OP - what a bind - I feel for you.  You could substitute a proportion of the haylage ration with unmolassed sugar beet - and you could try adding in Fine Fettle Feeds Happy Tummy with some probiotoc such as Yea Sacc.  

I have found lami prones are unable to really tolerate haylage but the above might help.

Good luck with it all.


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## sasha1 (11 May 2011)

I am having the same problems and mine has just been diagnosed with IR she is 12 and we have managed the laminitis for 5 years really well. I bit the bullet yesterday and decided that she can have a walk in a soft sandschool she went mad and you wouldn't know she was poorly. The vet had me keep lilly pads on for a week at a time and after 3 weeks her frogs had almost gone. I do wonder if vets always do know what is the best treatment and are too laid back. I feel so sad and sorry for her. I know its hard, but try to keep positive, if only they could talk.


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## TGM (11 May 2011)

seoirse said:



			He's ok on those sorts of things. He has a little bit of hifi lite morning and night with his meds in at the moment and I've fed him this in large quantities in the past when our grazing has been crummy and he's tolerated it fine, which is weird as its essentially hay and straw, but anyway, it works. It does have some molasses in though doesn't it? Is there a chaff alternative that is less sugary than hifi lite available or is that the best I'll get?
		
Click to expand...

Dengie now do HiFi Molasses Free which is lower in soluble carbs than HiFi Lite, and is suitable for laminitics.  They say it is suitable for use as a partial hay replacer, so worth giving them a ring to see how much of the ration can be replaced with it.


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## Tnavas (11 May 2011)

Sorry to here of your horses problems - I've spent the whole summer worrying that my mare would develop laminitis as she is prone to being a tad porky. We've been lucky.

Here in New Zealand they are now making hay from a grass called 'Brown Top' once it was considered the lowest of the low nutrition wise and just grazed by sheep now it has become popular as a hay crop for lamanitic prone horses and ponies. It is high fibre, low sugar and doesn't need to be soaked - this is a site about it. http://pastureinfo.massey.ac.nz/grasspages/gbrowntop.html

The pictures remind me of 'Yorkshire Fog' grass. 

Lammi owners may need to source farmers that crop this grass or even encourage farmers to start turning it into hay.

You might consider feeding Paprika - it increases circulation


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## seoirse (12 May 2011)

Hi everyone, thank you SO much for all your replies and ideas. It's all a great help and really good food for thought. Luckily I am on a big yard and there is lots of support and the yard owners wife has a chronic laminitic driving pony so they make low value hay available for everyone who needs it cos of this. Though of course I can't feed it! The vet has suggested swapping half his haylage ration for hifi, I am going to the feed shop later to see if they have the molasses free version and then I will gradually change him onto it over the next week. 

Vet is out again tonight though to have another look as we are not making any progress when we ought to be, though the initial attack has settled and he's not got bounding pulses or heat etc now. He struck himself and removed a large portion of foot about 6 weeks ago, 2 weeks before the lammy started, and he is still very bad in that foot, even though when he struck himself he didn't go lame, the farrier had to take a lot of foot off and put shoes on to balance him out (was previously barefoot) so then when he went lammy thats the foot it started in. So the vet thinks that is whats set this all off, and is now wondering if there is something else underlying in that foot as he is still favouring it. Maybe an abcess or something, though he isn't lame enough for that I don't think. 

Horse in great spirits though and full of beans. Mucking him out is a nightmare. 

Going to get some more ACP, he was on it at the beginning but when it started to settle I stopped it and ran out anyway. Will get some more tonight from the vet as it has the added bonus of keeping G a bit quieter as well.

Not sure about foot pads etc, there seems to be so many options! He did have the frog supports on to start with and they definitely made him more comfortable and they came off when he started to look good after about a week, but when he got bad this second time I put them back on and they made him, if anything, worse, so I took them off again and now he's barefoot, though I've got some cavallo boots with pads in so if I do have to get him out of the box (when he plays with the mats!) I can put those on so his front feet at least dont have to stand bare on the yard.

Will update after vet visit.

Thanks again for all the suggestions.
S and G x


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## Amymay (12 May 2011)

Have you thought about replacing part of his ration with straw??


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## seoirse (12 May 2011)

Straw doesn't do his airways any favours either, though it doesn't make him as bad as hay weirdly. I did give him a bit when he was first in and he didn't really bother with it so I don't think he is that keen, though I'm sure he'd eat it if he had no other options! I think hifi has straw in doesn't it?


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## YasandCrystal (12 May 2011)

I forgot to mention that I am also feeding my laminitic that 'Happy Tummy' charcoal in his little feed, which is reputed to absorb toxins. And I give him the weed 'sticky willy' its the climber that funnily enough sticks like velcro - it's said to be good for digestion and particularly laminitics. My little pony really loves it and I am sure they know what helps them. It is growing like mad at the moment - my unruly garden is full of it luckily.


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## seoirse (12 May 2011)

We've got loads of that sticky weed stuff. When I've changed him onto the new hifi/haylage ratio I'll try giving him some of that too. Trying to only change one thing at a time incase anything makes him bad again then I know what it is!
Poor horse. 

We're meant to be going away for a night this weekend, I REALLY don't want to go but have to as have resisted OHs other efforts to get me to go anywhere and I missed all his family stuff over Easter (in laws were not very happy!! apparently there is more to life than horses?!), so I am going to go and am leaving G in very capable hands so I know he will be fine, the girl I'm leaving him with is the one that owns the IR Sec D, so she knows what she's doing. We are meant to be going to Cornwall for 5 nights in June so this is good preparation for me I guess!!


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## JBW (12 May 2011)

Please be aware that HiFi Lite contains molasses. If a horse suffers from laminitis it should really be fed a molasses-free feed.


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## seoirse (12 May 2011)

Thanks, someone else did mention there is a molasses free version so I'm off in a min to try and source some!


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## seoirse (13 May 2011)

So, I got the molasses free hi fi, which turns out to have soya in which is one of his allergens (when he was 2 he had a virus which left him with a stack of allergies - I did say he was complicated!), anyway, I have concluded its in such a small quantity that its probably ok, plus he gets hives from soya, so if he does come out in hives I'll have to go back to hifi lite. He does tend to cope with his allergies better these days than he used to, with the exception of hay and dust.

Anyway, so vet came and left me a bit mystified. He said he is very happy with G's progress. He said the attack is well and truly under control so his management and food is right and the haylage is not perpetuating the problem, or it doesnt appear to be which is good news.

He thinks that we took him off the bute (I only weaned him off it at the rate the vet suggested) too fast which is why he's gone back again. He said that horses can manage inflammation, but when they have bute it tricks the system into thinking there isnt any inflammation present, so when you take them off it, it has to be at a rate the body can keep up with, to take over dealing with the problem on its own. I do recall reading an article about this somewhere a while back so it makes sense. So he had 2 bute in his tea last night and one this morning. He's to stay on one morning and night til monday, then go to 1.5 a day, then one a day etc etc.

He also said G has exceptionally hard feet, which will not 'give' to allow the swelling to go anywhere, he said most horses had some give in their feet but G's are like stone. Which is true as before all this he's hacked out and competed barefoot quite happily so he does have good feet.

Vet wants to come back in 10 days and x-ray with a view to putting heart bars on. I am not sure about this being possible (I can't see he'll be sound enough in 10 days!), or a good idea, but I don't want to disagree with the vet because he is one of the best horse vets for miles (Oxfordshire) and I am very lucky to have him treating G. It was a fluke I ended up with this particular vet anyway as he is in massive demand and he just happened to be on call when I rang in a panic at the beginning of all this over the bank holiday weekend and he's treated him ever since. Usually to get a visit from him is a 3 week wait.

So. I'm not convinced, but having to force myself to have faith! Horse seems happy as larry so thats one thing I am not worried about. His mental state is not suffering from being kept in but mine is not great!!!!


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## serenityjane (13 May 2011)

If your horse has good, hard unshod feet, try to push for a good remedial trim rather than shoes- Read Jaime Jacksons- Founder it's prevention and cure as previous post, this will fully explain why a good trim followed by frequent further trims may be better.
I have a laminitis prone horse who also has COPD and she has very good quality hay (almost haylage, so dust free) weighed, with an equal weight of very good quality barley straw, mixed together in a double haynet, we do not soak the hay, but she has a limited amount daily and the remainder is straw, she also has 4 hours turn-out daily on a 'fatty-track'/ practically bare paddock, otherwise she is turned out in a large stone and tarmac area. 
She has coped well with this system so far this year, after a mild attack just before christmas (she was having the hay ad-lib, but no grass, just bare turnout then!!!)
The straw has been the answer to be honest- she is out 24/7 with two other horses, has plenty to eat and is stimulated to move constantly for her food. We also excercise her at least 5 times a week.
Maybe mix your soaked haylage with good quality (dust free) straw. But you must be strong as the straw is the last to be eaten obviously, and of course provide plenty of water.


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## seoirse (13 May 2011)

serenityjane said:



			If your horse has good, hard unshod feet, try to push for a good remedial trim rather than shoes- Read Jaime Jacksons- Founder it's prevention and cure as previous post, this will fully explain why a good trim followed by frequent further trims may be better.
		
Click to expand...

Perhaps I better get a copy for my vet as well 

I have to admit I am keen to keep him without shoes if possible, not just because I do believe that at this early stage he should only be being trimmed, I only had shoes on him prior to this cos he'd mangled his foot, and they'd have come off once his foot had recovered, generally he is barefoot and happier that way. But if shoes are the way forward I am not against them being put on. I just want to make sure we get this right!

Anyway I am not convinced we'll actually be at the stage where we can put shoes on in 10 days, however, he will need xraying by then and is close to needing a trim, so things might work out that he ends up just being trimmed. 

I need to call my farrier and update on yesterdays vets visit and see what he thinks too.


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## WandaMare (13 May 2011)

Glad things are looking more promising for your horse, hope he continues well with his recovery.

That's interesting about the inflammation, I knew you had to reduce bute intake slowly but wasn't sure why..

I have been surprised in the past when my vet has given the go ahead to get on with trimming even when the pony's feet are still quite sore but so far he has been right and after a day or so his feet have shown good improvement after the farrier's visit.

Good luck, you are doing well for your boy, no wonder he is happy


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## fatpiggy (13 May 2011)

Deffo get him some ACP. He'll be calmer and it helps with blood flow so better for his laminitis too.  I've seen good results from wearing magnetic boots. Could you borrow some (or wraps)?


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## seoirse (13 May 2011)

fatpiggy said:



			Deffo get him some ACP. He'll be calmer and it helps with blood flow so better for his laminitis too.  I've seen good results from wearing magnetic boots. Could you borrow some (or wraps)?
		
Click to expand...

I asked about more ACP and vet said no point as the attack is over so it won't have any beneficial effect other than to sedate him, and he's quite calm now so I think he's fine without it in that respect too. 

I guess magnetic wraps can't do any harm, though I don't have any and am spent out at the moment with all this! I'm supposed to be saving for my honeymoon!! oops! Thanks for the suggestion though. If I can borrow any I might try them.

Wandamare - the bute thing makes perfect sense doesn't it. I'd read an article about it some time ago and I wish I could remember where cos I'd like to read it again now its actually relevant to me!


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## dunthing (13 May 2011)

Just a thought, have you ever fed him on wilted nettles? They are very good for circulation and most horses love them. We used to cut ours and leave them until they were "floppy" and they really enjoyed them. Good vibes for your boy's recovery.


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## ofcourseyoucan (13 May 2011)

hope he continues to improve. x rays will at least show the extent of any rotation. fast fibre (allen and paige) is also good as belly fill mixed with chaff, Also as you are on a large mixed yard, make sure no one is feeling sorry for him and feeding him a few treats or a couple of carrots without you knowing. ten people doing this will load his sugar level sky high. Hope he comes good soon


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## seoirse (26 May 2011)

Well since my last post, he got a lot better, the vet came again and said we'd wait another 10 days and then X-ray and put heart bars on. He then spent 2 days box walking (the GG not the vet!) cos he felt so much better, then, not surprisingly, got much worse. He has been dreadful ever since last Saturday after box walking Thurs and Fri. Vet is coming tonight to Xray. There are noticable changes in the one foot he's very bad on (the right front now not the left as before as he box walked on a right circle), the coronary band to me feels odd and frankly I don't hold out much hope. I have prepared myself for the worst and short of ringing the hunt today I am all set for him to have to be pts tomorrow. So if the X-rays are better than I am expecting then I guess thats a bonus. I am trying to not be too pessimistic, but prepare for the worst but hope for the best! Horse is ok, not recumbant or anything like that just munching his hay in his box, stood on 3 legs, drugged up to the eyes. He is of course oblivious! Bless him.
I will let you all know once we've got the pics! Please cross everything you can for us. 
Thanks for all your support.
Es and G


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## Amymay (26 May 2011)

Will be thinking of you tomorrow.


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## dene (26 May 2011)

Hello,
I am sorry to hear about your horse.  

Perhaps it might be worth asking your vet about supporting your 
horse's feet with impression material and an equicast wrap?

The impression material will support the frog and the casting wrap
will help hold it all in place as it is wrapped under the frog/sole
and around the hoof wall below the coronary band.   Your vet or 
farrier can get these materials.  

Very best of luck -- dene


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## pottamus (26 May 2011)

No come on...dont be talking about having no hope...there is every chance your horsey will be fine. He has been box walking and this will have made his feet more sore than before. Even if the xrays reveal rotation it is not the end...it can be fixed. My lad had 12 degrees rotation and was in a terrible way for many weeks. He too started box walking because he could not cope with being in and even though this made him worse the vet told me to pen an area off outside his stable and let him have some fresh air...the transformation was amazing and he went from strength to strength. In my lads case...the stress he was suffering from being on box rest was hampering his recovery.
With the COPD problem...this can be a complication to hamper the laminitis too...I assume that aswell as the haylage you have taken the usual measures of getting rid of cobwebs, having a clean bed at all times...would you be able to put him on cardboard...this has made a huge difference to my lad.
I really do feel for you having been there - you see a tiny improvement and feel hopeful and then a slight set back nearly breaks you down...it is awful but please please try to keep faith and take each day as it comes. Dont make any changes to the diet unless you really have to and keep things steady so your horse remains calm and relaxed....as best you can. 
All the very best of luck and please keep us posted...take care and try to keep positive.


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## bedbug (26 May 2011)

Seoirse...I feel for you and know only to well what you are going through and how you are feeling.

My horse came down with laminitis over Christmas (as it seems did many others) He was at the time carrying a little extra weight but not a huge amount.  he seemed to improve very quickly so the vet I was using at that time said he could start having a little turn out all seemed to be going well to the point where he was getting a bit to carried away during turnout and was runign around then he came down with another attack.  another vet came to see him (but from the same pracice) and they were convinced he had EMS or cushings and that he had to lose more weight.  Then the original vet who had seen him throught his episode went in with the second vet and said yes defo wieght and EMS.  Had the tests done and he wasn't and to be honest not what you would typically thing of as being a horse with EMS as he loses weight very quickly, does not have fatty deposits and no cresty neck.  Still followed the vets advice as you do who said we hafd to start exercising him by riding him in walk in straight lines in the school.  He then came down with another attack by which time we were seriously losing hope (all the things you are thinking now were going through my mind) and decided to try another vet.

This vet came out looked at him, heard about what had been going on and said it is mechnical laminitis now.  Strict box rest, time and keep on with imprint shoes.  She took further x rays then as well and asked for the previous 2 sets of x rays from the original vets...the good news was no further rotation and infact rotation was decreasing as you would hope.

So I have been doing my homework and looked up about mechnaical laminitis and it does make sense.  The lamini are damaged in his hooves, as soon as he wasn't hurting that much anymore he would try an go running around which his damaged lamini could not cope with hence why he went back to appearing as though he was having another bought of laminitis.  This was further emphasised when I was having to hose his back leg which swelled up (probably cos he banged it although I am never likely to really know) the other week and he paws the ground when I do that.  He kept being stopped but the damage was already done so we have had 10 days of sore feet again but now right as rain. I then had to make the choice hose the leg or look after his front hooves, the fronts won and I massaged and found ice wraps I could use to help his back leg. Apparently pawing the ground, kicking the door and generally anything that will jar the hooves can cause it to happen.  So i am wondering if your guy is potnetially doing any of that whch could be causing him to keep going sore again.

I am resigned to the fact that i literally will have to wrap him in cotton wool until the damage has grown out which my farrier thinks should be around July based on the x rays

So please don't give up, don't despair it is as distressing for us owners as it is for our horses and between you and your vet and farrier you will come up with the right course of action to get your horse sorted. It may not be conventional but if it works then it is the right course of action for both of you and that is what is important at the end of the day.


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## seoirse (27 May 2011)

So, the vet came, over an hour late which was almost more than I could take as I was so worked up. I pointed out the weird coronary band and he agreed that it was not a good sign and had deteriorated markedly in 10 days which was disappointing given wed done everything we could  I wanted to cry but managed not to!!!. Anyway, so we X-rayed. I held my breath and when the pics came up on the screen I couldnt believe my eyes, they looked great all things considered. The vet was even more astonished. Less than 5 degrees of rotation, same in the other foot too, so nice and even which is helpful too. On further inspection of the xrays though you can see bony changes in the pastern. I knew he had a bit of arthritis in the pastern as 2 years ago he damaged his tendon and in trying to work that out we noticed the bony bits, so it wasnt a surprise, but it is a shame given he is a low mileage 12 year old. Vet thinks thats whats keeping him from improving is that the laminitis, enforced rest and the box walking on a tight circle have really aggravated the arthritic changes. He said that as G is used to living out and moving about freely we need to aim towards him being back out 24/7 as that obviously keeps his joint problems under control (he is never ever lame due to the pastern changes as Id never have known about them if we hadnt accidently found them while looking for the tendon problems). He said due to the changes at the coronary band we need to get support shoes on him as a matter of urgency though, my farrier is coming tonight. Gs mane is falling out in clumps too so vet thinks this is stress related and while horse is appearing fairly calm in the box generally he is actually quite stressed out, so again we need to work towards getting him out asap. I am going on hols for 5 days from next weekend, I nearly cancelled it but OH is working 65 hour weeks at the moment and I HAVE to get him away from the office for a few days or Im going to have to invalids on my hands, so I dont want horse going out til I am back as I need to monitor it all myself, with the shoes going on tonight though he will probably need another week in anyway at least, Id have thought more but I think he does need to spend some time outside. We have a small pen just a few meters from his box he can go in. Ive got something in there mowing it down for me as I speak.

I honestly cant believe it. I really thought it was curtains for this chap. I tried to take a photo of the indented coronary band but its hard to show in a pic so not worth posting it.

Weve still got a long way to go but Im feeling much better and very relieved the rotation is fairly minor.

What a week. I wish I could manage my stress a bit better!

Thanks again everyone for your advice and support its invaluable.


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## seoirse (27 May 2011)

p.s sorry for appearing over dramatic too. Despite all this positive news the horse is still completely lame and pretty much unable to walk on concrete. I've had horses a long time but have never dealt with this level of lameness for such a prolonged period, plus the weird foot changes, I didnt see how there could be much left to be hopeful about. Laminitis is so horrific and anyone dealing with it has my every sympathy.


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## Pasha (27 May 2011)

Oh that is good news!!! My boy had a big indent in his coronary band which my vet and farrier were unconcerned about at the time - it does grow out


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## kickonchaps (27 May 2011)

Glad to hear your horse is improving! One thing that's worth bearing in mind is soya oil is pro-inflammatory (more omega 6 than 3) so it won't be helping, and may be making things worse - linseed is anti-inflammatory so if you can, I'd go for a feed with linseed rather than soya


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