My mother has a 17yo Peruvian Paso we got last spring. He did great all summer but when the Wisconsin fall temps set in he became almost crippled. Weight shifting, laying down 90% of the time and just looking all around lame. He got put on bute and joint supplements, nothing much was found on a vet exam (he was too wobbly to try to trailer to the vets at the big hospitals.). We were considering putting him down. Then spring hit and holy cats…brand new man! We had switched his diet to a ration balancer with beer pulp, oils, added Tri-Amino and switched to Previcox at that time so we thought that was what had done it. He’s been awesome all summer running down the trails and almost never laying down. Then 3 weeks ago the temps dropped. He started looking a bit off on his left front and now, 3 weeks later, he’s back to exactly how he was before. 
They are thinking cold weather laminitis but I have to say I had never even heard of it. He sure sounds like all the symptoms though. My question is, would bringing him to a heated barn for a month help us determine if that is the problem? If so, would sending him to a home in warm weather (either temporarily or permanently) be a solution? Keeping him in a heated barn all winter? He’s just the BEST guy and he takes such good care of my 70 year old Mom, and we want to try to help him but I don’t know if we can stand another winter watching him gimp around. If he’s going to come back to good in the spring though it sure makes that decision even more difficult. Any advice or other possible diagnosis would be very welcome. He’s so gimpy I honestly don’t think there is any way to trailer him to the really good vets 4 hours away. Our vet is great but he’s a country vet and strange problems aren’t his strong suit. Thanks so much for any advice to help this poor guy out!
Yes, cold induced laminitis is real as I have one also. When it starts to get in the
40’s at night my boy feels it and gets gimpy. I’ve found it can greatly help if you
protect the legs and body from the cold. I use Back on Track quick wraps on all 4
and also use the Back on Track hoof covers, in addition to warm blankets.
Anything you can do to get him into a warmer environment for the winter will help
him out. I’m in Central Fl. and even here we get some 20’s or 30’s at night. Not often but enough to make my horse miserable.
Usually they start feeling the cold when it’s under 50.
Possibly your horse had laminitis / founder in the past and the circulation in the legs and feet is compromised thus the problems in the cold.
Did I miss where you x-ray and see what you have in there?
It’s the sugar in the stressed grasses not the temp so no a heated barn won’t prevent it. X-rays and blood work would be my next step.
They didn’t have an X-ray with them the last two times they came out. The vets in my area don’t do a lot of diagnostics. Very nice guys but honestly not who you want for anything other than an abscess or a cold. He’s so sore everywhere the vet didn’t even know where he would begin and just recommended bute and watching him. Hauling him to the clinic 4 hours away would be the place I would have diagnostics run and where I take the others but I really don’t think he could handle it. I would need to get a shipper with box stalls so he could lay down.
What bloodwork would you have run? I can talk to the vet and have him come up. Can also see if they could maybe get some x-rays. Would you focus on feet? Just need to know where to point our vet if we can’t transport him.
In the meantime no grass at all. Soak his hay. Test for PPID/Cushings
He’s been off grass for a few weeks but I will have her start soaking hay. We had asked the vet about a Cushings test but he said not likely since he had no other cushings symptoms. I’ll see if we can get him back out to run it!
I have known horses like this, and I’ve been wondering if horses could suffer from Raynaud’s Disease.
[QUOTE=csaper58;8911433]
I have known horses like this, and I’ve been wondering if horses could suffer from Raynaud’s Disease.[/QUOTE]
I wonder this too.
I have a friend who eventually lost a horse because of cold-induced laminitis issues. I don’t remember offhand if she put him down because of complications or because she was unwilling to have him go through another Winter of battling this, but it wasn’t a decision made lightly. She was doing EVERYthing right - tested low NSC hay, absolutely nothing that would increase his stress or his sugar intake, yet as soon as temps got into the low 40’s or so, things got very complicated for him.
She’s in GA too, not exactly the cold belt But, “cold” is all relative.
If you have the ability to put him in a heated barn WITH a heated indoor for turnout, and he’s just that fantastic a family member, I’d say it’s worth a try. I think it would suck to be stuck stalled for 20+ hours a day just to be in a heated barn, but I also think it’s not the end of the world to try it for a Winter and see how he does.
[QUOTE=csaper58;8911433]
I have known horses like this, and I’ve been wondering if horses could suffer from Raynaud’s Disease.[/QUOTE]
I found this, it’s old. I wonder if any more studies were done?
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2339825
This is some info on treating Raynaud’s in people
www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/raynauds-disease/basics/treatment/con-20022916
[QUOTE=JB;8911458]
I wonder this too.
I have a friend who eventually lost a horse because of cold-induced laminitis issues. I don’t remember offhand if she put him down because of complications or because she was unwilling to have him go through another Winter of battling this, but it wasn’t a decision made lightly. She was doing EVERYthing right - tested low NSC hay, absolutely nothing that would increase his stress or his sugar intake, yet as soon as temps got into the low 40’s or so, things got very complicated for him.
She’s in GA too, not exactly the cold belt But, “cold” is all relative.
If you have the ability to put him in a heated barn WITH a heated indoor for turnout, and he’s just that fantastic a family member, I’d say it’s worth a try. I think it would suck to be stuck stalled for 20+ hours a day just to be in a heated barn, but I also think it’s not the end of the world to try it for a Winter and see how he does.[/QUOTE]
He’s out 24/7 now with access to a barn and I never thought I would EVER have a horse kept in 24/7 in a heated barn. But if it’s just for a few months out of the year and it makes him comfortable I would defintely give it a try. There is a barn with a heated indoor and stalls we might look into trying (2 hours away) if it seems like it could help him. I don’t want to put him through the stress of moving though if it’s not a strong possibility the warmth would help. Just so sad to see him this way when he was just cantering happily down the trails 3 weeks ago. Really curious if anyone has had success keeping one like this in a heated barn for the winter.
I had a friend in Michigan who had a horse like yours. She would bring him in at night and blanket him, put polos on all four, plus hoof boots on the front. She kept him going for years like that. She would leave all the stuff on him outside if it wasn’t sunny.
Where in Southern Wisconsin are you? Lots of good vets and clinics and heated barns in that area. If your practice does vacc and colds, perhaps it is time for a second opinion!
Where are you located? I might be able to recommend a vet or 2 who can take x-rays in the field. It’s not a big ask these days.
[QUOTE=mzm farm;8911634]
Where in Southern Wisconsin are you? Lots of good vets and clinics and heated barns in that area. If your practice does vacc and colds, perhaps it is time for a second opinion![/QUOTE]
I’m not in Southern Wisconsin anymore Really wishing Wisconsin Equine Clinic was still my primary vet now! They always did a fantastic job with the bizarre things I brought them over the years. They are 4 hours away from me now. Boo.
Glad to hear bringing him in and keeping him warm did some good for your friends horse. We ordered him some new blankets this week and are going to try keeping him blanketed and a bit warm. How long can you leave boots on a horse safely? Anything he can wear in turnout or 24/7?
My friend used Easyboots, but I would think any hoof boots would do. If you don’t have any already, I might go with one of the therapy boots that is neoprene on the upper. Boots need to come off every day IMO, so funky stuff doesn’t grow in there. BUT, I have never tried them in winter, myself.
[QUOTE=Keg-A-Bacchus;8911645]
I’m not in Southern Wisconsin anymore Really wishing Wisconsin Equine Clinic was still my primary vet now! They always did a fantastic job with the bizarre things I brought them over the years. They are 4 hours away from me now. Boo.
Glad to hear bringing him in and keeping him warm did some good for your friends horse. We ordered him some new blankets this week and are going to try keeping him blanketed and a bit warm. How long can you leave boots on a horse safely? Anything he can wear in turnout or 24/7?[/QUOTE]
Go to ecirhorse.org they can help you with your horse. I read on there a lot and many, many horses and owners get much needed help. They will tell you what blood test and protocols for them. Need to sign up once signed up you can ask for help. I don’t post on there i just read, there is always new people with horses in crisis asking for help.
Best of luck & jingles for your horse.
Wow, never heard of this. I think if my horse developed this problem I would need to sell him to someone in a warmer climate or put him down (we get temps in the 40’s or colder all year round).
Yes, it’s the cold. I used to have one of these horses. With no change in hay, regular exercise she got sore feet when the night temps were 20F or below. I charted it for several years. Around Easter, she’d go from barely walking to running and bucking. The last 2 years of her life I moved to a warmer place for the winter and she was much better. I helped with several other horses like this. The herb jiaogulan helps. 1 level tsp twice a day. Fleece lined shipping boots, or large bell boots with fleece glued inside at least at night. Deep shavings or sawdust. Hand walking on really good footing helps. They go from sore to walking normally in 10-15 minutes. I did this in front of a vet who disputed the condition, and he agreed it looks like a problem with blood circulation.
There is some preliminary science that shows insulin messes up vasodialation in arteries, but no money to study in live horses.
