good legs! nice thickness of bone there. Like her construction in that pic of her from the rear. I see Arabian in those legs and hooves.
Lucky Matilda! Thanks for sharing updates…keep em comin!
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I’ve got a general laminitis question here, since I’ve been lucky not to deal with it.
If laminitis is caused by a fever like Matilda’s, is it now at risk of coming back due to diet? I just always assumed that a case caused by a medical emergency/fever was a one-time thing and not related to feed-based cases.
I’d love for the experts here to educate me!
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It’s horses. You will always find one it’s happened to, but generally once stabilized it’s not a major concern according to my vet.
But in regards to the feet issues, the lower sugar usually the healthier the feet are and better quality they grow in provided all other vitamins/minerals are being met. So could be another reason vets wants a lower sugar diet.
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I’m not an expert on laminitis at all. I understand that laminitis refers to an active problem while founder is what has already happened. Matilda foundered in the past, but she does not have laminitis now. We’re trying to avoid a relapse, like you mentioned. What our vet is concerned about is that Matilda might have underlying issues that caused laminitis in a past episode. We know she had a high fever with anaplasmosis because that’s how the infection goes (they can get up to 106). We can see a disruption in her hoof wall which we can speculate happened when her infection began. However, the farrier noticed older rings of a more severe laminitis in the past. That means she had foundered even before she got hit with the high fever. Did that make it worse? We’re not sure. We don’t know what caused the older laminitis. It could be diet since she is a stock type horse. It could be as the result of metabolic disease. Is she more prone to laminitis? Perhaps. Most importantly, her hooves are already compromised and she would not do well if she went through laminitis again. To play it safe, we’re going to do everything we can to avoid laminitis.
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It’s amazing how much more we know about sugar in the diet. Not just for horses, but for us, too. I can remember when feed choices were locally made grains or Omolene 100, 200, or 300. For old horses, you bought beet pulp and soaked it to feed them.
You can tell more after x-rays.
The shape, status of the structures in there, if any degeneration, bones and soft tissue and angles, all that may help determine if she did make it back to normal after foundering before or if there is some to be concerned that may could/need to be addressed now.
That along with metabolic blood work numbers.
Today we don’t need to guess so much, can investigate and get a better idea where things are.
At least she is in good hands now. 
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Yes, that will really give us a better idea. Lowering sugars in the feed is a safe way to manage most horses unless they’re in heavy work or just don’t keep on a regular diet. Some horses are naturally more lean and need extra feed.
Founder is the bony changes of P3, rotation and/or sinking. Laminitis is inflammation of the laminae and may or may not cause founder. Often people use the terms interchangeably. X rays are the only way to know if the horse has foundered. Luckily you already have those scheduled and you’ll be well on your way to an educated rehab protocol 
Best wishes for Matilda
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Thank you! That’s a better explanation.
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Yeah…that should be enough targeted supplements. Shes coming along nicely in the weight department, let time help her out with what and how much shes eating now.
Based on personal experience and observation, impaction colic can occur around this point in the journey back from starvation, don’t overdo the feed and be sure she moves around enough to keep the gut working either on her own or via handwalking.
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A friend used jiaogulan to help her mare recover from laminitis. From Mad Barn, ‘Jiaogulan powder supports circulation, respiratory health and muscle function in horses. It has been shown to increase blood flow to the hooves and is sometimes used as nutritional support for horses with laminitis and insulin resistance. Dr. Eleanor Kellon of the ECIR Group has found this supplement can improve pain symptoms and support faster recovery in laminitic horses.’
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Wow, thanks for the heads up.
You take one starving out of a big field, reduce their free movement by putting them in a smaller, confined area and/or they can’t move much due to poor health or bad feet? Then, with the best intentions, try to hurry up the process with more food?
It happens. BTDT to the tune of 2k, it was midwinter, ice and snow so had to live in. R&R vets said its very, very common in rehabbing starvation cases. Little Less food and alot more time was their prescription plus as much activity as possible.
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She’s in a small, shady paddock during the day and is turned out overnight with the others in a generous sized pasture. She’s been off doxy for a week, so she can get back to her walks but we have poor air quality so no exercise until it improves.
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Just keep her respiration down, long, slow walks are good for gut motility and growing healthy feet.
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Matilda has a newly discovered talent. The neighbor brought three little boys over to feed the horses treats. Since Matilda is an unknown quantity, we stayed over by Bitsey and the pony. Matilda had her head up, looking very intently at us, and licking her lips. I walked the kids over to her and she was the gentlest of all at taking treats from little hands. I really think she’s a lost princess.
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Have you done xrays? This would help you a lot.
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Scheduled for the 27th.
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Maybe this article will help.
I have managed two IR horses but they were both overweight.
The key issue is to keep the total NSC as low as possible. If you buy your hay by the season or even every three months, have it tested for starters.
Matilda needs calories, so the next thing would be to scrutinize the ration balancers available in your area that will give her the most calories with the least amount of NSC.
My IR horses have both passed (in their late 20’s), so I feed TC Sr. to my remaining two seniors. It is beet pulp based which is high in calories.
Here is a NSC chart of Triple Crown’s offerings.
You may have a different and better feed available in your area that offers high calories with low NSC.
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The big rescue in my state called me back. They were a great sounding board for where Matilda is and how to get where we’re going. The biggest obstacle is finding the feed I need for her. I need the calories of senior feed with low starch. I don’t want to switch feeds around too much either. So far, the best I can do is wait three weeks for it to come in. In the meantime, I can get low starch or I can get senior but not both. I’m checking with more feed stores.
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