The L-Word (Laminitis) :(

[FjordBCRF]

Hi All,

We’ve had a good curveball thrown at us after what started off as a great 2021 and I am looking for some guidance on the L word (laminitis) with a 4 year old Fjord.

Pertinent information:

• Daytime turnout (winter schedule) - ~ 8-12 hours on pasture until 5/14
• As soon as the grass started coming in for spring, grazing muzzle was introduced.
• On 5/14 (Friday) we had a great lesson, but definitely pushed harder than previous rides.
• 5/14 was also the switch to overnight turnout. Horses came in around 3PM and were turned back out around 8PM.
• 5/15 (Saturday) went to get Charlie out for a ride and he walked out of his stall lame on both fronts.
  -----I checked as well as 4 others from the barn and felt no heat or pulse in any legs hooves. We did however notice heat in both his shoulders which we attributed to the lesson/work. I also called the vet and he recommended stall rest and bute and see how he was the next day.
• 5/16 (Sunday) MUCH better. Resumed normal schedule and was massaging shoulders with sore no more. Legs/hooves seemed fine.
• 5/17 - 5/18 Noticed more tenderness and put back on stall rest.
• 5/19 (Wednesday) - tenderness seemed to be getting more noticeable again on gravel and sand (not so much on grass). Stall rest again and plan was to call the vet first thing Thursday.
• 5/20 (Thursday) called vet and got appointment for the next day.
• 5/21 (Friday) Got Charlie to the vet and he was still tender. The vet noticed very faint pulse, which I did get to feel and recommended X-rays and metabolic bloodwork which I did. X-rays came back clean; 0 degree rotation in coffin bones and angles and everything were in normal ranges thank goodness. Got some more bute and he is on stall rest until we get the blood work back.
• 5/23 (Sunday) - he was the soundest yet (at the walk on the ground) he trotted a few steps and seemed sound there too but I didnt push it. Had I not been paying as close attention I dont think I would have thought anything was off. He did still have bute in his system.

Today! I am going to see how he is 24 hours post bute before I give him another dose.

It seems like we caught things early and once he gets a clear to go back on pasture, he will be in much more of a dry lot than the pasture he has been in, and the muzzle will stay on until its gets really dried out. He has a portograzer in his stall to extend the hay life. Vet didn’t mention soaking hay but I know that’s an option too.

Any words of wisdom? What should I expect timing wise for recovering out of this? Are there better ways to get back into working him after something like this?

[Simkie]

Awww, poor Charlie. It sounds like you were really on top of things, hopefully this is just a little bump in the road and he feels much better soon.

Some Fjords just cannot tolerate grazing. Even with a muzzle. I’d plan on keeping this one off grass entirely.

[FjordBCRF]

@Simkie I hope so too. I wish I wouldn’t have put him out again on pasture thinking it was a shoulder issue, but at least he was no worse for the wear on his X-rays.

I am very hesitant about any pasture now. He’s a big boy and is only on a handful of beet pulp/flax/CalTrace…still taped at 1079 lbs

[Huntin_Pony]

So sorry that you and Charlie are dealing with this, but GOOD JOB recognizing and addressing the problem right away!

The first thing that leapt to mind is testing the hay if that’s practical. You can use Equi-Analytical in Ithaca, NY. Assuming that your barn gets its loads from one vendor and that they last for at least a few weeks, it would be helpful to know the NSC level both dry and soaked. Equi-Analytical can give you instructions for sampling and shipping. (I have no affiliation with them; just a satisfied customer.)

Also, I give one of my ponies Harmany’s OB Formula. This moved his metabolic panel numbers from “IR” to normal and has kept them there for three years.

Charlie is a lucky boy to have you as his “mom.”

[Weezer]

My insulin resistant ponies spend all summer on Previcox as a preventative and are often on Omega Alpha Antiflam. Those help a lot with the inflammation. I find both of them tend to get a bit foot sore if they are a day over 4 weeks for a trim so I am vigilant about that. Hoof boots also seem to help a lot with tenderness.

I recently converted my field to a very basic “paddock paradise” so they are moving much more and have less grass. This seems to be helping too. Good luck!

[FjordBCRF]

Thank you for the kind words. Im really glad we seemed to catch this very early, but I feel bad for the poor guy

We do test our hay annually (its grown on site), however! Looking at the last report, NSC is listed but with no value. I’ll ask about that for the next go around; this would have been dry only as well I am assuming. Ive got the OB bookmarked, thank you for the suggestion.

[FjordBCRF]

Thank you for sharing what you use for prevention; Ive got these pulled up and bookmarked.

Also worth noting, Charlie has been barefoot since Aug/Sept 2020. I have him in boots when we trail ride but he has been fine without in the arena (sand). I’ve got him in Scoots right now but am going to need to change at some point (another current pain in there rear - they started gouging at his heel bulb once we started more trot/canter work). In any case, I have learned to trim and have a fellow boarder at the barn that is knowledgable in that area that taught me and check my work. The vet was happy with them as well so that was a relief. I trim every 2-3 weeks to keep the boot fit good.

Less grass seems to definitely be in his future!

[OzarksRider]

You’re doing everything exactly right, and your quick attention may well have saved your horse’s life. My horse had laminitis several years ago, and the vet said that one big mistake owners make is to put the horse back to work too soon. The horse gets over the acute attack and seems sound, so the owner puts the horse back to work. But, the laminae are still weak from the inflammation and next thing you know the laminae break down and the coffin bone rotates or sinks. Talk to your vet about how much exercise your horse should be getting and for how long. When my horse was recovering, I didn’t ride him at all for eight or nine months.

Regarding what to feed an easy keeper, my two geldings get hay from summer grasses such as bluestem, bermuda, or teff rather than cool season grasses such as orchardgrass or fescue. I don’t feed any grain other than their forage balancer which is formulated for easy keepers. They are muzzled during the day and stalled at night. This routine works for my horses, but you’ll have to find what works best for your horse and your situation.

I think there’s a very good chance your horse will recover completely. You’re doing everything right and you caught it early. My horse was like yours in that he didn’t have any rotation, and today he’s completely sound. He lives barefoot and I ride him on gravel roads in his hoof boots. Laminitis is a scary disease, and I’m pulling for you.

[FjordBCRF]

@OzarksRider I will definitely be talking to my vet once we get bloodwork back about getting him back into work. I tend to err on the side of caution and would rather be safe than sorry even though I will miss riding him terribly as he has been coming along so well and is so good.

I started some target training with him last year so I picked that up again since it’s something I can do in cross ties or his stall to keep him stimulated. Did you hand walk or anything during recovery time? I am hoping to do more target/trick training (basic stuff) and be able to walk him in the woods a bit if nothing else to keep him engaged.

[FjordBCRF]

One other thing the vet noted was that he has thinner soles; solar depth on both fronts was 0.85 cm and he said 1cm is considered not thin. I also know that it’s hard to tell without a previous baseline. Is there anything I can do to help build that up more?

[OzarksRider]

Target training is a great idea!

Yes, I did hand walking when my horse was recovering. For the first 3 -4 weeks I kept him as quiet as possible. He was stalled at night and in a corral during the day. He became so frustrated at the confinement that he started jumping up and down in place, and I was horrified. Like you, I looked for ways to occupy his mind while keeping him still. I started teaching him some very basic “liberty” work–come to me when I tap my shoulder, back up with a hand signal, stand still with a hand signal. All of that has paid off long term because now he comes to me and follows me around by hand signals without a rope even in very large pastures. As time went on and x-rays were good, I started hand walking him, very short distances at first, just to the house for grooming and then back to his corral. I gradually lengthened the walks until near the end of his recovery we were walking 45 min.-1hr. up and down hills. I don’t know about him, but I was sure getting fit! My point is, there are a lot of things you can do with your horse while he recovers. Like you, I missed riding, but spending time with him during his recovery really strengthened the bond between us.

You mentioned that Charlie is in Scoot boots that don’t seem to fit quite right. My horse is also in Scoots, and I had a little trouble finding the right size at first. The size indicated by the measurements was actually a little too big. I finally ordered some fitting shells and now the boots are a perfect fit. If your boots are gouging the heel bulbs the size may not be right, or Charlie’s feet may not be shaped right for that style of boot. I have also used Cavallos, and I liked those. They were easy to get on and off, but they’re heavier than the Scoots and harder to clean. The Cavallo Treks worked well, but the Cavallo Simple Boots didn’t fit quite right, and I have no idea why not.

[FjordBCRF]

@OzarksRider - That is all really good to hear! I have done a decent amount of groundwork with him since I got him and enjoy it, so at least that should be an option if we have a long time to wait. Did you use treats or just pets and verbal praise? I did use treats last year (low sugar ones) but don’t know that it’s a great idea now.

The Scoots worked really well with more walking and light trotting than they have more trotting and cantering. I think the dynamic movement may play a part. He was also sized back in August last year so his hooves Im sure are shaped differently now than when he was sized after pulling shoes. I board with a couple that is big into endurance and use boots; we just remeasured him and I will likely try a different brand. I think we should be ok with the Scoots now with just hand walking; I hesitant to do much totally barefoot at this point.

[OzarksRider]

Fjordboycharlie, I use roasted salted peanuts in the shell or pretzels for treats. Horses like them and they’re low sugar. Best of all, they’re cheap. I use treats when we’re just doing liberty work for fun. I always give a treat when he loads in the trailer, and boy does he like to get in! I also give a treat when he takes the bit, just because that’s our ritual (he’s always been good about taking the bit without a bribe). I don’t use any treats under saddle and I don’t use treats any more when I go to catch him or for basic groundwork (a horse needs to do basic obedience just because I say so). I know some people don’t ever use treats, but I think judicious use of treats helps a horse enjoy the lesson more. But you do have to be careful not to create a pushy pig.

[greywithchrome]

This group has some great information and knowledgeable people:

main groups.io Group

[PaddockWood]

So sorry to hear you are dealing with the L word! I just watched this webinar on laminitis- time well spent. LOTS of good information.

Educational Webinar on Laminitis with Dr. Debra Taylor

[FjordBCRF]

Thank you!!

[FjordBCRF]

I wanted to update; got our labs back on Friday and everything was normal aside from raised leptin numbers. The vet wasn’t concerned and said that it essentially an indicator that he’s fat (which we know). So I think that’s all pretty good.

The plan moving forward is fat camp, we’d like to get 100 pounds off him. Moving forward, Im going to work him up to daytime turnout at 30 minute, muzzled increments, in a small lot that doesn’t have good grass. Once were good at a couple hours, I will have him out for 6-7 hours tops. He has pretty much had free access to hay, and that is going to get cut to just a couple flakes a day. I have worried about ulcers in the past with a more unnatural diet (not that he is prone or leads a stressful life), but I think that is a trade off that needs to be made at this point.

I ordered the Portagrazer pan with the smallest holes to slow down the little hay he will have and ordered CalTrace Plus instead of the regular since that is suppose to help laminitis recovery. Im going to start putting Keratex hoof hardener on (I did this when we pulled shoes), to help with any residual ouchies, though that has improved dramatically. I am also considering a stall toy that I can toss some alfalfa pellets in to engage him a bit.

The vet said that once he seems sound I can ride him at a walk, then a walk/trot, if he’s ok with that, a longer hack, and if he’s ok with that get him back to work. I am erring more on the conservative side and am planning to give him June off and get him into his new routine and heal. If all seems well for a while, then I’d consider light work come July, but he may get that off too. I just don’t want to push anything too fast, I want to be able to have him around and enjoy riding him for a long time.

[OzarksRider]

That’s all great news and you’ve got a sound plan going forward. I think you’re wise to take your time putting Charlie back to work. You won’t do any harm by going slow, but going too fast could cause a relapse.

[FjordBCRF]

@Huntin_Pony How long would you guess the bag of OB Formula last for one horse?

[Huntin_Pony]

The short answer is about 50 days at the maintenance dose level.

I want to qualify that answer a little bit since I know these threads live for a long time. My pony’s case was similar to yours, as I understand it. He foundered but we caught it early and he recovered well, with no rotation. He has been back in full work for a couple of years now. He has been on the OB at the maintenance level since the episode.

We ran a metabolic panel on him a few weeks after the episode and the levels were in the IR range per the lab report: Insulin was 48, Leptin 20. He was on the OB beginning shortly after the episode and continued on it since. Two months later: Insulin 27, Leptin 7.

From my limited knowledge as a layperson, some improvement in these levels is to be expected. I don’t know how much to attribute to the OB and other feed changes (lower-NSC hay, for instance) but the result has been a healthy horse. I am so grateful for that.