OK, before I go on to any other answers … I should admit that I just had one hoof Xrayed last week. It was one of his hind feet which I suspected had an injury from a long time ago. The vet was unable to find anything really serious, but did see mild pedal osteitis. Now that I’m having more time to read up on that, it sure seems to fit this horse’s story.
He’s had chronically thin soles, flat footed, and his environment has been one which allows him to run wherever the he wants with acres to roam, a fairly big herd, and him being herd boss. If laminitis and\or chronic bruising of the coffin bone from too little sole cushion (pedal osteitis) are both part of his story, then my decision to move him last week to a much smaller barn with smaller herd and smaller pastures, and give him the winter off while continuing shoing with cushion supports, may all help him.
I will definitely be getting Xrays of the front feet soon. I was planning to get thru 3 cycles of shoes, per vet recommendation, before doing another set. That should get us to about January or so. If he continues to have laminitic-like episodes while at this new smaller facility and with shoes & equipak cushinging in place, then I will have those X-rays done sooner rather than later.
Now, back to some answers …
Laminae - Stressed and stretched, some separation. Not bloody.
Injury of withers, shoulders - This was one of the most recent suggestions by his current vet. After this last bout, she suggested our next step might be to test him again for insulin resistence, and then possibly pursue the full body imaging necessary to diagnose something like kissing spine. This horse did have significantly atrophied shoulder when purchased in 2012. That was missed during pre-purchase exam, and attempts to contact the seller and breeder went unanswered. Four years later, I can still see some difference between the two shoulders, but you have to really look for it. So I’ve always suspected maybe he had a shoulder injury as a colt.
Tying up, Part I - Is it possible to have a tying up episode with no physical exertion involved? This last laminitic episode occurred more than six weeks after the last time he was ridden, and 8 days after being trailered for a 1 hour round trip and shod. At the time it happened, he was in a paddock with other horses where there isn’t enough room to get up a good canter. He’s also herd boss and no changes to herd lately, so it’s not likely that he was chased around or doing chasing around to the point of real exertion.
Tying up, Part II - He was tested very thoroughly in early 2015. The university vet school kept him for four days and some of the testing involved ptuting him on a hot walker and monitoring muscle enzymes before, during, and after exercise. However, that was now more than 18 months ago, his first laminitic-like episode was in June of 2016.
PSSM\EPSM - While drafts in general are predisposed, it’s very rare in Clydesdales. I was advised that based on this horse’s symptoms, genetics, and history, that it was not worth pursuing the muscle biopsy. See two paragraphs above where they did some testing that should have identified muscle-related problems.
Weather change - These episodes have not coincided with weather change, but I would say they have generally coincided with some form of stress. Until the very last one which is why I’m writing … I don’t know what the heck brought this one on. No stress, no riding, no walking on hard surfaces. Not even out to pasture where he might have been thundering around and bruising his soles.
Diet - Two quarts of safe choice with a concoction of supplements that include Vitamin E, Hoof Supplement, Red Cell, and in summer months an electrolyte. Access to round-bale hay 24/7.
Journal - I’ve been keeping one of the big stuff, not thought to include weatehr factors yet. Thanks for the suggestion.
ACTH - January 2015, baseline was 13.3pg/ML
Bloodwork - I’ve had oodles of bloodwork taken in the past. The two things I have usually heard were “markers for inflammation” and “anemic.” Red Cell has helped address the anemia, but I’m aware that it’s just kind of putting a bandaid on something without knowing the root cause. His lifestyle does not suggest ulcers, but battling worms has been an issue, with frequent positive egg counts in spite of frequent dewormings with a good rotation plan. The most recent bloodwork was done a month ago (along with the Dex suppression test for Cushings), and it was good. No concern about inflammation or anemia. So I thought we were doing well … but this is the first laminitic-like episode since that bloodwork was done and getting shoes.
sigh thanks everyone!
In summary -
-Have changed his environment drastically
-He will be getting lots of time off this winter
-Will get Xrays at the very LEAST after his third set of shoes, but sooner if he has another incident
-If another incident, will do bloodwork again and will consider testing for insulin resistence again
I think it’s beneficial at this point to know how thin the soles are (because flat soles are very often thinner), and exactly how his bony column lines up. It’s possible he’s got a traveling bone chip or 2, maybe some navicular issues (which can cause intermittent lameness), some pedal osteitis from the flat soles, etc.