my cousins pony silver has laminitis , she thought he looked woobly on his legs yesterday morning and then when she was trying to bring him out of stable his legs nearly went from under him so they called the vet and he said it was laminitis

i know a bit about it but could someone who knows about horses tell me more so i can fill my aunt in

silver is gone to vets for two weeks as my aunt is gone to kefelonia today so he will be in good hands

any advice grealty appreciated

georgina

Many small ponies or good doers get laminitis from eating too much spring and summer grass or too many oats.  In the old days it used to be called "founder" (that is showing my age) :D.  You can tell by looking at ponies they "point their toes in their front hooves and push the hind ones out at the back and they look very "pottery" cos their feet are red hot; if you think about the hoof there is no way to relieve the heat as there is no "outlet" for it :(

Endotoxins are produced in the body (similar to those found in poor commercial dog foods) and inflame the laminae (horny layer) of the hoof, which become deprived of oxygen, and cause swelling and separation of hoof; in severe cases the pedal bone can drop right through the sole and/or rotate.

Generally ponies are put into starvation paddocks or boxed, their feet hosed and anti inflammatory and painkilling drugs given.

If the damage is severe special shoeing may be required like a heartbar shoe.

Once ponies have had it they are prone to get it again and so you need to watch the diet carefully.

Its actually still called "founder"...a pony is known as "foundering" when the pedal bone rotates and drops through the hoof causing all sorts of damage :(

We also no longer hose laminitic ponies. Affected ponies should be immediately moved to a deep bed where they can either lie down (if bad) or the shavings can help the pony take the weight off the affected areas. Laminitis is a killer so its important to move the pony from grass immediately and Bute and ACP should be given by the vet. Its also important to get an accurate assessment of what damage has occured with the pedal bone rotation before anything else is done with the pony. Your farrier is sometimes the best bet to assess the pony and fit special support shoes if needed. Ad lib haylage (low sugar high fibre one - the vet will advise amounts if Ad lib is not allowed) can be given with Dengie Hi-Fi lite.

Laminitis IS a killer - it is a deadly disease. Prevention is found in:

Watching ponies weight - fat ponies most at risk
Watching the grass intake - sunny days following rain are the worst as the sugars come out in the grass
Short grass is sometimes worse than long grass because of the new shoots coming though - but long grass is also bad because of the amount the horse can eat...therefore laminitic ponies should be kept in starvation paddocks - but not starved - fed hay.

First signs - weigh shifting, pottering, backward stance, lameness...

Good site: http://www.laminitis.org

You can also give a supplement to help - Founderguard is a good one I believe - and a lack of Magnesium is also linked to laminitis.

Good luck.

thank you really appreciate it silver is gone up to pony clinic why owners are gone on holidays my cousin lisa was in tears today leaving him because she thought he was going to die but he is in good hands 24 hr watch for next few weeks

georgina

My daughter has been looking after my pony, Heaven, for 2 years now.
while she was on holiday and I had her kids I got a message that the pony, whom I thought she had arranged care for, had laminitis.
I hadn't seen Heaven for almost 18 months.
When I went to look at her she didn't have laminitis at all. She is 'fat' and heading that way but no way is she laminitic.
There is no 'heat' in her feet, although they did need trimmed. Done now.
She is walking, trotting and in deed galloping if she thinks I want her to come in.
No way would she even walk if she had laminitis.
Even so , because she is 'fat' I have brought her in every day and only put her out at night.
Laminitis is obvious. Just by looking at the psoition of the hooves.
I'm lucky. I found out quickly enough. I have no doubt that although I thought I could trust my daughter to look after my pony I was wrong.
If this person had not brought it to my attention I would have had a laminitic pony to contend with.
If caught soon enough it is easy enough to treat with Bute and careful grazing, very little. It can kill, in the worse neglected cases.
My pony is now back in my care where I know she will receive the utmost care. Even if I do have to travek a 36mile round trip everyday to take care of her.
Good luck for your pony he should be fine it's not very often a pony is lost to laminitis today.

Thats interesting... I was told that an early stages laminitic pony can still gallop and trot etc, and thats when the early damage can occur. I was also told that heat in the foot is not a good indicator - better to get used to feeling your horses digital pulse and noticing any changes in that and looking for shifting of weight and the typical laminitc stance - which occurs much later in the progression of the disease.

My farrier was out to 7 laminitics last week and 2 were PTS. I don't think you should underestimate how dangerous this disease is. I did a lot of research and had a lot of conversations with my vet recently when one of mine has suspected laminitis. This disease is a killer.

I used to loook after a laminitic pony .She was a welsh type who was a very good doer and as soon as the spring pasture came she was put into the starvation paddock.She could still gallop when in the early stages ,the earliest sign being she would stand with her hind feet tucked underneath her and would walk with a stiff,stilted gait.
Archer

My old Pony (also called Silver :)) was prone to laminitis - but careful management prevented him having an attack whilst in my care - as soon as the weather indicated it, he was moved to a starvation paddock (which he would escape from frequently - I used to blame the kids using the yard, until I watched him lift the bar and slide it across himself, using his neck, and step out over the lower pole !! :))  It can be a killer - but it is also manageable.

Hope your Silver makes a full recovery {{{{{{hugs}}}}}}}}