[novicesmallholder]

Hi all,

have a 8 year old Welsh section b pony amongst 2 others

We have gone barefoot with our horses recently.

Our pony seemed to be showing signs of laminitis last week (sore feet) so we have put a grazing muzzle on her as we have no stables/shelters at present.

Cut down on her grass intake and her feet seem less sore (almost back to normal), but she seems to have the shivers and seems a bit depressed and just seen a yellow discharge down her nostrils. She is also looking forward to/eating her bucket feed ok.

Looked at symptoms for strangles, grass sickness and laminitis, seems she has a few symptoms from all of them, but not all for one.


Any ideas anyone,

Louise and Mark

[AlexInLincs]

hi there,

We are also quite new to smallholding and have 2 mini shetland ponies and a standard shetland. We have had one of our minis start with lami. A phone call to an equine vet proved very helpful. They didn't feel a need to come and visit and made no charge for their time and advice. We have also had the farrier out to the ponies. He advised that we cut the area that they were allowed to graze to an absolute minimum and fed with additional hay. Also we have read that tit-bits (including carrots) are very high in sugar and should not be given to a pony with lami.
 

[egglady]

you could also soak the hay so that it has even less sugars.  other than what's already been said, I'd advise to increase exercise.  i always remember being told years ago that you never see a school pony with laminitis and i reckon that's true...easier said than done though i know!

[Hermit]

Laminitis is not a disease in itself but a symptom of other problems.You are right to be concerned about the other symtoms.If you are worried call a vet.

[Hellybee]

The mucu ounds like a bit of an infection and i would speak to the vet see if they can give you some powders.

If they have gone barefoot recently sore feet could be indictive of bruised soles, if your fields have dried up like ours have, that would nt help matters.

Is there a raised digital pulse?  What is pony stance like when you ask her/him to walk forward.  Is there prounounced lameness or is pony "pottery" in its  movement if trotted out.  Did farrier see anything unsual when trimmed, blood in the laminae or the likes. 
 
Personally id always go to the farrier for advice if need be, before the vet when its anything to do with the foot or the like s of lami.

Feed last years hay and soak (which may be a good idea anyway if pony has a bit of respiratory infection) and make sure that they have a supplement/balancer to get all vits and mins, topspec anti lam is very good   can be fed on its own.

I got a few Bs, hows yours bred if you dont ind me asking? 

[sabrina]

Like the others pony could have an infection so I would get the advice on this from the vet. As for the foot problem it is far better to use electric tape to fence off a small area as a grazing mask cannot be left on 24 hours. if you suspect lamintis again get the vet as quick action can save long term damage.

[novicesmallholder]

Cheers,

vet has come and poor girl, has been suffering from laminitis, but had caught it early, so recovering, also had a viral infection which she would have normally fought off - if she had not been fighting off laminitis. Plenty bed rest and reduced grazing for a few weeks now.
Every time we get a vet out it just re-enforces why there are no skint vets!! £££££££££££££££££

Mark

[Hardfeather]

Yellow nasal discharge is usually a secondary bacterial infection. The virus stresses the immune system and the bacteria get a hold.

On the subject of laminitis...there are many reasons for it, and not all are nutrition-related.

Certainly concussion shock to the feet may cause laminitis, and newly barefoot horses may be susceptible, due to hard ground. Fat, barefoot horses are more at risk of concussive injury.

Also, pain in one forefoot may cause excess strain to be put on the opposite foot and laminitis may result.

Some horses may present with laminitis due to an allergic reaction to anthelmintics, such as wormers, or oestrogens and androgens in the case of endocrine imbalance (ie insufficiency or excess of particular hormones). So, a high oestrogen content in pasture may be causative.

Post parturition retention of part or all of the placenta will certainly cause laminitis, and is a very serious condition caused by metritis septicaemia.

Laminitis itself is inflammation of the sensitive laminae of the foot, but the initial pain is caused by the disturbance of blood flow, resulting in an inadequate supply. Damage to the cells, caused by insufficient oxygen and nutrients reaching them, causes them to sustain damage and to die off. The damage to the cells brings about inflammation. Prostaglandins are released in response, and pain is the result.  Any swelling is obstructed by the hoof wall, contributing to the pain.

This is acute laminitis, and the clinical signs are hot feet, a bounding pulse (detected at the inside and outside of the fetlock joint), and the pony’s inclination to rock back on its heels in attempts to keep the weight off its toes. Its hind feet are kept forward and under the body.

The important things now are to alleviate the pain, and this can be done with drugs, and to increase the blood flow within the hoof.

However, damage to the cells can cause breakdown between the sensitive and the insensitive laminae, allowing the pedal bone to rotate, aided by the upward pull of the deep digital flexor tendon which attaches to its rear surface , and this may cause the toe of the pedal bone to penetrate the sole of the hoof. Animals  with acute laminitis require sole support, and a sand or peat surface is helpful, as is a large enough area to allow some movement of the animal to aid blood flow to and from the foot.

Chronic laminitis accompanies flat or convex soles due to some degree of rotation of the pedal bone, and some level of lameness persists. Such cases require careful and constant management by vet, farrier, and owner. Prognosis can be complicated and recovery lengthy.

[sabrina]

You know your Stuff,