Post by Admin on Aug 4, 2005 10:46:48 GMT 1
Subject : Who has experienced stress induced Laminitis?
From : Karen(with alex)
Date : 10.11.04 10:34:00 PM
Alex came in from the paddock on Saturday and really struggled through the gate as he has to come through heaps of thick mud. He has started to go into total panic and looks like he is fighting for his life (terrified). You can see him start to panic the minute he steps off the concrete and starts to sink, also when he knows he has to come in at an evening once again he starts to anticipate the mud and get in a tiss!!!!!. On reflection i put this down to him not being able to gain momentum with his broken neck as the other 2 just wade through effortless. Sunday morning on arrival at the stables Alex could hardly put one foot in front of the other and looked very uncomfortable so i put the others out and decided that he had pulled something and would box rest him. By Tuesday there was no improvement so i sent for the vets but was told they needed to see him in daylight hours. The vet came this afternoon and would you believe it he has Laminitis through stress, vet said either the fireworks could have caused it or his total fear of sinking in the mud !!! (so nothing to do with his neck !!)The vet tested his front hoof and as she put pressure on one it bled quite badly, she also felt the pulse underneath his fetlock. I keep blaming myself for forcing him to go out and cant believe that my 16'1" part arab who can normally pig out on as much spring grass as he wants, has now come down with Laminitis due to stress.
Left my boy tonight with his foot all dressed and all dosed up on bute. I feel soooooo guilty. Has anyone else heard of it being stress related also now he has Laminitis does this mean that he will be at risk when grazing in the spring
?
Subject : re:- Who has experienced stress induced Laminitis?
From :
Date : 10.11.04 10:52:00 PM
Veronica had this happen to April because of firework stress. She will probably see this soon.
Subject : re:- Who has experienced stress induced Laminitis?
From : Lorraine L
Date : 10.11.04 10:53:00 PM
Hi Karen,
I have only experience from ponies which have suffered from Laminitis as a result of being 'metabolically changelled' so cannot help you I'm afraid.
Veronica had a pony who became laminitic after bonfire night last year and mine certainly needed watching this year as they were not at all settled !
Just to wish Alex a speedy recovery and I am sure that a stress induced lamintis would not bring on grass laminitis later (although I could be wrong !! )
Take care and all the best.
Subject : re:- Who has experienced stress induced Laminitis?
From : Thistle
Date : 11.11.04 8:55:00 AM
I have a pony who had severs laminitis (9.5 degrees rotation) due to fireworks 2 years ago (not bonfire night, the half wit who lives opposite let them off at 11pm after a wedding!!)
He now is at risk of all kinds of laminitis and has to have restricted grazing. The good news is he is back in work, jumping etc, all barefoot with no hoof ridges or any other signs. When at his worst the vet advised me for 3 weeks that he should be pts, but I kept giving him a 2nd, 3rd, and 4th chance.
Subject : re:- Who has experienced stress induced Laminitis?
From : Wild Thing
Date : 11.11.04 9:01:00 AM
It is a little late now but could you use a carpet on top of th emud to bring him in in future, it might help give him a little confidence.
T
x
Subject : re:- Who has experienced stress induced Laminitis?
From : Friendly Native
Date : 11.11.04 9:05:00 AM
Hi Karen, yes it is only so true stress is one of the major causes of Laminitis most people think it is Obesity and grass which of course is also a major factor however stress is an absolute 'bu**er, my Laminitic had another bout because a large tractor was trimming the Yolandie(sp) trees opposite his stable, yet the farmers tractor he takes no notice of at all. Thinking of you and Alex with this debilitating desease. FN*
Subject : re:- Who has experienced stress induced Laminitis?
From : Karen (with alex)
Date : 11.11.04 9:09:00 AM
I know what your saying Tracy but the mud is really about a foot deep as the stable yard is at the bottom of fields and it all drains. The carpet will just sink and disappear in the gunge. I think i am going to have to put a fence round the yard and just let him mooch about on the concrete with all the stable doors open. He will be able to see Willow and Soli in the paddock from the back windows in the stables so i dont think he will stress as long as he see's them. Other than that i really dont know...............
Subject : re:- Who has experienced stress induced Laminitis?
From : Veronica F
Date : 11.11.04 9:12:00 AM
Hi Karen,sorry to hear that, yes this has happend to me with one of mine, it wasn't April it was Zulu last year with the fireworks,November the 5th last year, I found her unable to move in the morning,luckly I spotted the signs straight away gave her bute and called my farrier out straight away who came and put heartbar shoes on her without a thought, then had vet who gave her loads of injections
because it was confimed stress that had caused it it was thought not a very good idea to put her on box rest as she isn't very good at being stabled so we made a penned area around her field shelter in her field, it took me ages to get her better
at times I didn't think e would get her well again as she had full blown lamnitis
of course this year I was so worried and nervous that the same would happen again
but luckly although she was wide eyed and a bit stressed I was able to keep her calm with eating horsehage, staying with her, and leaving lights on.and we got through it
Last year was the first time she had ever been bothered by fireworks and she is 18 years old, but on what we can work out is one firework must have come just a bit too close to her, must have landed in her field last year, we did find signs of that, also that night a year ago there was such a bang I thought my windows were going to blow out
so thats what happend, I am hapy to say though that she has fully recovered now, even with her hoofs being back to being nearly perfect again,and out 24/7
sending you lots of positive thoughts and hugs that your boy gets better real soon love Vxxx
Subject : re:- Who has experienced stress induced Laminitis?
From : Karen (with alex)
Date : 11.11.04 9:13:00 AM
Friendly Native, what do you have to do when your pony gets this from stress and how long does it suffer for?? Alex looks so sorry for himself this morning and i just cant believe that i might have to start strip grazing him !!!!! as is he hasnt got enough to contend with (sob)
Subject : re:- Who has experienced stress induced Laminitis?
From : Karen(with alex)
Date : 11.11.04 9:19:00 AM
V, When Zulu had it you said that you put her on bute straight away and i feel so damn guilty as i had some bute but was convinced it was his neck and thought i better not give him bute to mask the pain till the vet saw him !!! i just hope i havnt done more damage to him by leaving him 4 days (stupid stupid me!!) just feeling really sorry for myself today and rather c**p
Subject : re:- Who has experienced stress induced Laminitis?
From : Diane with Pie and Jubilee
Date : 11.11.04 9:25:00 AM
I have experienced this but the outcome of my case was not good. My daughters show pony was in a field on his own with others right by him. An irresponsible owner turned her mad section A out with Boston and he booted the hell out of him through the night. When I got down there the next day Boston was on his knees crippled. Despite every effort, being shod using xrays and specially made shoes, 4 weekly trips to Walmsleys in Liphook and finally being treated by Robert Eustace in Wiltshire, after 8 months his pedal bone pierced his soles and we had to have him PTS. He was however, an extreme case and we just couldn't reduce his stress levels not matter what. According to all the vets that treated him, it is rare that a horse can't be brought under control with stress laminitis.
Good luck with yours and keep us informed.
Di
xx
Subject : re:- Who has experienced stress induced Laminitis?
From : Wild Thing
Date : 11.11.04 9:26:00 AM
What a bummer Karen, a pen round his stable sounds a good idea. Did the vet mention frog supports, when Dickie Bix came back to me he had severe laminitis and I made him some frog supports and they REALLY helped.
I saw when I was in the vets that you can buy proper ones now. Put a radio on for him to keep him company and he will be fine.
Good Luck
Tracy
x
Subject : re:- Who has experienced stress induced Laminitis?
From :
Date : 11.11.04 9:28:00 AM
Hi Karen,
I don't know much about stress induced laminitis I'm afraid, but I'm not sure it makes them more prone to other types of lami. My friends horse had laminitis through taking steroids, but doesn't seem to be affected by spring grass - although she is carful just in case!
It may have been his neck that caused him to worry in the first place and then it just escalated. It's not your fault, don't feel guilty, we all do what we think is right and we can do no more than our best. He has you to take care of him now and see him through this, so put any guilt thoughts to one side and concentrate on getting through this. You recognised that he wasn't right and have hopefully caught this early on. Be positive, get him and you through this and then work on solutions for the mud fear.
Subject : re:- Who has experienced stress induced Laminitis?
From : Karen(with alex)
Date : 11.11.04 9:30:00 AM
I asked the vet if i should put his shoes back on as he had them taken off 8 weeks ago as i had decided not to ride him anymore but the vet said it wouldnt make any difference? I AM SO CONFUSED. Thanks for all your posts everyone, Di your story is so tragic, so sorry xxxx
Subject : re:- Who has experienced stress induced Laminitis?
From : Veronica F
Date : 11.11.04 9:31:00 AM
Ahh don't feel quilty Karen, in fact I done the wrong thing because when I done that no one could feel the diffrence in her pulse as it had calmed it down and it was treating her blind just on what I was saying to the vet and farrier, luckly they trusted what I had seen in her before I gave her the bute and they went about treating her for lamnitis, of course once the bute wore off a bit they could see they were right in treating her for lamnitis too, so don't feel bad
your doing everything you can for him
lamnitis is a real horrible thing and no matter how they get it its soul distroying and makes you feel soul distroyed
so don't feel bad, its normal emtions your going through, I felt the same at the time and do every time April has it as well
so chin up , and keep strong and positive you will get him better and well
lots of love Vxx
Subject : re:- Who has experienced stress induced Laminitis?
From : Friendly Native
Date : 11.11.04 9:50:00 AM
Hi Karen, With my 'Boy' he was already on boxrest for Laminitis anyway but was recovering nicely!!! he was on Bute and Acp's he now has the EDSS system fitted which I'm sure Alex would not need it really is just trying to keep them in a calm environment and patience with stress induced Lammi I am sure Alex will be fine. FN*
Subject : re:- Who has experienced stress induced Laminitis?
From :
Date : 11.11.04 9:52:00 AM
EDSS system! whats that?
Subject : re:- Who has experienced stress induced Laminitis?
From :
Date : 11.11.04 11:10:00 AM
Anyone know?
Subject : re:- Who has experienced stress induced Laminitis?
From : Friendly Native
Date : 11.11.04 11:17:00 AM
EDSS system is Equine Digital Support System it is a form of remeidial shoeing, very costly indeed. FN*
Subject : re:- Who has experienced stress induced Laminitis?
From : ginah
Date : 11.11.04 11:28:00 AM
Yes, Doris had a mild episode last year on 6th November.
Subject : re:- Who has experienced stress induced Laminitis?
From :
Date : 11.11.04 11:32:00 AM
My horse had traumatic laminitis four years ago with his previous owner, which was apparently caused by stress.
was rested and had egg bars fitted and then came sound. But retired from dressage competitition. Mine is out on quite lush grass in summer and has not suffered laminitis as I wondered if it would make him prone to laminitis through too much grass.
Subject : re:- Who has experienced stress induced Laminitis?
From : Anony_mouse
Date : 11.11.04 11:42:00 AM
Hi Karen, you poor thing and your poor horse!
Sadly stress induced laminitis is coming increasingly common and what is worrying is that it wasn't really heard of years ago and so many horses have suffered from it and have been treated with the usual traditional approach of box rest, which in some cases has only heightened the stress and worsened the laminitis and healing process.
But, the great thing is that now it is becoming more apparent that the mind and body are interlinked and that stress has major affects on the physiology of the body, vets are now adopting more holistic approaches to treatment, as opposed to just giving ACP, Bute and telling you to lock them up. SOME vets and i emphasise the word SOME.. are now seeing past the traditional approaches to the causes i.e. dietary induced and mechanically induced and this is great for the horse and perhaps we may see the number of deaths related to laminitis reduced??! hopefully! Also, with the amount of remedial farriers and other ways of barefooting, shoeing.. there are many options for supporting the laminae when the laminitis occurs.
umm.. i have not experienced stress induced laminitis with my own horses (which is a good thing).. but, have seen and looked into the causality and links with stress.
I think your primary objectives are to support the laminae via a correctly balanced foot - i.e. not long in the toe..
Keep your horse as calm as possible.. make sure he can adequately socialise with his friends.. if the vet has advised box rest could you stable a companion next door?? or if you can give a little fence area where he can have some movement and interaction in the field?
A friend who is into the Natural Animal Centre has mentioned that they now have a vet working with them at the centre to treat animals suffering from conditions which are stress induced... worth a try?
Hope this is some sort of help and comfort!
x
Subject : re:- Who has experienced stress induced Laminitis?
From : CatherineB
Date : 11.11.04 11:50:00 AM
Hi Karen
You say he'd only had his shoes off for 8 weeks. This isn't a very long time for the feet to harden up, especially if you've not been working him.
Are your fields very wet?? The amount of mud you mention makes it sound as though they could be. In that case the water would have softened the feet and make them even less hardy.
When my horse first went barefoot it was a very wet time of year and the fields were very muddy. My horse also seemed very reluctant to walk in the the mud and I think that the pressure of the mud on his feet was quite painful. It sounds as though it could have been the same for Alex which might have been why he was so stressy about it. I would have thought this is a much more likely cause of the foot pain than stress and it might be worth discussing with your vet.
Laminitis is literally "inflammation of the laminae" and at a basic level can be caused by pressure on the laminae caused by a weak white line connection (due to wet weather, bacterial/fungal infection - all very typical at some level in horses in the UK due to the climate). Just allowing the horse's feet to dry out in a concrete yard could well make a huge difference to him.
Obviously as I haven't seen your horse I'm guessing but from what you've said this is certainly plausible. If I'm right then you shouldn't need to worry in the future. If you intend to keep him barefoot then have a look at www.barefoothorse.com about trimming to optimise the white line connection and minimisng the chances of this happening in the future
Fingers crossed it all improves quickly
Catherine
Subject : re:- Who has experienced stress induced Laminitis?
From : Karen (with alex)
Date : 11.11.04 11:58:00 AM
Anony mouse, I cant understand why my vet has told me to leave him with his shoes off?
Alex is such a good boy and really wouldnt be bothered if he just lived in his box (he is like a dog!) and loves human company. There is no way i can get him to the field without the dreaded foot of mud (there is no other way to enter. All 3 horses have stables with grill bars to see each other when they are all stabled and an extra window at the back which he would be able to see the other horses grazing in the winter paddock. I just feel like he has been through enough in his short life and this is just one more blow to the stomach. I will fix tempery fencing round the yard on saturday but really he doesnt need it as he will only go to the edge of the concrete anyway and you would think there was a 100ft drop past that the way he looks and snorts at the mud (bless him) thanks for all your kind feedback xx
From : Karen(with alex)
Date : 10.11.04 10:34:00 PM
Alex came in from the paddock on Saturday and really struggled through the gate as he has to come through heaps of thick mud. He has started to go into total panic and looks like he is fighting for his life (terrified). You can see him start to panic the minute he steps off the concrete and starts to sink, also when he knows he has to come in at an evening once again he starts to anticipate the mud and get in a tiss!!!!!. On reflection i put this down to him not being able to gain momentum with his broken neck as the other 2 just wade through effortless. Sunday morning on arrival at the stables Alex could hardly put one foot in front of the other and looked very uncomfortable so i put the others out and decided that he had pulled something and would box rest him. By Tuesday there was no improvement so i sent for the vets but was told they needed to see him in daylight hours. The vet came this afternoon and would you believe it he has Laminitis through stress, vet said either the fireworks could have caused it or his total fear of sinking in the mud !!! (so nothing to do with his neck !!)The vet tested his front hoof and as she put pressure on one it bled quite badly, she also felt the pulse underneath his fetlock. I keep blaming myself for forcing him to go out and cant believe that my 16'1" part arab who can normally pig out on as much spring grass as he wants, has now come down with Laminitis due to stress.
Left my boy tonight with his foot all dressed and all dosed up on bute. I feel soooooo guilty. Has anyone else heard of it being stress related also now he has Laminitis does this mean that he will be at risk when grazing in the spring
? Subject : re:- Who has experienced stress induced Laminitis?
From :
Date : 10.11.04 10:52:00 PM
Veronica had this happen to April because of firework stress. She will probably see this soon.
Subject : re:- Who has experienced stress induced Laminitis?
From : Lorraine L
Date : 10.11.04 10:53:00 PM
Hi Karen,
I have only experience from ponies which have suffered from Laminitis as a result of being 'metabolically changelled' so cannot help you I'm afraid.
Veronica had a pony who became laminitic after bonfire night last year and mine certainly needed watching this year as they were not at all settled !
Just to wish Alex a speedy recovery and I am sure that a stress induced lamintis would not bring on grass laminitis later (although I could be wrong !! )
Take care and all the best.
Subject : re:- Who has experienced stress induced Laminitis?
From : Thistle
Date : 11.11.04 8:55:00 AM
I have a pony who had severs laminitis (9.5 degrees rotation) due to fireworks 2 years ago (not bonfire night, the half wit who lives opposite let them off at 11pm after a wedding!!)
He now is at risk of all kinds of laminitis and has to have restricted grazing. The good news is he is back in work, jumping etc, all barefoot with no hoof ridges or any other signs. When at his worst the vet advised me for 3 weeks that he should be pts, but I kept giving him a 2nd, 3rd, and 4th chance.
Subject : re:- Who has experienced stress induced Laminitis?
From : Wild Thing
Date : 11.11.04 9:01:00 AM
It is a little late now but could you use a carpet on top of th emud to bring him in in future, it might help give him a little confidence.
T
x
Subject : re:- Who has experienced stress induced Laminitis?
From : Friendly Native
Date : 11.11.04 9:05:00 AM
Hi Karen, yes it is only so true stress is one of the major causes of Laminitis most people think it is Obesity and grass which of course is also a major factor however stress is an absolute 'bu**er, my Laminitic had another bout because a large tractor was trimming the Yolandie(sp) trees opposite his stable, yet the farmers tractor he takes no notice of at all. Thinking of you and Alex with this debilitating desease. FN*
Subject : re:- Who has experienced stress induced Laminitis?
From : Karen (with alex)
Date : 11.11.04 9:09:00 AM
I know what your saying Tracy but the mud is really about a foot deep as the stable yard is at the bottom of fields and it all drains. The carpet will just sink and disappear in the gunge. I think i am going to have to put a fence round the yard and just let him mooch about on the concrete with all the stable doors open. He will be able to see Willow and Soli in the paddock from the back windows in the stables so i dont think he will stress as long as he see's them. Other than that i really dont know...............
Subject : re:- Who has experienced stress induced Laminitis?
From : Veronica F
Date : 11.11.04 9:12:00 AM
Hi Karen,sorry to hear that, yes this has happend to me with one of mine, it wasn't April it was Zulu last year with the fireworks,November the 5th last year, I found her unable to move in the morning,luckly I spotted the signs straight away gave her bute and called my farrier out straight away who came and put heartbar shoes on her without a thought, then had vet who gave her loads of injections
because it was confimed stress that had caused it it was thought not a very good idea to put her on box rest as she isn't very good at being stabled so we made a penned area around her field shelter in her field, it took me ages to get her better
at times I didn't think e would get her well again as she had full blown lamnitis
of course this year I was so worried and nervous that the same would happen again
but luckly although she was wide eyed and a bit stressed I was able to keep her calm with eating horsehage, staying with her, and leaving lights on.and we got through it
Last year was the first time she had ever been bothered by fireworks and she is 18 years old, but on what we can work out is one firework must have come just a bit too close to her, must have landed in her field last year, we did find signs of that, also that night a year ago there was such a bang I thought my windows were going to blow out
so thats what happend, I am hapy to say though that she has fully recovered now, even with her hoofs being back to being nearly perfect again,and out 24/7
sending you lots of positive thoughts and hugs that your boy gets better real soon love Vxxx
Subject : re:- Who has experienced stress induced Laminitis?
From : Karen (with alex)
Date : 11.11.04 9:13:00 AM
Friendly Native, what do you have to do when your pony gets this from stress and how long does it suffer for?? Alex looks so sorry for himself this morning and i just cant believe that i might have to start strip grazing him !!!!! as is he hasnt got enough to contend with (sob)
Subject : re:- Who has experienced stress induced Laminitis?
From : Karen(with alex)
Date : 11.11.04 9:19:00 AM
V, When Zulu had it you said that you put her on bute straight away and i feel so damn guilty as i had some bute but was convinced it was his neck and thought i better not give him bute to mask the pain till the vet saw him !!! i just hope i havnt done more damage to him by leaving him 4 days (stupid stupid me!!) just feeling really sorry for myself today and rather c**p
Subject : re:- Who has experienced stress induced Laminitis?
From : Diane with Pie and Jubilee
Date : 11.11.04 9:25:00 AM
I have experienced this but the outcome of my case was not good. My daughters show pony was in a field on his own with others right by him. An irresponsible owner turned her mad section A out with Boston and he booted the hell out of him through the night. When I got down there the next day Boston was on his knees crippled. Despite every effort, being shod using xrays and specially made shoes, 4 weekly trips to Walmsleys in Liphook and finally being treated by Robert Eustace in Wiltshire, after 8 months his pedal bone pierced his soles and we had to have him PTS. He was however, an extreme case and we just couldn't reduce his stress levels not matter what. According to all the vets that treated him, it is rare that a horse can't be brought under control with stress laminitis.
Good luck with yours and keep us informed.
Di
xx
Subject : re:- Who has experienced stress induced Laminitis?
From : Wild Thing
Date : 11.11.04 9:26:00 AM
What a bummer Karen, a pen round his stable sounds a good idea. Did the vet mention frog supports, when Dickie Bix came back to me he had severe laminitis and I made him some frog supports and they REALLY helped.
I saw when I was in the vets that you can buy proper ones now. Put a radio on for him to keep him company and he will be fine.
Good Luck
Tracy
x
Subject : re:- Who has experienced stress induced Laminitis?
From :
Date : 11.11.04 9:28:00 AM
Hi Karen,
I don't know much about stress induced laminitis I'm afraid, but I'm not sure it makes them more prone to other types of lami. My friends horse had laminitis through taking steroids, but doesn't seem to be affected by spring grass - although she is carful just in case!
It may have been his neck that caused him to worry in the first place and then it just escalated. It's not your fault, don't feel guilty, we all do what we think is right and we can do no more than our best. He has you to take care of him now and see him through this, so put any guilt thoughts to one side and concentrate on getting through this. You recognised that he wasn't right and have hopefully caught this early on. Be positive, get him and you through this and then work on solutions for the mud fear.
Subject : re:- Who has experienced stress induced Laminitis?
From : Karen(with alex)
Date : 11.11.04 9:30:00 AM
I asked the vet if i should put his shoes back on as he had them taken off 8 weeks ago as i had decided not to ride him anymore but the vet said it wouldnt make any difference
? I AM SO CONFUSED. Thanks for all your posts everyone, Di your story is so tragic, so sorry xxxx Subject : re:- Who has experienced stress induced Laminitis?
From : Veronica F
Date : 11.11.04 9:31:00 AM
Ahh don't feel quilty Karen, in fact I done the wrong thing because when I done that no one could feel the diffrence in her pulse as it had calmed it down and it was treating her blind just on what I was saying to the vet and farrier, luckly they trusted what I had seen in her before I gave her the bute and they went about treating her for lamnitis, of course once the bute wore off a bit they could see they were right in treating her for lamnitis too, so don't feel bad
your doing everything you can for him
lamnitis is a real horrible thing and no matter how they get it its soul distroying and makes you feel soul distroyed
so don't feel bad, its normal emtions your going through, I felt the same at the time and do every time April has it as well
so chin up , and keep strong and positive you will get him better and well
lots of love Vxx
Subject : re:- Who has experienced stress induced Laminitis?
From : Friendly Native
Date : 11.11.04 9:50:00 AM
Hi Karen, With my 'Boy' he was already on boxrest for Laminitis anyway but was recovering nicely!!! he was on Bute and Acp's he now has the EDSS system fitted which I'm sure Alex would not need it really is just trying to keep them in a calm environment and patience with stress induced Lammi I am sure Alex will be fine. FN*
Subject : re:- Who has experienced stress induced Laminitis?
From :
Date : 11.11.04 9:52:00 AM
EDSS system! whats that?
Subject : re:- Who has experienced stress induced Laminitis?
From :
Date : 11.11.04 11:10:00 AM
Anyone know?
Subject : re:- Who has experienced stress induced Laminitis?
From : Friendly Native
Date : 11.11.04 11:17:00 AM
EDSS system is Equine Digital Support System it is a form of remeidial shoeing, very costly indeed. FN*
Subject : re:- Who has experienced stress induced Laminitis?
From : ginah
Date : 11.11.04 11:28:00 AM
Yes, Doris had a mild episode last year on 6th November.
Subject : re:- Who has experienced stress induced Laminitis?
From :
Date : 11.11.04 11:32:00 AM
My horse had traumatic laminitis four years ago with his previous owner, which was apparently caused by stress.
was rested and had egg bars fitted and then came sound. But retired from dressage competitition. Mine is out on quite lush grass in summer and has not suffered laminitis as I wondered if it would make him prone to laminitis through too much grass.
Subject : re:- Who has experienced stress induced Laminitis?
From : Anony_mouse
Date : 11.11.04 11:42:00 AM
Hi Karen, you poor thing and your poor horse!
Sadly stress induced laminitis is coming increasingly common and what is worrying is that it wasn't really heard of years ago and so many horses have suffered from it and have been treated with the usual traditional approach of box rest, which in some cases has only heightened the stress and worsened the laminitis and healing process.
But, the great thing is that now it is becoming more apparent that the mind and body are interlinked and that stress has major affects on the physiology of the body, vets are now adopting more holistic approaches to treatment, as opposed to just giving ACP, Bute and telling you to lock them up. SOME vets and i emphasise the word SOME.. are now seeing past the traditional approaches to the causes i.e. dietary induced and mechanically induced and this is great for the horse and perhaps we may see the number of deaths related to laminitis reduced??! hopefully! Also, with the amount of remedial farriers and other ways of barefooting, shoeing.. there are many options for supporting the laminae when the laminitis occurs.
umm.. i have not experienced stress induced laminitis with my own horses (which is a good thing).. but, have seen and looked into the causality and links with stress.
I think your primary objectives are to support the laminae via a correctly balanced foot - i.e. not long in the toe..
Keep your horse as calm as possible.. make sure he can adequately socialise with his friends.. if the vet has advised box rest could you stable a companion next door?? or if you can give a little fence area where he can have some movement and interaction in the field?
A friend who is into the Natural Animal Centre has mentioned that they now have a vet working with them at the centre to treat animals suffering from conditions which are stress induced... worth a try?
Hope this is some sort of help and comfort!
x
Subject : re:- Who has experienced stress induced Laminitis?
From : CatherineB
Date : 11.11.04 11:50:00 AM
Hi Karen
You say he'd only had his shoes off for 8 weeks. This isn't a very long time for the feet to harden up, especially if you've not been working him.
Are your fields very wet?? The amount of mud you mention makes it sound as though they could be. In that case the water would have softened the feet and make them even less hardy.
When my horse first went barefoot it was a very wet time of year and the fields were very muddy. My horse also seemed very reluctant to walk in the the mud and I think that the pressure of the mud on his feet was quite painful. It sounds as though it could have been the same for Alex which might have been why he was so stressy about it. I would have thought this is a much more likely cause of the foot pain than stress and it might be worth discussing with your vet.
Laminitis is literally "inflammation of the laminae" and at a basic level can be caused by pressure on the laminae caused by a weak white line connection (due to wet weather, bacterial/fungal infection - all very typical at some level in horses in the UK due to the climate). Just allowing the horse's feet to dry out in a concrete yard could well make a huge difference to him.
Obviously as I haven't seen your horse I'm guessing but from what you've said this is certainly plausible. If I'm right then you shouldn't need to worry in the future. If you intend to keep him barefoot then have a look at www.barefoothorse.com about trimming to optimise the white line connection and minimisng the chances of this happening in the future
Fingers crossed it all improves quickly
Catherine
Subject : re:- Who has experienced stress induced Laminitis?
From : Karen (with alex)
Date : 11.11.04 11:58:00 AM
Anony mouse, I cant understand why my vet has told me to leave him with his shoes off?
Alex is such a good boy and really wouldnt be bothered if he just lived in his box (he is like a dog!) and loves human company. There is no way i can get him to the field without the dreaded foot of mud (there is no other way to enter. All 3 horses have stables with grill bars to see each other when they are all stabled and an extra window at the back which he would be able to see the other horses grazing in the winter paddock. I just feel like he has been through enough in his short life and this is just one more blow to the stomach. I will fix tempery fencing round the yard on saturday but really he doesnt need it as he will only go to the edge of the concrete anyway and you would think there was a 100ft drop past that the way he looks and snorts at the mud (bless him) thanks for all your kind feedback xx