Horse Hoof Care

ATYPICAL MYOGLOBINURIA ! WHAT A WEEKEND 2 March 24, 2008

Posted by jeff in : Jeff and Thomas Vets and Farriers Ramblings!! , comments closed

Well hello world, I’m back. Well I haven’t actually been any where ! Just seems that I never have time to put pen to paper as they say ?
So what’s been happening ? You may well ask ? Remember my little foal (not so little now) Well I very nearly lost him to a condition I now know to be called :ATYPICAL MYOGLOBINURIA:
WOW! what a mouthfull eh ???

Now I’m not going to go into great detail about the condition itself , as to date it is still not fully understood and research is on going. When I have researched some more I will write a specific post about what I have learnt , until then, I will tell it as it was !

It all started one morning , on going to the field to take some hay , it was clear that something was not right with the little chap. He appeared to be rooted to the spot where he was standing with no interest at all in the hay. Now this alone was enough to to set the alarm bells ringing? on approach we noticed he was sweating around the face and trembling, now this was winter time ! We also noticed that a pile of droppings where positioned directly behind him as though he had never moved a muscle for a few hours. On further examination it soon became apparent that he could not move.
It was clear that we had to get him to the yard and get the vet to see what was going on ?

What a task this turned out to be? What is normally a few minutes walk from the field to the yard became 30 mins of pure hard labour ! Literaly handling each hoof forward one step while taking turns to push his bum forward.
Finally getting him in a stable the head scratching started ? The vet had been called but my own vet books were straight on the table. Well you know what its like, just abut every page had something that I could pin point to him , but 3 conditions seemed to show the same as what I was seeing in him ?

The first and probably most obvious was :AZOTURIA: or tying up, this would obviously account for the unwillingness to move.
The next was :COLIC: looking at his flanks etc,
The next page produced :GRASS SICKNESS:
Bloody hell ! I thought , All these are potential killers !!!

Fortunately the vet soon arrived and the examination began! after a lengthy examination the diagnosis was for him to be treat for the first of my suspicions Azoturia ! Injections given and advice given we gave him a good bed , hay and water and off I finally went to work (late , but then again arn’t farriers always late ???)

As soon as I was back I looked in on him, no better , possibly worse ! vet again , no hesitation, more examination, more injections and definitely more head scratching ?

Although still the thought was :Azoturia, it was becoming more aparent this was somewhat worse and definitely not typical. His urine had gone from blood red to a very dark brown colour this was an obvious sign of :MYOGLOBIN: which is released from damaged muscle fibres! . His little face was sweating so much it looked like he had been sprayed with a constant jet of water. It was suggested that he was transported to the veterinary practices hospital in order to moniter him and prepare him for an intrevenous saline drip to be fitted saturday morning. This was friday evening, I thought we can monitor him 24 hours here and my gut instinct was that travelling him was not a good idea.

Saturday morning the vet arrived with the drip. We set up 3 bags at different levels, so as one was emptying the others kept refilling, this reduced the number of times the bags had to be changed. The drip was connected to a vein in his neck via a telescopic tube, so if he did move it would not pull out of his vein, not that he was going anywere !! There is a part on the tube where you are able to inject pain killers ! This we had to do every couple of hours,(have you noticed its always a weekend ? my first post was titled :WHAT A WEEKEND:I think I’ve just found the title for this post!!!!)

Sunday morning , no better ! I met the vet at the practice to collect more saline and more pain killers, given more advice and off back to the nursing, throughout that whole day it was constant nursing and talking to him telling him not to give up ! god it was so distressing. He was just stood there in the same spot , constantly chewing the water bucket , head about 3 or 4 inches from the wall as if he were to fall he would have something to fall against ?

By sunday evening he started to move and had actually lay down at some point ? Another call to the vet to keep them informed of things, It was suggested that the drip be unskrewed so he could lay down without the risk of pulling it out of his vein and also give him a chance to rest, he had been standing rooted for the past 2 days.

Another restless night checking him every couple of hours! By morning it was aparent that he had indeed lay down and had moved around the stable, this had to be progress. His urine was very much lighter in colour, the sweating had stopped and he just looked a little more himself ??

Going into the stable to give him a cuddle it soon became very aparent that all was not as well as I had first hoped ???

His look was …..just wrong!!! I opened the stable door to see if he wanted to hopefully maybe stretch his legs? After a few tentative steps he was in the yard, VERY wobberly and VERY unsure on his feet ! I watched him closely , again I thought he looks odd. Now I know what he had just been through but this was different ? Then it hit me . He looked :BLIND: frantic I called the vet and asked was brain damage or blindness possible with this condition ? Although there is literature to sustain this he had never actualy seen it progress to that .

A few small obsticals were set up to try and determine what I thought ? Sure enough he couldn’t see ! Who knows what I was thinking at this point ? I don’t think even I know? But he was moving around and after another call to the vet I was reassured that this may be what is known as :EYE SIGHT DEFECIT: and may well return in time , unfortunately there is no real test to determine how blind he was ? So it was just a case of watching him closely.

After a couple of days it bacame apparent that his eyesight had indeed returned. All in all I guess it took about ten days to say that he looked and acted like himself again.

I bumped into one of the vets from the practice a while after on a yard where I was shoeing, it was there he told me the practice had done further research on the condition my youngster had gone through, and the conclusion was not ;AZOTURIA; BUT

;ATYPICAL MYOGLOBIURIA:

As I said at the beginning of this post I am doing my own research into this condition, although not farriery related I am very interested as to how this happens, when I know more I will with the help of Thomas write a post on it.

In the mean time if you google it there is a certain amount of literature to browse , it makes for very interesting reading ???

My little chap appears to be fine now, with hopefully no lasting damage from his ordeal ?

And I’ve got to add that throughout this a certain Mr T ! was here every day and constantly on the end of the phone . Thank you so much you will never know how much your expertise got all of us through a very nasty condition.

Laminitis-Don’t hang about June 17, 2007

Posted by jeff in : Jeff and Thomas Vets and Farriers Ramblings!! , add a comment

Hello World: In parts of this post it may seem like repetition, but I hope at the end you will all realise why this repetition is nescessary.

LAMINITIS!!!

Yes another post on the deadly laminitis!!! I’m going to say again that laminitis is the second biggest killer of horses and ponies after colic. But with early diagnosis and fairly basic treatment the severity of the condition, can to a certain degree, be controlled.

I think now is a good time to introduce you to the stages of laminitis:

SUBACUTE LAMINITIS:

This is the mildest form of the condition where some signs are present, but are not as severe as acute cases. Such cases will usually clear up without perminant damage to the feet, but if care is not taken it can happen again and gradually become worse. At this stage a competant equine veterinary will note the telltale signs and diagnose accordingly. I will also add at this point that most competant farriers will also pick up on these small telltale signs and ADVISE accordingly. Please note only the vet can diagnose.

Possible good advice will be ; a deep shavings bed; some kind of frog support applied, either a rolled up bandage taped to the frog or some commercially available device such as lilly pads, may be applied. This gives extra support to the pedal bone, reducing the pull on the deep digital flexor tendon and allows nature to take its course to repair any minor damage that may have occured to the laminae.

ACUTE LAMINITIS

This is the early stages of the condition where the horse/pony is uncomfortable and showing signs of lameness, but major changes have not yet happened in the foot. THIS IS AN EMERGENCY and proper treatment needs to be started IMMEDIATELY to prevent SERIOUS DAMAGE.
Again a competant farrier will see this and advise accordingly but the vet must be called to diagnose. The treatment given will be virtually identical as above but with the possible addition of some prescription drugs to alleviate pain and thin the blood. Again a frog support may be applied to give support to the pedal bone. This may be a more ridged support as more damage to the lamina will be happening due to the pull on the deep digital flexor tendon and the weakening of the laminal attachment.

Again if treated promptly , the damage to that laminal attachment will be minimal and with the pedal bone supported by the frog support, the pull by the deep flexor tendon is reduced and nature can start to repair the damage.

CHRONIC LAMINITIS

This occurs when the pedal bone has rotated or started to sink within the hoof capsule, or if the condition has been going on for more than 48 hours!!!! “PLEASE REMEMBER IT CAN BE AS LITTLE AS 48 HOURS”

Again the treatment is as above, but depending on the damage to the lamina, natures natural repair mechanism may not be able to cope. This is when the frog support starts to become “QUESTIONABLE”.
Certainly in some cases the frog support can still stabilise the decending pedal bone, but careful consideration must be given as to the type of frog support applied at this stage.

Traditionally a steel heartbar shoe may be applied. This depending on the severity of the case and the speed of decent of the pedal bone, may be too harsh and may cause more pressure to the already compromised sole. At this point this is where a competent and experienced veterinary, who is able to read the signs of the condition and the radiographs, is paramount.

“You may have heard this stage of the condition reffered to as FOUNDER. This is an American term used to discribe the more severe cases of laminitis in which the lamina are tearing and the pedal bone is unstable and may be rotating or sinking. ”

SINKERS

This is the most severe of laminitis cases, where the laminal bond has been destroyed right around the foot. The whole pedal bone is loose within the hoof. The pedal bone will drop and literally sink through the sole of the foot.
With a sinker a prominent gap can be felt at the coronary band and the almost sharp edge of the coronory grove can be felt through the skin. THIS IS A BAD SIGN. In the very worst of cases the entire hoof wall and sole can seperate from the pedal bone.
In these cases the use of ridig frog support is EXTREMELY QUESTIONABLE despite what some text may say, and I personally am extremely uncomfortable with the fitting of such in these cases.

We must go back to our basic anatomy of the foot and remember the horse is basically standing on a finger, the anatomical names are even the same. Our finger consists of the distal phalanx, the middle phalanx and the proximal phalanx, as does the horses pastern. Imagine the whole weight of the horse pushing down through the distroyed lamina with no attachment to the hoof. The bone column will push and push against the frog support with no where to go, causing devistating damage to an already devistatingly damaged structure.

This is why I am extremely uncomfortable with the fitting of heart bar shoes at this stage of the condition, even if advised to do so by professional bodies.

I must also stress again the importance of a good equine veterinary with a good knowledge of laminitis.

And again, if you are not happy with your vets diagnosis, SEEK A SECOND OPINION. TIME IS ALL IMPORTANT.

JEFF

Laminitis Prevention: “the journey continues” May 27, 2007

Posted by thomas in : Jeff and Thomas Vets and Farriers Ramblings!! , add a comment

Welcome to our journey through the devastating world of laminitis and my apologies for the delay in posting, based on commitments of the day job However I always prefer blogs and articles from people on the coal face so to speak which often means there are gaps as the real world gets in the way of writing ;-), but the posts when they do come are relevant and useful.

As we have so much grass at the moment I am going to consider the use of Foundergaurd in this post in more detail. Although not a cure for all ills it can be very useful in laminitis cases where everything possible is being done but we still have to let our horses graze. Remember muzzles are really good but not suitable for all horses and they are intrinsically cruel so if Foundergaurd helps with the management so much the better. However always speak to a knowledgeable equine vet about your individual circumstances

In summary the aim of the horse owner is as follows,

1. Avoid grazing during growth season. During the early growth stage of the plant there are high levels of soluble carbohydrates as illustrated in the diagram.

2. Plant pasture varieties that have low levels of soluble carbohydrates. (WSC - water soluble carbohydrate - fructan is one of many WSC)

3. From the diagram we can also see that as the plant matures, Fructan levels decrease. The feeding of mature hay eg .hay made from flowered grass or threshed hay has a higher fibre content

4. In the case of horses or ponies that are in work and have an increased energy requirement; it may be necessary to feed Alfalfa (Lucerne) in conjunction with vegetable oil for extra energy if required.

View the image below by clicking on it and click the enlarged image to get back to the post.

Dietary induced laminitis can be summarised in the following steps.

1.Initially the horse or pony consumes an excessive quantity of simple sugars from pasture (Fructans) or starch from grains.

2.The normal fermentation is accelerated by the proliferation of certain bacteria (gram positive) and in turn produces excessive amounts of volatile fatty acids.

3.Chemicals enter the blood stream

4.There are alterations to the blood supply to the affected foot and uncontrolled activation of enzymes that cause the destruction of the tissues that attach the hoof to the pedal bone.

5.Resulting in Laminitis

The picture below gives some clues to the factors altering the levels of fructans in the grass.

Although the management techniques described can go some way to prevent laminitis of dietary origin there is another alternative. Founderguard is the only scientifically proven preventative of dietary laminitis. Research was initially done using grain to prove its effectiveness. Since it release thousands of horses susceptible to laminitis caused by pasture have also benefited from its unique action. As described earlier in this presentation the reasoning is quite clear. Both grass and grain contain levels of carbohydrates that when consumed in excess and are rapidly fermented leading to the cascade of events resulting in laminitis.
Founderguard requires a special permit for its use in the UK (called a special treatment authorisation) ) that your Veterinary Surgeon applies for to the Veterinary Medicines Directorate.

How It Works

Founderguard is fed as a daily feed additive – it has a Lucerne/Alfalfa base so is found to be very palatable.
Founderguard works by reducing the acid build up in the large bowel. It does this by selectively reducing the number of bacteria in the large bowel that are responsible for rapidly converting simple sugars (such as Fructan) to lactic acid. In some ways it’s like removing bad workers from a work place.

Founderguard is very selective in its effects. It is not absorbed into the blood stream and is specially formulated to work in the large bowel.

It is important to remember that Founderguard will not be effective in preventing laminitis due to causes other than dietary induced laminitis. For this reason it is important to call your Veterinary Surgeon and have your horse or pony examined and for the Veterinary Surgeon to perform any necessary tests to confirm the cause of the laminitis.

When to use Founderguard.

1. Need Veterinary Guidance – when it comes to the care of your horse or ponies medical problems your Vet knows best.

2. Confirmation of diagnosis of dietary induced laminitis ie other diseases such as Hypothyroid, Excess insulin levels, Cushing’s disease.

3. Founderguard can be used seasonally or all year round – each case can be determined on its merits – history of laminitis, what time of year, repeated episodes of laminitis.

4. Founderguard is the answer when strict Dietary Management is difficult

5. And of course it gives the susceptible Horse or Pony a chance to live a normal life.

Summary

You will now be aware of the causes of laminitis, how it effects the horse and what options we have in controlling this debilitating disease.

For feed induced laminitis Founderguard provides an easy answer to a complex problem.

The take home message is Prevention is better than cure.

We will consider treatments of the acute stages of laminitis etc in future posts.

LAMINITIS - TREATMENT May 27, 2007

Posted by jeff in : Jeff and Thomas Vets and Farriers Ramblings!! , add a comment

Hello world, This is just a quick post in reply to a very tough week !

Please , please , please if you suspect your horse or pony has laminitis call your vet imediately ! If you are not satisfied with their diagnosis you CAN ask a second opinion, remember you can have a number of vets.

Often in mixed practices individual vets do not have the degree of expertise that vets with a special interest in certain topics may have, such as Equine Podiatry. With laminitis serious damage can occur in 48 HOURS !

Laminitis is an emergency and proper treatment needs to be started at once to prevent serious damage. The employment of a competent equine veterinary is paramount ,as a less than experienced veterinary may waste valuable time pondering on other possible causes of your horses lameness!

Unfortunately this week has produced 3 cases two of which with proper emergency treatment may not have become so serious, the third fortunately was treated promptly and hopefully serious damage has been prevented.

REPLY TO THOMAS re A.W.C.F May 14, 2007

Posted by jeff in : Jeff and Thomas Vets and Farriers Ramblings!! , add a comment

Hello world, this post is a follow up to Thomas’ about the farriery qualifications. There’s not alot I can really add to the detail , but I can give you my story and how I achieved my A.W.C.F.

After passing my D.W.C.F. with honours . I along with all other successful candidates of that year are invited to a presentation ceremony in London . Now this is a grand affair and I think a fitting one to a long and hard apprenticeship in farriery. First there is a service, then the presentation is given in the great hall.

The speech given by the then Master of the Worshipful company of farriers Mr Simon Curtis F.W.C.F. inspired me so much that pretty much from that day I started my study to attain my A.W.C.F.

Now the road to this qualification is not an easy one, as there is no actual college based course, or other course to study and practice for the examination. You have to do it all in your own time with your own discipline.

Now as you all know we are constantly busy and finding the time required to get yourself up to standard to attempt the examination is a task in itself. But find the time I did !

I am going to take this opportunity to thank all my customers who patiently listened to me rambling on about all aspects of anatomy, conformation and ailments for about two years, (I hope I didn’t bore you to much) anyway thanks I couldnt have done it without you and your horses.

Phew I nearly went into an oscar speech there! Did I mention I have a part in the CBBC series THE STABLES ? oops side tracked again ! where was I ??? STUDY …

Yes study, practice, study, practice, and then study, practice somemore ! But in this life I feel you get out what you put in! It was a great feeling to pass my D.W.C.F with honours and to be presented with the WORSHIPFUL COMPANY OF FARRIERS silver medal, but when I was presented with my A.W.C.F it felt like it was an achievement not just for me,but for my customers and their horses.

After passing that I was fortunate to be presented with an award from Warwicshire college. The college which I attended for my D.W.C.F. This award is for an outstanding former student who has progressed in their given field. I have also had various media coverage, TV and newspaper, and am fortunate in having the trust of an outstanding equine veterinary (Guess who!!)

I must make one thing clear , having this qualification doesn’t make me better than any other registered farrier. It simply means I took the examination !

So that’s my story so far. The next step is the F.W.C.F examination !!!!!! We shall see.

JEFF

Hoof Wedges: Is this the Thin End!! May 11, 2007

Posted by thomas in : Jeff and Thomas Vets and Farriers Ramblings!! , add a comment

Hi all I read a very interesting paper the other day on my equine podiatry travels, authored by a research worker at our own Newcastle University (sorry to any of our Sunderland readers, your time will come ) called Sian Lawson. Sian in conjunction with some very illustrious equine vets like Jean-Marie Denoix produced a interesting trial regarding the use of toe or heel wedges and the effect they have on the SDFT (Superficial Digital Flexor Tendon) and the DDFT (Deep Digital Flexor Tendon) and SL (Suspensory Ligament).

The trial involved placing 6 degree wedges in the heel or toe area (using normal shoes) and then measuring the strains in the above structures. The results were analysed using a complex computer model based on computerized tomography scans and a video assessment system. The details are not really important for the sake of this discussion but the experimental method has been peer reviewed and found to validate very well.

In conclusion our take home message was:

1) The Heel Wedge INCREASED strain in the SL and the SDFT

2) the toe wedge INCREASED strain in the DDFT

Obviously the converse was true as the heel wedge REDUCED strain in the SL and SDFT and the toe wedge reduced strain in the DDFT.

So for corrective shoeing purposes a so called Tendon injury on the forelimb (SDFT damage) would benefit possibly from a TOE wedge and a check ligament injury would benefit from a HEEL wedge!! The exact reasons for these differences are linked to the coffin joint and its influence on the bio mechanics in this area.

The fill clinical benefits of all this are still unclear but it is certainly interesting reading Click on the thumbnail image below to see a quick revision on equine anatomy and click the image again to get back to this page!

Farriers Appreciation Society ;-) May 6, 2007

Posted by thomas in : Jeff and Thomas Vets and Farriers Ramblings!! , add a comment

Please find below an article I produced for my own personal blog, http://www.eq9vet.com as Jeff will get too much stick if I posted here only

For this post I was going to produce an article on enhancing the relationship between vets and farriers a long standing interest of mine. Which it must be said has lead to many an evening spent horizontal while trying to maintain a drinking rate equivalent to most farriers post various evening and day meetings. However I found a really good summary from the BEVA web site originally edited by R Stephenson summarising the Farriers Qualifications. In my opinion many horse owners do not realise how well qualified most farriers are and also the high standard required in obtaining further qualifications. Look after your farrier as good ones are invaluable and with all of them being very busy, you are likely to loose their services if the trust is abused. So lots of cups of tea and well handled horses in clean well lit conditions are mandatory;-). Please note I have not (yet) obtained any payments from our local farriers to write this article!!

The Farriery Profession
For 650 years the Worshipful Company of Farriers (a city of London livery company) has nurtured the farriery trade. However its biggest achievement occurred more recently in 1975 when it proposed and sponsored the ‘Farrier’s Registration Act’. Since that date all civilian farriers have had to be registered. Trainee farriers serve a four year and two month apprenticeship under an approved training farrier. During this time they have a number of block releases to one of the four colleges now offering farriery training and this culminates in a NVQ level 3 qualification. The trainee may now attempt the Diploma of the Worshipful Company of Farriers examination – the gateway to registration.

The Diploma is examined independently of the colleges by an examination team consisting of two senior farriers and a veterinary surgeon appointed by the W.C.F. It consists of three parts. A written theory paper. A practical exam requiring the candidate to forge from straight steel and correctly fit a front and a hind shoe within a strict time limit. Finally an oral examination serves to check the candidate’s theoretical knowledge. It is a testament to the quality of the W.C.F. Diploma that farriers from all over the World travel to the UK to voluntarily take the exam. We are fortunate in the UK to have some of the best trained and regulated farriers in the World.

The Diploma is designed to be an ‘entrance’ qualification and in veterinary terms it is very much like a registerable degree, farriers can go on to undertake continuing professional development and this is recognised by two further W.C.F. awards namely ‘Associateship’ and ‘Fellowship’. These qualifications could roughly be compared to R.C.V.S. ‘Certificate’ and ‘Diploma’ levels.
The Associateship of the Worshipful Company of Farriers (AWCF) is particularly concerned with corrective farriery. To attain AWCF level the candidate sits a written exam, three oral examinations, a practical test requiring the fabrication from plain steel and correct fitting of two corrective shoes and a test in the use of ‘modern’ materials (e.g. acrylics in repairing hoof defects etc.). The exam sets out to test forging and practical skills to the highest level possible. There is no equivalent exam in any other country so once again it is relatively common for farriers from others countries to attempt the AWCF.

The Fellowship of the WCF denotes the highest level of achievement in farriery. The candidate must prepare a written original thesis for consideration by the WCF examiners, if accepted he must give a lecture to the examiners on any subject they choose with only 60 minutes preparation time. The examiners will also require the forging of a corrective shoe from plain steel. Successful candidates may in due course be invited to become WCF examiners – thus maintaining the high standards set by the Company.
Many DWCFs are greatly experienced and well able to perform corrective work, however it can be appreciated from the above that AWCFs have proved this ability by examination. In the ideal world all farriers involved in providing referral services at veterinary practices should be either AWCFs or FWCFs. In recent years more young and enthusiastic farriers having been undertaking CPD than in the past and the number of AWCFs and Fellows is slowly increasing. It is hoped that BEVA members and the public will become more aware of the AWCF qualification and tactfully try to encourage more DWCFs to try to attain this level of master craftsmanship.
Veterinary Surgeons and their clients should appreciate that farriers have under gone a period of training only marginally shorter than a veterinary degree and have concentrated throughout on one subject. An apprentice farrier’s knowledge of the anatomy and structures of the foot and lower limb will be equivalent to that of a veterinary anatomy degree level examination.

Once Jeff reads this I hope he will do a follow up article explaining in more detail exactly what he had to do to obtain his further qualifications, from the horses mouth so to speak!!

Do not worry our journey into Laminitis will continue soon…

Laminitis, the story continues April 26, 2007

Posted by thomas in : Jeff and Thomas Vets and Farriers Ramblings!! , add a comment

Hello all ( well I know my mum reads this post) and welcome to the second chapter in our story. Remember to never totally believe anyone, do your own research and make your own judgements. These postings are totally my own opinions and are based on science, 26 years in mainly equine practice and I am sure my own prejudices ;-). However I try to bridge that elusive chasm between facts and knowledge. As from practical experience I do know what works in many cases and what does not, whatever the theory

Laminitis is the second biggest killer of horses after colic. It is a relatively common syndrome with welfare implications and can be costly for owners both in terms of treatment and through loss of use. Its importance cannot be understated. So what is laminitis?

Laminitis is caused by the failure of the attachment of the pedal bone to the lamellae on the inside of the horses hoof. Enzymes in the horses hoof are activated in an uncontrolled fashion causing the destruction of the supporting lamellae. As they fail there is inflammation, pain and swelling. In severe cases there is a downward rotation of the pedal bone. This whatever the initiating cause is very important to grasp as it seems to be teh last stage in all laminitis cases and gives some interesting insights into treatments that we will discuss as we go along.

The causes of laminitis are varied and with the exception of a localised infection in the horses foot or inflammation due to exercise on a hard surface, laminitis is a sequel to an event remote from the horses foot. Diet is a very common cause of laminitis in the UK. Infection in a mare is she fails to pass the afterbirth ( acute severe metritis, mainly seen as a problem in heavy horses, so beware if you have a large purebred or cross bred heavy horse mare, Shire, Clydesdae etc with a retained cleansing), colic, endocrine disease such as Cushing’s Disease or the use of medication in the treatment of an unrelated condition resulting in laminitis.

However the main subject of our posts is going to be standard laminitis in horses and ponies at grass in the UK

Remember most importantly of all is genetics. Overlying all this is the individual genetic predisposition of the individual animal to develop this disease. This explains why animals of the same type and weight can react totally differently in cases of laminitis. Thus do not beat yourselves up if you are doing everything correct and yet your horse or pony seems to be making no or very slow improvement that can be normal and is often outside of you or your vets / farriers control. As in all aspects of life but definitely to anyone treating or dealing with this condition patience is a great virtue!!

I have been looking as I drive around to check you are all now introducing some exercise regimes for your animals and may start a sideline as a Equine personal trainer with help from Jeff

As you are all learning Jeff and I like to try and keep this blog as practical and useful as we can. In my next post we will get into details on dietary induced laminitis but in the mean time my next tip is if you have horses or ponies at risk, at least daily try to walk them on a hard surface and watch them when they turn. Careful observation of turning on a hard surface is a very sensitive indicator of laminitic foot pain in my experience. Early detection is the holy grail in laminitis and if you do this regularly you will spot any changes and pain when doing this procedure, often long before more classical changes are present, such as bounding pulses, lameness etc. This then will at least let you bring them indoors for a few days and in mild cases may be all you need to do. However if in any doubt do ask your vet

Regards Thomas

LAMINITIS: Prevention is better than a cure April 15, 2007

Posted by thomas in : Jeff and Thomas Vets and Farriers Ramblings!! , add a comment

Hello all, I am back from across the pond and though badly jet lagged, thought I may as well put my awake all night energy to good use ;-). this post was created 1.10 am on Monday.

I have decided to do short series of articles on Foundergaurd and laminitis as a backup to Jeffs seminal article on this topic. Though covering this medication we will also touch on some of the causes of laminitis in I hope an easy to understand and practical way.

Laminitis is a crippling condition, which can potentially affect the hooves of all equines. Depending on the severity of a laminitis attack, it canresult in permanent damage to the supporting structures in the hoof. Due to the painful, debilitating and life threatening nature of the disease, there are important welfare implications in preventing laminitis. Australian research in the early 90’s resulted in a unique breakthrough in preventing this debilitating disease. The Researchers explained how a
horse consuming a diet containing high levels of starch or simple sugars could lead to laminitis. By modifying the digestive process it was possible to reduce the acid production in the hindgut. It was the rapid production of acid in the hindgut, which lead to the sequence of events resulting in dietary induced laminitis.

Further comprehensive research in the UK discovered the levels of simple sugars in pasture varied greatly throughout the day and revealed the difficulty in predicting safe periods to allow equines to graze. The daily feeding of FOUNDERGUARD significantly reduces the production of acid in the hindgut. Whether the chain of events leads to low-grade laminitis and associated foot soreness or more serious clinical laminitis, FOUNDERGUARD works at the root of the problem. Using FOUNDERGUARD on a daily basis can help you reduce the effects of diet as a cause of laminitis in horses and ponies. However remember you still need to practice good pasture control.

In my hands this product (Foundergaurd is a powder you add to the feed daily of laminitis susceptible horses) has been very useful but not in all cases!! It also requires a special prescription for each case endorsed by a vet and the case should have been examined prior to prescription of this medication. I will continue with our story of laminitis and more detail on this product in our next post

Thomas

A Post From Across The Pond. April 11, 2007

Posted by thomas in : Jeff and Thomas Vets and Farriers Ramblings!! , add a comment

Hi I hope you have all had a great Easter. This is just a quick post from San Francisco as I promised Jeff I would post once ;-), while on vacation. I have been looking for equestrian and ideally podiatry related topics, but despite seeing a few horses in backyard lots we have not come close to the real thing. While skiing for a day in Lake Tahoe we did try to arrange to go riding around the shores of the lake (2nd largest freshwater lake in the world), but due to the Easter holidays no places were available.

I also hear I have missed a heat wave while crossing the pond. This will no doubt be leading to an increased number of laminitics to see on my return and thus Jeff’s post of last week on this topic was very apt. It must be said that due to increased awareness of the basics of laminitis prevention we are seeing much fewer numbers of traditional cases as in the overweight pony being allowed access to lush pastures. However on the other hand we are seeing increasing numbers of ponies in various body condition from lean to obese, whom are being very well managed (limited access to grass etc) going down with laminitis much to the dismay and horror of their very caring owners. The single most common factor in these cases is lack of exercise!! Even obese ponies if in regular full work very rarely seem to get laminitis. In my opinion the two most common causes nowadays is bad genetics (ponies are meant to live on upland pasture, have good genetics for sparse grazing on upland areas, but bad genetics for living in the land of milk and honey many find themselves in), and lack of exercise.

So my message for this Easter holiday is please exercise your horses and ponies, this was what nature intended!! Lunging once daily, for @20 minutes could work miracles if you cannot exercise by riding for what ever reason. At least we can make a difference here as the genetic mismatch regarding where our ponies evolved from and where they are now living is a much harder nut to crack

I hope to be back at work on Monday and will catch up with Jeff next week as we have some new events planned for this blog!!

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ATYPICAL MYOGLOBINURIA ! WHAT A WEEKEND 2 March 24, 2008

Laminitis-Don’t hang about June 17, 2007

Laminitis Prevention: “the journey continues” May 27, 2007

LAMINITIS - TREATMENT May 27, 2007

REPLY TO THOMAS re A.W.C.F May 14, 2007

Hoof Wedges: Is this the Thin End!! May 11, 2007

Farriers Appreciation Society ;-) May 6, 2007

Laminitis, the story continues April 26, 2007

LAMINITIS: Prevention is better than a cure April 15, 2007

A Post From Across The Pond. April 11, 2007

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