How long does it take for laminitis symptoms to turn around?

Question

My horse has been in some degree of lameness since the first of May. After the first 2 months, he began to improve and then he sarted with soreness again. I have had three vets out here and x-rays. He has some rotation, but if he is ever able to get trimmed, he will be a "pasture ornament" and thats okay with me at this point. The last one tells me that he will come around at some point. Thanks to all who send some input.....

Answer 1

I just want to chime in with a success story to go with all these warnings!  My pony got laminitis in 1999, and was sent to a horse rescue because the owners at the time didn't want to deal with it.  They say they nearly put him down a few times, and there were times he couldn't even stand up, but he pulled through.  When I first found him in 2000 (I was had previously owned him), he had special shoes on but was doing great.  Due to a move, I couldn't take him until a year later, and by then he was barefoot and sound.  Now, he's 27 and my 7 year old son rides him and so far there have been no limitations to what he can do (other than my son's skill level).  The pony has been sound for the 7 years I've had him back, except for one abcess.  Every time my farrier comes, he says "his feet are looking really good".  I'm still nervous about him getting it again, though, and with his age, I'm sure that will be the end for him.

Your question about if he'd be able to roam the pasture again depends on how he got it in the first place.  Was it from lush spring pasture?  Then you'd want to restrict that.  You could probably let him out on grass with a grazing muzzle on.  That's what I did for my pony.  He could roam the whole field, stay with his horse friends, eat some grass, but not too much.  He didn't seem too bothered by the muzzle.

Answer 2

Gosh, I can relate. The horse you see in my Avatar foundered in June. The vet put him on bute for pain. The bute attacked his kidneys and he went into kidney failure. He spent eight days in the Equine hospital, and they gave him a 50/50 chance to survive. When he came home he did well for a while and had a relapse. The had put him on Equiox instead of bute because it is easier on the stomach. The farrier wanted the vet to come back and xray him again because he thought he was sinking. So the vet came out, did the xrays and prepared me for the worst. But the xrays showed no rotation, and new bone growth. He is now on Equine Senior feed with a 1/2 cup of vegetable oil mixed with the feed. He also gets four flecks of hay twice a day for both they hay and the feed. We still have him confined to a small paddock area, where he has access to the barn. I will be able to turn him out when the weather turns cold and the grass is dead.

I will tell you, this has been a total nightmare. Good luck to you.

Answer 3

I had a pony that had founder and I was told 2 things.

Put shoes on him to help with the pain. Special pads and all sorts of stuff. But this could just mask the pain and problems.

or

Have his feet trimmed my a natural care farrier every 3 weeks or so and he may still have his bad days.

My farrier ended up falling in love with him and keeping him so it worked out ok.

He trims his feet specially every couples weeks and he goes out regularly.

It is very important that you keep them from getting heavy. I would put a grazing muzzle on, a lot of grass it bad for a horse with laminitis.  

Answer 4

Funny - the exact same thing happened with a mare of mine...in May!

WHAT degree of rotation is there?

Why can't he be trimmed NOW? Square toe/reverse shoes/pads

Is there heat in the hoof? Is it more in one area than another? If so it may be an abcess you could hot soak the hoof 3-4 times a day and then apply a poultice to draw it out - took me 7 days. This is apparently common in founder cases... of course two vets did not tell me that in JUNE - I had to ask why the heat was on one side and not the whole hoof...

Do NOT give up - many Vets are all "worst case scenario"... grrrrrr

Keep him off grass / on DEEP bedding.  I scatter the flake of hay around the dirt paddock  so she thinks she is grazing...

Ask your Vet or google  "Lamina Saver" I have ordered some. I hear it CAN do great things with foundered  horses .  

Answer 5

If I were you, I wouldn't have my horse just "trimmed", I would have him shod like a horse should be that has laminitis.  A good farrier is worth his weight in gold when it comes to shoeing a horse like that...I've seen some pretty bad horses come around with proper shoeing.  When you say, "some rotation", it doesn't sound like something that can't be dealt with...some horses, like yours have gone on to show for several years.  Are you feeding grain or just grass hay?  Once foundered, they are prone to founder easily again.

Answer 6

Well, if and when they do turn around, your horse would still need about 6 months at lest of rest, meaning no rides, no lounging, etc. Juts like you are doing now. But its different in every horse. Here are some questions to ask yourself-

Is the ground to hard/on a hill?

Is the farrier trimming her feet right?

How much rotation is "a little?"

And get this- some horses dont come around at all. I know a horse at an old stable i went to, that has had laminitis for 6 years, showing symptoms. Of course, laminitis never goes away, so when she did seem to be getting better, maybe she did something to make it be worse again, like buck in a field. I just recently put my mare is 27 years to sleep, because of this same situation. ON vacation, Come home, Horse cant walk. I have a feeling mine MIGHT have been more severe than your case, because my mare ate 50lbs of layena chicken food. EEK. but thats not the point, the point is, she may recover in a long time, she may recover tomorrow, or, she may never stop showing the pain.