Posted by Patty Stiller on July 25, 2001 at 22:44:36:
In Reply to: Re: sinker?! posted by Derin Foor on July 25, 2001 at 16:22:20:
: : A horse, I've trimmed for a year or so has been lame for about a month. They asked me to take a look & I couldn't find an obvious problem & recommended that they call a vet out. They did. He diagnosed laminitis, based, I guess, on a slight digital pulse. (The horse appeared to be lame on the LF). He prescribed 10 dys. of Bute. After 14 dys, the horse was about the same & the owner called me again. I went & looked at him. He looked about the same, somewhat lame on the LF. I honestly thought it was a abcess that was having trouble breaking out, because the horse has tough feet & it's been really dry around here. Told the owner I still couldn't see anything I was sure of, better call the vet again. This time he x-rayed. Says the RF is fine & the LF is a "sinker". I'm perplexed, both as to what's actually going on & as to what to do next. Any suggestions?
: Hi Kim,
: 10 days of bute to treat laminitis?.....WOW, what a great vet this must be!?!?......this reminds me of a recent posting where Patty took a little heat for criticizing a vet/diagnosis....but if the vet is not familiar with treating laminitis and founder then they have no business doing so and should refer these horses elsewhere....same goes for the farriers.....I suppose we should note for fairness sake, that we haven't heard the vet's side of this.....but why would masking the pain be the proper treatment EVER???....if he felt like the horse was laminitic he should have used hoof testers, blocks, x-rays etc not only to properly diagnose the condition, but also to protect himself from a malpractice standpoint
: this is what I would suggest....meet with the vet, look at the x-rays together, and come up with a plan that the two of you agree on.....without seeing the x-rays I would think that the horse should be shod with a pad (probably a degree pad) and have proper caudal support added in the form of impression material placed from just behind the point of the frog to the heels
: hope this helps ~~~~~~ Derin
Thanks Derin...
This couls likely be a case of low grade, ongoing laminitis, from hormonal causes. The symptoms are classic..loe grade lameness over a period of time, lacking all the 'classic' laminitis symptoms but slowly sinking.
We have been discusing that type of laminitis in the Farriers helping Horse owners BB's a lot lately. The vet and owner need to be made aware of the possibilities of hormonal imbalances , and/or possible early or low grade cushings. Many vets will think if the horse does not have the textbook 'cushings' hair coat or other signs, or is a bit too young that this is not a possibility. A klot of vets are not aware of the most recent research, tests, or treatments. Read the farriers helpng horse owners laminitis board, you will find a lot of good information to print and hand to the owner and the vet to help them see that there is more they can look for.
In the meantime get dense construction grade styrofoam taped under those feet for support and protection. There are free downloadable instructions on how to specifically fit and trim the stuff in the EDSS website. . Patty