Posted by Susan K on August 31, 2003 at 05:10:31:
Hello everyone,
This is my first time posting on this board. My 7 yr. old, barefoot, morgan gelding came down with what seemed to be a relatively minor case of laminitis in late June, the first time this has happened to him.
I have just had x-rays done, and despite the fact that his feet look quite good from the outside and he is moving well (the only thing that is unusual is that he is sensitive if he steps on a large piece of gravel, which he did not used to be), the x-rays showed a few degrees of rotation and some separation of the toe, from about 1/4 to 1/3 of the way up from the bottom.
My vet is recommending resection of the separated areas, and has asked for my farrier, whom he trusts to do the job, consult with him and view the x-rays. He has said that he does not believe we need to shoe the horse, which I greatly hope not to ever have to do (he has never worn a shoe in his life and always had superb feet).
I asked the vet if the resected foot would be painful or more vulnerable to problems from our wet, muddy winter environment (Vancouver, British Columbia), and he said it is not painful, and the horse would have no more problems with wet than any other horse.
However, I have now been reading that one must be very careful to keep a resection bandaged and clean (and I assume dry), and that sounds just about impossible in this climate.
I understand some of the theory behind resection -- to prevent the separated toe from levering away and pulling healthy tissue away as well, and to prevent formation of abscesses and infection. Still, it seems like such a drastic thing to do, and the very thought of it is frightening to an ignorant person like me!
Is there any other way to manage this? I have read some of the Strasser information, particularly recommending trimming 2x weekly, and it does not sound feasible for me to do that. I also got really confused by that stuff, as it recommends total turnout and lots of movement on firm footing -- in total contradiction to what my vet recommends (no pasture turnout with the other horses, soft footing, turnout in the fairly big paddock only, no riding, only hand walking).
I should say that I am receiving a tremendous amount of help on the nutritional front from Dr. Eleanor Kellon and Katy Watts (whom I see posts here too...hi Katy!). I don't know what I would have done without those two angels (yes Katy, your "to the point"-ness does not make you less of an angel, in my book!).
Dr. Kellon said something to me about the location of the separation (being so low down) would indicate that this is from an earlier episode than just this June. That is something I don't really understand, as he has never shown even the slightest signs of laminitis before.
Anyway, I am rambling on here, but I have sooo many questions, and am hoping to understand my options regarding what to do with his feet before the farrier comes. Thank you in advance for any help!
Susan K