5 year old TB with laminitis?? How??

[Samotis]

I just thought I would ask as I am not very familiar with laminitis. A lady I know rescued a beautiful 5 year old gelding. She said when she got him he was starved to death and crippled. I guess they said he had laminitis and they were going to send him to the killers.

My question is, he does have sort of shelly flat feet, but is barefoot now and sound. He looks to be a very nice sport horse type. Would he be able to start being ridden? Can a horse totally get over laminitis? Would shoes (at least front) be best for him?

The lady only ever rode reiners and her cowboys thing he is ugly. I think he is beautiful. He is a H/J type, not a reining type.;)

So, as per any horse just coming back from trauma, just start slow and see what happens?

What could have caused the laminitis? Was it just caused by never having his feet trimmed?

[Fixerupper]

Yes

[rcloisonne]

Laminitis can be caused by a whole host of things, including any systemic infection that causes a fever. Far too many people, including some vets, believe the cure is starving the horse as if overfeeding were the only cause. :rolleyes:

OTOH, many well meaning people take in a starved horse and the first thing they do is load it up with grain in an effort to put weight on the horse. Guess what often happens?

The horse the OP is discussing needs to have a set of lateral radiographs taken to determine where the coffin bone is, if there's any damage to it and to evaluate how much sole depth he has. If there's no rotation, no remodeling (pedal osteitis) and good sole depth then he most likley is fine and won't need shoes.

[EqTrainer]

Laminitis can be caused by a whole host of things, including any systemic infection that causes a fever. Far too many people, including some vets, believe the cure is starving the horse as if overfeeding were the only cause. :rolleyes:

OTOH, many well meaning people take in a starved horse and the first thing they do is load it up with grain in an effort to put weight on the horse. Guess what often happens?

The horse the OP is discussing needs to have a set of lateral radiographs taken to determine where the coffin bone is, if there's any damage to it and to evaluate how much sole depth he has. If there's no rotation, no remodeling (pedal osteitis) and good sole depth then he most likley is fine and won't need shoes.

Exactly.

My 4 year old had a septic coffin bone and developed very mild laminitis in all four feet. It's no big deal, all the separation will grow out and there will no lasting effects (there was no rotation or sinking) but yes, it can happen in a young horse and for systemic reasons.

It could also be that this horse is a thin IR horse. Start throwing groceries to it and it could become laminitic again.

Maybe it needs to be YOUR horse, if they all think it is ugly. That makes me so sad, I might have a good cry over it :cry:

[Plumcreek]

Samotis, yes it is possible for the feet to recover enough to jump, but you are probably looking at a couple years of good shoeing with pads and cushion material ($$$) until the feet totally grow out and remodel. I would not commit to this until several X-rays by a good hoof vet had been taken and discussed. It generally is a longer road than you plan for at the beginning.

[slc2]

Some horses can recover to active use, some cannot.

Any horse can founder. Infection, improper feeding and management, use of steroids and other medical issues can founder horses.

[Samotis]

I think he had never had his feet trimmed and they were so grown out that it crippled him. He was starving when she got him. I don't think he developed laminitis at her place. I think it was before.

I will have to double check.

I would like to help her. She said she will keep him, but to a good home she would give him away.

I think he looks to be a nice hunter type. He has a beautiful face, a white snip, 3 white booties and is dark bay almost black. I don't know what is ugly about that!;)

When I get home from vacation I will be moving my older gelding there. I will take some pictures!

[talkofthetown]

Agreed with all the above, just wanted to add that if it does turn out to be laminitis, don't think that you DEFINITELY have to commit months/years and hundreds of dollars into correcting it. In most cases, yes, that's what it takes. But when my old pony started to develop laminitis, we caught it early, and (thanks to my AMAZING farrier) all it took was putting him on a diet and having him specially trimmed. (Pony went barefoot anyway.) Within three or so months he was almost 100% again. Granted, this isn't always the case- I got lucky. But just something to keep in mind. Good luck with this guy!

[Renae]

There is also a thing called "mechanical founder" which can be caused by outside forces such as riding a horse too hard (trotting, cantering) on hard footing (like a hard packed or paved road).

Also a horse can be "poisoned" into foundering, either from an actual toxin like from Black Walnut wood or from overuse of steroids (a common one that is abused to the point of making a horse founder is dexamethasone).

Often once a horse has foundered and there has been changes in the bone structure in its foot it is more prone to foundering in the future.

[slc2]

I would be wary of any assurances that a horse with deformed feet has not foundered. Trust xrays, not assurances.

[Samotis]

It is hard to say if the horse actually did founder or not. From the way it sounds, the horse was just crippled from never being trimmed. While his feet look flat and shelly, he was not lame when I saw him walking out in the pasture.

I doubt she will spend the money to get x-rays. She rescued him and plans to keep him.

I just think it is a shame to keep a beautiful 5 year old TB that looks to have hunter potential in a backyard forever if he could have a chance of a career.

I have always bought backyard fix up horses for projects (well the 2 I had) and both went on to have great hunter careers.

I will play around with him soon. If he is still funky at all I will leave him be and he can have a nice backyard pasture life! ;)

[Renae]

There are lots of horses around. If this person is fine to keep him in her backyard and feed and care for him for the rest of his life I would leave the situation alone. Horses do not have career aspirations.