Very sick horse

[Minimor]

I compared his hooves to others. They are not any warmer or colder than my other horses. He also has quite an appetite. When the vet was out he tested his hooves to see if he was tender from founder and he wasn't.

Every horse handles pain differently. That is why one horse will go off its feed when it has an episode of laminitis, while the next one will be every bit as bad yet will continue to eat like there is no tomorrow.

As I said, there isn't always noticeable heat in the feet of a horse that is foundering. Someone on here last year had a horse that was stiff and sore. As I recall the vet said it wasn't founder because there was no heat in the feet, no digital pulse and no reaction to hoof testers (I think they used hoof testers at one point) She finally took the horse to a university clinic & the vet there diagnosed severe laminitis, with serious rotation.

Honestly, I have seen horses (plural, not just one) that were foundering and yet didn't stand in the typical founder stance--they just stood and moved like they were stiff & sore through the body, almsot like they were tying up. You would be wise to do as Kay says, and treat this like founder until you get a definite diagnosis of something else. No green grass, no alfalfa, and very limited grain (possibly no grain, depends what kind of grain ration you are feeding)

 

[Hosscrazy]

There is some really good advice here - I would also recommend treating your horse as a laminitic horse, and ask your vet to run an ACTH test, thyroid (T3 & T4) and also get x-rays.

Best wishes,

Liz R.

 

[Diana]

I had a gelding with a problem like this. He could hardly walk out of his stall and walked like he was on broken glass. Had his thyoid tested, came back positive, but him on tyhoid meds and was fine after that. Jess think of getting him tested for this to just rule out all possibilities.

 

[Jess P]

Had the vet out today,

He says it is a deep infection from thrush so we will be soaking his hooves twice a day.

 

[MInx]

Just want to wish you luck dear..this is all so hard sometimes..everyone is just trying to think of your horse so just thought I'd send you a good luck wish in case you're feeling picked on..it's all about the horses after all eh? Maxine

 

[Jill]

I'm happy your vet was out again and that you have a treatment plan.

Kind of makes me go

that so many of us are ready to diagnose the situation and disregard what a vet has said when I don't think any or us have both seen the horse and been through vet school.

 

[eagles ring farm]

so glad you found out the problem

hope he is back to his old self soon

 

[Mercysmom]

A little tip I learned from "Fred", our farrier...

Soaking thrushy hooves in denture cleaner really cleans them up of all the nasty goo after they have been picked! My dwarf minis Connie and Bodie were prone to thrush due to the shape of their hooves but a soak in denture cleaner (I used the generic Polident brand and a low feed pan with warm water) and those hooves were cleaner than clean could be and I could apply my thrush treatment on a clean, dry hoof - I would check with your vet and farrier to see if they recommend this for your horse's case and good luck with your boy and his continued recovery!

Denise

Silversong Farm

 

[Jess P]

Thanks for the tip Denise.

For now we are using epsom salts but I'll ask about the denture cleaner.

 

[MBennettp]

"Kind of makes me go that so many of us are ready to diagnose the situation and disregard what a vet has said when I don't think any or us have both seen the horse and been through vet school."

I didn't see where anyone diagnosed the problem, they just simply told what the symptoms could be. One of the posters had seen the horse. The rest said what it could be and how to make it more comfortable was what I saw and every poster said if the vet didn't know, call another vet.

I guess I'll go back to not posting.

Mary

 

[kaykay]

Mary please dont do that! The forum is all about sharing ideas. The poster asked for opinions and she got opinions.

I too remember the story referred to above when a horse posted just like this and the persons vet insisted it was not founder. And it wasnt until they got the horse to a university that they finally correctly diagnosed the horse with the founder. Another time a person posted with a sick foal and several of us kept suspecting joint ill but their vet insisted it wasnt. AGain it turned out it was. Nope Im not a vet and dont pretend to be one. But just like human doctors sometimes they are wrong. I have found this is especially true when it comes to miniatures and ponies. I love my vet as he readily admits that the minis are different and often asks me for my opinion. Even in talking to vets at OSU and ISU they also readily admit that there are things specific to miniatures that just arent that common in big horses

The reason people take the time to reply with their opinion is because they care!! If they didnt care they wouldnt bother posting

 

[barnbum]

Exactly, Kay! And it gives us a possibility to mention to the vet/farrier to consider and rule in OR out. When I posted to ask about sinus infections, I PMd two people who had replied for more information. I tried one idea--and it worked out fine! I mentioned it to my vet and he said what I tried is often the best thing to get it to clear up--but he had never mentioned it to me before.

 

[SilverDollar]

kaykay and barnbum, I completely agree! Having had minis for only three years I come here to learn about others' experiences. I've had big horses for 18 years but the minis are definitely different! Please share your experiences; do it for the horses. I always learn something new every time I log on.

One thing is for sure about horses: I more I know, the more I realize I don't know!!

There is so much to know! And with scientific advances, there are always new treatments coming out. Thanks for sharing your knowledge and experience!

 

[Boinky]

Ok i'm NOT a vet but thrush does not sound accurate! sorry but if your horse had thrush THAT badly YOU'D KNOW IT! thrush is nasty and makes the frog decay and makes it black black black gunky stuff it smells badly. I've never seen a mild case of thrush make a horse lame. I saw your horses at the show last year and they all looked very well cared for..i find it hard to believe that you'd let their feet get that thrushy.

I would lean towards laminitis or a possibly abscess even. did it come on fast? Often when lameness comes on fast for no apparent reason it's an abscess in the hoof and CAN be difficult to find yourself.

I'd keep looking and as everyone else said i'd treat it as founder until he comes out of it. Even if it i's thrush you can still treat him like a laminitic horse and treat the thrush.

Bleach water soaks is one of the best treatments for thrush.. I wouldn't rely on epsom salts alone as it's a fungus .

I also want to mention..how long was the horse treated for lyme?? It is NOT uncommon for a lyme patient to get WORSE when being treated. What happens is that when the little spirochete bacteria's get killed off by the antibitotics they break up into smaller pieces. Even though they are dead bacteria's the body still thinks they are alive and is getting attacked by MORE bacteria and the body goes into overdrive to try to fight it off and will actually make you MORE sick. You will also get what is called a Herxheimer reaction with is the same thing but it tends to be on a monthly "schedual" and will make you sick for a week or two each month because of the treatments. I would NOT rule out lyme just because the animal got sicker on the meds......infact that in itself can be an excellent indicator!