02/08/2024
A laminitis turnaround at near blinding speed--- only 8 weeks between these two photos as the damage grows out. (5 months post-onset, with medication). However, look at Magical Before & After pictures like this with a grain of salt before asking "Well why can't MY horse/pony/donkey do this?"
No laminitis cases are ever really "identical" (despite close similiarities) and such speed can be affected by many factors: extent of damage, previous episodes/chronic damage, ongoing management/ response to medication, horse's ability to grow good hoof genetically, any further minor episodes, farrier intervention, and pure luck.
A younger horse with no prior episodes and naturally good-quality hooves will usually recover much faster than an aged horse who's had many episodes over their lifetime. Each time damage happens, the recovery rate becomes slower and returning to "normal" becomes more difficult, usually due to lower numbers of healthy laminae attachments, any acquired flexural limb contracture, and permanent coffin bone damage.
Very severe damage, or poor physical responses to medications, or lack of effort in management (diet control, weight control, farrier visits, feeding the prescribed medications), all impact the timeline and overall quality of recovery. Horses with PPID, metabolic syndromes or insulin dysregulation typically need lifelong management practices or medications--- whereas others may have a one-off episode from eating a w**d or something and be fine the rest of their lives.
Sometimes the management is not simple and often it can be expensive. Some horses require much more effort than others and amount of effort may progress year to year. Sometimes they hit a point where there's no fixing it, or the sheer amount of effort becomes too much, or they have many other health and soundness issues. "Don't Be A Hero" unfortunately happens.
Nowadays many horses do make good recoveries with a solid Team Effort. If you feel you or your horse is struggling or has hit a wall, regressed, check in with your team (Vet, Farrier) and re-assess.
General Laminitis Management ideas:
1) A) Find the trigger! History of obesity, fresh grass, cold nights, drought hay, Cushings/PPID, Potomac Horse Fever, reaction to steroids or innoculations, high starch grain?
1) B) Metabolic Testing. This is handy for diagnosis, baselines and getting the correct medications if necessary.
2) Assess Horse's Weight. If you're unsure, ask the internet, they ain't holding back on low-glucose opinions.
3) Daily Diet Corrections. Paddock Paradise or track system building can be quite simple; slow-feed haynets, changing hay location/spread out further around the paddock, or feeding style, and reducing grass intake. Low-starch, high-fibre diets.
4) Check Magnesium intake. Some low-grade laminitis and chubby animals respond very well to magnesium, especially if deficient or in work.
5) Increase Exercise if Chubby (if possible! Do not forcibly exercise a lame horse!). If your horse is parked in a small paddock eating 24/7 off free-choice hay, their hooves just will not stop flaring and they have ripples in their skin from hard fat deposits on the neck and ribcage, are constantly itching their tail, or they are having acute laminitis flares frequently, then they are likely eating more calories than they are burning and you will have to either decrease their caloric intake per day OR start aerobic exercise program daily to increase fat metabolism and balance the calories.
Even 15-30 minutes of handwalking actively (no breaks, at a decent pace) per day will make a difference in a few weeks.
If you cannot exercise the horse by yourself or because they are too sore or have arthritis, etc, then you will have to bite that bullet and *stop* overfeeding them. Period. There are many ways to do this that will not cause ulcers! Hay stations, slowfeeders with smaller hole sizes, multiple feedings of a specific amount per day.
If he's too thin, feed more. If he's too fat, feed less.
If he won't gain weight or he won't lose weight, call your vet!
