The vet came out today around noon and saw Prize. She was much lamer today than she was yesterday. We added extra bedding to her stall for some extra padding. She still just looked like she hurt, poor girl. The vet had some good news: he’s almost 100% sure it’s not laminitis (yay!). He thinks…
When I got to the barn this evening, I had two surprises: Kasane was covered in hives (happened last year too) and Prize was in her stall. I called the barn manager to ask about Prize and to see about giving Kasane antihistamines for a few days. The barn owner and I had been playing…
I met the farrier at the barn this morning. Overall, Isis’ feet look good: reasonable growth and plenty of sole and hoof wall. However, she has some bruising in the white line and the white line appears to be thicker. The white line is actually the growth of the lamina, the part of the hoof…
I just talked to the vet. He said that the toxins in Isis’ system are gone (yay!). Unfortunately, her small intestines still aren’t showing any motility. It may take several days for motility to return. It’s not unusual for intestines that were as badly damaged as hers to take a few days to recover. The…
The Bay Wonder Mare is a marvel. The way she was today versus on Saturday is worlds different. She felt so much better. When I went into her stall, she was very talkative. She nickered when I put my hand on her forehead, like she does in the field when I greet her. She nickered…
Five second summary: Isis had colic surgery today (VERY BAD). I had written a long post about Isis being in the hospital with colic and a slippery-finger mistake caused me to delete the entire entry. It’s too raw to rewrite now. She was okay at breakfast this moring. The barn manager called me at 9:30…
Okay, I knew Isis’ supplement helped her. The past few weeks have really highlighted just how much she needs it. For about the past month, Isis has not been eating her supplement. She gets a low-starch pelleted grain and 2 ounces of Grand Meadows Complete, a powdered supplement. She decided that she didn’t like the…
I think I should expand my consulting business to include “horse health specialist.” With all of the special requirements Isis has for managing laminitis and insulin resistance, I’ve learned more with her than all of the years I’ve had horses. Low carb grain. Grazing muzzles. For months, last year through the beginning of this year,…
Isis’ new shoes arrived today. They were more expensive than the last pair of shoes I bought for me. Regular steel horse shoes cost about $4 each; these were $14.50 each. When you are used to the burnished silver of regular horse shoes, seeing translucent green and yellow shoes is a bit of a shock….
I’ve always had horses who were easy keepers — only taking them off grass would make them lose weight. Isis was no exception. Metabolism? What’s that? I’ve managed her weight as best I can through nutrition and exercise. It’s not always enough, I can’t get out to the barn as often as I like. The…
Web sites, mailing lists, and articles available online for laminitis: Laminitis-related Safer Grass: A Web site by Katy Watts with a lot of information for both the owner and the veterinarian on laminitis and insulin resistance in horses. Excellent site. HorseShoes.com Laminitis and Founder articles: Wealth of information on this farriery site. Hoof Project: The…
We’ve had some cold weather, so Isis is in a small pasture with grass. Her grazing muzzle is put on every morning. Her new pasture has only a little grass in it, most of it is that light shade of tan that happens after several heavy frosts. The diet paddock she had been in had…
Good news. Well, kinda good news. Isis’ lameness was caused by an abscess and not by a flareup of her laminitis. The vet’s examination showed a sore spot on Isis’ front right foot. Boy was there a lot of nasty gunk in her foot. No wonder she was so sore. Isis wll be on bute…
Poor mare. She is still lame. When the farrier came out today, I asked him to watch Isis move before trimming her. We brought her into the ring and asked her to trot and walk (briefly) both directions. Clockwise, she bobbed her head slightly and was obviously limping. Counterclockwise, she flung her head and trotted…
Isis is still lame today. We’re going to give her a bute tonight and tomorrow and see how she does. The liniment seems to be helping. The lameness is very strange. It is worse going counterclockwise in the ring, and barely noticeable going the other way. Hard to pick out what is causing it when…