Low grade laminitis and vet wants Ozzies shoes back on???

[Yann]

Can't answer on the blood test front but if you've had the eponas fitted with the equipak stuff then I would imagine you're going to have had a similar result if not better than boots would be able to provide support and protection wise. It really does sound like quite an intractable issue, good luck getting to the bottom of it.

[JanC]

Ok - all tests back and they don't explain anything! Bloods, liver all normal. X-rays - nothing has dropped or rotated, no pedal osteitis, good sole depth.
She is fine out on wet, muddy paddock but gets heat, a pulse and is sore on the dry lot with soaked hay. Its not the hay as feet stay cold and happy when shut in deep bedded stable so it must be that she cant tolerate walking on the compacted sand for too long. Vet is referring her to Scotlands guru farrier who works with the vet school. He said "you have a mare with exceedingly sensitive soles". She was in Eponas for 6 months - it all started swimmingly and she maintained the lovely looking feet she'd developed from being barefoot, no stretched white line, no flairs but then started being sore after re-shoeing and then footy on hard in the Eponas and also reluctant to work in arena at speed for anything more than 10 mins. I've never seen her as sore as she was when she came out of the Eponas. I boot her to walk her up to stable and back to dry out feet. Absolutely fed up - 2.5 yrs of trying everything and we still cant help her enough

[Yann]

I saw your post about this on the UKNHCP forum, and I really feel for you. In your situation getting the horse comfortable would be my number one priority, as I'm sure it is yours - if that means steel shoes, and pads if necessary, then that's what I would do. You've clearly tried every alternative and you're not going to diet or condition your way out of this, there's something more deep seated going on.

[shockblue]

We have a TB with lami and she was told to put shoes on her. Instead she bought some hoof boots and some foam type pads in the bottom to support her. She is coming on really well. Kept in a yard type area with hay.

This is compared to another TB at another yard who my EP trims who got lami about the same time. This horse had the shoes put on and box rest and is still lame.

[JanC]

New symptoms! Chrissie came in on Sunday morning very wet and miserable. It became a horrendous day and night so kept them on dry lot and stable access all day and night. Feet stayed cold and no pulses. Expected to come down on Monday morning to hot feet and pulses once feet had had a chance to dry but NO, they were fine. Decided to keep off grass again to see if she was having a reaction to the grass but the wet field was keeping inflammation away - so far we've had no pulses, footiness and no grass. BUT - she has also had incredibly sensitive flanks since Sunday - kicking out and snapping if I so much as touched her there. Vet was out at my aged shetland on Tues so I asked him to check Chrissie too and asked if there could be an imbalance in her gut and that it is the underlying problem. He poo pooed the idea and I explained that Chris has frequently been very girthy, very stressy about food and constantly acts ravenous. He examined her gut and said that there was slightly raised activity but nothing to worry about. When I went down at tea time she had colic! Could she have a very acidic hind gut or even ulcers and this is causing the ongoing sensitivity in her feet?

[Yann]

I don't know, but it sounds like an avenue worth pursuing if you haven't already. I've read a lot about slippery elm as a treatment for suspected ulcers, might be worth a try to see if it makes any difference to anything?