Safi had a slight relaps but he's allrady doing better.
I put off writing 'till I had more substantial news.
Thursday, his forth day out of confinement he looked soar again. Not
too bad just enough for me to tell he was ouchy.
The vet said we just took him out of confinement too soon. He went
back on bute, and into the SAND corral 24/7.
By Saturday he looked better. I stopped the bute. During the day
I'm letting him into his small (120' x 40") paddock where he has some
weeds to munch. I also added beet pulp to his diet, to fill his
belly (hoping he'll eat less weeds). And, I'm installing an electric
line (something I've fought for years) so he can't reach into the
grassy pasture. I still plan on putting him in the corral at night.
I wrote to the "assistant dept. head" at CSU a well respected
veterinary teaching hosp. in Fort Collins. Much to my surprise
(imagine the demands on his time) he wrote back.
He's in complete agreement with all the advice you've all been so
generous to share with me.
My Vet & I were probably over enthusiastic by Safi's progress and let
him out too soon.
Needless to say, I'm scheduling a blood test and x-rays this week.
Hey, it's only money, If it turns up anything negative it will help
me take the precations to prevent from happening again. If we get a
clean bill of health the peace of mind is worth it.
Here is a copy of the Doc's letter; you say your not vets but it's
almost word for word what you all have been saying.
"Ms. Simonell:
There would be nothing to say that this horse could have a
combination of a systemic problem together with mechanical trauma to
the laminae. Him being overweight may suggest a metabolic cause for
the laminitis. There is a syndrome in horses called "metabolic
syndrome" where horses seem to be more prone to laminitis, and many
of these horses are overweight and have fat deposits in the crest of
the neck, behind the shoulder and over the tail head. Some of these
horses have an insulin resistance that is thought to predispose them
to laminitis. I am uncertain if this would fit your horse or not, but
you can run a couple of blood tests to get more information as to
whether your horse may be "at risk". However, it is pretty
coincidental that he foundered after a hard ride and has not
foundered in the past. He could still have the effects of the
mechanical founder, as it may take several weeks before he is
completely sound. I certainly think that radiographs of his feet
should be performed at this time to see if there has been any
rotation of the coffin bone.
Please have your veterinarian call me if you would like to
pursue this further or we would be happy to evaluate your horse at
the hospital as well. Hope this helped. Take care."
