Old fashioned lami treatment I came across, v diff to now!

[Bronya]

I was reading a very old book the other day, for fun really, and came across a lami treatment - get the horse/pony to a stream, stand it in there for an hour, walk it round a field once, in for another hour, round field twice, building up slowly. This was recommended for a horse that was so bad it could barely move. So very different to what is prescribed now! Mind you, not so long ago according to the lady at one of the tack shops I go to, they used to starve them completely and work them and work them as soon as they could move, and that was the standard treatment!

[Yann]

Interesting :) I think the standing in stream thing has been somewhat discredited, but walking and working do have their benefits past the acute phase and these do have some merits which tend to be overlooked in the 'box rest it for three months' type of approach to the issue.

[eventerbabe]

it's not so old that advice. My loan pony had crippling laminitis and the vet had us stand him in the burn that ran through one of the fields. This was only 12 years ago ;) some vets still follow the movement advice. My friends horse was turned out 12 hours a day when down with severe laminitis. took her an hour to get it to the field!

[coss]

i haven't heard of the standing in the stream but have heard about keeping the horse moving. i knew a mare with acute laminitus that was left out most of the day in a tiny paddock so very little grass but it meant she had to move around to feed.

[Afellpony]

The object of standing a horse with laminitis in a cold stream is to get the inflammation down. Cold water is good for that. Even better if it's running water. Once the inflammation has gone, it makes things a lot easier and quicker in getting the horse back to normal. It's an old fashioned remedy which still works.

[Trewsers]

Interesting these old horse books aren't they? I have a couple written in the late 60's early 70's and there are many things that are now told totally differently. I can see the stream thing - makes sense really.

[Afellpony]

Cold hosing is just as good (not everyone has a stream on hand). I read about the cold hosing treatment in a book that was published in 1948.

[Shadow69]

starve them completely and work them and work them as soon as they could moveTreatment is one thing, prevention is really the best course of action though.
:)At our yard we have had no cases of traditional Laminitis this year (and we have natives living out in this crazy weather)
:eek:However, we did have a recurring case of two ponies getting a similar symptom to laminitis, but this was due to an inexperienced and totally reckless owner rasping and re-rasping the feet of the ponies under the guise of 'barefooting'. Combined with a very poor feed, forage and excercise regime, no wonder the ponies went lame.

The owner obviosly thought they knew best, as they ignored the advice of two Farriers (one, a master farrier, actually offered his services free) Even the vet refused to diagnose laminitis Duh!:eek::eek::confused::mad:

Help and treatment was offered but rejected, and so the ponies were given notice and removed from the yard.:(

So I suppose what I am trying to say is lets be sure it's Laminitis before we treat it, and lets be clear on the cause of the lameness so we can prevent it because it can be due to the classic seven, but laminitis can also be inflicted on an annimal through the handlers actions.:)

[Yann]

Sub acute or low grade laminitic symptoms do exist, and there has been a lot of it about this summer, it just tends to show up more starkly in unshod horses. It's possible that this is what the ponies were suffering from, if the owners weren't actually over trimming the feet and leaving them with nothing to stand on. It appears some vets will diagnose this and some won't.

[Esther.D]

I can't (at the moment - am open to an explanation) see what is wrong with standing in a stream/cold hosing - seems logical to use on hot inflamed hooves for pain relief and to try and reduce inflammation..

[Bronya]

Nowadays we use drugs to reduce inflammation at the acute stage - nothing inherently wrong in a stream if you don't have them or can't use them. I was just thinking how times had changed!

[Yann]

Can't remember where I read it but I think was something to do with reduced circulation or suchlike.

[Esther.D]

Nowadays we use drugs to reduce inflammation at the acute stage - nothing inherently wrong in a stream if you don't have them or can't use them. I was just thinking how times had changed!

Oh I appreciate that drugs are faster acting and a longer term solution, I was just meaning (as you say) that streams don't do any harm :)