Digital pulse with no signs of laminitis

[measles]

Can anybody help me out please.
I have previously written of my pony who suffered an attack of laminitis 1 year ago. Ever since (touch wood) he has been ok, however he does sometimes seem to have an increased digital pulse. this tends to come and go with no explanation. For example sometimes when i go to feed in the morning it is quite pronounced but if i return some 2 or 3 hours later it would have completely gone. also some days again it can be quite strong however from leading him from his stable to the field literally 20-30 strides away it can have disappeared. i have also noticed that it can sometimes be a lot stronger when he is hot but when his rug is removed it drops almost immediatly. This can happen in the winter when he is well rugged but i have also noticed that in the height of summer his pulse increases so much that above the fetlock (where the leg narrows - i can't remember the name but it is where your brushing boots go) i can actually see his hair moving in and out in sequence with his pulse. i have asked my vet about this ( i am sure he thinks i am some kind of neurotic mum) and he says that when it is hot, it can increase like it does in humans. he also said that i have to learn to ascess on a scale, the strength of the pulse i.e 1-3 is okay and can be ignored, 4-6 may need considering and anything over looks like lami.

Can anyone enlighten me?

I have looked in all sorts of places, websites, books etc and the minute digital pulse is mentioned the word laminitis follows however my pony shows no other signs. some websites also say that the pulse is not a one off indicator of pain and must be considered along side other symptoms.

i hope everybody understands this thread (sometimes i confuse myself). :confused:

[Tina J]

My last horse had cushing's disease in her last few years, which made her very prone to laminitus. I found that an increased digital pulse was a good "warning" that she was getting too much in the way of the wrong sort of carbohydrates in her diet. I used it as an indicator that the grass was having a growth spurt and she either needed her grazing limiting, or her excercise increasing (or both!). So, I would keep an eye on your horse's pulse, as you are doing, and just use it as a pre-laminitus indicator. Take the pulse at the same time every day and if it gets stronger then up the exercise for him. Good luck. Once they have had this awful condition then I know how nerve wracking it can be trying to make sure it doesn't happen again.

[Tina J]

Oh - I should have said as well, that longer steady exercise is best. Faster exercise has a higher impact on their feet which is NOT what you want if a horse is getting borderline towards having another attack of laminitus.

[measles]

i understood that if signs of laminitis was present, you should not exercise your horse as this could cause rotation of the pedal bone.

are there no other reasons for an increased pulse?

i know it can point towards an absess but that could not possably relate to my pony because 90% of the time the pulse is the same in both feet and the likelihood of two absesses would be remote and i am 99% sure an attack of laminitis is not on the horizon.

[Mehitabel]

pulses do occur in horses without laminitis - it's all about what's normal for your horse. heat or excitement will increase the pulse everywhere - the digital pulse isn't isolated from the rest of the circulatory system. it could be that your horse gets very excited at the thought of her morning feed, and gets her pulse up in anticipation.
there are about 70 horses on our yard, and about 20 of them have a digital pulse all the time. there are some that i've never managed to find one on, and most of them it's vaguely detectable in very hot weather (i did some experienting when we had a laminitis scare and wanted to see what was normal over a range of horses).
something i found to be a useful early warning system as well was wanting to eat nettles - petal had an attack a few years ago, from shock from an accident, and she's had one since. she liked eating nettles when she had it, but turned her nose up at them otherwise. this year, i stopped and offered her nettles every day on the way back from the field, and if she seemed interested i knew to get on guard.

[Tina J]

You're right - once laminitus is established you should rest your horse, and on a good level soft bed such as shavings. I am talking about the warning signs that a horse may be getting too many sugars (such as the fructans from grass growth) in which case exercise to burn off the sugars before there is a problem, will be a good idea.

I am just saying to use the increased pulse as a sign of increased risk, and take appropriate precautions, including increasing slow steady exercise. I monitored my last horse's pulse, and did just that, and managed to keep her free of laminitus for the three years preceding her death. Not easy with a horse with Cushings.

You are right of course that increased pulse can also be a sign of an abcess, but in my experience the hoof wall often feels a bit warmer as well, if there is an abcess (I am sure someone will now post that their horse had an abcess with a cool hoof - just telling what I have seen!).

If you have managed to stay laminitus free for a year, you are obviously doing something right, so good luck.

[measles]

Thanks everyone for your help.

i had a lesson last night and ran this past my instructor. She was of the opinion that as the pulse is more prominent in the morning it is due to the fact that he is standing still in his box all night. Also it happens more in the winter becuase he is only grazing for a maximum of 5 hours where as in the summer he is out for aprox 10 hours and therefore not stood still as long. She said the frog is like a heart and pumps blood back up from the hoof. Becuase he is stood still in his box the frog isn't effectivly being stimulated enough and therefore doesn't pump as efficiently. that is why when i take him out of his box, within seconds the pulse has gone because his frog pumps harder. i may not have explained this very well but it does seem to make sense. He is also a very active little pony yet when in his stable despite the fact that it is huge he stands rooted to the spot. even when he follows me round when i am skipping out, his pulse diminishes so this does sound true. Would you agree?

[Tina J]

Sounds logical. Its that sort of reasoning that is why I said to take the pulse at the same time every day. If you get to know what is normal for your horse then you will know if it increases above normal. Glad that you are managing to keep him free of this awful condition anyway. And if you know his pulse then you will be able to monitor him in the spring and autumn which are the danger times. Good luck with him.