Do you think Willow is in foal?

[Rocklone]

There is definitely progress there! Is the left booby leaking or is it just a trick of the light?

[Ryan]

How is she Carly ?

[Carly Rae]

So Willow isn't doing so good 
She is barley able to walk, and she is looking quite thin for a horse that is supposed to be pregnant. I've got a good idea that its laminitis, although an abscess could be it too.  She's been leaning back trying to take the pressure off her fronts and to shift her weight she has to throw her head up and quickly move her leg. I tried to look at her hoof, but her other leg cant hold her and she falls to the ground. And she keeps going back to stand in the oaten hay where its padded.

Shes in a small pen now with bedding and I have soaked her hay in water like Ryan suggested to me. Shes laying down at the moment.

The vets are on their way right at this moment to look at her. I have taken the day off school to be there for her, I'll post again after the vet is here. I'm hoping like crazy that its nothing too major or long term. 

Here are photos from yesterday

[Ryan]

Sending best wishes to willow and hopefully its nothing too serious 

[dcwolcott]

Praying HARD that it is something that will heal quickly and she'll be back to feeling well again soon.   

[Carly Rae]

So we have had the vet out....

There is a chance I will have to put my best friend to sleep.
 
The vet was very thorough with explaining it to me, but it was a lot to take in especially when putting her down came into the picture.

She said that this time of year hits many people with ponies really hard. After we got the rain, the grass shot up, then we got a cold snap which kept the sugar levels up giving the horses time to pig out on the green (or something like that). She said it was like putting Willow in a lolly shop and letting her eat as much as she wants.

Apparently she is in a severe case of laminitis having it in all feet. She said she is in a lot of pain and discomfort, but she wants to give her any chance we can to get her better.

She has given us 2 weeks. In that 2 weeks we have to put her on a very thick layer of sand, on nothing but dry crappy hay like a grassy oaten she said. She has given me some bute that needs to be given once a day in 3ml doses. She also said to get our farrier (which she spoke very highly of and was so glad he was our farrier) out to touch up her feet which can relieve her a bit. She said Willow looks dehydrated looking at her poo, so I have to monitor her intake. And every day I have to move the sand around so it stays soft and padded and not compact and hard. She believes that all this is going to give her the best chance of recovery without throwing hundreds of dollars on medication that may not even work for a horse her age.

She will call me in a week so I can tell her any improvements there might be, and in 2 weeks she will come back out whether there's improvement or not to do an xray and see how her hoof is sitting and that will determine whether we are just fighting an uphill battle that we will never win and whether or not she should be put to sleep.

And she thinks Willow has lost the foal with any stress its common for them just to get rid of it, and she said we may not have seen it if it was small, and a dog may have taken it. She has been let walk around for the past few weeks so its quite possible. 

So these next 2 weeks will be focused just on Willow, I can't even explain how much I hope for her to recover...
She has also recommended that I limit how much time Snickas and Kevin get on the green grass being ponies and they should be given the dry hay too until the grass dries up a bit.

I will keep you all posted on how she gets on.

[Ryan]

Im really sorry to read this Carly , laminitis is a terrible thing , I almost classify it as bad as the "C" word (Colic).

Your vet has given you some really good advice in every hope of saving her.  As I said it wouldnt hurt to soak the hay for an hour or so to remove any excess sugar from it.

You need to think positively and send Willow our very best wishes.

I agree you should take the others off the grass too until it dries up.

Keep us posted

[Suebe]

I wouldn't put her down, please reconsider I've had multiple rescues with such bad Laminitis they laid down more then they stood up, they were on chronic pain meds. All are good now, they are no longer on medication and live quality lives. Most people would have put them down even my vet agreed but it didn't cost me a fortune if that's a worry for you. I altered their diet, kept them trimmed on schedule, pain meds when needed and it passed. Sometimes it can take months but it's worth it trust me. Don't give up on your best friend

[Suebe]

I'm so sorry you're going through this is heartbreaking

So we have had the vet out....

There is a chance I will have to put my best friend to sleep.
 
The vet was very thorough with explaining it to me, but it was a lot to take in especially when putting her down came into the picture.

She said that this time of year hits many people with ponies really hard. After we got the rain, the grass shot up, then we got a cold snap which kept the sugar levels up giving the horses time to pig out on the green (or something like that). She said it was like putting Willow in a lolly shop and letting her eat as much as she wants.

Apparently she is in a severe case of laminitis having it in all feet. She said she is in a lot of pain and discomfort, but she wants to give her any chance we can to get her better.

She has given us 2 weeks. In that 2 weeks we have to put her on a very thick layer of sand, on nothing but dry crappy hay like a grassy oaten she said. She has given me some bute that needs to be given once a day in 3ml doses. She also said to get our farrier (which she spoke very highly of and was so glad he was our farrier) out to touch up her feet which can relieve her a bit. She said Willow looks dehydrated looking at her poo, so I have to monitor her intake. And every day I have to move the sand around so it stays soft and padded and not compact and hard. She believes that all this is going to give her the best chance of recovery without throwing hundreds of dollars on medication that may not even work for a horse her age.

She will call me in a week so I can tell her any improvements there might be, and in 2 weeks she will come back out whether there's improvement or not to do an xray and see how her hoof is sitting and that will determine whether we are just fighting an uphill battle that we will never win and whether or not she should be put to sleep.

And she thinks Willow has lost the foal with any stress its common for them just to get rid of it, and she said we may not have seen it if it was small, and a dog may have taken it. She has been let walk around for the past few weeks so its quite possible. 

So these next 2 weeks will be focused just on Willow, I can't even explain how much I hope for her to recover...
She has also recommended that I limit how much time Snickas and Kevin get on the green grass being ponies and they should be given the dry hay too until the grass dries up a bit.

I will keep you all posted on how she gets on.

[Holly]

I am so sorry Carly. I had a friend that had a pony go through the exact same thing. She did exrays and had sever rotation on both font. My dear friend fought hard to help her​ mare. Sadly the mare passed away on her own.
I truly hope and pray that Willow we get better with a change in diet. I am very glad you have a good farrier.
Please know that we are here to support you and Willow no matter what choice you make. We all know how much you care for her. Hugs my friend.

[dcwolcott]

I'm so sorry Carly.  We are here for you, and praying for Willow, be assured of that.  We know you will be her best friend and do a wonderful job following the great directions your vet has given you.  With your good caretaking of her, we'll be lifting lots of prayers for her recovery.

Remember, we're here for you!   

[Rocklone]

I'm sending every wish to you and to be honest it's giving me a little kick up the bum to get charm and thriller off the grass a bit more. My grass hasn't really grown much cause they all eat it well down but it's been hot, then rain then frosty at night which is basically a lami dream. I'll be checking them tomorrow and might start bringing them into a smaller lot until it too dries up.

I really hope your beautiful girl gets through this x

[Anna]

So sorry to hear this Carly, it is horrible seeing our horses in pain.  Sending prayers and healing thoughts to you and Willow.   

[Carly Rae]

Thank you all so much for your support, I really, really appreciate it. I've never been down this road and I have always dreaded it, so it really helps to know I'm not alone.

Willow is looking more comfortable being on pain killers and sand. But you can still see shes in a bit of pain/uncomfortable. 
She wasn't agreeing much with the plain hay, rather than her lush green grass but she realizes I'm not giving her anything else and eventually she eats it. She is a lot less dehydrated looking at her poop. She had been choosing not to drink, so since I soak her hay, I decided to keep the water and hay together and she slurps away in it.

She neighs at me at every sight, not just a little one, it a loud neigh. I was cleaning out my tack room this afternoon which is near her so I was in and out, without a doubt she would neigh at me every time she saw me, poor girl.

My vet is very supportive, knowing its hard. She told me so many times to call her if I ever need and not to be hard on myself, and she sent me an email with a few more words of support and an information sheet on the condition and a check list of what to do in terms of care. So far I have everything ticked off the list besides farrier work which is booked for tomorrow. 

I believe we can fight through this together.

[Rocklone]

The poor dear, you can tell from her stance shes sore. I really am rooting for you though, i have seen some horses pull back from the worst cases of lami - the thing to remember about them though is once a lami always a lami. I know its hard not to feed them, we are trained to think they need food 24/7 and its best if they have access at all times, but in some cases they just can't. Small (almost cruel) rations are needed some times...and soaked to within an inch of their lives aka 24hours or more so its just nothing just something to chew really! This is when a lami safe balancer supplement will come in handy...but not now...not for a good while yet!

And as an aside, again thank you for posting this as it did give me a kick up the bum to go look at thriller a bit more. He was somewhat turfed out to go wild this winter, but it was so mild that even with a clip he did not loose ANY weight...so a few weeks of new growth on the grass and he is morbidly obese. Frankly, he would founder soon if i had not had this wake up call!

I really am keeping everything crossed for you.