My Quarter Horse has intermittent lameness. Is it laminitis?

Hello, as the owner of several overweight minis, I share your pain. Your pictures do not show a particularly heavy horse, so you have a good place to start. If you have ever been to a mini show, you have to wonder how they get those horses into such amazing shape. Very careful diets are 1 component, exercise is the next & maybe the most important. Those minis are worked, either by hand, or treadmill, or automatic walker non-stop during the show season. You will also need to be very judicious with the hay. Feed no more than 1.5%-2% of his body weight. No grain or pellets, period. And when he goes out on pasture, place a grazing muzzle on him. He will still be able to pick up a bit of grass, & of course drink. Do this, & your mini will look great in a few months. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Hello. This is definitely something to worry about because what you are describing is muscle atrophy probably due to the pain from her laminitis. I hope you are doing everything possible to keep her comfortable & out of pain, but if not, please call your vet out to discuss the right thing to do to keep Millie pain free. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

This could be a sign of laminitis, a hoof abscess, inflammation or arthritis of the joints, tendinitis, etc. You will need to make an appointment with your equine vet for an exam. The least your vet will give or prescribe is pain medicine and anti-inflammatory medicine, If there is an abscess or infection your horse will also need antibiotics.

Hello. I do not believe the color of the hoof indicates strength in the foot overall. Is she shod? You may need to have a farrier out to see if she needs a reset or perhaps pads added to protect the sole. If she continues to come up lame, despite plenty of rest, you really need a vet to come out & do a through lameness exam. This will involve a good physical exam of the leg & foot, blocking the leg/foot to isolate exactly where the pain is coming from & possibly x-rays. She may have not completely recovered from the bruise, or there may be other changes in the hoof/leg at work here. Knowing exactly what you are dealing with will tell you how to keep Flirt comfortable & working pain free for years to come. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Hello. This may be a sarcoid, but without a biopsy there is no way to know definitively. Unfortunately, this site prohibits us from giving out any kind of medical advice, & ethically, it would just be wrong to do so. There are other advice sites that are more generous with information since we can have an actual chat. You might try to access one of these & see if someone can help you there. Good luck & thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Hello. Your horse is severely underweight. It is important to go slow trying to put weight back on her. She should have access to pasture & a good prairie grass hay all day. If you did not worm her using ivermectin, that is what I would recommend ( Ivermectin Gold so you also get tapeworms ). I would normally recommend the Panacur Power Pack, but she may be too debilitated to use this now. Maybe in a couple of months come back with this. There is no one way to prevent colic or laminitis. Access to hay, controlling parasites, controlled access to concentrates ( grain, especially the sweet feeds ), and limited access to high energy feeds like corn & alfalfa should keep her healthy, but horses are horses & you cannot control everything. And do have a veterinarian come out & check her vitals, teeth, pull blood for a Coggins & update all necessary vaccinations. Thanks for rescuing her & thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

That looks like an abscess may have ruptured in that location or it's a puncture wound/injury. Both can make a horse lame. A hoof abscess doesn't always smell. I strongly suggest you get your vet out there to check him. If the vet doesn't think it's an abscess then he may need to have x-rays taken to make sure there is not something stuck up inside the hoof or that there are no fractures present (like a fracture of the coffin bone). While you are waiting to have the vet out I would confine him to a box stall or at least a very small paddock and I would soak the foot in warm Epsom Salt water to see if that will help draw out any infection that might be present. Soak for 10-15 minutes twice a day. Also, if you can, I would put a boot on his foot to protect it and keep it clean. Do they sell Easy Boots in Ireland? Either an Easy Boot or something similar. https://www.easycareinc.com/our_boots/easyboots/Easyboots.aspx I hope this helps. Best wishes. If you have more questions please post again.