laminitis?

["neil josephson" <nebar@rrt.net>]

Yesterday my mare was fine at 8:30  when I arrived home at 3:30  I found her
tender on her front feet mostly the left front all four legs were stocked
up.  She was also touchy about her left rear.  A slight warmth in each
cornet band no heat in hood wall.  The vet was out in half an hour and
treated her with a dietetic, an inflammatory drug and bute.   We are to give
her bute twice a day for the next 3 days orally.

She has not had a change in feed.  She has been on the same feed for the
last 3 mos. and this is the same feed ration we used last year.  I do feed
alfalfa cubes (14% protein) in the winter plus grass hay,  lo-pro mix (12%
protein) and beet pulp pellets soaked.

Because of the extreme cold weather we had in Nov and Dec, the vet felt she
was not using the protein the last 2 weeks like she was during the last 2
colder months causing these symptoms of laminitis.  We also felt she might
have fallen causing the left side to be more tender than the right.  He did
use a hoof testing tool and found very little discomfort.  Temp was normal
HR normal.

A few hours after the injections of the meds mentioned above she was no
longer stocked up and moving better.  This morning a great improvement and
by this afternoon she was trotting around and demanding the her grain (which
she has not had since this started).

Any ideas would be appreciated.

Thanks
Barb