Levi the 7 year fighter to laminitis

by Kelly
(Cumbria)

My beautiful boy!

We first bought Levi about 16 years ago now, he was a brilliant horse, really lovable and such a charactor! He was 15.2hh grey connemra cross.

After having him 7 years the laminitis began to slowly start showing effect so we got the vet out and got him back right again.

After another about 2 years he got it again and the same thing was repeated and he was soon back to himself.

The following year Levi got this terrible disease again but it was a little bit worser. After about 5 weeks of treatment he started to come back to himself. It was getting sickening to see him so sad so much and knowing there was so little we could do.

The year after he got it again, we'd taken all the advice we were given but it just kept coming back! But this time it was a lot worse and he was struggling so much to walk it was horrible seeing him like this, the vet said he had a really severe case of it and he was in a lot of pain, he was often going through 2 bottles of metecam a week. This vet said she'd give him 2 more days to see if there was any improvement and if not then it was the end of the road for him.

Being told this broke our hearts and we were determined he could still fight it and it wasn't his time yet, so we got a second vets opinion, this vets took things different, they believed in him too so they took him to their vets practice were he had to sleep for 1 week.

They took xrays and make some special plastic shoes which glued on for him to wear for 6 weeks. He came back home and was walking great and seemed so much happier in himself again. Only after a few months it came again! So we repeated the same as last time with the same vets and he was ok after some weeks again.

Very sadly the laminitis came back again only this time it was a whole lot worse, Levi could hardly walk around his stable to get to the water bucket and the haynet, he looked so miserable in himself, an gave us the look of he had, had enough and just wanted to go, this case got horrible and he was just really sad!

This was the worst Levi had ever had lamanitis and we knew it wasn't fair on him anymore, he would get better but then it would all happen again! The vet came out on the Saturday night when he looked the worst and she knew that there wasn't going to be much more we could do so give him a injection with the strongest pain killer to put him through the night.

The next morning we went up and the such sad look in his eyes told us he was ready and really sad an in a lot of pain so we had to do what was right for him :(

We called out the vet, the old vet he was more use with and had helped him through the years. We gave Levi lots of cuddles and kisses and a nice big last feed to fill him up before he left us!:(

I stood with Levi when I had to say goodbye and be with him when he took his very last breath and left us :(

It was so hard saying goodbye to my best friend! I loved Levi so much and just wish he never got laminitis its such a horrible disease and I would do anything to get a cure for good from it! I'll never forget my best friend! Just wish there was something that could of cured him for good!:(

Sleep tight Levi forever in my heart!