Preventing Laminitis...

[NoviceNic]

I was very careful with Jimmy over the Winter and he has lost a lot of his huge amount of weight that he came to me with in September. He is still ribby, which to be honest I like when the words Prone to Laminitis were mentioned. :eek: Then the farrier showed me the Lamini was crumbly last time he trimmed. I asked if there was anything I had to do and he said that it looked as though it was Laminitis from the past. Just how long past I do not know.

Anyway been feeling for pulses with all the rain and sun. Noticed that Jim has started to get cresty. Felt pulses tonight. They are stronger than Captain's so I whipped out the muzzle.

Sadly though Jimmy uses the other pony in the field as an itching post to remove his muzzle. :mad: Twice the muzzle was off. :eek:

Im going to put him into a patchy weedy paddock tomorrow. See if it reduces his pulses and able to keep him out. Otherwise he is going to be stabled through the day.

Is there anything else I can do? Are there certain times I should be taking him off the grass?? And is exercise ok when they are pottery?

Thanks in advance. :)

[Rips]

Sadly though Jimmy uses the other pony in the field as an itching post to remove his muzzle. Twice the muzzle was off.

Had to giggle! No advice I'm afraid.

[Cupcake]

I'd be keeping his exercise up now, when there are no signs of soreness. What a cheeky boy rubbing off his muzzle :p

[Liz1949]

Are there certain times I should be taking him off the grass??

The fructans levels are generally highest when there have been cold nights and warm days - this is assuming you are in the UK or north-west Europe. So this can mean most of the year for some of us! Fructans levels are generally lowest from late at night to early morning, so you might have to steel yourself to late nights and early rising - unless you can bribe someone!

Remember to take his digital pulses at the same time every day in order to get a useful comparison.

[NoviceNic]

Looks like I will be lunging everyday and feeling for his pulse. I mowed down the long grass yesterday and going to try him on a very small patchy area. Fingers crossed this works. It would be a shame to stable him as his cough will get worse. :(

[Sammii]

After Red comes off of 24/7 box rest, he will be stabled for a longer amount of time than he will be turned out. This is probably not the ideal situation that people want to read, but until we find a suitable turn-out arrangement, it's the safest one.

My farrier said that the most 'danger' is in the grass when the sun is at it's highest, therefore between around 10am and 4pm.

It is best to turn out at night because that's when the sugar levels are in decline, plus theory is that they eat less. Plus, there's less flies and is much cooler. :)

[Showjumper]

It is best to turn out at night because that's when the sugar levels are in decline, plus theory is that they eat less. Plus, there's less flies and is much cooler. :)

I'm doing a similar thing with Dolly. I've made a small paddock in her field which she goes into overnight without her muzzle then in the daytime she's in the main field muzzled. If this fails to keep her waistline down, she'll have to be stabled in the daytime and turned out muzzled overnight but I really don't want to have to do that as it would mean bringing Dylan in too to keep her company.

[Big Ears]

Rosie is back in a bare earth paddock and being fed soaked hay.

we have tons of grass but it is just shooting up so much that i daren't risk her - she was on about 1/3 of an acre and now she is on a small sandschool paddock which is just stones and bare earth.

brutal but she has had lammy twice and each time off for a year.

[Portia]

Be careful re the surface you work him on, I'd also avoid doing anything other than walk on the road until things have settled. Even mild concussion to the foot might trigger full on lammy. Otherwise I'd do as BE says, bare paddock and soaked hay, check any additional feeds are free from sugar,

[NoviceNic]

What about Mineral licks?? He loves the one in Captain's stable. :confused:

He wont eat soaked hay. And believe me Ive been as stubborn as him waiting for him to eat it. :o

He likes Barley straw though. :rolleyes: Is it better to give him dry hay or barley straw? :confused: I can mix of course. ;)

[eml]

One of my old ponies was prone to laminitus. The old fashioned vet who I first consulted said, lots of work, ideally on a surface, keep off the weight , feed straw to keep protein levels down, stand in stream (well we had buckets of water!) whenever pulses are strong or there is heat in the feet.

Don't know which helped but we had her until she was about 28 when she died of old age and lack of teeth, every year we had early warning symptoms but no attacks.

[NoviceNic]

Im hoping this is warning signs EML. I checked his feet twice yesterday. Pulsing in the morning and not in the evening. Same again today.

Ive taped off a postage stamp size with bare patchy weedy grass. The area that the horses trashed last Winter near the gate. I have put hay in too to give him something if he is starving with nothing in the ground substance.

His cough has started though because its dusty ground. Cant win can I. :rolleyes:

I will watch him for a week and see if his pulses change. If they dont then I will risk putting him in with the others overnight for the company and a bit of grass in his belly.

[LinzCos]

My Shetland is in pony prison (large gated field shelter in the horses field) during the day and out at night. He seems resigned to this and goes in quietly in the mornings - comes out very eagerly in the evening and eats all night:rolleyes:

No sign of lammi though:D

[janette carter]

Hi. My pony has taken to deliberately pulling her muzzles off. After several weeks of increasing desperation I have resorted to putting a very tight headcollar over her muzzle and it is working. Probably an obvious solution but it hadn't occurred to me before:o!

[Big Ears]

Rosie worked out that if she put her front foot carefully on the bottom edge of the muzzle and then pulled her head up, she could get the velcro to come apart!

[Flash Harry]

I am with Jan on this, also have resorted to using a leather headcollar to stop Harry rubbing it off, not ideal but it is working. I have had many sleepless nights as Mr H has been for the last 3 months being treated for LGL. He is out in the day muzzled, in at night, 2 feeds of happy hoof, spillers nuts and formula for feet, and exercise to try and keep the weight of - so far so good, his weight loss has been incredible on his new diet. If you need any advice, the best person to speak to is Robert Eustace at the lami clinic here in Wiltshire - very helpful. I know how worrying this is, but it sounds to me that you`re doing everything right, wishing you all the best

[H & Bailey]

:rolleyes:i have been keeping bruno with the others on a short grass paddock ,i have been putting the muzzle on during the day and off on a night when they were first in but bru has figured out how to get the muzzle off as well:rolleyes: ive resorted to a tight headcollar which he could remove so now he also has it fastened on with charley band as a browband and extra throat lash which seems to be working.
As the grass was non existant i have let him have freedom for a week as there is no way he can get anything to eat when muzzled as the grass is nibble length. now its time to move them onto the next field.i went to put his muzzle on and lead him out only to find him pottery -so is having too little grass a detriment?I was hoping to strim the weeds and use this as my summer shelter and starvation area.
I did see the farmer in the field behind spraying so am just hoping its not toxic laminitus as the vet thinks this is what triggered his big bout last year- if it is they wont be able to go into this field at all scuppering the summer shelter area.
He has now been shifted into the winter area which i was hoping to rest...which is weeds and mud,until he is better then will be muzzled and fingers crossed he wont escape it.

[Debbi G]

Check out Nitroixde wwwequinescience.co.uk for bloodflow to the hoof through Nitric Oxide. One month on that will keep laminitis at bay!