Lami Advice Please!!!

[tasha]

Not for my girlies, having 2 poor do-ers I have no experience with lami. But one of the liveries at my yard is battling it with one of her ponies. D had a bout of LGL a couple of weeks ago, came sound and was being weaned back in to work when we managed to catch an attack before it started. Now he is out in a bare paddock with a grazing muzzle on after a weekend of box rest. He's dropped lots of weight already (probabaly partly through being stressed at being taken away from his hareem) and is having 3 weeks off to let his laminae settle but we were wondering about his grazing mask. On 24/7? On days, off nights? Vice versa?? Im worried about starving him too far and ending up with colic. We've given him old hay from last year with practically no goodness in so he can have something to do but let him have it with the mask on to trickle feed it.

Any advice etc would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

[keds mum]

You shouldnt be starving him, he seems to have dropped too much weight too quickly. Laminitics shouldnt be underfed, they still need a balanced nutritous diet, taking him off the grass but giving him ad lib hay will be fine, then re introduce to grass when sound with muzzle.

[tasha]

Sorry should've added that he is getting a handful of Safe and Sound with Lamineze twice a day (little fella is only 11.3hh). He is field sound again, just mainly need advice about his muzzle.

[MissMare]

If the muzzle is taken off it can give them the urge to gorge which is likely to bring on another attack. It would be better to just provide the hay 24/7 and no muzzle, unless the vet has said otherwise. The horse shouldn't be starved, or be allowed chances to gorge.

[Dizzy]

My little mare has just come sound after a bout of lami, and I asked my vet how to re-introduce grass back into her diet, and recommended to start by allowing her to graze for 20 minutes a day, and go from there.

My blacksmith came the same day, and I asked his opinion too, and he said he wouldn't let her have any at all and to keep on feeding hay.

Has your friend had the blacksmith to the pony, I got mine out as soon as Hiedi got it, and he trimmed her feet as far back as he could, and fitted frog supports to help her. Her feet grew at a furious rate, so I got him back 3 weeks later (which was last week), and he trimmed her fronts right back again, and took almost 1 cm of hoof off.

She has been so comfortable after her last trim, she's been off medication for over a week now. Her hoof growth rate has slowed down, and she's skipping around her enclosure like a spring lamb. He's due back in 2 weeks to do my other mare, and to check her, she'll need her backs done any way, but we'll decide then about what to do with her fronts.

As others have said, the pony mustn't be starved, and I wouldn't muzzle a pony on hay, you could doublenet the hay, or use small hole nets to make it last longer. Aswell as the hay I feed (approx half a bale a day) I've been feeding a couple of inches of speedi-beet and then topping up the bucket (full) with Dengie Good Doer, with a teaspoon of Epsom salts, and made sure she has access to lots of water.

You haven't mentioned any advice given to the owner from her vet or blacksmith, if she hasn't had them to look at the pony, she really should - he's had 2 bouts in a very short space of time.

The weather we've had this year has reaked laminitus havoc with horses and ponies. Its not the ammount of grass they are eating, its the quality of the grass - my pony got it, only one week after I'd stopped foddering hay - because there was no grass, she was the slimmest and fittest she's ever been, my vet even commented on her being an ideal weight, and that he could feel her ribs. The grass is coming through so lush.

If your friend hasn't already, encourage her to seek professional advice.

[H & Bailey]

hi tasha bruno is the same..i suspected a lammi attack so he is in the winter area with a slice of hay and a smidge of happy hoof to get his magox ,no bute and vits into him, but is busting to get back out with bailey and smudge..when ive posted about the muzzle thing everyone advises not to keep the muzzle on 24/7, but some on here do with success:rolleyes:.. im not sure how im going to manage bruno muzzle wise as he isnt happy being on his own 24/7 on hay.. if he was i would leave him with hay and no muzzle...
I will try and muzzle during the day out with the boys and fetch him into the winter area on a night the only worry is that the grass will shoot through in the winter area where he will be muzzle free and trigger lammi!
its a constant worry and i feel for your friend if she can do half muzzle half off it would be kinder as i know bruno hates his muzzle

[tasha]

Its so difficult isnt it!

I'll suggest my friend has the farrier out, think he's coming soon anyway. Little D is barefoot anyway and she wants him to stay that way. I didnt see her last night so not sure exactly how he is, but she has had vet advice although I think just over the phone for the second attack. His little paddock is very low on grass anyway - so he cant really gorge even with the muzzle, as there's not much there in the first place!

I'll see how he is tonight and update. And there's me thinking next ned after the girls have had to be retired will be a pony as they are less complicated :rolleyes:

[eventerbabe]

if he were mine he would not be in a sparse paddock. any grass in there will be super stressed and hence very high in fructans. that is really not good for a laminitic (and why i hate starvation paddocks). he'd be 'safer' in long grass muzzled (long grass hasn't much nutrition so is safe despite it being plentiful). as has been said, don't starve. is he stabled at all? we found turnout at night (with muzzle) then stable during the day with soaked hay worked effectively at keeping out laminitic laminitis free.

[annette h]

if he were mine he would not be in a sparse paddock. any grass in there will be super stressed and hence very high in fructans. that is really not good for a laminitic (and why i hate starvation paddocks). he'd be 'safer' in long grass muzzled (long grass hasn't much nutrition so is safe despite it being plentiful). as has been said, don't starve. is he stabled at all? we found turnout at night (with muzzle) then stable during the day with soaked hay worked effectively at keeping out laminitic laminitis free.

Agree with all of the above. Our 16.2 mare had laminitis 10 years ago and ended up at the laminitis clinic. We have managed to keep her lami free all that time but this year she is footy and is back on a very strict regime but not starvation. We are only turning her out for an hour in the morning and the same in the evening.

The grass does seem to be of very rich quality this year. We always weightband and monitor her closely and she is no heavier than the past few years but definately is showing all the signs. Hopefully frog supports will arrive today.

Having two sweet itch cobs as well I much prefer the winter :(

[tasha]

He was stabled and then turned out again once sound. He finds it very stressful and careers around the box which obviously isnt very good for his feet, and stabling also made him very stiff. He also wont eat soaked hay :rolleyes:

[Debbi G]

Put him on Nitroxide from www.equinescience.co.uk this brings bloodflow to the hoof. Read about the creation of Nitric Oxide which is the key to this product being so powerful. One month should keep him safe and be able to eat in moderation.

[tasha]

Not recommending your own product by any chance? :p

[martini55]

How long have you tried with the soaked hay? My horse went in a complete strop and wouldn't touch the stuff until she realised a couple of days later that it was that or nothing! I'm such a meany :p

[tasha]

He's not mine :) Im not sure, but he's a stubborn little thing and I'd imagine he'd rather starve if he didnt like it! Havent heard about him from fellow livery for a few days, will update tomorrow.

[Debbi G]

Cheeky! Yes i am recommending my product Nitroxide for laminitis because its works in most cases. Vets now hearing about it and using it and farriers recommend it. Just want to help. Good luck.

[texel]

A good site to go to for advice on Laminits is the laminits clinic run by Dr Robert Eustace.

http://www.laminitisclinic.org/

You can email or call the clinic, there are alot of useful articles to read.

You shouldn't starve a laminitic pony, they need a basic diet of hay and access to a mineral lick. You can provide some grass, dandelion leaves and dried nettles.

All the best

[tasha]

Little update on the fella: he's been on a diet of hay and a bit of Safe and Sound with bute and acp. His crest hs almost gone and he is sound. The vet has given the OK to start very light work in walk only for 10 days so we shall see how he goes!