Laminitis And Fat Ponies

Harlequin32

Harlequin32

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Feb 20, 2008
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Hi everyone, we took on loan a 12.2 pony last week who i swear gets fatter daily, she is in a small paddock but has fairly good grass and we are feeding her once at night just a handful of chaff to keep her sweet (apparently can be a cow to catch) The problem is my horse is a TB who looses weight by blinking so am not really clued up on laminitis and a bit concerned about it.
I intend to fence off a section by my horses gate where the grass is poor and put her in there.
What do i need to look out for? I think she maybe has a slight crest coming and know thats not the best sign.
Anyone with any advice would be fantastic....Thank you:)
 
Hi!! :)
I'm 16, and have only had one pony with laminitis, so this is just what i have learnt from my beautiful, amazingly talented rescued show pony, who we lost February 16th 2007 :(
From what i have gathered, i think laminitis is the rotation of the pedal bone in the hoof. It is usually caused by a diet too high in glucose and usually is at it's worst during the day in the springtime mornings - so if you can turn your horse out in the night instead of the daytime, grass is photosyntehsizing less, therefore there's less glucose being produced in the grass :p
But, my poor little pony had been previously owned by a top show yard, and from what we had been told (as he was extremely well-known in England somewhere :p as he'd won so much) that they had pumped him full of steroids in order to make him look 'buff' for the showring. (Of course he was a schoolmaster, and if he had been worked properly will have looked absolutely stunning anyway) But they sold him to this horrible lady who left him in a dirty stable with sodden matting and you couldn't see a clean bit of bedding - he was so skinny - we cleaned out his stable before we bought him as we couldn't stand him living in that state - she then told us he was going to slaughter!! :eek: My sisters and i sat in the car for neally a day in protest, so my parents eventually decided to buy him the very next day!! :)
We bought him for £350 and he gave us a wonderful time for the last four years of his life - for the first time, he was loved!!
In 2004 i won lots on him, and he was looking stunning, but the next year he suffered laminitis because as far as i could gather someone had been feeding him from the other end of the field. He got laminitis and we pulled him through. Until he became very ill towards the end of 2006. He had cushins - but you wouldn't have known because he didn't have a long coast at all - and we had to feed him 10 tablets a day!!
He was gettin better until february, when we arrived one day to find him weak and a bone or something seemed to be growing through his hoof wall!! His bed was soaking everyday for about three weeks before this, and he was drinking gallons of water each day, so he must have had kidney issues. I came home on Friday 16th February 2007 to find my Mum in tears - he had to get put to sleep - it was the kindest thing to have done.
So keep an eye on your pony and if their hooves start growing long (it's hard to describe) and they seem to be standing on their heels - call the vet straight away!! Reading vetrinary books on it is really helpful, but of course, if you're that worried you should consult your vet - if, like us you can't afford to then just research and keep an eye out - restriced grazing is a very good idea and our pony looked fab on "Hi-Fi Lite" :)
Sorry if this is a little too long, i hope it helped you!!

(p.s He cost us over £3000 in vet's bills, but he was worth every thing!! He was our beautiful baby!! And we will love him forever!! :))
 
Muzzle or stable through the day with soaked hay. Keep checking those digital pulses daily. :) And make sure that the chaff hasnt got sugar in it. You would be better to change the "tiny" bit of feed to a laminitic approved chaff type. :)
 
Ok thanks for your advice! I will exercise her as much as possible, she is very unfit at the moment and like i said we've only had her a week so my daughter is still "getting to know her" so we are taking things slowly at the moment.
I will go to the feed shop and check out some proper chaff for her- things like that are brilliant pointers something i've never even had to consider before
Lizzie-beth it sounds as though your pony had a lovely last few years I really admire people like you who stick with it and dont ditch horses when the going gets tough- well done and i'm so sorry you lost him- Thanks for your reply its really helpful xx
 
i think a few things to look out for are a hard neck, hooves growing long, heat in the hooves, weight, and if their uncomfortable on their hooves. My old pony had it and we caught it early so it was easy to deal with, just look out for these signs and if your worried call your vet.

I would bring her in during the day and turn her out at night, but if this isn't possible try a grazing muzzle. After my pony had this we put him on something called formula 4 feet, which can help to prevent laminitis, it's great. Try and feed some laminitic approved feed:)
 
~*Lizzi-Beth*~ said:
<edited>
From what i have gathered, i think laminitis is the rotation of the pedal bone in the hoof. <edited>
Click to expand...

the rotation occurs when the lamini (think thats how you spell it, its still early) become soft, so the pedal bone can just push through or move. movement is rotation of the pedal bone, and when it pushes through the sole, that is foundering (or is it floundering, sorry its early). sometimes in bad cases the whole hoof capsule falls off.

you know if this is happening because the coronet band goes soft.

ETA- laminitis is softening and the lamini 'dying'. thats why the pulse is so important, because the amount of blood flow changes, suffocating the lamini. if there isnt a strong pulse,then blood flow is restricted so the lamini arent getting oxygen from the blood. i think anyway thats my understanding of bloodflow in the hoof capsule.

the reason people cold hose/stand them in streams to cool them is to restrict blood flow again, but i cant get why yet, unless it is to stop the toxins leaving in the bloodstream and causing colic after an attack :confused:
 
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