Hi All,
I just wanted to offload and see what peoples thoughts are, thanks in advance... it's almost difficult to know where to start, the past 8 - 10 weeks seem to have been one thing after another with my boy.
He's 12, native cob gelding, 14.2 hh and up until this year has never really had any problems ....
It all started on the brink of summer with a diagnosis, by the vet, of Heaves, he was struggling to breathe, sounded like an old man wheezing! He had one round of steroid injuections and then started to improve, I eventually had him on a morning feed or Fast Fiber with a handful of Happy Hoof Chaff, soaked hay, Science Supplement RespirAid (absolutely brilliant stuff) and American Equine Pollen supplement, he was left with a dry cough and Benylin seemed to help with that. His Heaves and cough had improved but did fluctuate from day to day, so, the last thing I tried was 24 hour turn out. Prior to 24 hour turnout he was out at night, in a grazing muzzle and stabled during the day.
So, we started 24 hour turnout, muzzled at night, free grass during the day, he went foot sore and short on the front right. Called out my farrier, farrier reckond very low grade laminitis, he did have heat in his feet and I could feel his digital pulses; Farrier said that is was very mild and to just go back to his old regime and it will probably go as quick as it arrived; and it did, he's now forward going on the hard, no heat in feet and no digital pulses that I can feel - he currently weighs approx 460kgs, he remains muzzled over night, I am currently feeding him approx 4kgs of soaked hay in a slow feed net, in the morning he is having 1/4 stubbs scoop Fast Fiber (ive cut out the chaff for the moment, although the total sugar is only 5%) plus his supplements
The current problem is extremely runny poo, now, he is very sensitive, new grass = runny poo, no grass = runny poo, new hay = runny poo, any change = runny poo etc, he has obviously changed diet again and gone from all grass on 24 hour turnout back to hay and feed; however it does always go back to 'normal for him', this is lingering and seems worse than before. It is worth noting that he is absolutely fine in himself, is ridden, isn't dropping weight fast and is drinking at a good pace.
I have just started him on a course of Sand Out - he has had sand colic before, with his previous owner and I have also started Naff Pink Powder as a gut balancer. Do you think that this is all linked to the lami and it has left his gut a bit toxic? he is blowing watery bubbles when he passes wind and his back end is having to be washed regularly.
It's been a tough slog and he's still not right, bless him...... What are your thoughts? If he's no better in a week, I will have to get the vet out ....
I just wanted to offload and see what peoples thoughts are, thanks in advance... it's almost difficult to know where to start, the past 8 - 10 weeks seem to have been one thing after another with my boy.
He's 12, native cob gelding, 14.2 hh and up until this year has never really had any problems ....
It all started on the brink of summer with a diagnosis, by the vet, of Heaves, he was struggling to breathe, sounded like an old man wheezing! He had one round of steroid injuections and then started to improve, I eventually had him on a morning feed or Fast Fiber with a handful of Happy Hoof Chaff, soaked hay, Science Supplement RespirAid (absolutely brilliant stuff) and American Equine Pollen supplement, he was left with a dry cough and Benylin seemed to help with that. His Heaves and cough had improved but did fluctuate from day to day, so, the last thing I tried was 24 hour turn out. Prior to 24 hour turnout he was out at night, in a grazing muzzle and stabled during the day.
So, we started 24 hour turnout, muzzled at night, free grass during the day, he went foot sore and short on the front right. Called out my farrier, farrier reckond very low grade laminitis, he did have heat in his feet and I could feel his digital pulses; Farrier said that is was very mild and to just go back to his old regime and it will probably go as quick as it arrived; and it did, he's now forward going on the hard, no heat in feet and no digital pulses that I can feel - he currently weighs approx 460kgs, he remains muzzled over night, I am currently feeding him approx 4kgs of soaked hay in a slow feed net, in the morning he is having 1/4 stubbs scoop Fast Fiber (ive cut out the chaff for the moment, although the total sugar is only 5%) plus his supplements
The current problem is extremely runny poo, now, he is very sensitive, new grass = runny poo, no grass = runny poo, new hay = runny poo, any change = runny poo etc, he has obviously changed diet again and gone from all grass on 24 hour turnout back to hay and feed; however it does always go back to 'normal for him', this is lingering and seems worse than before. It is worth noting that he is absolutely fine in himself, is ridden, isn't dropping weight fast and is drinking at a good pace.
I have just started him on a course of Sand Out - he has had sand colic before, with his previous owner and I have also started Naff Pink Powder as a gut balancer. Do you think that this is all linked to the lami and it has left his gut a bit toxic? he is blowing watery bubbles when he passes wind and his back end is having to be washed regularly.
It's been a tough slog and he's still not right, bless him...... What are your thoughts? If he's no better in a week, I will have to get the vet out ....
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