Could someone pls talk me thru Shetlands & lami...?

catembi

catembi

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I got my first Shetland, Florence, in Nov at 6 months old, so she is now a yearling. Turned out 24/7 on 2 1/2 acres of poor grazing with my ex-racer. I've been monitoring her feet for warmth, but sometimes I think they're warm & then I feel Trev's feet & they're warm too so they must just have been standing in the sun...?

Vet says she will be fine & I don't have to worry as she's not overweight & youngstock don't get lami.
B/f trimmer who saw her for the first time on Monday said that I need to be careful as feet are warm.

How do I tell if they're warm in a bad way rather than warm in a normal way?
I've been feeling for a digital pulse at the back of the fetlock/heel - is that the right place?
I've ordered a grazing muzzle - should she have it on during the day & off overnight until the autumn?

I did think her feet were slightly warm this morning, so I've brought her in to give her a few hours off the grass with some poor hay to pick at as I read that starving them is as bad for sugar levels as too much grass.

I really don't want to get this wrong, but there is so much conflicting info, & if possible I'd rather manage her with a grazing muzzle as the whole point of having her is to be a companion, which she can't be in a stable or pen in the field.

All help much appreciated as it's all rather confusing.
 
You have to figure out how "warm" is normal for your horse. Some horses have warmer feet than others. The amount of heat also fluctuates. But you need to establish your baseline, so you can know when "blimey that's warm" is something to be concerned about.

The thing about grazing muzzles, is that if they're only on for part of the time, they tend to make up when it's not on, so I've found it's either best to have it on all the time or not at all.
 
Great - thank you!

But isn't there less sugar in the grass overnight because it doesn't have the sun on it to manufacture the sugar...?
 
Tbh, a shetland probably isn't the ideal companion for a TB at grass as their needs are very different. If you are concerned about laminitis I would create a smaller area with electric fencing and feed hay. Or only turn out at night. Or use the fatty pen in the day and the rest of the field at night. Youngsters can get laminitis - one of my shetlands did. We're talking more than 30 years ago now, and in the end she turned out to have PPID, but it is possible!
 
Your vet has an extremely casual approach to what is a serious potentially fatal condition, youngsters can and do get laminitis, my friends near tb got it at 2, they also do not have to be overweight to get it, although it is rarely going to be something skinny that gets it, being overweight is only part of the cause, prevention is better than cure and with laminitis that is even more true as once they have had it once they will be prone to get it again even with careful management.

I also agree with those suggesting that a mini is not a suitable companion for a tb, their needs are so far apart that one will end up suffering to a degree, to have them in the same field 24/7 is to my mind impossible, I know my sec a could not share with the tb's without ending up with laminitis even if the grazing is relatively poor if there is enough grass to keep the tb there will be far too much for any small pony.

I would not want to muzzle a yearling 24/7, any less will have little to no effect if still in the same field, they will also be teething at some point, a small bare paddock or even better a track around part of the field and the odd hour with the tb would be better, I would also not be waiting until there is a strong pulse before taking serious steps to prevent her getting it otherwise it will be a real challenge to ever get her out on grass again.
 
I personally don't focus entirely on the temperature of the hoof - unless one is glaringly different - but I check their pulses everyday so that I know what is normal for them. I take the pulse on the inside of the leg between the fetlock and hoof there is a vein that you should be able to feel as it is more prominent.

I check their pulses twice a day to give me an idea of what is normal for them.
 
Thank you, LJR, I'll try that later. Her hooves are no warmer/less warm than Trev's, gait isn't at all compromised & she isn't fat, so I really hope she can be successfully managed.
 
If you could make a very narrow track round the outside that was shetland proof they can still be in the same field and act as companions but she would be limited and move more. They're not going to do a huge amount of mutual grooming etc with the size difference so it has to be worth a try - and they could have an hour together each day if they need it for grooming etc. I would rather try that than muzzle I think.
 
dollyanna said:
If you could make a very narrow track round the outside that was shetland proof they can still be in the same field and act as companions but she would be limited and move more. They're not going to do a huge amount of mutual grooming etc with the size difference so it has to be worth a try - and they could have an hour together each day if they need it for grooming etc. I would rather try that than muzzle I think.
Click to expand...

This is what I'd do and I'd mow it!

And hoof temperature can fluctuate so I'd be feeling his digital pulse and tuning in to that. Muzzles are fab.
 
We barely have grass - it grows poorly as we're on sand. If mown, literally nothing would come off it.

Tried the muzzle today. She didn't seem to mind it too much. I also feel feet & digital pulse every day, & I'm going to get the laminitis app that does a grass sugar prediction for the exact region. She's not at all overweight atm & I'm hoping that I can keep her like it...
 
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