diet busted - advice ?

[Shysmum]

Having just read that awful thread of jeni's, this seems pretty insignificant really.

I got to the field this morning, and found some really nice peeps with the boy and the shettie, feeding them polos. Fine, I thought - until they told me they had gone thru at least 12 packets between them in the last week (they were staying nearby)...

I have been so careful - fatty paddock, little hay, tiny supper with supplements for the boy, walks out (till I sprained my ankle), grazing muzzle in any other paddock... - basically following a very low sugar barefoot/fatty diet. But he's put on weight.

The peeps have left now, and certainly meant no harm. My question is, will this have stuffed up all the work I've been putting in I spose ? I am just going to carry on my routine, and hope for the best, but as I've been avoiding sugar as much as poss, just worried.

sm x

 

[dominobrown]

I know how it is! I posted a bit ago about people staying in a holiday home nearby feeding my horses. It really gets my goat! The cob did have lami once and is a fattie, and the horse I had at the time was on a strict 'no treats from the hand' because when I got she nipped.

 

[thatsmygirl]

I have a I.R pony and he needs very strict monitoring and all those polos would have done a lot off harm. He's under strict diet via the vets. Iv actually got a sign on my field gate which states " this pony is diabetic and under strict diet via the vets, DO NOT FEED AT ALL or you could kill him" sounds bad but it works and have actually had people come to me asking about his condition as they walk past.
Could you put a sign up to make people think

 

[touchstone]

I also have a sign up, although it is just a 'please do not feed' one, however I arrived at the paddock the other day to find that somebody had been throwing huge chunks of apple to my mare who was penned in, well away from the public after suffering a mild laminitis attack! There were loads of apple pieces all over where they'd missed the target. The neighbouring horse also suffers from choke and I'm sure he'll have had his fair share too! I've also found her out of her stable a few times and mysteriously on the other side of the electric fence (she normally doesn't jump it.) That resulted in a morning of colic.

I've resorted to clipping a lead rope on her stable door bolt to make sure it isn't her opening it and only tunring out during the day when I can check on her. As if metabolic/laminitis problems aren't enough without people thinking they are being kind to them!

 

[Shysmum]

Well he's never had lami, but of course that's what I'm trying to prevent. I keep toying with the idea of stabling during the day, but i'd prefer he had walkabout really. I dunno, do signs work ? I can't bring myself to think how much sugar has been ingested, so I'm going to cut out his Healthy hooves for a week and just keep him on his hay. Having a fatty is just hard work i reckon !! sm x