Nugget La Poneh
Well-Known Member
I am after some advice - feel like I have 'broken' my horse, but trying to get head round the Laminitis minefield to make sure I don't do it again (if it is down to my management of him).
Horses bio:
-6 1/2 yr old, 15.0 Haflinger
-Condition scored 4.5 by A&P nutritionist about 5 months ago at a hefty 560kg with weightape coming in at 540kg), but now weighing 510kg on the same weightape and nearer a condition score of 4.
-Kept out 24/7 March - October, was on 8ish hours turnout early morning to early afternoon.
-Fed nothing else while out 24/7, and grazing is fair to middling. Very good at landscaping any hedgerows or scrubby bits.
-Fed 1 large slice hay, and 1/2 bale of barley straw (bedded on straw and EVA mats)
-In old fashioned terms, he is in light work but in modern terms probably classed as medium
rolleyes as was being lunged or schooled 3/4 times a week with a weekend pootle of varying speeds depending on the hangover of my sharer 
-Unshod, never had shoes on and farrier ha advised keep them off for as long as possible as feet okay at the moment, but once shoes go on, he thinks I will then struggle to go back to shoeless later (he is the farrier for the Haffy stud and apparently you have a choice of 2 haffs - great feet and okay, bordering on crap feet).
-In deepest darkest depths of winter he gets a cup dry weight of Fast fibre with ThinkPink, and if has to stay in, or I am feeling soppy he gets a cup of grass nuts in a treat ball.
This has been his management since I have had him. Like most Haflingers, he makes Houdini look shabby and has escaped numerous times onto long grass, lush grass, ditches, the works and never in the 3 years of having him has he shown signs of having lami. The worst so far is what is proving to be his annual throwing of the splint which is 2 days of the world is ending 'oooo..food - look I am sound'. To be fair to him, he has not escaped for the last year, bar when he worked out how to wiggle to gate open but that is only about 2 times.
He came in really uncomfortable on Monday gone, not lame but short and nostrils flared and he grunted when made to walk over the rough, stony bit leading to the paddock gates. Trotted short, but again not lame. Picked out feet, front feet 'hot', backs warm and raised pulse in fronts. Left to stand for couple of hours in case the walking/trotting cause heat and pulses. Still there so got him on shavings and soaked hay and barley straw and has been like this for a week. Pulses went within 24 hours, heat went after about 3 days. Horse is now definitely back to normal in terms of character.
NOTHING has changed in his overall management, bar the transition into being in, but this is the 3rd winter routine. We hacked a 5 mile round trip on roads to do an intro dressage test 2 weekends ago and he was a little bit down and sluggish, but also coincided with being brought in so put it down to that.
There has also been a virus doing the rounds at the yard, and Nugz's gums did look pale and possibly a bit jaundiced (but I was probably being paranoid) so have put him on powdered GH Restore.
So, my question (sorry about the ramblings beforehand) is - Could it be concussive lami (a week later) or because of the virus that he was showing signs of lami?
Vets advised over phone that I am doing right, but offered no other advice other than get his weight down. But due to an issue of a year old bill I knew nothing about until last week when I phoned they are reluctant to come out until it is resolved (in process of sorting). However, farrier is due out tomorrow so getting him to have a look.
So - conventional Lami, or something else? Is there anything else I can be doing to prevent another attack?
Brandy butter Ice-Cream and homebrew mulled cranbery liquer for those that have ploughed through all that!!
Horses bio:
-6 1/2 yr old, 15.0 Haflinger
-Condition scored 4.5 by A&P nutritionist about 5 months ago at a hefty 560kg with weightape coming in at 540kg), but now weighing 510kg on the same weightape and nearer a condition score of 4.
-Kept out 24/7 March - October, was on 8ish hours turnout early morning to early afternoon.
-Fed nothing else while out 24/7, and grazing is fair to middling. Very good at landscaping any hedgerows or scrubby bits.
-Fed 1 large slice hay, and 1/2 bale of barley straw (bedded on straw and EVA mats)
-In old fashioned terms, he is in light work but in modern terms probably classed as medium
rolleyes as was being lunged or schooled 3/4 times a week with a weekend pootle of varying speeds depending on the hangover of my sharer -Unshod, never had shoes on and farrier ha advised keep them off for as long as possible as feet okay at the moment, but once shoes go on, he thinks I will then struggle to go back to shoeless later (he is the farrier for the Haffy stud and apparently you have a choice of 2 haffs - great feet and okay, bordering on crap feet).
-In deepest darkest depths of winter he gets a cup dry weight of Fast fibre with ThinkPink, and if has to stay in, or I am feeling soppy he gets a cup of grass nuts in a treat ball.
This has been his management since I have had him. Like most Haflingers, he makes Houdini look shabby and has escaped numerous times onto long grass, lush grass, ditches, the works and never in the 3 years of having him has he shown signs of having lami. The worst so far is what is proving to be his annual throwing of the splint which is 2 days of the world is ending 'oooo..food - look I am sound'. To be fair to him, he has not escaped for the last year, bar when he worked out how to wiggle to gate open but that is only about 2 times.
He came in really uncomfortable on Monday gone, not lame but short and nostrils flared and he grunted when made to walk over the rough, stony bit leading to the paddock gates. Trotted short, but again not lame. Picked out feet, front feet 'hot', backs warm and raised pulse in fronts. Left to stand for couple of hours in case the walking/trotting cause heat and pulses. Still there so got him on shavings and soaked hay and barley straw and has been like this for a week. Pulses went within 24 hours, heat went after about 3 days. Horse is now definitely back to normal in terms of character.
NOTHING has changed in his overall management, bar the transition into being in, but this is the 3rd winter routine. We hacked a 5 mile round trip on roads to do an intro dressage test 2 weekends ago and he was a little bit down and sluggish, but also coincided with being brought in so put it down to that.
There has also been a virus doing the rounds at the yard, and Nugz's gums did look pale and possibly a bit jaundiced (but I was probably being paranoid) so have put him on powdered GH Restore.
So, my question (sorry about the ramblings beforehand) is - Could it be concussive lami (a week later) or because of the virus that he was showing signs of lami?
Vets advised over phone that I am doing right, but offered no other advice other than get his weight down. But due to an issue of a year old bill I knew nothing about until last week when I phoned they are reluctant to come out until it is resolved (in process of sorting). However, farrier is due out tomorrow so getting him to have a look.
So - conventional Lami, or something else? Is there anything else I can be doing to prevent another attack?
Brandy butter Ice-Cream and homebrew mulled cranbery liquer for those that have ploughed through all that!!
). Hay is currently cooking for tomorrow so will have been soaked for 12 hours min which is what I have been aiming for, but borrowing a friends tub to soak in so having to work round her at moment. 
Good luck