Feeding/forage ideas and tips to avoid impaction

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clairefeekerry1

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I have a little section A companion pony. She is 22 and has quite a few melanomas. Sadly it seems they are internal as well as in Feb she suffered a bout of colic, the vet managed to clear it with tubing etc but said with the rectal exam, she had some melanomas down one side that would make her prone to impaction.
She was living out at the time on grass and hay.
It happened again today but I caught it quickly and the vet sorted it.
I know this is not sustainable long term, if it happens again very soon I will call it a day, but are there any measures or things I can do to keep her droppings looser and moving more freely?
She is currently living out on grass only, strip grazed and fence moved twice a day. If we make it to winter when she starts to come in at night, was planning on soaked hay.
What about something like speedibeat? Well soaked? Would that help?
She does not need condition or weight gain at all.
Someone mentioned lactose?
Edited to add- not sure if there is something in the fact it’s happened at spring and autumn?
 
I add salt to the feed every day as I believe it makes the pony thirsty enough to want to drink no matter how cold it is. Just my hunch so perhaps just an old wife' s tale. A friend of mine swears by a daily maintenance dose of Colikare for her colic prone oldie.
 
I too would add salt and make sure there is a salt lick as well as salt in feed. However to get water down the pony I would give drinks several times a day. They drink half a bucket of warm molassed water very happily. People will scream molasses but to my mind impacted colic v molasses I think I'll take the molasses. :)

All of mine get buckets of warm molassed water when it freezes to make sure they keep water going through them. I have done that for years and the molasses has caused no problems at all. Another thing I have found they sometimes drink is bicarb of soda in water.
 
Rigs had had 2 impactions, both time was when the water was either frozen or he didn't bother to walk far to get it!

He has an insulated bucket in winter now, and 2 water sources. I have tried a little salt or Speedibeet in the water to stop it freezing, with limited success. I have a colander near the water to remove all ice, rather than just breaking it. I use warm water in winter. He always has 2 water sources, separate. This is in case he poos in one but also means there is always water close at hand.

He is not allowed to eat straw, he has salt in the feed and a large and sloppy Speedibeet meal. Her is now on haylage, but if he has hay, it is soaked. He is also fed in a Slow Grazer hay box, that means he doesn't bolt the forage.
 
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rabatsa said:
If she is getting impactions on grass then I suspect winter forage will not be suiting her.

I would be mixing sugar beet with high fibre cubes and not give any long forage at all.
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The grass is very long (and dry) in places and I was wondering if that had been an issue.
I’m going to split their paddock in the day so my gelding eats the long stuff and she has the side where it’s shorter.
Got some Speedibeet today as well.
 
Tiddlypom said:
You are always going to be on the back foot managing this if she has internal melanomas which might well be progressing 😬.

At some point the inevitable will happen, and you might not be there to immediately get the vet in.

I’m sorry, but this would be beyond my red line.
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Yes totally agree. I’m beginning to make plans for another companion so I’m not left in the depths of winter urgently needing a companion. I’ve had her less than a year and she came from local so I know this hasn’t happened before, so just trying to make sure if there is anything in my set up that I can change just in case.
As the vet said, melanomas aren’t an issue, until they become an issue
 
paddy555 said:
I too would add salt and make sure there is a salt lick as well as salt in feed. However to get water down the pony I would give drinks several times a day. They drink half a bucket of warm molassed water very happily. People will scream molasses but to my mind impacted colic v molasses I think I'll take the molasses. :)

All of mine get buckets of warm molassed water when it freezes to make sure they keep water going through them. I have done that for years and the molasses has caused no problems at all. Another thing I have found they sometimes drink is bicarb of soda in water.
Click to expand...
How much molasses do you use in a bucket of water?
 
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