HELP!! Box Rest ides?!?!?!?!

[kajabe]

My mare is coming back from Philip Leverhulme Equine Hospital in liverpool after being in since friday after somehow ripping her Super Digital Flexor Tendon off her back right hock and in the process chipping a piece of bone off

The vet has said she will need 3 months box rest - the first month with no walking out to stretch her legs etc.

Up til 2 years ago (when we got her), she had never been stabled. She goes in now but only if she has equine company.

Im not sure how she'll react being in the stable for 3 months so how can I keep her from stressing out even more?

I have thought about getting a stable mirror but thats about as far as i have got - oh and she hates likits so I cant even hang one of those up.

ANY IDEAS GRATEFULLY RECIEVED AS SHE IS COMING HOME ON EITHER FRIDAY OR SATURDAY. xx

 

[kajabe]

BUMP?

 

[kaluki]

Jolly ball-- they can pick up and throw around (instead of the water bucket)

snak-a-ball fill with grass nuts will keep ned happy for an hour or so.

any wood ned can get hold off 'cribox' (mine started biting it )

sorry but likkit hanging from middle of stable so they cant 'catch' it.

whole swede hanging free for them to catch and eat,

carrots 'hidden' in hay net.

if i think of any thing else, will let you know.

 

[be positive]

A mirror is a really good idea, I know 2 horses who are very much happier with one.
Obviously keep her with plenty of hay/ haylage, I picked nettles and thistles for my pony when he was on long term box rest, he spent time picking through for the tasty bits to eat first but ate them all, a piece of gorse or hawthorn tied up, swedes can also be threaded and hung up.

 

[CrazyMare]

Mine have a radio on quietly during the day. Sometimes takes a little bit of fiddling to work out what they like, but Radio 4 and Classic FM are good starting points.

 

[igglepop]

This is a good idea it appears like a one up of a mirror http://www.valleyvet.com/ct_detail.html?pgguid=31627a5a-a2aa-4b03-a52d-217581181580.

 

[moodymare_1993]

In my experience with box rest as my mare has just come off it 1 day ago after 6 weeks, just put her in the stable, lots of hay keep things nice and chilled, stay calm and don't panic as it makes it ten times worse, try and keep everything in a routine for her, my mare went from my field, to hospital for 2 hours straight into my instructors back garden. Who lives in another town. Into her stables outside her house. Since I've had her for 6 months she hadn't needed to be stabled, I was petrified as there we no horses or anything just some dogs and chickens, she was just in a stable in your average size garden. Yeah I'll admit she was a bit like omg where have you brought me but with Los of hay and not too much fuss for the first evening she was absolutely fine. She Even had the unfortunate timing of seeing a horse be PTs it will amaze you how well she will cope when she gets in a routine. Oh and once she settles try and keep other horses away from sight(too close to her) I found this wound my mare up as she became quite dependant of the other horse being lead away from her. Even for a trot up test right infront of her. I wounldnt worry bout mirrors or lickits etc, just lots of hay she will be fine.btw hope it's a she, can't actually remember it it was a mare or not. Sorry if it's a gelding lol

 

[SO1]

all I can say is I hope you have plenty of time as looking after a horse properly on box rest is very time consuming. Ideally you need to be able to make a lunch time visit as well as doing the mornings and evenings which was impossible for me due to the hours I work and the distance of work from yard. In the evening after work I would not normally get to the yard till 6.30 which is too late if he is stuck in 24/7 and I have not been able to see him at lunch time.

My pony is away on box rest at this rehab yard http://www.horserehab.co.uk/ as he normally lives out and is intolerant of stabling for long periods of time. He jumped out on the first morning of his box rest at his normal yard when the yard started getting busier and some of the horses were getting turned out. It was very obvious it was not going to work and out of desperation I decided to try a specialist yard who said they could cope with anything. I was skeptical at first but it has worked out very well and he has settled and is coping much better than I thought.

They have a row of horses on box rest so he has company at all times and it is a fairly quiet yard. It is also very structured with a good routine with all the box rest liveries on full livery so everything always happens at the same time for everyone. The owner lives on site and has a very experienced groom who is also there during the day. This means they can provide my pony with plenty of care duing the day when I am at work. The horses are on ad lib hay and this is checked on regularly during the day as well as them having a late night check too to make sure everyone has enough to eat and plenty of water. He is always beautifully groomed and on the days I visit I ask them not to groom him so I can have some things to do! I can only visit on weekends or if I have a half day off at work as it is far but I know he is well looked after much better than if I was doing it myself. The horses whicker when they see the grooms car come down the drive. My pony does not like lickits either but the rehab yard have given him a rock salt lick which he does really like.

He is also on a calmer. The rehab yard feed a box rest diet to the horses - which is ad lib hay and then low starch and low sugar feeds such as fast fibre to help them calm. I also think that as both the owner and the groom are very calm people who are confident around horses this helps the horses settle, sometimes as an owner especially if you are worried about your horse and pushed for time due to having to fit everything in around work your concern can rub off on the horse.

I don't know what facilities you have but a horse walker is useful when you need to start the walking especially if you have a strong or fiesty horse. Also you might need small paddock individual turnout when your horse first starts turnout after box rest which I know not all yards can provide.

Sending my pony away was right for me even though it is expensive (though some insurance companies will contribute towards extra costs of box rest I am with NFU and they will pay £500 towards it)

Good luck and I hope your horse makes a good recovery.

 

[Jools1234]

poor thing, box rest is a pain but sometimes unavoidable

ad lib hay soaked if needed

treat/feeder ball is great but check with vet first cos it does encourage them to move round a lot so it may not be a good idea at first

try hanging hay nets so they hang from the rafters or roof of stable and dont lean on any walls, it means the haynet moves more as they feed, also double net

i also cut a small hole in a supplement pot and fill with chopped apple and carrot that just about fits through the hole then put it in a haynet and hang from the roof

try hanging a coke bottle (or similar) full of nuts (if she does not lose the plot having hard feed on box rest) buy the neck again with a hole just big enough so the nuts will fall out when the bottle is moved around

some love mirrors

company is the best one though really

just be inventive you will think of more stuff as time passes also vary what is put in each day so it keeps her mind busy

a calmer or sedalin gel may be an idea if needed but most of them seem to settle better with box rest than we expect good luck

 

[mandyroberts]

You have all my sympathy. My horse has just had 2 weeks of box rest, at the moment it looks like I have been lucky and got off lightly and he is now turned out. I resorted to excessive amounts of sedative(with my vets approval), and was considering a rehab yard. I am hoping my insurance will pay for the sedative £25/day at peak dose but I couldn't watch him leaping around the stable shrieking all the time.

 

[Keenjean]

Valerian is your new best friend!! Seriously, my mare is a nut job on box rest (think bucking, managing to canter round a 12x12 box, door banging, screaming etc even on a busy yard with lots of company) and this has been an absolute god send. She is now settled, no more bucking and much quieter in general and less stressed. Its banned because it actually works!! I have combined this with a strict routine which she seems to love and plenty of stable toys like suede on a string, hidden carrots, likkits suspended from rafters etc. good luck and I hope your horse mends well!!

 

[Keenjean]

P.s it's not banned as in really illegal just banned from competitive use which you won't be doing anyway. The withdrawal time for it not to be in their system on bloods is 7 days.

 

[MagicMelon]

Mine has been on box rest for several months now after injuring his tendon in a big way as well. I started to turn him out in a small (stable size) pen on the grass surrounded by 6ft high steel mesh fencing (the type builders use) to stop him jumping out. Worked well TBH. Id definately consider this, but perhaps only after the one month of proper box rest.

 

[AdorableAlice]

Op, you have been given lots of ideas, but they all miss the most important bit of information out.

I have just been through 50 weeks - yes you read that right - 50 weeks of box resting a 17.2h competition horse. This is my advice.

1. Your vet is your best friend, they have a box of tricks to help keep the
horse safe and healthy, be it herbal or drug based, the help is there.

2. The most important issue is gut movement, 48 hours for what goes in
to go out. Lack of movement equals the gut slowing down. Lack of
fluid intake equals the gut slowing down. You need to let the horse eat
plenty of fibre. I used well soaked poorer quality hay ad lib, multi net if
necessary. You know your horse and you will know how much muck he/
she normally produces, monitor this day and night and if there are any
significant changes tell your vet. A box resting horse is a huge risk factor
for colic.

3. Be prepared for what goes into the box resting period will not be what
comes out. Loss of muscle mass/topline can be repaired, don't be
tempted to try and feed to keep it.

4. Take emotion out. The horse lives in real time, he will not be thinking,
"I have been in here for 2 weeks, 20 weeks etc" it is your mind telling
you how long your horse "has been suffering box rest"


In reality the horse will cope, you will be exhausted, it will be costly (NFU paid for a tonne of shaving for me), you will cry out of pure frustration, I did on numerous winter mornings. I asked my friends to call in on the horse during the day (I work fulltime). Plenty of grooming and foot care, my horse's feet dried out and fell apart, but he was in for a very long time.

Horses are such adaptable creatures, the first 2 weeks were the most tricky but he soon realised he was not going out and relaxed. When the time comes for the handwalking to start make sure you are well prepared and use sedation - one wrong step and more damage can be done.

Good luck, the horse will get through it - probably better than you will !!

 

[xTrooperx]

I knew someone that moved her horse to a riding school, where the horse could watch everything going in and get plenty of pats from ppl walking around, this was done as yard only had 4 other horses so would of been very quiet and boring other wise.
Hope your horse recovers well so hard at times like that.

 

[kajabe]

Op, you have been given lots of ideas, but they all miss the most important bit of information out.

I have just been through 50 weeks - yes you read that right - 50 weeks of box resting a 17.2h competition horse. This is my advice.

1. Your vet is your best friend, they have a box of tricks to help keep the
horse safe and healthy, be it herbal or drug based, the help is there.

2. The most important issue is gut movement, 48 hours for what goes in
to go out. Lack of movement equals the gut slowing down. Lack of
fluid intake equals the gut slowing down. You need to let the horse eat
plenty of fibre. I used well soaked poorer quality hay ad lib, multi net if
necessary. You know your horse and you will know how much muck he/
she normally produces, monitor this day and night and if there are any
significant changes tell your vet. A box resting horse is a huge risk factor
for colic.

3. Be prepared for what goes into the box resting period will not be what
comes out. Loss of muscle mass/topline can be repaired, don't be
tempted to try and feed to keep it.

4. Take emotion out. The horse lives in real time, he will not be thinking,
"I have been in here for 2 weeks, 20 weeks etc" it is your mind telling
you how long your horse "has been suffering box rest"


In reality the horse will cope, you will be exhausted, it will be costly (NFU paid for a tonne of shaving for me), you will cry out of pure frustration, I did on numerous winter mornings. I asked my friends to call in on the horse during the day (I work fulltime). Plenty of grooming and foot care, my horse's feet dried out and fell apart, but he was in for a very long time.

Horses are such adaptable creatures, the first 2 weeks were the most tricky but he soon realised he was not going out and relaxed. When the time comes for the handwalking to start make sure you are well prepared and use sedation - one wrong step and more damage can be done.

Good luck, the horse will get through it - probably better than you will !!

Thank You Adorable Alice - that information you just gave me is pure gold!
She was on 10kg of hay per day at the hospital and it was soaked, but does that mean 10kg of un soaked hay or soaked?
And unfortunately I am with petplan and all the cover we have, all they pay for is vet fees, death and person injury

She is coming home tomorrow so fingers crossed!

 

[Dexydoodle]

My mare had 6 weeks of box rest at the start of the year and i was after ideas - loads on this thread

http://www.horseandhound.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=506908

(hope that works! and my username used to be D'sMum - hence the references!)

She's going back onto another 6 weeks (minimum) boxrest after having a bilateral neurectomy today so will be watching this thread with interest for any more ideas

 

[Littlelegs]

I've done a similar stretch to AA, but she's more eloquent than me, excellent advice. Mine is a very good doer & v greedy so adlib wasn't an option. (14.2 & adlib if stabled 24/7 would be over a bale a day). But I did swop jobs with others so her hay was split into lots of portions, thus never going more than 1 or 2hrs without. I imagine the 10kg is unsoaked, but check with vets. And I used late cut hay with little quality. Valerian was also a godsend, both for her sanity & because it was imperative she didn't strain herself. And check with vet re toys. If not even allowed out in walk, banging around her stable might not be ideal.

 

[[69117]]

Right...

I specialise in box rests, and below is a list of the things we've done with our clients' horses to keep them entertained. We have a huge variety of rehab cases coming to us - from a grand prix horse with a ruptured extensor to a foal with a fractured skull. I'm sure people will already have thought of some of them, but all should be helpful.


Everything AdorableAlice said is perfect. I tend to mix haylage with well soaked hay (really mix it up, then double net it, otherwise they'll pick out the haylage and turn their noses up!) always ad lib to keep their guts moving. Buckets of high fibre chaff such as Mollichaff Calmer are fab too - can be used as a forage replacer, and just gives them something else to think about. If you can, add some sloppy sugarbeet into feeds as this will up water consumption, which is hugely important - make sure you really monitor what she's drinking and what her poos look like. Valerian is your new best friend to help take the edge off the crazy!

She will lose her topline and her coat may become slightly dull. To keep her comfortable, hot cloth her daily. This will be lovely for her, and keep her coat shiny and in good nick. Lots of grooming will make her feel better, and put Kevin Bacon Hoof Dressing on her feet twice a day to prevent crumbling. Pick her feet out morning and evening, and spray a good sheep foot disinfectant (purple spray in a white and orange aerosol can, available from most good agricultural stores) in her soles every other day to keep her from getting thrush. As AA said, do not be tempted to over feed to keep her topline!

Buy a selection of things to keep her amused - likits, swedes, snack balls (if you put a handful of chaff in a snack ball along with a handful of nuts it lasts a LOT longer), tyres (we hang a tyre up in the stable and put carrots and apples in it for them to fish out) etc. and swap them round every few days so she has something different to do.

Other things that are great for distraction - bury carrots in a haynet, make fruit kebabs for her (tie some string to a kitchen skewer, then poke it through carrots, apples, swedes etc., remove the skewer, then hang it up in her stable), freeze apple juice in an ice cube tray and pop the juicy ice cubes either in her feed or in her water, and gorse. Gorse is amazing - cut down a few branches and tie them in her stable, but only branches with flowers on them. She'll spend hours carefully picking off the flowers and avoiding the thorns.

Change boxes if you can every few weeks. Give her a different view and something new to think about. We leave radio 4 on all day for our lot so they have something to listen to, and we make sure we spend time with each of them every day. You may also end up bandaging her legs all the time to prevent them filling.

Good luck. It's really not as awful as you think it is, they all settle after a while and get used to it.

 

[Bestdogdash]

Just to add to Starzannes excellent ideas, i bought my boy a branded 'trickle net' which works fabulously well. It takes him ages to get through it and is perfect for the surprise carrot in the hay game. It enables them to be occupied and grazing all day but without putting on huge amounts of weight. I use it in addition to normal hay ration.

 

[Dexydoodle]

Any good DIY ideas on how to hang swedes etc in the stable when you have nothing to hang them from?! Have moved yards since our last stretch of box rest and there were bars on the stable each side of the door joined with a bar above the door if that makes sense so used that to hang stuff from. New yard has nothing like that and would like to be able to hang swedes etc but nothing convenient to do it from. If its anywhere against a wall fatty will trap it and eat the whole thing in one go so any ideas?!

 

[AdorableAlice]

Put it in a big plastic trug - swede bobbing. Put big bramley apples in for my horse, kept him amused for hours.

 

[igglepop]

If you get one of the large swedes (some farm shops do them size of rugby balls) you can leave on floor and they are hard enough to last ages.

 

[Dexydoodle]

Will give that a go AA as your advice during our last stretch was great! She wasn't that interested in apple bobbing - didn't touch them in fact - but will give it all a go again!

 

[Warmblood39]

Great advice as my horse is on box rest until at least february!x