Laminitis and going to the other extreme

Nudibranch

Nudibranch

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I only post this because I have now had two experiences where people with a little bit of knowledge have seen laminitis and dealt with it, in my view, badly.
The first, my own pony who I loaned out many years ago while I was at university. Unknown to me, a few months in the loaner turned her out in a huge lush field. I hadn't been able to contact her and so turned up to visit - no sign of pony. I found a neighbour who said my pony had been moved and pointed me in the right direction. I found my poor pony locked in a tiny pig pen with no food, empty water bucket and fetlock deep in her own mess. Cue immediate removal of pony and a lot of agro with the loaner. Pony had come down with lami (surprise?) so she had put her onto a starvation diet, i.e. nothing to eat!

The second instance is the current one at our yard whereby a new livery is effectively starving a cob. Now I am all for laminitis management but nevertheless, horses must have SOMETHING to eat and I see no reason a currently sound animal should not be given soaked hay, hi-fi or even decent straw to keep it filled up and the gut working properly. I just wonder how much permanent damage is done by people who deal with laminitis without calling the vet, and crash dieting (starving) the animal in question? I know most of us on here probably wouldn't fall into that category but I've come across it twice now...
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starving a horse esp a fat one can kill it as it can cause hyperlipaedmia(where teh body breaks down the fat stores quickly and the blood becomes very thick and causes heart failure)
imho laminitis requires veterinary input.
 
One of the saddest things I ever see is a nice horse or pony standing in for hours on end without anything to eat, and for various reasons I see that alot
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I have just replied to a laminitis post. Re muzzles. My back specialist gave fab advice on laminitis, large paddock v little grass so the horse has
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to walk around and forage, also hifi lite and a small cup of Baileys balancer to keep the gut healthy. The farrier threw a tablespoon of cider vinegar into the mix! She had a lot to say about management of laminitics much of what she told ne has unrepeatable language! I will add that their advice worked, and is working for me.
 
I think what many owners of natives forget is that these ponies belong on 'Rough grazing' - the hills and moors of Scotland, the Pennines, Dartmoor and Exmoor, and the Welsh Mountains.
They don't belong on lush, manicured grass lawns....
S
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I HAVE SEEN THIS before too, a little knowledge is a dangerous thing... i got lots of comments when i fed my extremley fat cob on oat straw when i first had him, people banging on about colic......yet they all feed chaff = oat straw!! plastered in molasses!! they soon shut up when that was pointed out!
 
I'm afraid I think the frequent outbreaks of laminitus that we are seeing reported on the forum are just another symptom of the 'hobby rider', which was discussed in another thread.

Too many people have too much pride. If you don't know what to do ASK!!!

I would prefer to ask for help and advice, and look a numpty with a healthy happy horse, that kill it with pride and ignorance.
 
Yeah, but TBH I think its the vets who scare the owners into starving them. I remember my pony got lami many years ago (concussive we think as he was never overweight or on lush grass) and the vet then said basically to starve him, but give him tiny weeny amounts of hay through the day. What use is that?! He'd still be standing about for ages with nothing at all!

One of my ponies came back with bad lami after being loaned out (although TBH it wasnt their fault, their grass was too good no matter how small the paddock), she cannot go on grass ever again as she comes down with it immediately. She's kept in a large yard area (no grass) with as much hay as she wants. This is what all actively lami ponies need!
 
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