Laminitis - becoming a slight obsession

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bex1984

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Hi,

I think I'm becoming slightly obsessed with the fear of my pony getting laminitis. I would go so far as to say I have laminitisphobia!

Pony is slightly overweight, currently out 7am - 5pm ish but the field is pretty bald. He has a slice of hay at night in a small holed haynet, inside another small holed haynet! He also has 2 handfuls of happy hoof morning and night and is worked about 5 days a week, for roughly an hour. He does appear to be losing weight on this routine, but I am completely paranoid about him getting laminitis!

According to previous owners he has never had it before, despite being a naughty pony and eating plenty of things he shouldn't have eaten!

The horses all go out 24/7 from 1st May, although when it gets really hot they'll be in during the day. He won't be happy left in on his own in the day and the grass is too short for a grazing muzzle! So I'm getting seriously worried!

Is all my worrying justified, or do I need to still be cautious but slightly less paranoid?

Also, please can someone explain how to take a digital pulse, as this will give me something new to be obsessed with!
 
Well, unless your lucky - I don't expect you have much grass at the moment. It's been so dry, it's simply not growing.

Presumably you can have your horse in if you wish when your fields open 24/7? My horse was never out 24/7 because she was a little fatty - so would have to stand in.

But of course there are these wonderful things called grazing muzzles, which I discoverd last year - fab!

Sounds like you are being very responsible.
 
I know exactly how you feel, mine has recovered from it about 2 years ago - i am a paranoid wreck with it aswell, i do have a grazing muzzle but like you say the grass is bald and it caused sores on his chin where he was rummaging so hard! bad mummy i am!! if im correct in saying you check the digital pulse with your 2 fingers not your thumb - as your thumb has a pulse, it shouldnt be prominent ie - banging.
Do you have yours on any supplements?? i can highly recommend Laminitis prone.
 
No I dont think you are being paranoid, just a sensible, careful owner. Absolutely any horse/pony can get it.

My vet has been up today to give treatment, she said that she is over-run with lami cases at the moment.

Dont forget, the grass is at it sweetest at the hottest part of the day.

Sounds to me like you are doing everything possible to keep the L word at bay.
 
Im the same your not alone
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!! But i think i have reason to be as we can't figure out 100% if my horse is suffering with Low grade Lami or Bruised soles. So im treating him for both & getting pads fitted as he is lame (slightly on circles ).

Digital Pulse can be found on inside and outside of each leg at the level of the fetlock and pastern. Palpate on the inside and outside of each leg, toward the back of the midpastern or fetlock at the level of the sesamoid bones. Its normal to check all for legs so then you can tell if one is raised or there normal.

Im obssed with Digital pulses im checking every morning & night before he goes out in a tiny paddock with hardly any grass. My problem is he gets raised digital pulses when he has bruised soles as well. Been free of raised pulses for 2 days now!! Lameness has improved but still there. See my post in Vet section.
 
dressagecrazy - im having the same probs with mine - as soon as he treads on a stone... he goes lame... can you let me know how you get on with the pads as i havnt had much luck with them (bad farriering a few years ago)
 
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I would go so far as to say I have laminitisphobia!

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Me to, me to, me to!!! Never had a "native pony" before and since i bought one as a companion for my WB I have become completely obsessed, despite him never having had it before!

Have found this a very useful web site: www.laminitis.org
 
Know exactly how you feel with 2 NFs and a Welshie who live on fresh air.

People have got to remember that these natives don't have any lush grass (or hardly anything else) in their natural habitat.

Mine are out 24/7 on a small 1/2 acre starvation paddock. But the 2 NFs are being fed as they are in-foal. Welshie got nothing else though.

What i would say to you though is prehaps give him a little more hay at night as this won't put weight on and it will actually help him lose weight quicker.
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I know what you mean me too!!!! Thats all iv been thinking about for the last 2 wks. My daughters pony is 12hh Welsh Sec a. He lives on fresh air. I dont think there is much grass in his field, but he was piling on the pounds and having green poo. I then changed him to being put out 4 hrs per day, he is still not losing weight. I dont really know much about laminitis as the two horses that I had wernt really prone to it. People have told me he is on the verge of getting it and too watch him. I hate muzzles!!!! Today I persuaded the YO to let me electric fence a starvation paddock for him, its just got a few peckings left in it. I have also started putting his small amound of haylage into a double uped haynet to make his eat slower. THEY ARE A RIGHT PAIN LITTLE FAT PONIES!!!
 
Because if hes eating hardly any forage his body will think its starving and hold on to the fat. Feeding hay stops this. If you fill his haynet up, i think around 4 slices, then soak it for 2 hours it will take away unwanted calories. He'll love you for it
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and it works well.
 
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What i would say to you though is prehaps give him a little more hay at night as this won't put weight on and it will actually help him lose weight quicker.
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are you joking? of course hay puts weight on, from experience with this - dont over feed it - especially if its rich hay - triggered my boys lammi
 
From the sounds of it, you're doing all the right things.

Not quite sure why someone thinks giving more hay will decrease his weight...... But if your worried about the hay, then depending on the quality of it you could try and get some old stuff (not dusty). I have lovely hay for my slim ones, but I bought some bales of 2 yr old hay for my lami's which is all they get. They get as much as they want of it as the quality of it really is pretty crap - dont think there's much nutrition in it at all!! I gave them 2 pleats of the new stuff a while ago when I ran out of the old stuff, the shetland came down with mild lami the very next day...... so it definately can make a difference. I believe some people also feed barley straw? But mine have never liked it.

It is difficult finding the balance as you obviously dont want to over-feed and have to feed the right things but at the same time you have to give them enough to keep their gut working and to keep them happy!

I wouldnt leave him in. I would turn him out in the usual bare paddock 24/7. Mine all live out, including 2 ponies who have had very severe laminitis in the past.
 
fully agree with you Magicmelon. mine is out in bare paddock with 5 others and his weight has stayed off him, i also really do recommend Laminitis prone supplement
 
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