laminitis diet

[haycroft]

with all these threads about lami and so many pony/horses going down with it

wondering what can you give a 11hh pony with lami and need to put on weight,hes kept in and off the grass,...

this condition is so confusing ,some say do/feed this, some say different,then you read something and totally different again

do you think that we've made this condition where having fenced paddocks not like in the wild where these ponies can wonder and eat the right nettles etc

what about all this ponies out 24/7 on the moors etc,fat eating from the frosty and snowy ground and not getting lami,why are there alot ponies going down with lami and many dont

 

[AngieandBen]

Because most ponies are fed rich pasture/sugar filled feed and not enough movement; Out on the moor its sparse and rough and they are walking miles and miles a day.

Linseed is a good for putting on weight and also Alph A Oil ( or buy a low sugar chaff and put your own oil in ) Kwikbeet/Speedibeet is also good for Laminitics

My ponies are out 24/7 on frosty grass and never had a problem with that; I had a shetttie who had Laminits once, but that was down to the me letting him have too much pasture ( very difficult when you have two others that need it!)

I use a track system now that lets them move around more while restricting grazing from April until October depending on grass growth

 

[TGM]

What are you currently feeding your pony? Is he actually lame from laminitis at the moment? When you say he needs to put on weight, what condition score is he at the moment? Can you see his ribs easily? How old is the pony and has he had laminitis before?

Is your pony on soaked hay at the moment? If he truly needs to put on some weight, then unmolassed beet is low in sugar, yet high in calories, but be very careful as being a little lean is no bad thing - you don't want him in show condition.

As said above, wild ponies survive on rough sparse pickings which are usually low in sugar, very different from the lush sugar-filled grass which often fill domestic pony paddocks. Also if wild ponies put on weight in the summer they will lose it again over the winter when they don't get supplementary feed. It is thought by experts that long term obesity increases the risk of laminitis. Another point is that laminitic ponies in the wild would probably die, so if there is a genetic factor in laminitis then it would not be passed on to the next generation.

 

[TGM]

Another point is that quite a lot of laminitis is due to underlying Cushings. Cushings is much more common in older horses and ponies, and wild ponies usually have a shorter life-span than domesticated ones, so they are less likely to have Cushings induced laminitis.

 

[haycroft]

Another point is that quite a lot of laminitis is due to underlying Cushings. Cushings is much more common in older horses and ponies, and wild ponies usually have a shorter life-span than domesticated ones, so they are less likely to have Cushings induced laminitis.

thanks for your replies
yes i could be the start of cushing s aswell

hes about 15 years old,yes you can see his ribs although he has a very thick coat score of just about 3,yes hes had lami before

we have him on a sort of loan .hes kept at the owners yard where once hes sound is ridden up to 5 times aweek so has regular exercise but not so much over this winter as hes been kept in due to the frosty/snowy weather and hes been footy/lame(hes kept in a small school so he can move around alot more in the day then in his stable at nite)
hes has dropped soles

he used to be a sprited little chap but certainly not enjoying being in and the sparkle has gone out of his eyes

the owner has had several ponies over many years with lami/cushings and have tried alsort of things,some things have work short term and some havent,

 

[TGM]

He does sound like a Cushings pony - would the owner consider Pergolide treatment if that is the case. It does seem to be effective in a lot of ponies.

 

[haycroft]

He does sound like a Cushings pony - would the owner consider Pergolide treatment if that is the case. It does seem to be effective in a lot of ponies.

yes i think thats the next step..or/and try giving herbs which ive read can be affective aswell nettle,rosehip etc
have you tried something like prolamin

in the last 18 mths we have had 3 ponies pts due to lami/cushings at the yard

drugs are only going to prolong the quality of life not the condition..which some ponies just want to be out and enjoy life not just stuck in

do you think that some are born with this condition where the dams havent be feed correctly
thanks for your advice