Laminitis Help

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Mel xx

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Hi there, I am new to this forum having found it trying to research laminits on the web. Can any of you knowledgeable people give me some advice.
I have a 12hh native type pony who has always lived out, summer and winter. I was told that he had previously had laminits about 3 years before I got him (I've had him since Feb). He is a good dooer type, so I have been really careful to watch his weight. I had left him barefoot as my kids are just learning to ride, so not doing any hard work and he was doing fine until June time when I noticed that he was favouring the verges rather than the road. I spoke to my farrier and he shod him on the front but said be careful as he could see he'd had laminits. Last week he became very slightly lame. I had the farrier back to check his shoes and he gave him a trim and said he was slightly lamanitic. The vet came on Saturday and agreed he had mild laminitis. although he wasn't overwight. (I don't have a weight tape but although he is a solid chunky type pony you can feel his ribs easily but not see them) The vet has advised me to stable him and only let him out when grass has it's lowest sugar content (late evening / early morning) He said otherwise I could go down the route of a muzzle but he would have to wear boots but he thought the stable route would be best. Saturday we sorted his stable out and he was stabled overnight and I let him out on a strip of grass for an hour in the morning, then put him back in the stable. When I went to check him at lunch time he was drenched in sweat - being daft I didn't consider that he would get too hot, which in hindsight is obvious bearing in mind the weather and he has never been kept inside before. He wasn't stressed so that wasn't the cause - he is a very easy pony. I therefore can't leave him stabled. So now think I will go down the route of a muzzle which I never had experience of. Can someone give me pro's / cons of the types available. Also, should he wear it all the time and if so will he still be able to eat enough? Also will it be necessary for him to wear boots - he is not showing any signs of lameness on grass so I am not sure why he would need to wear them. Can anyone advise me whether they would be necessary. Apologies if this has all been asked before but I couldn't find the answers. Thankyou.
 
I used to muzzle my lami pony and she was fine. Its difficult when they are teetering on the edge of lami as you can become complacent. Can you section your pony off a small area with minimal grass? That's what I did for my pony and then days out in the main field with a muzzle on. Its difficult and each pony's tolerance to the sugars is different.

My pony dramatically improved when I moved yards as I assume the grass is different.

Good luck, it sounds like you are doing a great job. x
 
Hi

sorry to read that you're going through this, it is horrible for pony & owner :-(

Would it be possible for you to create a 'yard' area around & including the stable? It doesn't matter if this is on concrete or earth, as long as very little grass there!! Then you could tie the door open & he could have a bit more freedom. Did your vet mention about soaking his hay?

With regard to muzzles, i recently bought one for my mare but she just can't get on with it. She just stands in a corner sulking after trying to rub it off on fence posts & her companion.
We now have her in a small, poor paddock. She is out at night & in from 8am - 8pm & this seems to be keeping her weight down.

I'm not sure why the vet wants you're pony to wear boots, hopefully someone else can help you with that.

Good luck, i hope that he is better soon & the children can start riding him again :-)
 
Dinky ponies muzzles are the best and rub the least. Shires ones are also good. Ours wear these.

I think turning out in a dry lot with access to hay is better than turning out on grass especially as he has acute laminitis now.

There is no slight laminitis. You either have laminitis or you have LGL which is very different to these symptoms.

Why a farrier would shoe a laminitic pony is beyond my understanding as he is only masking the problem and making the pony worse by forcing it to work on it's compromised hoof. It's not good practice in my opinion. The best advice to have given you was to take him off grass completely and give a herbal detox to help the congested circulation.

The grass is lowest in sugar at night. After sunset and before sunrise. It is at its highest at sunset/sunrise so your vet was practically feeding him sweets.

I am so sorry you are going through this. Now is the time to restrict everything. Like an elimination diet for a diabetic.

Get boots for his front hooves. Or, the alternative is £300 a pair of Imprint shoes. Up to you but you have to get him off grass completely. Sorry to say.

www.safergrass.org
www.hoofrehab.com

Above are good places to start... hugs xx
 
Thank you for these replies. I am lucky in that the stable is at the bottom of my garden and have managed to fence off a strip of about 15ft outside his stable which is part concrete and a small bit of grass / mud, which will have disappeared by the end of the day as it is virtually bare already. I will get a muzzle for him - have found somewhere local that has the shires ones in stock, so he can have an hour late at night out, which is at least the benefits of having him at home.
One thing I have not been able to find out, is will the grass still be dangerous for him during the winter or does the sugar content go down? I know you always hear that spring / autumn is worse but an now worried he will still be effect ed during the winter
 
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I really feel for you as my daughter's pony (12.2 welsh) is the same (well was before we got hold of her and made some changes). We restrict her grazing by cordoning off the paddock, her hay is thoroughly soaked (best overnight) and she is exercised as much as possible. It's all about the sugars. She can't cope when the grass comes up so we have to watch her like a hawk for sore footed behaviour. She is a bit of a diva so if she's stood still we check her immediately! Fingers crossed this is keeping the dreaded laminitis at bay - I hope it works for you too. Good luck!
 
In winter the grass is not in active growth. Sunny, frosty mornings do seem to trigger a sugar spike in the grass so this is the time to be wary. Afternoon grazing is ok. I have grazed my laminitic during the day but muzzled if sunny.

A mineral lick rich in copper and magnesium is quite beneficial. May I suggest a block of Rockies Laminshield? Free access to it in your bare patch or in the stable.

I have found Speedibeet has plenty of calcium in too and you can soak this and give as a treat with perhaps some Pro Hoof sprinkled in it. That's all that's needed. Chaff is just a filler and not really required.
 
i second that. We have Rockies 5 star licks in the stable and I'm convinced they've helped our horses' hoof growth. Countrywide sell them.
 
Just found the licks on countrywide and ordered one.
Thank you all for your help. My mind was spinning after reading so much on the internet (much of it conflicting) would rather have advice from those who have dealt with it or are going through it!
 
Well if our weird weather continues I shall be on lami watch all bleeding year round! I become even more cautious during October/November time especially if it is as dry, sunny and cool as last year as this is one time when my cushings/lami prone pony is most at risk as his hormone levels are changing. He didn't have his muzzle taken off permenantly until late December as we still had so much grass.

He's currently muzzled nearly 24/7...he was in a bare paddock for 12 hours until the brat escaped into the lush paddock next door and my trust in him vanished! Both mine are in greenguards and now their paddock is thoroughly eaten down they get half hour first thing in the morning to have a nibble and a scratch and then an hour late evening around 8pm. Both of them are a respectable weight, cob only needs another 10kg off to be perfect and I keep lami pony skinny through summer so his ribs are visible when he turns. It's easier to put weight on than get it off! Once they've gone into their new paddock, lami pony has half his muzzle taped off and neither of them are allowed it off unless they agree not to escape from the bare paddock!
 
You probably know this but dont give him any treats even an Apple core, polo' s & such. A friend came round when one of ours was on box rest for lami & started given him her Apple doh doh
Yes horses can get it in winter my carrier treated a horse in January for it. Frosty grass retains sugar hh done a piece about it.
 
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