Laminitis - HELP!

Outdoorgirl

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For the first time in my horse owning life, which must be about 50 years (gulp - is it really that long and am I REALLY that old), I have a horse which has just come out the other side of an acute attack of laminitis, and I feel so guilty about it. She's done the Danilon and box rest and the hoof pads and is now out on a baldish patch of grass for about 1.5 hours a day, longingly staring at her pals on the other side of the fence as they eat their way through the day. Please can anyone reassure me that I will get to put her out with the others again for her fully allotted hours? I'm going to try very hard to get her as fit as I possibly can and plan to start lunging her later this week, once I can be sure that the explosions have ceased and then ride her around the Bank Holiday weekend when I can be sure of having somebody around, just in case. I just want my pony back to her normal, cuddly and sane self.
 

meleeka

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From my experience exercise is much more important to preventing laminitis than diet. If she’s getting plenty of work there’s no reason why she can’t be ‘normal’ again. The key is to introduce grass gradually. Do you know why she got laminitis? It’s rarely out of the blue without any cause.
 

Outdoorgirl

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Too much of a good thing was the main cause. All 3 of our horses are out during the day and in at night all year round. This spring, through circumstances beyond our control, we had to put them onto their usual summer grazing nearly 3 months earlier than usual. There was not a lot of grass on it when we moved them, but after the lack of rain in our area, plus the warm weather and then the rain which arrived, the grass just shot through. Within a couple of weeks she was lame. It took me completely by surprise.
 

Leo Walker

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Honestly, I wouldnt expect to let her have uncontrolled access to grass ever again. One of the deciding factors in having my pony PTS was that he would never have a "normal" life again. He did have a very severe bout with rotation and sinking though. But it takes a long time to recover and once they've had it the chances are they will get it again unless you prevent it with careful management.
 

Follysmum

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Can be done with special management and a complete overhaul of how you keep them. Our first pony we bought over 50 yrs ago was basically written off after having a resection. With the correct diet, excerise and field management he became a pony club champion and never had another episode again and lived to a be an old man.
 
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