Laminitis routine / prevent / please share your's

[Christmas Crumpet]

Current regime - big horse on holiday with shoes off, little pony with front shoes on.

Both in during the day on 12 hour soaked hay

Big horse out at night from about 5 pm - 7.30 a.m on 2 acres well grazed by the 4 resident sheep, wears a muzzle (which one depends on weather - not rained for ages then Dinky muzzle. If recently rained a lot and warm - Shires Deluxe with smaller hole and if in between, Shires Deluxe with hole made bigger!!). I go by his pulses and whether its rained or not. I'm generally pretty spot on by changing the muzzles around. He also has a feed of speedibeet and top chop zero with his supplements as he is treated as a suspected PSSM2 horse which makes life a bit more difficult.

Pony goes out for about 4 or 5 hours at nighttime with grazing muzzle on and then back in on 12 hour soaked hay and free range in the yard till morning. Only fed winergy ventilate.

 

[amandaco2]

16h wbx , one xray confirmed lami flare 3.5yrs ago. ?toxin related.12yo.
Worked 1-2hrs daily inclu plenty of trotting.

Out 24/7.
On small bald pen with hay 7am til9pm.
Out overnight on very well grazed section with friend.

Fed pure fibre feed and salt, condition 3/5.

 

[Tyssandi]

Just bumping this up again.

Really interesting reading - what works in different parts of the UK.

 

[ILuvCowparsely]

Bringing mine in for a few hours during the day since Thursday last week to get him off the grass. It is that time when he starts getting warmer feet and a small pulse

 

[ChesnutsRoasting]

Out 24/7 unless risk of frost. Bareish paddock of 1/3 acre. Fresh grass of approx. 4 square foot given daily. Supplemented with soaked hay calculated at 2%of her ideal weight divided by 2. Fed in small holed net on the ground (unshod). Lunged 4 times a week & will be led out (with hoof boots) once weather improves. The aim is to increase her fitness levels & mine! Fed a handful of soacked Topspec nuts with Mag.Ox supplement daily. Unrugged unless very heavy rain - no shelter - then only a rain sheet is used.

 

[Apercrumbie]

Shetland prone to regular but thankfully mild bouts: muzzled all year round to ensure that he enters spring lean. I feel mean but his Shetland genes are too hardy for a southern winter. Turned out 24/7.

In short, watch like a hawk. At first sign of even thinking of footiness, he comes in for 48 hours with soaked hay and deep shavings bed. We take no chances. We then reassess. If sound, reintroduce limited turnout and increase daily. If stable unavailable, starvation patch available for the same purpose.

My old Welsh cob had 1 bout of acute laminitis - potentially caused by toxicity (mid-winter, no frost, good weight etc so no normal reasons). Due to his size (16hh), we could never, ever have a reoccurance as his pedal bones would have rotated. He was also out 24/7, if he was ever fed he had no molasses in any shape or form. In summer he was muzzled if his crest started to get hard, however this wasn't foolproof as he was a bit of a houdini. If I was ever concerned, in he came. When hacking I would put him on a verge whenever possible to reduce concussion. Regular exercise was a must in summer.

Top tip - don't use fresh hay for laminitics - ie. if you feed hay in winter 2018, use the 2016 hay cut as long as it's not too dusty. It's made a huge difference to our weight management in winter and has meant that we don't need to ration - much happier horses!