Laminitis

[bookahhorselover567]

My horse lives out all year. We don’t have stables but we have shelter. We provide a fresh water source. She will not stable but we don’t want that. She is a cob and every year she gets laminitis in spring. Sometimes it is unavoidable due to the sugar content in the grass and temperatures. We muzzle her for part of the day everyday (which I don’t like doing as she is unhappy). She is exercised and just above average weight. She is only young and it pains me to see her get ill every year, is there anything I can do to help her. We won’t be sectioning off her field either

 

[I'm Dun]

laminitis is usually avoidable. If muzzling for part of the day doesnt work it needs to be 24/7. Anything that has previously had lammi needs to be lean, not above average weight. If you dont get this under control then you will lose her to lammi and that is much worse than not liking a muzzle. I'd be looking to move her ASAP to a yard where the grazing can be restricted, ideally one you can put a track up on, but I know thats not always an option

 

[saddlesore]

It NEEDS to be avoidable as it can be a life ending condition. Given she has had repeated episodes I’d be inclined to test for IR and cushings to see if there’s an underlying cause beyond ‘spring grass’. Either way you need to get her weight down and significantly reduce access to grass. If your current yard can’t accommodate that then look for one that can. A track system or a dry lot with soaked hay through the summer would be much more appropriate.

 

[SEL]

Laminitis is avoidable. My mare is muzzled when the spring grass comes through and at any point in the year when I need to open up fresh grass. Overnight they are moved into a virtually bald paddock with soaked hay. The field has a track around it to keep them moving. She's off work and still fat with that regime so I can't see myself relaxing it any time soon.

Has your vet tested for EMS and cushings?

 

[brighteyes]

Is someone yanking our chain, here?

 

[meleeka]

Not really enough info on your post to give proper advice, but a word of caution. My old pony used to get mild bouts most years (this was the days before much was known about EMS/cushings). When I eventually had her feet xrayd, her pedal bones were almost vertical . This wasn’t one big episode, but lots of low grade ones which still had a devastating effect.

You need to restrict grazing (you could use a track with electric fence), get her seen by a vet do they can test for cushings/EMS and increase her exercise. If largely depends on what the cause is though

 

[scats]

I thought my management was good, but one of my mares has just had a bout of laminitis. She is muzzled overnight in a well grazed field and then in by day with soaked hay, yet she still got it.
If your horse is getting this every year, something in your management needs to change or you will lose this horse.

 

[rabatsa]

If you continue to keep things as they are, nothing will change with the pony. Your choice but heartbreaking for the treating vets.

 

[ycbm]

We won’t be sectioning off her field either

Don't then, but face the fact that sooner or later you're going to have to put to sleep a horse that you let die by your own intransigence.

I so hope you're a troll.
.

 

[holeymoley]

What are you expecting anyone to advise? If you’re not willing to change the horse’s environment then you won’t stop it year after year. Laminitis is horrific, for both horse and owner. You need to either find suitable grazing or reduce grazing and muzzle,fence off etc A blood test would be handy too and if it’s been recurring I’d be xraying hooves too. The whole situation with the care of this horse needs reviewed or it will have a very painful end.

 

[PSD]

I can’t even bring myself to respond what I’d actually like to respond.

What’s the point of this post?

 

[vmac66]

I read on a laminitis site that the pain of laminitis is equivalent to use slamming our fingers in a car door then being forced to walk on them. This is what a horse with lami is going through. Its manageable, my mare had it 3 years ago, luckily we caught it early so she made a good recovery. She is on a bare paddock year round and comes into a haynet during the day or in at night in the winter. Once a horse has had lami you can't take your eye of the ball ever.

 

[mustardsmum]

I don’t know if your post is just badly worded (so maybe you are not allowed to section off your field rather than you won’t) but I echo most other replies. You cannot have a cavalier attitude to laminitis- it will cost you your pony. I have managed a lami pony for five years after one bout. I totally changed his management or I would have lost him. Please for the pony’s sake - get a vet and do something proactive rather than say you can’t stable, can’t section off the field etc. This is what you have to do - or you rehome to someone who can care for her properly. Create a pen area around the field shelter so she’s not stabled as such and can move around and has shelter. Bring her to the penned area everyday and turn out at night after exercise. Feed her soaked hay tied up in small holed haynets. And ride your pony everyday - properly, get her working to shift weight. Put the laminitis app on your phone and look at it everyday, take pulses in her feet and learn to spot changes before they become a problem. And be vigalent in winter too - defrosted grass after frost can be lethal. Laminitis is a year round issue, and keeping on top of it is far easier than dealing with its consequences.

 

[Pearlsacarolsinger]

What are you expecting anyone to advise? If you’re not willing to change the horse’s environment then you won’t stop it year after year. Laminitis is horrific, for both horse and owner. You need to either find suitable grazing or reduce grazing and muzzle,fence off etc A blood test would be handy too and if it’s been recurring I’d be xraying hooves too. The whole situation with the care of this horse needs reviewed or it will have a very painful end.

Obviously not horrific enough yet for this owner (if the story is real). The whole situation is unbelievable, all ways round.

 

[Shilasdair]

On the chance that this isn't a troll - try looking at this https://www.thelaminitissite.org/

Also - sell the cob.

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

My advice is sell the horse to someone who actually gives a shit about it, anyone who is quite happy to see there horse get laminitis every year shouldn't have horses.

 

[brighteyes]

If you continue to keep things as they are, nothing will change with the pony. Your choice but heartbreaking for the treating vets.

And the pony - if it exists...

 

[rosiesue]

Sounds a wind up to me

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

Sounds a wind up to me

Let's hope so eh

 

[eggs]

I truly hope this is a troll and since they haven’t responded yet I assume it is.

if not then you either need to find a better way of managing your horse or better yet sell her and buy a rocking horse

 

[PSD]

My advice is sell the horse to someone who actually gives a shit about it, anyone who is quite happy to see there horse get laminitis every year shouldn't have horses.

This.

I lost my horse to it last year after doing everything in my power to help her. This post has really naffed me off.

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

This.

I lost my horse to it last year after doing everything in my power to help her. This post has really naffed me off.

I know I think any decent person that has had a horse with laminitis would be horrified at the thought of going through it again, I know I am I watch my 2 like a hawk I never ever want to have to deal with it again not ever.

 

[NewForestPonyRider]

Our pony got laminitis recently and we kept him in a pen with the field shelter and Haynets

 

[Sossigpoker]

My horse lives out all year. We don’t have stables but we have shelter. We provide a fresh water source. She will not stable but we don’t want that. She is a cob and every year she gets laminitis in spring. Sometimes it is unavoidable due to the sugar content in the grass and temperatures. We muzzle her for part of the day everyday (which I don’t like doing as she is unhappy). She is exercised and just above average weight. She is only young and it pains me to see her get ill every year, is there anything I can do to help her. We won’t be sectioning off her field either

I sincerely hope this is a wind up post.
Allowing a horse to get laminitis every year and not even bothering to section the field is neglectful.

 

[Lipglosspukka]

This poster has asked a few normal enough questions in the past.

I fear this post isn't a hoax. Please, please reconsider the way this pony is managed before you kill her!

 

[tallyho!]

This poster has asked a few normal enough questions in the past.

I fear this post isn't a hoax. Please, please reconsider the way this pony is managed before you kill her!

I think "we" shouldn't have a pony if we can't avoid laminitis every year. Poor pony.

 

[ILuvCowparsely]

My horse lives out all year. We don’t have stables but we have shelter. We provide a fresh water source. She will not stable but we don’t want that. She is a cob and every year she gets laminitis in spring. Sometimes it is unavoidable due to the sugar content in the grass and temperatures. We muzzle her for part of the day everyday (which I don’t like doing as she is unhappy). She is exercised and just above average weight. She is only young and it pains me to see her get ill every year, is there anything I can do to help her. We won’t be sectioning off her field either

What a horrid un caring owner you are, you don't deserve that pony. You don't want to muzzle or restrict grazing or learn how to deal with lamintis. Your pony, if it exists deserves to be rehomed. You really sound like a Troll

I have 3 laminitics . learnt the hard way how horrid this disease is. .
With my 3 They all have had a day or two box rest with raised pulse, but that is all.
They are all checked daily, low starch diet, have turmeric to reduce inflammation. Mine do not go out over night.

 

[Red-1]

My horse lives out all year. We don’t have stables but we have shelter. We provide a fresh water source. She will not stable but we don’t want that. She is a cob and every year she gets laminitis in spring. Sometimes it is unavoidable due to the sugar content in the grass and temperatures. We muzzle her for part of the day everyday (which I don’t like doing as she is unhappy). She is exercised and just above average weight. She is only young and it pains me to see her get ill every year, is there anything I can do to help her. We won’t be sectioning off her field either

I have a cob who would probably have lami every year, if I didn't manage him correctly. The thing is, while ever I own him, I owe him to look after his needs. That is true for all people owning horses.

Different horses have different needs. Yours needs not to be on spring grass, obviously. I would also say that he needs a vet to do some tests to see what is going on with blood work.

Allowing a horse to get lami over and over is neglect, pure and simple. If I knew someone allowing this by neglectful keeping, I would report them. Neglect isn't just about providing water and shelter, it is about respecting the needs of each horse. Refusing to muzzle more, keep off grass or even section off a field, whilst bemoaning the fact that the horse gets lami year on year, is neglect.

I read this and thought it was a troll/wind up, but see that you have asked sensible questions in the past. I have even replied to the post where you said you get jealous easily. Therefore I advise the following...

1. Get a specialist equine vet. Get feet X rayed, blood work done, follow their advice.
2. Keep their weight under control.
3. Become educated as to what strikes the lami off, and avoid it.

I bought my horse knowing he had issues. He has, so far, this year avoided lami. My regime includes arena turnout, soaking all hay, keeping him lightweight, using a muzzle when on very restricted turnout on a scalped paddock. I still have worries, for instance he has 3-4 hours in the morning to grass, then a further time at night to make the shortfall to 4 hours. He always has feet and pulses checked before and after turnout. The other day, I was delayed in fetching him in, he did 3 1/2 hours in the morning and 1 hour at night, so over his 4 hours limit. He was fine, he was muzzled, but still I watched like a hawk. That is what is required for a lami horse.

It makes me shudder to think of your poor pony, unprotected. Getting lami time and time again.

Before I bought my cob, some people thought it would be kinder for him to be put to sleep than sold on the open market. The owner was very careful who she sold him to, what everyone was worried abut was the risk he would end up with someone like you, who would neglect his needs.

I can only pray that mine continues to be sound. Not for me, I haven't even ridden lately as he doesn't like the heat. It is because I think all horses deserve to be cared for and not be in such pain by neglect.

 

[ILuvCowparsely]

I wish I could muzzle my pony and gelding, but I have tried in the past and they come off within 5 minutes rubbing on fence till they fall off. I manage them the way it works for them, you owe it to this horse to care for his needs as you are responsible for it.

 

[TwyfordM]

I have a pony who is extremely prone to laminitis and difficult to manage. Has conflicting conditions (previously broken a vertebra in her neck so constant stabling can make her stiff and uncomfortable)
She doesn’t keep muzzles on more than 5 minutes, can’t keep her in with just electric or wire, she needs either post and Rail or the wire square fencing. She’s actually surprisingly hard to keep weight on but has Cushings/EMS which are usually the cause of repeated episodes.

She’s had 2 bad episodes in the time I’ve owned her (12 years) a couple of minor ones that were caught early. One was in the middle of the winter when she was on a bald paddock with just hay. No point in the year can be considered “safe”
Even though all episodes I’ve caught early and had her on pain meds/diet pulled back quickly, we’ve still had some movement of the pedal bones. Thankfully she’s got very good feet. So miles of room between pedal bones and soles still but your pony probably won’t be that lucky ...

Once levels are under control and managed, she will be going back out into the smaller paddocks in the woods set up by the yard as hardly any grass between the trees and plenty of safe weeds for them to nibble on. But this will only be for part of the time - rest of the time she will be stabled on weighed/soaked hay as it’s just no longer manageable on a normal field with access to ad-lib hay.

In your situation i would firstly be calling the vet out to run bloods for Cushings and EMS. Sectioning off by the shelter/moving yards if they cannot accommodate that. Only feeding soaked hay, very low sugar/starch feed if needed. X-rays before any kind of exercise. It may just be a slight change in the way that it’s trimmed that’s needed but you won’t know until you X-ray...

If you cannot do this, wether financially or because of circumstances. You need to either rehome or put to sleep