Pony rocking on all 4 hoofs?

Tezzy

Tezzy

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In the field my horses are in is an shetland pony. She belongs to my ex & he doesn't seem to care at all about her. (It's a long story). Last week I had her hoofs trimmed by the farrier. It is the first time he as done her & had lots of problems doing so. It took 3 man to hold her. After a few days she started to walk funny & couldn't run. Today she is walking horrible & started to hold her legs up at times. She is walking with her front legs wide apart & is getting worse. I have put her in the stable. I have told him I am getting a vet out to look at her, but he said to leave her in the stable for a few days & she will pick up. I am worried incase it is laminitis. In the stable she started to rock back on her legs, like a rocking horse.
Could it be because the farrier as made her feet sore, or is it signs of laminitis?
Her hoofs are not warm at all & I have pick her legs up & move them without her being in pain
Any help at all please.
 
It certainly sounds like laminitis, although of course I could be wrong. You need to get the vet asap. In fact really the vet should have been called when she first started showing signs. Put her on a shavings bed (supports the hooves better than straw) and feed well-soaked hay if you've got any, or good quality clean straw. Do not starve her, this can make things worse. In your position I would ring the emergency vet NOW (I know its late) and ask for advice if not for a visit. Laminitis is a medical emergency.

ETA The hooves can be cold in laminitis, can you feel a digital pulse?
 
It could be just that the farrier has had to be a bit more crude with trimming her feet because she wouldn't co-operate. He may have cut down to the sensitive tissues in her feet and if so she would be very very sore but hopefully a few days and she should be fine again. BUT BUT BUT!!! It could possibly be laminitis so I would treat it as if it is until you know it isn't. Deep soft bedding right up to the stable door, keep her calorie intake low without starving her, get the vet out as an emergency. Poor little mite. What will happen to her in the future? If she just stands in a field with good grazing all through the summer, she is an enormously high risk for laminitis.
 
The rocking back sounds like lammy.

Do you have any painkillers you could give her tonight?

Certainly think I would be getting the vet out to give her an injection to help her pain.
 
Thank you so much for replying.
I can't sleep thinking about her. I have put a deep bedding down for her. I have spoke to my ex again & he wants to take her out of the field & put her in with his mates horses.
I told him I am having the vet out but he said no. I will have them out first thing in the morning. I cannot believe that he isn't bothered at all & thinks I am going ott. His friend came up tonight to see her & he said she will be fine & to stop worring. He put her into my field a few months ago until his field came up. But he as left her in mine.
I couldn't feel a digital pulse. It is heart breaking to see her like this.
 
I wouldnt even waste your time talking to the ex now. As you are, get the vet. If it is lammy and the ex starts kicking up a fuss or takes her away and puts her in a field. Report him. Its cruelty.

Well done in taking action
 
guido16 said:
I wouldnt even waste your time talking to the ex now. As you are, get the vet. If it is lammy and the ex starts kicking up a fuss or takes her away and puts her in a field. Report him. Its cruelty.

Well done in taking action
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I really can't stand him at all any more. No animal should go through pain. I cannot let her suffer. I am praying it is because of the farrier & it's not laminitis. If it is lammy, then I know he won't want her. I will keep her & do everything the vet tells me to do for her.
If it comes to where he wants to take her, then I will move her away where he cannot find her.
 
What a barstool your ex is ( sorry!) I would report him too, or threaten to if he tries to take the pony away. It sounds like laminitis to me ( have had many years with one!) she will need a lot of care, now and in the future; Don't let him take her :(
 
The rocking sounds classically lammi. It could be she has low grade chronic lammi and aggressive reimming has brought it out. But she needs painkillers.

Failing to call a vet in such circumstances could be considered criminal ill treatment. If you have to get WHW or the RSPCA involved.
 
I wanted to let you all know the outcome on this lovely pony.
I went to her early this morning & I called the vet out. The vet arrived within half an hour, she was in my area. You was all right, she has laminitis.
I had tears when I saw her, she can't walk & lifts her legs up. The vet gave her Bute, plus Sedalin. I have never heard of Sedalin before. The vet said to use it to calm her if needed. When me & the vet walked away from her stable, she kept crying out to my horse & the vet said to use it & it will help her. I have to use the lowest dose, just half & if that doesn't help then to up it to one. I had to also take out the straw & replace it with shavings. She said it had to be filled with shavings, right up to the stable door & a thick bedding.
I called my ex & told him what the vet had said & he then said he was in parntership with his cousin with the pony! I asked him to pay me the money back which I paid the vet & he said he couldn't. I then asked for the money to buy the shavings & again said he couldn't.
I was so mad that he could treat her like this. I called him back & said that I would keep her & look after her. He called is cousin & they both agreed that I can have her but they will not pay any money out.
So now I am the proud owner of a beautiful, loving pony. I will do everything in my power to get her well. I am scared that she might not get over this. But the vet did say, the little ponys do get over laminitis a lot better & quicker then the big horses. The vet said she needs her hooves cutting again next week as they still are to long for her. She is calling out to see her the day the farrier is coming to do them, to check on her & also she can sedate her, so she won't have to go through all the upset having them cut. I will have to work on her once she is back in good health to get her used to seeing the farrier.
Fingers & toes crossed that she will pull through this & be back up & running around once again.
Thank you all again for helping me x
 
Well in a way thats good news for the pony, that you have her :)

After having a laminitic shetland for 9 years, you must keep her in, even to muck out, for at least 30 days AFTER she is sound on hard ground WITHOUT painkillers.
The slower her recoverey the better she will be after.

BUT you will have to keep her either very restricted on grass, or keep her in a grass free yard and fed hay.

Keeping her weight down is crucial.

I wish you all the best; there is light at the end of a laminitic tunnel honestly!! keep us updated?
 
Well done you! The pony (does it have a name?! lol...) is very lucky to have you around.
A word of warning though - get your ex to sign something to say the pony is now yours. He could well sell it from under your nose when it's better and if you have no proof of ownership (does it have a passport as well?) you won't be able to do much about it.
 
AngieandBen said:
Well in a way thats good news for the pony, that you have her :)

After having a laminitic shetland for 9 years, you must keep her in, even to muck out, for at least 30 days AFTER she is sound on hard ground WITHOUT painkillers.
The slower her recoverey the better she will be after.

BUT you will have to keep her either very restricted on grass, or keep her in a grass free yard and fed hay.

Keeping her weight down is crucial.

I wish you all the best; there is light at the end of a laminitic tunnel honestly!! keep us updated?
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Thank you for that advice, the vet never told me to keep her in for 30 days after. I will make sure that I do that. I am looking for another field for her for when the time is right & to restrict her grass. I have to get her weight down as her crest is thick. I am feeling a lot better today seeing in not so much pain, but I know that is down to the pain killers & the shavings. They have made a huge difference the way she is standing. On the straw she was not good. I feel stupid for not seeing that in the place, but that is all I had at that time.



I have already asked him to sign a letter to say that she belongs to me. He thought that was funny & just laughed. She never had a passport or a name. I have asked the vet to do the passport & chip her when she calls out next week.
I did think the same thing about him taking her when she is well. I will be seeing my solicitor also next week with some luck & ask her to send a letter out for him to sign if he won't do one for me. That way it will be registered what is happening.
Thank you all agan :)
 
Contact WHW or the BHS Welfare, your ex has neglected this pony and at the very least needs a stern talking to. That might help to convince him to sign the pony over as well as discourage him from acquiring another.

I would also report him for keeping her (and transferring ownership) without a passport. That is a crime. I believe it is either trading standards or defra that you report this to.

Give him a real hard time and make him think twice before he does this sort of thing again.
 
Katt said:
Contact WHW or the BHS Welfare, your ex has neglected this pony and at the very least needs a stern talking to. That might help to convince him to sign the pony over as well as discourage him from acquiring another.

I would also report him for keeping her (and transferring ownership) without a passport. That is a crime. I believe it is either trading standards or defra that you report this to.

Give him a real hard time and make him think twice before he does this sort of thing again.
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this is good advice. Hope your ex gets more reasonable, for your sake.
Good luck with your new pony, and v well done for doing what was right for her.
Please don't ever feel sorry for her and let her have lots of grass etc again though, laminitis really is a 'cruel to be kind' disease, and once they've had it once they are ALWAYS prone to another attack - it can be managed but you have to be tough. Frosty grass in winter can trigger it, for example - have a good read around about it. Also, please please limit/exclude apples and carrots, as they have lots of sugar. When she's lost the weight (which will take a while) then a handful of Happy Hoof or similar (feed recommended for laminitics) is a perfect 'treat' if you want to give her something.
btw, what's her name?
 
I'm with Katt and Kerilli - go get'im:mad:

You do NOT want to end up in a situation where you get attached, pay out, get the pony right and then your ex shows up and demands it back to sell for a fat profit - which sounds like a real possibility with what you have said about him. Katt's advice is good. You could offer to pay him a token amount - say £1 - to make the pony legally yours and get him to sign a receipt.

Lammy is indeed a 'cruel to be kind' condition, but with good management laminitics can still have great lives and do all that a non-lammy horse can do:)
 
Tezzy said:
Thank you for that advice, the vet never told me to keep her in for 30 days after. I will make sure that I do that. I am looking for another field for her for when the time is right & to restrict her grass. I have to get her weight down as her crest is thick. I am feeling a lot better today seeing in not so much pain, but I know that is down to the pain killers & the shavings. They have made a huge difference the way she is standing. On the straw she was not good. I feel stupid for not seeing that in the place, but that is all I had at that time.
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If you can afford it I'd highly recommend buying the book Founder: Prevention and Cure the Natural Way by Jaime Jackson (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Founder-Pre...=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1274950421&sr=8-3). It's the best book on the subject and includes stories of horses and ponies who've been through laminitis and come out the other side sound and happy. Jaime advocates letting the horse move if they want to as movement is essential for circulation in the hoof and without circulation the foot cannot heal but only as much movement as the horse is comfortable with. He also doesn't like horses being shut in stables all on their own. Horses are herd animals and in the wild sick horses are abandoned by the herd to safe guard the rest of them i.e. a sick horse slows them down and makes them all at risk of being prey. So by shutting a horse in a stable, on its own, away from all other horses it's instincts tell it that it's likely to get eaten and many horses give up on life. So if you can make sure another horse is close by at all times your pony will recover much faster.

Well done you - this pony is extremely lucky to have you. Your ex sounds like an idiot and yes I would be considering reporting him if I were you.
 
Thistle said:
Hi Tezzy have a look at this website http://www.laminitis.org/ there is loads of info on there. Good luck, just remember to soak hay for 12 hours and give her little and often. You can also feed Hi Fi lite as a hay replacer. She won't need much food apart from that.
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Thank you for this web site Thistle. I have been soaking her hay for 12 hours. She wouldn't eat it for a while, but started to eat it last night. I was worried with her not eating it, but I think it is because of it not being dry. I got the Hi Fi to put her Bute in. She ate that in seconds lol I only gave her a little bit. I am scared to give to much. I have put a note on my gate now. People walk past & they give carrots to the horses. It as made me think about my horse now. I never want to see this happen to an other horse. It is horrible.


Mrdarcy... If you can afford it I'd highly recommend buying the book Founder: Prevention and Cure the Natural Way by Jaime Jackson (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Founder-Prev...4950421&sr=8-3). It's the best book on the subject and includes stories of horses and ponies who've been through laminitis and come out the other side sound and happy. Jaime advocates letting the horse move if they want to as movement is essential for circulation in the hoof and without circulation the foot cannot heal but only as much movement as the horse is comfortable with. He also doesn't like horses being shut in stables all on their own. Horses are herd animals and in the wild sick horses are abandoned by the herd to safe guard the rest of them i.e. a sick horse slows them down and makes them all at risk of being prey. So by shutting a horse in a stable, on its own, away from all other horses it's instincts tell it that it's likely to get eaten and many horses give up on life. So if you can make sure another horse is close by at all times your pony will recover much faster

I cannot thank you enough for this book. I have read the reviews on this book & they are 5 stars. I have ordered the book & can't wait for it to come. I know it is going to make me think about how I have been feeding my own horse. I am changing the way I feed the horses. I have tried to be careful but realize we can all go to far with horses & think we are doing the best for them, when we really need to cut back.
The vet said that because her hooves are still to long, that could be the start of the laminitis. I have always had the farrier out every 6 weeks to do mine. This little pony had only had her hooves done a few times in her life. They was so long, my farrier had a job to cut them & she was terrified of the farrier. That's the reason I need to get her sadated next week for having them done again. Then I can start working on her for the next time.
I am getting some fencing so I can cut the field in half next week. That way the horses will be closer to her. Most of the time they are at the bottom of the field & it is so sad to see her on her own.
I was surprised yesterday, When I went into her stable, she started being a bit to lifey lol :D
She turned her back end on me & kept pushing me. This is what she used to do in the field to me & others. She has a massive personality & was the one to always be noticed. She is walking now & her front legs are looking normal. When she was in pain, they were wide apart, but not now, they are as they should be.
I have got a real thick bed of shavings down & I know that as helped her so much.
Looking at her last night, you wouldn't think that she was so ill a few days back. I never thought she would be like she is now. I thank God & believe me I prayed & prayed for her lol
I really want to thank everyone of you for your help. My head was in a bit of a mess last week. I was so scared for her & then with my ex being so cold towards her. I wanted him to see her & see what he had done to her. He never came to look at her once.
I love her to bits & I know she will pull through this & with help & the book, I will get her back to being well again.
 
Another excellent book by Jamie Jackson is "Paddock Paradise". This describes a track system which is brilliant. I set mine up with standards and electric tape and it's the best thing we have done with our land!! It can go around the edge of the paddock so the pony or ponies can have lots of movement with very little grass. Mine is extended through the gateways to cover 3 paddocks and some side areas that can be cut off if necessary. But then I have a little herd of 6 horses. If you google paddock paradise or "horse track system" you will get a lot of information. Movement is essential for those laminitic prone ponies. The centre areas can be strip grazed or cut for hay. All the best. Alyth
 
I am so pleased for you and the pony, she sounds fab!

Most ponies love hi fi, won't do her any harm to give her it instead of hay if you want, also a good supplement is magnesium oxide; bought from ebay, a lot of horses are difficient of this mineral, not only does it act as a calmer but its excellent at getting rid of fatty deposits and for their feet.

Although she is doing really well, please please don't be tempted to turn her out until she is sound 30 days after you have finnished with the pain killers; she will thank you :)

My neighbour struggled for years with her pony because she believed the more he walked around the better the blood flow; laminitis means that there is a lot of blood flow already, its an inflamation!!
You'll have to post some pictures, would love to see her
 
Well done for fighting for this little pony and she is very lucky you are now her guardian! Hopefully she will make a full recovery. I have not read the books above, they sound great though, but i can definately also reccomend the laminitis website it is fab. My old pony in my siggy below ( black and white pic) used to be prone to Lami, he only got it once and quite mildy but after that it was a constant battle to keep his weight down and bloody hard work especially when he would happily jump the fencing to get into the grassier fields! He has passed away nowdue to other things but he managed to be Lami free with careful management. Good luck and do keep us posted about her road to recovery!x
 
Just seen this post and I wish you and your little pony all the luck.

My mare was diagnosed with laminitis at the end of March. Like you I had to change to shavings and she was given sedalin & bute. My mare has also had 2 sets of Imprint shoes fitted, she's being x-rayed again this week to see if she needs another pair.

When I changed to soaked hay my mare refused to eat for 2days, the vet was starting to worry but she started eating. I give my mare Happy Hoof morning & night with magnesium and that is all she gets apart from soaked hay in 2 nets to slow her down.

Everyone has been so lovely and helpful and given you good advice.
 
Good luck with your pony and I applaud you for taking you ex on and sorting this pony out - it would have been very easy to turn a blind eye.

However, do get the legals sorted. I have a very strong suspicion that you need to enter in a legal contract to ensure that this pony is yours and can't be removed on a whim. In order to have a legally binding contract, there has to be something for both parties - which is why when someone suggested you pay a £1 that is sufficient OR you could draw up a contract whereby you pay the vets fees as payment for the pony? if you talk to Citizen Advice Bureau - they can advise you on contract law (and its free). If you leave it it does sound like your ex is quite capable of taking back a healthy pony or using Thistle as leverage to upset you.
 
The book "Paddock Paradise" sounds good. I love the idea of a track system.This is something I am going to look into & set up.

Thank you all again for your kind words & great advice. I know the pain killers are doing the trick at the moment & I deffo won't be letting her out for the 30 days after the pain killers have stopped.

I have used the "Global herbs bute x" before on my mare when she came off the Bute for her arthritis I started it for a while just to let the Cosequin to start working on her & found it really good. So I was wondering if it would be a good idea to start her on that after the Bute as finished.

I am worring a bit though. Today & tonight there were no poo & hardly any wee. When my older mare was in the stable, she went down hill. She didn't do any poo's, not until we put her in the field & then she started doing her business as usual, but as soon as she had to go back into the stable, she stopped again. The trouble is, I cannot let her back in the field. She is only eating a very small amount of hay but eats the Hi Fi so fast.

The other problem is , she turns her back end on me as soon as I get into the stable. She then follows me around the stable pushing me into the walls :S
She used to do this in the field one time, always spinning around with her back end & go to kick me & then she stopped it, but now she is doing the same thing, but not the kicking. I don't think she can kick out at the moment.
Any ideas on how to stop this behaviour? I do push her away & I don't let her move me.
I did have to smile though tonight. I saw that cheekiness creeping back in :)
I will be a lot happier when she starts doing her poo's, it is worring me a lot.
 
Maybe stop soaking the hay, I have never soaked mine, you might find she will eat more then.
As for the moody mare thing, never had a mare so not much use to you other than taking a rope in there and wigglling it at her to back off!
 
Please don't stop soaking the hay without talking to your vet about it. You would only be able to give her a tiny amount of unsoaked hay. It is much better to give her a normal amount of soaked hay to keep her digestive system working properly. Can you organise a 'baby-sitting' rota with the other horses from her field so that she has company while she is in the stable? We always keep another horse in, if we have one that needs to stay in. This might help her to relax and eat better.
Well done for taking this pony on and helping her to get well. Do make sure that you have got her transferred to your ownership, before you do anything about reporting your ex's treatment of her, or you could find that he turns very difficult.
As for the bute-x. If you continue giving her bute until your vet tells you to stop, she shouldn't need anything further. You need to be able to see if she is sound without the bute so that you will know when it is safe to let her out of the stable again.
 
I have had a go with the lead rope & swinging it, but she is not bothered at all by it lol
I cannot stop soaking the hay. I have to soak it for 12 hrs, that takes all the calories out of it. Other wise she will put weight back on. It is quite windy here here today & I am hoping that it will dry the hay more then it as been drying. I am going to soak a large amount this afternoon & put it in a few hay nets to dry out more.
I won't give any Bute x after her Bute stops. I never thought. I won't know if she is sound on her hooves again. Thanks for that Pearl. I will try another horse in with her & see how that goes. I will try anything to get her eating again.
Thanks you both again :)
 
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