Post laminitis feeding/turnout

[margaretb]

Following a recent mild bout of Laminitis, I need to look at how I monitor Poppy's feed intake. She is a welsh cob x traditional cob, very good doer as I have learnt to her cost. She has been muzzled 24/4 since May, but had been coming in during the day on old hay as her grazing was too much and she was becoming overweight. She was lunged or ridden gently(nervous rider) every other day and at weekends.

I brought her off the grass a month ago as she was footy and did have laminitis which was treated by the vet. I put her on a diet of 1.4% of her bodyweight (whilst in and doing no work) which was overweight at 525 kg (she is 14.1). This broke down to 1/2kg am and pm of D & H Safe and Sound, and 6lb hay am and 8lb hay pm in a trickle net. Last weekend I turned her out muzzzled for a couple of hours during the day. Her weight has come down to 515kg.

I would dearly like to turn her out again but unsure how to approach it as when I turned her out for an hour last night she, understandibly, went crazy for the grass even when muzzled; I have fenced her of a small section of the orchard. Is it best to turn her out at night and in during the day, let her have the run of the whole orchard muzzled (4 acres grazed off recently with sheep but growing again) so she moves about, or muzzled in the small patch initially. I want to get more weight off her so if she goes out do I cut out the safe and sound or reduce it to just a handful. I plan to start work with her again this weekend, lunging, walking out in hand then riding. Help!!

 

[Tarbs]

Hi. My cob had laminitis bought on by weight bearing on one leg following an operation and just had more X-rays which showed rotation. He was overweight and I've worked really hard to get and keep weight off him. He is out in a very small paddock with a muzzle which I take off for half hour before bringing him in.

Then he has 7kg of soaked hay split between 3 haynets (I use a trickle net at night and eliminets during the day). He has two small handfuls of Happy Hoof in the morning then one handful with Formula 4 Feet in the evening). When the grass is shorter I will leave the muzzle off for longer and reduce his hay again. My vet says he is a good weight now but can be cut down again in the spring!

I won't put him out on frosty grass as I've read that can cause laminitis so he'll be spending plenty of time in this winter!

I can't exercise him at the moment but if I could, I would walk him in hand in the school as the ground is soft. I wouldn't lunge as didn't think its good to lunge laminitics on a circle.

 

[Tarbs]

Also meant to say that my farrier recommended padding his soles when he goes out too, which I do (he has heart bars on the front). I either tape gamgee on or use relief boots from the Little Yellow Tack Shop. Which definately help and he walks sound with them.

I will keep him in small paddocks on restricted grazing for the foreseeable future, be careful of spring/autumn grass growth and keep his weight managed as best possible.

Good luck. It's a such a nightmare to deal with and to get them right again. I won't know for another few months if my boy will ever be rideable again. The vet recommended having him shod three more times then more X-rays.

 

[jessykai]

I had the same problem, my vet recommended 10 mins a day for a week, if that didn't flare anything up then give an hour a day for a week, then 2 hours etc.

Apparently horses can stuff there faces so much in 10 mins they can get the same amount they would in 4 hours of 'normal' grazing, don't know how true that is though.

 

[margaretb]

I had the same problem, my vet recommended 10 mins a day for a week, if that didn't flare anything up then give an hour a day for a week, then 2 hours etc.

Apparently horses can stuff there faces so much in 10 mins they can get the same amount they would in 4 hours of 'normal' grazing, don't know how true that is though.

Thank you, that's the way I was thinking! Poppy behaved as if she had never seen grass before last night when she went out for half an hour!

 

[margaretb]

Hi. My cob had laminitis bought on by weight bearing on one leg following an operation and just had more X-rays which showed rotation. He was overweight and I've worked really hard to get and keep weight off him. He is out in a very small paddock with a muzzle which I take off for half hour before bringing him in.

Then he has 7kg of soaked hay split between 3 haynets (I use a trickle net at night and eliminets during the day). He has two small handfuls of Happy Hoof in the morning then one handful with Formula 4 Feet in the evening). When the grass is shorter I will leave the muzzle off for longer and reduce his hay again. My vet says he is a good weight now but can be cut down again in the spring!

I won't put him out on frosty grass as I've read that can cause laminitis so he'll be spending plenty of time in this winter!

I can't exercise him at the moment but if I could, I would walk him in hand in the school as the ground is soft. I wouldn't lunge as didn't think its good to lunge laminitics on a circle.

Thank you very much for this.