Sand or pea gravel for Laminitus recovery WWYD?

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Beatrice5

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Dare I say it but he seems more comfortable. No news yet from blood test - hopefully should hear tomorrow.

So he is currently in a shavings / sawdust mix deep bed and allowed to wander around his 7 m x 10 m corral in his old macs and 12mm soft comfort pads and he is walking much more comfortably.

I want to put a surface on top of the stones to allow him some more freedom. the area has a very slight slope. Do I use pea gravel (rounded) or course sand. Both cost similar so not really a factor.

Pea gravel is said to be great for supporting recovering feet but would roll away with heavy rain more easily and isn't as nice to lie on and roll in ( or is it?)

Sand can compact down I believe but is more comfortable to lie on and roll in BUT can cause sand colic and if windy blow into eyes?

So what would you do ? I think I need about 6 tonnes to give me 2 inches deep coverage is that enough ?

Many thanks
 
Glad he's feeling comfortable, fingers crossed:)

I've seen horses loving a roll in pea gravel, and choosing stand/loaf/lie down in it. It would definitely be my preference over sand.

However, both take good preparation and good maintenance to keep them effective long term.
 
The area is currently membrane and compacted scalpings forming a smooth but hard surface with occasional grit / loose stone so as I think we are in for the long haul - it has taken 3 weeks to be comfortable in his stable I want a surface that will keep him comfortable for his recovery period and can be of use to him and the mares in the future.

I would put boards along the post and rail at the lower end of the corral
 
Oh I'm so pleased he is more comfortable.

I would put down pea gravel rather than sand. It needs to be about 4 ins deep and about the size of a pea. It is a very comfortable surface for walking, standing and lying on, as well as supporting the hoof. I have an area and the horses love it. Its great for rolling on too! lol It can be hosed down (if needed) and poo picked with a shavings fork.
 
I poo pick by hand so it would definitely be kept very clean. So the consensus seems to be pea gravel over sand :)

I am going to order it tomorrow morning so any other thoughts welcome. Would a sand base and pea gravel on top be benificial as the sand would stop the pea gravel shifting on the slight slope ?

amandap how big is big enough for the area ? and as you are a fellow Lami manager when do you come off the bute and when do you allow them out of the box to walk / mooch and for how long time wise ( once we have the pea gravel in situ )
 
I wouldn't put sand under it. Sand can get rank very quickly. The slope may be a problem but if you rake it regularly (pain I know) you will probably be able to keep on top of slippage.

My pony goes into a large earth floored barn with a shavings bed in one area. Water and hay in reach.Once she starts to move off the bed round the barn, I allow her out into the yards wearing her taped on pads during the day. She is a mini and boots don't go small enough.
First time she had a severe attack and had bute twice a day for about 3 days, reduced to once for a further two to three days then stopped. She had been on grass 24/7 and responded very quickly to diet changes (soaked hay) so we went by her comfort levels. The vet was amazed. Since then I have been much more vigilant for any symptoms and caught things much sooner so we have managed without bute since. I have learned she can't have any more grass than yard pickings.
So the upshot of my waffle is I would be guided by his comfort levels and liaise with the vet about when to start reducing, watching carefully for any signs he is less comfortable.
 
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He has rotated pedal bones so I am not sure if he should move even on a decent surface. Vet on hols this week so have to wait till next week to speak to him :(
 
When one of my mares had acute laminitis, she was uncomfortable moving on my pea gravel yard in the early days/weeks, so although I like pea gravel as a surface, it may or not be comfortable for your horse at the moment.

I had a big foaling box half bedded down with thick shavings, and the other half equimatted without any shavings. The mare could go in there or go outside directly onto some equimat wash matting which was softer than the stable matting. That was like her life raft. After a while, I split the wash matting into two areas, each 6ft X 4ft, and she would move between them and stand on them for long periods of time. That wash matting is one of the best things I've ever bought.

I haven't used sand, but I'd worry about it getting too rank as others have said, and also worry about sand colic if you are having to feed on it.

Another option might be wood chip, but I don't have any direct experience of that - I just know some people have found they can use it for a few years before it needs digging out and replacing because it's rotted too much. Might be worth looking into, though.

Like you, I found boots and pads really useful. I would pop them on for about 8 hours a day, which was long enough to give my mare some good comfortable time without them rubbing or getting her feet too sweaty.

Hope things go well.

Sarah
 
Pea gravel arrives tomorrow but will look into the rubber wash matting too. At the moment he just has a soft comfort pad in his old Macs but not sure if he should have a frog support too due to the rotation ? Has anyone done this ? I looked on the EDSS web site about the styrofoam pads and how they use them - again has anyone used them ?

He is getting festy smelly feet after wearing his boots so tomorrow I will hibi scrub and purple spray them unless anyone can suggest an alternative ?

He is off the bute now so tomorrow will be telling as to how he walks in his shelter on the deep bed and in the corral with his boots. I just hope he is more comfortable and we are recovering.
 
The equimat wash matting..... I typed the dimensions out wrong. I bought 12 of their squares which are each 1m X 1m, and just put them over the yard surface to make two areas of 3mX2m. The washroom matting is porous and seems to stay grippier when wet than the stable matting does, and I liked the idea of being able to just lift small mats individually and put in whatever arrangement I wanted at the time.

I didn't use frog supports, but I made sure that I rasped the hoof wall short every few days to keep the sole very close to the floor, so there was no room for the pedal bone to sink. If there had been more distance between ground and sole, I'd have wanted to fill the gap with something to minimise the risk of the pedal bone dropping.

One vet tried styrofoam pads with my mare the first day they realised she had laminitis, but they wouldn't stay in place. I think this may have been because there was very little space between sole and ground, but we abandoned the idea of using them very quickly, and also allowed shavings to build up in her feet to help pack them out a bit.

I'd just make sure he has plenty of time not wearing his boots. For me, it was about 8 hours with, and 16 hours without that seemed to work as a good timescale without the feet becoming too yukky. I didn't spray or wash them with anything - I found that they just dried up nicely in the time that the mare was unbooted.

Good luck.

Sarah
 
Beatrice5 said:
3 tonnes of pea gravel shifted this morning another 3 to go after lunch ......I will sleep well tonight ;)
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Oh yes, bet you did! Those days are gone for me, man with a digger and rake!

I use styrofoam 4lb pads as they mould well to the hoof and support the whole solar aspect of the hoof. I have read some don't like them as they squash down very quickly worn by horses as opposed to minis.
These are the ones I use and I believe they can be used in deeper type boots.
It may be worth contacting the seller for advice as to which pads to use. She is an experienced hoof care professional.
http://www.equinepodiatrysupplies.co.uk/Pads/EPS-4-lb-Pads
 
I have the 7lb ones but not sure they will sqwish down on his deep shavings / sawdust bed? They definately won't fit inside his boots until they are sqwished down they are HUGE.

EMS reasult Insulin 237 Glucose 9.5 so is IR. Already on the IR diet as per the ECIR web site you kindly pointed me towards, awaiting hay testing but soaking for 12 hours and rinsing atm. Awaiting metaslim and he is enjoying Cinnamon and fenugreek tea and nettles wilted to pick at.

He seems to be sound one day then as soon as he is allowed to potter around his corral he goes footy again the next day. I am going to be have to be really mean and not let him out into the corral at all until he is sound for a longer period but even then worry he will be sore again as soon as he walks about. It seems one step forwards 2 back :(
 
Athletes foot powder is a great idea. Have washed in Hibi scrub and wiped with tea tree but still have a nasty niff up close :(

Can I wash his feet in salt to kill the thrush or even dust his feet in salt ? As I don't want to wash then in his bed as it will get the bed wet as he doesn't do feet washing and I don't want him dashing around. If I dusted salt on them he may not object so much ?

Or do I athletes foot powder his feet too ?
 
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