Stopping laminitis before it starts

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bambar

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Hello all

I apologise if this has been done to death - i had a search of the forum but could only see threads about managing horses that have previously had laminitis rather than preventing it in ones that have never had it.

I posted a previous thread about managing my field - i have a 2 acre field that just has my little section A on it at the moment - she has just turned 3 and came from the valleys with not a great amount of grazing and all hills.

She has now come down to me 2 weeks ago down on the flat on a (still wet in places) clay field and has been allowed to free graze up to now just to put a little bit of weight on as she wasnt skinny but could definitely do with putting a little on.

She came in last night and when i was grooming her i noticed the bottom of her neck was quite hard - not all the way up to her poll but around half way up quite thick and hard. It may have already been like that when she came to me but i guess its just one of those things i either didnt notice or has only come on in the last week.

I immediately looked at 2 acre field with sunshine beating down on it and felt her pulses - nothing bounding that i could feel, no footiness, hooves were warm but she had been stood in the sunshine.

I have kept her in today just incase as its glorious here and i'm still waiting for my fence energizer to come.

So - the question is as shes not showing any signs of laminitis other than this hard neck and she HAS put on weight (although shes not fat at all) and has an entire field to her self for the moment until my other arrives would you be turning out at night and letting her have free reign of the 2 acres or am i better off keeping her in entirely until my energizer arrives so i can strip it off then turnout at night on a small area?

She will have to be kept in from Monday anyway if my energizer hasnt arrived in time as im having most of the field sprayed.

If your horse has never had laminitis but is a typical sterotype for it i.e pony with no exercise (sorry if ive just offended anyone!) would you treat as if they have had it and manage accordingly?? Could there be another reason for such a hard neck? she doesnt do any exercise (other than tearing around the field!)as she's just going to be a companion for now..
 
I have 2 fells that I have had since foals, now 3, and have always managed them as if they could have laminitis in the hope of preventing it - and to try and keep them as healthy as possible. So they have no sugar, no alfalfa, a track system in the summer supplemented with hay as necessary and I try and keep their weight under control within reason - they are allowed to put on during the summer but I make sure they have lost it again before the spring. They live out 24/7. Whether I am right or wrong I don't know, but in my mind the management for laminitis is similar to a more natural lifestyle - limited sugars, slow steady exercise etc - anyway, so I combine the two and they are thriving on it so far.
 
i agree with dollyanna, and ofcourse laminitis comes from too much sugar which affects the hind gut so i do believe they need to have some other forage whilst turned out 24/7, so i feed mine in the morning hi fi lite handful and 1/2 scoop speedibeet with their vits and mag and cinnamon, obviously the shettie just gets a handful of the above, they are both exercised but i am slowly coming round to the belief of self regulating if we would just give them the chance to do this without bringing them in off the grass and then a day later turning them out where they binge again, obviously the quality of grass is important as well, as stressed grass is high in sugar and 4-6 inch of grass is too much bulk wise but lower in sugar, so if you can keep the grass length to 2-4 inches and not let it get any lower than that so fence off a field so you can swap fields then this is apparently better grazing. Its scary i must say.
 
Iv got 1 laminitic who hasn't had it in years and treat my others as if they could as they are good doers, highland x, cob x and welsh x.
All are out with muzzles and come in for the afternoon to 12 hour soaked hay, exercise and small handful of fast fibre with vits,mag oz plus other bits. Exercise really is a must, even if its just lunging most days.
 
I too treat mine like he could get laminitis. He comes in during the day when the grass is growing, has soaked hay, and then out at night with a muzzle on if the grass is too long. He was massively over weight when I got him, and he has lost over 100kg since. I do my best to keep him nice and lean but sometimes feel like I'm fighting a losing battle!

If I was you, I would be very wary of letting a pony on 2 acres of lush grass. I would keep in until you can manage the grass properly. Either that or use a grazing muzzle perhaps?
 
Yes, I would manage her as high risk for potential laminitis. Until you can strip graze, I would keep her in during the day with ad lib soaked hay and/or barley straw. Turnout at night with muzzle until you can strip graze.
 
Putting up a track is a good way to manage grazing with fatties. It encourages them to move more, than just strip grazing. If you google paddock paradise, there is a heap of info.
 
If not overweight turn out overnight

Muzzle if worried, my horse had lami few years back, not since, he wears his muzzle all year round, is not overweight but I am so paranoid of him getting it again he is muzzled. On the instruction of vet. I'd much rather muzzle and out than stuck in, if in give soaked hay not starve as that can cause them to stuff their faces when they do go out unmuzzled
 
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