Tips to help my lad cope with box rest?

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bigben

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Hi Everyone,

I'm sure loads of you have been in this situation, hence the question...thought you could have some tips??? My six year old gelding is on day three of box rest. So far dismantling the stable has been the first thing, bits of wood and insulation flying out the stable door. Toys out the pram kinda thing. He's never been box-rested before and could theoretically be let out to hand graze but tried this yesterday and he went nuts dancing about and therefore not good for leg which is why he's on box rest. I've got to do a month but it seems like years.
I'm going down three times a day to see him, giving ad lib hay (weight going to be a BIG issue but figure there's little I can do about it) and I've sneaked a snack ball into his stable. YO doesn't allow them normally.
Any other ideas to ease his frustration? Does it get better after say, a week?
It's awful...............
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try scattering some carrots in his box/hay and he can forage for them. Also, if he likes swedes try handing some from the roof if stable for him to snack on.
Also, if he doesn't settle it does sometimes become necessary to give some horses a few ACP or so-kalm to help them settle down as they take the edge off and let them chill a bit. Note though this is only if he really doesn't settle and is likely to do himself some more harm than good bouncing around the box.
 
if he was in peak fitness he will relax more as his fitness deteriorates. Try spending as much time grooming him as you can and try grazing him in hand in a bridle - once he gets to the grass he should settle down. Is there another horse that he can see from his stable? My boy had to do 3 1/2 months and it just went on forever. I was lucky though as I had time off work and could be with him quite a lot. He coped pretty well once his fitness level dropped. Go with the swedes and carrots and stuff as well.
 
Hi, thanks, he's on a shavings bed but i'll dig a few holes and put fresh grass and carrots there. won't last him all day but might help with his mood. The vet has given me some ACP with a doseage of four tablets twice a day, but I haven't used them yet and don't want to really. He can be a bit colicky when he gets stressed and I feel the ACP may just tip him over the edge and cause colic, even if it does knock him out.

I haven't used ACP before but isn't it dangerous to feed horses while sedated - don;t I have to take out his hay in case he tries to eat and chokes? As I say, going to try and do without it if I can, but may have to resort to it if he continues to destroy stable. That, or we get evicted...
 
I Know....it's REALLY daft, but they aren't allowed because when the horse knocks it around YO says it sounds the same as a horse who is cast.
 
someone suggested putting in an old welly boot, also suggested could try a mirror as a 'stable mate' not sure about that one but maybe worth a go!

surely if YO knows its in there she should be able to differentiaite the two!
 
My boy recently did 6 weeks box rest. Instead of feeding him his hay from the floor as I usually do, I gave it to him in haylage nets so it took him longer to eat. I work too far away to visit at lunchtime but would hang 2 or 3 nets up so that he had enough to last him the whole day. Also I found that hiding carrots and apples in his haynet kept him entertained.

You could try a swede on a rope or apples in his water bucket.

Apart from food, my boy also appreciated having the radio on so he had something to listen to all day.

Hope you manage to keep yours entertained and he gets better soon.
 
A haynet within a haynet (if that makes sense) will slow down his eating a bit and make him have to work to get the hay out. Snack a balls good with something like Fibre pencils or really high fibre/low energy nut, my boy had that in equine hospital. They do seem to mentally adjust eventually so fingers crossed and good luck.
 
itl get better! as above, try putting apples or carrots in a bucket of water so he has to 'bob' for them, put carrots in his haynet within the hay so he gets a hidden surprise, and the radio really seemed to calm my lad down, although he preferred radio 2 to radio 1!!! good luck.
 
Also try feeding Readigrass, my boy loves, loves, loves it! and it takes them a while to much through a bucket too (supposedly!)

Is he allowed out for grass on the lead rope at all - or would that be too dangerous?

x x x x
 
Stable mirror was a miracle for mine. you need a flat wall and place quite high, also buy one ready drilled [you can buy them already on a backing piece of wood.]
3 months later he is still in love and tells his friend every thing. He was only on box rest for 3 weeks for a nasty wound
 
my little lady was on box rest beg of the year for a short while to keep her out of mud as her legs went terrible with mud fever. it can be a testing time keeping them amused so i sympathise.

readi grass - great stuff she loved it.
bran - not great for all - can give them the runs etc but i had to give her this to disguise her anti biotics however this become the hilight of her day, hot lunch in january seemed to keep her chirpy she got so excited about it bless her.
snack ball with some pony nuts
jolly ball thing not sure if thats proper name with fruit and veg wedged in like this > http://s35.photobucket.com/albums/d173/vicki1986/willow/?action=view&current=Jollyballjan07.flv
http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d173/vicki1986/willow/boxrestjan07.jpg
hay - 2 haylage nets inside each other so the hay/haylage lasts longer therefore less boredom
tongue twisters (i prefer the wall type ones not the ones you hang as you hit your head on the latter)

obviously goes without saying lots of grooming and fuss breaks up the day, my mare was sick of the sight of me by the end of her box rest!!
 
First of all Id tell your yard owner that surely keeping your horse from going INSANE is most important right now! So keep your snack ball in there!!

Otherwise - can you get likits and hang one up? (most horses seem to love the cherry or banana ones!), put apples in a bucket of water for him to duck for, scatter vegetables round his stable (under his hay etc.) etc.

If weights going to be an issue (I assume he will lose it?) then you could try feeding ab-lib Hi-Fi? Its safe to feed like this and horses dont tend to gorge themselves on it, mine paced himself when he was off grazing for a while and just ate it nown and again but its a bit more interesting than just hay and you can hide polos and things in it too (you just fill a tub trug full).
 
Hi When my horse was on box rest we made him up a stable size pen with electric tape (ours could be a bit bigger than stable size as he doesn't like the tape so gave it a wide birth!) and turned him out in that, moving it a little each day for fresh grass - he was coped really well with that, he too would have gone nuts in stable and done himself more damage. Putting some branches in stable or pen kept him amused as well as he could browse the leaves then strip the bark (needs to be non poisonous obviously!)
 
HI everyone,

Thanks so much for all your ideas, they are really great. Okay so now a couple more questions!

Vicki - that thingy thing that hangs from the stable and you can wedge carrots in. He'd love that!! Where do I get one? Where did you get yours?

Readi grass - a couple of you suggest this and I know of it but have never fed. Is it safe, as in, not fizzy? I could give him this instead of a feed (he's only getting a scoop of happy hoof twice a day at the mo so he can have his bute. I have tried picking grass from the field to feed to him in a bucket and he loves this.

Bute - I've noticed he's got 'loose' the last couple of days. He's on two bute a day. Does this happen? Is it a side effect? His diet obviously now has no grass in it and just hay/fibre so maybe its that, but he's never had 'hard feed' because his temperament can't take it so it can't be a switch in feed because it has always been happy hoof. AM I MISSING SOMETHING?

Thanks again. Day Four today and thankfully no more damage to the stable. He seems to be settling apart from an hour last night when I thought I would have to resort to the ACP but he came through it.

So many of you have done months and months of this so I know a month is nothing in comparison but feels already like it is going to be the longest month of my life!
 
i borrowed mine off a friend but you can get them in most tack shops/ catalogues, i know they definately do them at ingatestone saddlery in ingatestone, essex - not sure if you live anywhere near there, god help you if you do its horsey shopping heaven !!!!
 
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