to muzzle or not to muzzle......

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bluedigby1066

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Hi I have no idea how forums work - only that I read good advice on this one so someone tell me if I am doing this wrong! We bought a lovely Section A in the winter and despite the owners swearing blind to the vet that the pony had never had laminitis it turns out she is a sufferer. so far we have managed to keep it mild but thats keeping her in for a half a day. The trouble is all that confinement means she is a bit fizzy for my 6 year old daughter. She is in a v small paddock with v poor pasture (what alternative is there?!). we are at a big livery yard so cannot do electric fencing on the racetrack method i've heard mention of. We tried a muzzle (shires) but she gets it off within an hour. Two questions - had anyone come across a really good muzzle for a small pony - its all so cruel but I dont know what else to do. Secondly has anyone tried the theory that leaving them out at night (still on poor pasture paddock) means they wont necessarily eat more than they would out for half a day? any advice welcome!! we are currently trying her on an Equine America Laminitis supplement too
 
Not a question you should have to ask IMO - for a lami sufferer, muzzles all the way. Prevention is better than cure and muzzles are by no stretch of the imagination cruel!!
Don't chance it, once a lami sufferer, always a lami sufferer and we've had so much sun and rain lately - muzzle her, put a headcollar on over the top and plait her forelock around it, it works. It's much better than her getting laminitis and having to be on box rest for months, or worse isn't it? I find the Shires ones okay for all horses.
I'm not sure as regards the overnight turn out, but I know our girl is only out for an hour a day atm in a v small paddock with next to no grass - she has Cushings :(
K x
 
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The greenguard ones are really good for ponies and I'v never known a pony get it off!! Also I can't recommend the Equi life formula for feet supplement enough. The lami clinic put me onto it when one of my horses was in early stages.
 
Putting a slightly different angle on it - Little Lad won't eat whilst wearing a muzzle. Just stands and looks pathetic, except when trying to rub it off.

For him, it works that he's either in for a day and a night then out for a day and a night; or, as now, in a good sized paddock with a mate, short grass, but not stressed. When in (in this routine) his hay is soaked for twelve hours). He's been laminitis free for about two years, following roughly either of these routines.

Horses usually eat less at night, plus the sugars aren't active at night.

Look at the Laminitis Trust to get information.
 
Muzzles are not cruel, they can eat, i put one on my mare when they first go out in the summer and believe me she cleared a patch in minutes. Theres 3 lami sufferers on our yard.

1 The shetland 24 hrs muzzled , feed farriers formula. (suffers bad)
2 New Forrest 24 hours muzzled as advised by the vet, no feed through summer. (mild lami)
3 Cob x 24 hours muzzled and in starvi pad. hay and feed given daily farriers formula. (very bad sufferer)

All wears the shires BUT i'd recommend to buy a size bigger because i find they tend to rub slightly. The shetland wears a Cob size and all the others wears a full including my mare when she first goes out.
 
With a shires muzzle: headcollar over the top and fly mask too over the top. All helps. I have also had most success by really squidging the velcro tight, then never taking it off using the velcro, but instead by using the clip under the chin.

If all else fails, the greenguard ones are expensive, but with the greenguard headcollar or a leather headcollar, v hard to get off!
 
My gelding wears the Shires muzzle, pink much to his disgust! He doesnt suffer Laminitis but I do have to watch his weight. I only undo it under the chin and he only got it off once, so I tightened the straps up. As someone else said, get the next size up so its got room around it on the head, probably doesnt feel as claustrophobic then. They can eat and drink through them easily, I watch him. I also bring him in at night off the grass. The grass is richer in sugars during the day which is a factor affecting your horse, so grazing at night is better for yours. Having said that I wouldnt leave the muzzle on at night, just my personal preference. Having lost a horse in the field to a broken leg I wont ever tempt fate. My horse accepts his muzzle as part of turnout, they do get used to it and Laminitis is a crippling condition, very much best avoided. Quite often its the owners that dont like muzzles, not the horses.
 
My first year with a laminitis sufferer - and a cob, not a small pony. At present the following seems to be working. She lives at home which makes a difference!

8.15 am muzzle off for 1 hour or so. About 4 acres short grazing shared with 2 other horses and pieces grazed in rotation

9.15 am into stable yard, small feed of Happy Hoof, unmolassed sugar beet and pny nuts, plus Global Herbs' Laminitic-Prone. Bit of oat straw to pick at or she can go and lie down in the loose box

4.00pm out without muzzle for 3 hours grazing.

7.00pm muzzle on for rest of night till 8.15 am next day.

So far it's working well. She's just come back into work (hacking) but walking only at the moment, 3-4 times a week, and she's lost a lot of weight.
 
Igot a dinky rugs muzzle! Its great my boy hasnt got it off once and trust me he has tried many of times, i think they dont look as mean as the likes of shires too look like theyre a bit kinder. Would deffinatly reccomend it.
 
Muzzling is not cruel - it is much kinder to restrict their food than to let them get laminitis. However, if they really want to get them off they can. If you are trying something new out make sure you try it out during the daytime for the first few days when there are people around in case of problems and supervise for a while. My pony used to wear a greenguard muzzle but decided she would rather do anything else, even remove half her cheek, than wear it. So that is what she did. Most ponies are fine and mine is unusually opinionated so I have to manage her without a muzzle. Don't let it put you off, just make sure that you can supervise rather than turning out at night before you are completely sure that your pony has accepted it.
I manage mine without a muzzle - she lives out 24 hours in summer on a bare paddock and I put hay down when there is really no grass. I feed blue chip lami light and she is in medium work, at least 1 hour a day and usually more (long slow hacking is ideal for burning fat).
Good luck!
 
I muzzle - everyone on my yard calls me cruel... yet I'm sure if they saw him on his side unable to stand because of lami they'd think twice.

I muzzle every night or during day. I have to "read" the grass & his feet a lot - easy as he is barefoot. Now the rain is pouring there is much more growth so muzzle is back on much of the time.

I don't feed supplements though. Not even F4F - I find that it is too high in vitamins which is quite toxic to the liver (I used to be fan) but since the liver is compromised anyway (hence the lami) it does more harm than good in the long term. I just leave out a Laminshield Lick.

I give a handful of chaff & herbs as a "thank you" after work - which is most days so I guess he is fed...I may start giving vit e from suggestions on here about lami sufferers.
 
Hello - again no idea if doing this right - in fact it took me hours to find the thread again! u wld think I was 90 not 40! What brillian advice thank you all so much I am not looking at muzzles on line x
 
bluedigby1066 said:
oh haha cant even type - that should have said "brilliant replies" and I AM now looking at muzzles on line.....
Click to expand...

Stick with the shires one but customise it ! you need to buy a greenguard headcollar approx £10, take the centre strap and fixings off it and the extra throat lash, attach this to the shires muzzle, I used spur straps to attach the centre straps or tie with shoe laces/string, do the throat lash up really snuggly, not too tight to choke but tight enough that it can't get the muzzle off form just rolling or something. I also line the inside of the top with sheepskin, I use nose bands cut long ways so its thinner not to take up too much room inside the muzzle and attach with spur straps or tie on, duck tape is brilliant too

My horse gets his off rarely thank god with this, here's PICS

muzzle004.jpg

muzzle001.jpg

muzzle006.jpg
 
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