Very fat pony Lame???

Words fail me.


Almost.


Book the vet for Friday when the pony arrives.
Be prepared for some rather large bills from the outset.
Make sure you have somewhere to keep him that's suitable for a laminitic pony - so in the first instance that will be a stable with a deep bed right the way to the door.
 
Well this could be a hard lesson for your kids when you have to explain that the lovely new pony has gone to heaven! Do you not understand how serious and expensive this could be?
 
I been with him alot of the pass week & he does not have any signs of lami but will be booking the vet, i only posted as wanted to know if i shall try get his weight off 1st before getting the vet out & could it be this nip on the leg
 
just because there is no obvious signs of lami does not mean its not got lami. Also why has the current owner not had vet out for pony?
 
He's fat (obese?) and lame. Laminitis has to be ruled out by a quallified vet and even they can miss earlier stages.
Whatever, the pony can't be ridden until the lameness is sorted.
 
Pony + fat + lame = laminitis

In most cases and particularly at this time of year. It doesn't matter if he's never had it. My boy had never had it and had a freak attack one winter at the age of 16 despite being a pretty good weight. Don't get me wrong, don't rule out getting the pony because of laminitis, but make sure you are completely ready to do what needs to be done to control and prevent it. It is a very difficult job and requires complete dedication. You would also need to prepare your children for the worst, as few horses can survive multiple attacks.
 
Pony + fat + lame = laminitis

In most cases and particularly at this time of year. It doesn't matter if he's never had it. My boy had never had it and had a freak attack one winter at the age of 16 despite being a pretty good weight. Don't get me wrong, don't rule out getting the pony because of laminitis, but make sure you are completely ready to do what needs to be done to control and prevent it. It is a very difficult job and requires complete dedication. You would also need to prepare your children for the worst, as few horses can survive multiple attacks.

Thank you, im booking the vet tomorrow for friday, i have a very good vet so can trust him of advicing me correctly
 
Well if this pony has got laminitis (and all the signs point to this) you will HAVE to do something to reduce the pony's weight. To say you won't use a muzzle is stupid.
This poor pony sounds as though it's going from an uncaring owner to one that may care but doesn't know how to look after it properly :(
 
You are either a troll or totally incompetent judging by your previous posts. By the way, is this the same 'off white' sec a x shetland that you were asking whether to plait for the show today or another on?
 
You are either a troll or totally incompetent judging by your previous posts. By the way, is this the same 'off white' sec a x shetland that you were asking whether to plait for the show today or another on?

troll or totally incompetent
Bloody hell you are damn right rude!! Just because im asking to advice, you dont know me or what experiance i have around me at all so you cannot have no right to say that, Yes i was asking to plait or not to plait whats that got to do with anything i dont know, dont we all start somewhere & with forums with people like you no wonder people dont know anything because they are afraid to ask by getting slated by people like you!
 
You were asking yesterday whether to plait a lame pony for a show today!!! I don't believe what you are posting, sorry if that offends!!!
 
OP you are doing the right thing by getting your vet to assess the pony asap.
I think 12 hours soaked hay is what is recommended for a pony suspected to have laminitis so until vet arrives I would not let the pony eat anything else. You could ask the owner to start him on it straight away as it will also help with weight loss (by soaking the hay you keep the fibers but you remove the sugars, it is important to always feed at least 1% of body weight in forage so if for example ideal weight of pony is 200kg he will need at least 2kg of hay per day).
Once pony has a clean bill of health, you could either give soaked hay or source some good oat straw or barley straw as this has less calories than hay. You will likely need to use a grazing muzzle, it would not make the pony aggressive at all, just restrict the amount of grass they can eat. They still can eat some grass and you can enlarge the hole a little bit if you want him to have a bit more.

ETA: Falconer's idea is a good one, the sooner the vet sees the pony, the better.
 
OP you are doing the right thing by getting your vet to assess the pony asap.
I think 12 hours soaked hay is what is recommended for a pony suspected to have laminitis so until vet arrives I would not let the pony eat anything else. You could ask the owner to start him on it straight away as it will also help with weight loss (by soaking the hay you keep the fibers but you remove the sugars, it is important to always feed at least 1% of body weight in forage so if for example ideal weight of pony is 200kg he will need at least 2kg of hay per day).
Once pony has a clean bill of health, you could either give soaked hay or source some good oat straw or barley straw as this has less calories than hay. You will likely need to use a grazing muzzle, it would not make the pony aggressive at all, just restrict the amount of grass they can eat. They still can eat some grass and you can enlarge the hole a little bit if you want him to have a bit more.

ETA: Falconer's idea is a good one, the sooner the vet sees the pony, the better.

Thats fantastic thank you for your advice, am i right in saying i should stables him as soon as he gets here & until the vets gets here?,

Falconer Thank you i will phone the vets in the morning
 
Thats fantastic thank you for your advice, am i right in saying i should stables him as soon as he gets here & until the vets gets here?,

Falconer Thank you i will phone the vets in the morning

You are very welcome. Yes, stabling on a deep bed is what is recommended. Crossing fingers for the best outcome :)
 
What a worry! I'm glad that you are getting the vet out as soon as you can. I have just been in a very similar situation - overweight animal, suddenly unable to move. Obviously laminitis, that came on overnight. The horse was immediately placed in a stable on a deep bed of chippings to give support to the pedal bone which can rotate and descend and thus lead to a horse's death/pts. Feed MUST be restricted immediately... you need to really reduce feed and it might seem cruel but if you don't it could mean the horse would have to be pts. The vet will advise how much to feed as it is calculated on a percentage of the horse's desired future weight. All hay should be soaked for 24 hours before given and all feed will need to be low calorie and definitely unmollassed. I hope that your vet will look for the cause of the lami - for an overweight animal it is often insulin resistance/ equine metabolic syndrome ( a bit like diabetes) rather than Cushings which gives other signs before real lameness. If it is IR then you are in for a long term bill of medicines, usually metformin and a lifetime of very restricted intake. If you haven't bought this horse then I really would advise you to walk away. It is an ongoing cost and there is sadly no way out of it. My horse has been stabled for 3 weeks and will be allowed out on a dry lot after that. He started on bute to kill the pain for 3 weeks and also a sedative to help him settle as he is not a stabled horse usually. I wish you luck and hope that you have the time and money and knowledge to cope with what is a very difficult situation.
 
troll or totally incompetent
Bloody hell you are damn right rude!! Just because im asking to advice, you dont know me or what experiance i have around me at all so you cannot have no right to say that, Yes i was asking to plait or not to plait whats that got to do with anything i dont know, dont we all start somewhere & with forums with people like you no wonder people dont know anything because they are afraid to ask by getting slated by people like you!

I'm sorry but people who own horses shouldn't have to come onto a forum to ask the most basic of advice on care and welfare.
 
I'm sorry but people who own horses shouldn't have to come onto a forum to ask the most basic of advice on care and welfare.

Im sure that you asked for advice on horse in some part of your life, I want other peoples options rather than just the ones around me,

Ive never dealt with lami before & my other is very well looked after

A forum is for advice
 
Im sure that you asked for advice on horse in some part of your life, I want other peoples options rather than just the ones around me,

Ive never dealt with lami before & my other is very well looked after

A forum is for advice

I never had to ask for advice on such basic care WHEN I had my own horse. People should learn that before they get their own.
 
I never had to ask for advice on such basic care WHEN I had my own horse. People should learn that before they get their own.

People learn new things everyday & i have the experience around me so its not like im completely on my own, everyone at some point asked advice & im only asking the same
 
I never had to ask for advice on such basic care WHEN I had my own horse. People should learn that before they get their own.

For all we know, the pony might have been kicked in the field, have an abscess, navicular, blown a tendon, etc... The fact that he is fat is just an indication that it might be lami. The pony needs a vet to do a proper diagnosis and that's what the OP is doing. You are being very judgemental.
 
research on equine diseases moves fast and recommended treatments and care can change. Even those who have owned horses for a good many years can think they know what to do; but hopefully will find a forum with helpful, non judgemental contributors who can advise them what to do. Care of a laminitic or cushinoid luckily doesn't feature in everone's ownership.
 
I never had to ask for advice on such basic care WHEN I had my own horse. People should learn that before they get their own.

I agree I'd hope a person would learn the basics before buying a horse, Moomin. However we all know this isn't always the case, and surely the best we can do for those horses with very inexperienced owners, is to give them the best advice we can, and encourage them to stay and ask more questions?
 
reason for buying as hes very safe


How do you know he is 'very safe' have you ridden him? sorry but i think your being foolish if you buy this horse at least without a vet checking him over first, owners pulling a fast one.
 
Last edited:
Top