Nugget La Poneh
Well-Known Member
Am I micro-managing nugz to the point I am creating more issues?
His grazing is managed (currently off grass due to a lami attack), he is on a cup wet weight a day of fast fibre with pro-balance, extra mag-ox, 1/2 cup of linseed, C-aid and a handful of plain straw chaff to stop him wolfing down the FF. He is on 11kg of 12hr min soaked hay in a 24hr period, has access to a pure salt lick. Bedded on easibed and stable brushed down regularly to reduce dust when he's in after he was diagnosed with heaves in the New Year
I finally managed to get him 100% sound on stones again, landing heel first, last bit of thrush clearing up etc. by having him in 24/7 with 2 x 20 min walks on the concrete/tarmac tracks around the farm for 4 weeks. So put him out in his new grass free turnout (bar the edges of the paddock). All seemed fine for the first 2 days, but we have gone back to the footiness, watery bum, general unhappiness about walking on anything other than grass or arena surface. Nothing has changed apart from him being outside 24/7 rather than inside.
Today, he has developed greasy heel on his back legs, one worse than the other. It is sore for him, but I cannot see what can have caused it. He's never had mud fever, either up here or back in Norfolk, and this appears to have sprouted to the scab stage in about 48 hours and has only appeared since coming back in over the weekend
I am waiting for poo count to come back in case he has gained a massive worm burden since the last one, and will look to get a blood sample checked for any other creepy crawlies if necessary. The vet has sort of shrugged with no real reason for the issues, so am calling on you all to suggest whether I need to back off the management and let him be, or do I need to change something somewhere? Working on the basis that mud fever has been known to reduce/disappear with the correct balance of minerals etc, and I doing something wrong?
His grazing is managed (currently off grass due to a lami attack), he is on a cup wet weight a day of fast fibre with pro-balance, extra mag-ox, 1/2 cup of linseed, C-aid and a handful of plain straw chaff to stop him wolfing down the FF. He is on 11kg of 12hr min soaked hay in a 24hr period, has access to a pure salt lick. Bedded on easibed and stable brushed down regularly to reduce dust when he's in after he was diagnosed with heaves in the New Year
I finally managed to get him 100% sound on stones again, landing heel first, last bit of thrush clearing up etc. by having him in 24/7 with 2 x 20 min walks on the concrete/tarmac tracks around the farm for 4 weeks. So put him out in his new grass free turnout (bar the edges of the paddock). All seemed fine for the first 2 days, but we have gone back to the footiness, watery bum, general unhappiness about walking on anything other than grass or arena surface. Nothing has changed apart from him being outside 24/7 rather than inside.
Today, he has developed greasy heel on his back legs, one worse than the other. It is sore for him, but I cannot see what can have caused it. He's never had mud fever, either up here or back in Norfolk, and this appears to have sprouted to the scab stage in about 48 hours and has only appeared since coming back in over the weekend
I am waiting for poo count to come back in case he has gained a massive worm burden since the last one, and will look to get a blood sample checked for any other creepy crawlies if necessary. The vet has sort of shrugged with no real reason for the issues, so am calling on you all to suggest whether I need to back off the management and let him be, or do I need to change something somewhere? Working on the basis that mud fever has been known to reduce/disappear with the correct balance of minerals etc, and I doing something wrong?