whether or not to take on a pony with laminitis - thoughts please

Foxy girl

Foxy girl

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After a long, long search for a shetland for my two children, two have come up at the same time - both to loan, both right height, temperament, age etc etc etc. BUT both have laminitis, or have had in the past 3 years.

My question is, I can do restricted grazing and I am an experienced horse owner, but I've never had to deal with laminitis before and to be honest, I'm more than a bit apprehensive. Is it mad to consider taking one of them on, or is it parr for the course with small ponies and I'd be passing up a good pony for the sake of some careful management?

Also, one of them has one hell of a crest (the one who had lami 3 yrs ago). Honestly, I thought he was a stallion but I did check and no dangling bits... Is this a real warning sign of more lami to come?

Any advice gratefully received. Thank you :-)
 
Think you have answered your own question!!!!
I'm experienced with laminitis and would take another without a second though but the fact your not sure is your answer. But please be aware if your taking on a Shetland or small pony they will need to be managed so they don't become laminitic themselfs
 
When taking on any small pony it is something that is always in your mind,prevention in the first instance is obviously better than dealing with one that has had it before.They are more likely to have another bout,but with careful management you should be able to avoid this happening.
A shetland is designed to live a life on very little grass and even if you find one that has not suffered with laminitas in the past you will still probably be trying to avoid your pony getting it in the future.
A very cresty neck indicates the pony is probably still overweight,plenty of exercise can help.
 
Hi,
Obviously this is just my opinion/experience but thought I'd share it anyway in case it's of some use. My little pony is prone to laminitis (being a native, and somewhat greedy :rolleyes:) but *touch wood* he's only really had it once - many years ago and we caught it early enough that it didn't really develop. With careful management (restricted grazing/plenty of work) he's been fine.
It also depends what your grass is like. My previous yard used to fertilise the grass, and that was horrendous - he went out for about an hour a day so we couldn't stay there. Now he's actually turned out 24/7 at the moment (for the first time!) because he is monitored closely and the grass is quite poor where we are.

Personally I've always found that September and May are the worst points - and today I noticed that his crest was harder than usual so he will be coming for a few hours each day now just to be sure (making a smaller grazing area isn't an option). On the plus side, this means that viewing lami-prone ponies in September could be a good indicator of how easy it would be to manage them.

I do use crest as an indicator - I like it to be fairly soft and supple - but know plenty of native ponies with huge, rock solid crests who have not developed laminitis - helpful I know :rolleyes:. Check hooves daily, make sure you have a lovely farrier who will look out for signs (is getting your farrier to look at these two ponies an option, maybe?) as a good farrier is a godsend with lami ponies.
Unfortunately it varies from pony to pony so I know all advice is speculative, which doesn't help you! There are those who will say "DO NOT TOUCH with a bargepole!" as why take on a pony with issues - especially such a horrible condition when there are ponies out there without such issues - but I genuinely think if the pony is perfect in other respects and you are happy to restrict grazing then potentially you may not have a problem. It can be managed (would seriously consider chatting to your farrier though).

I would take on another lami-prone, but I would be tempted to avoid the one with the huge crest. If you're "more than apprehensive" it's probably worth keeping an eye out for another pony without laminitic issues as it can be nasty. Having said that (honestly, I'll stop in a minute!) I don't know much about Shetlands - it may be that you need to be careful with any Shetland you buy, just in case laminitis develops! Not meaning to make you paranoid - I don't know much about them so not sure how prone they are.


Apologies for the great big essay. :o Best of luck with your decision and finding the perfect pony :)
 
Bottom line - how would your kids deal with pony being put to sleep? I know it can happen to any pony but your just aking on loads of heart ache if you ask me... I've had 3 lami's over the years and all died in terrible pain... (and yes all had restricted grazing and none were fat) to the point if one of mine developed the disease now I'd have them PTS day one... (Unless there was a good reason eg they'd broken into the hay feild/ feed store)

But basically it's your kids emotions you are playing with here... if an adult or older child chooses to take the risk then fair enough but I wouldn't expose my child to this very likely possibility.

BnBx
 
ANY horse or pony is susceptible to laminitis it doesn't have to be a small pony. My 15hh cob developed it - and not in spring which is the normal time, it was October.

So basically anything you have could develop this condition if kept on rich pasture. If rich pasture is your concern, then I'd tackle that in the first instance i.e. by fencing off, or even better if you can get a local farmer to graze some sheep that's a really good solution.

I lost my boy to laminitis; its a horrendous, cruel, heartbreaking disease and I wouldn't ever want to take on another horse that was remotely susceptible to it, but that's just me.

Good luck with whatever you decide.
 
blitznbobs said:
Bottom line - how would your kids deal with pony being put to sleep? I know it can happen to any pony but your just aking on loads of heart ache if you ask me... I've had 3 lami's over the years and all died in terrible pain... (and yes all had restricted grazing and none were fat) to the point if one of mine developed the disease now I'd have them PTS day one... (Unless there was a good reason eg they'd broken into the hay feild/ feed store)

But basically it's your kids emotions you are playing with here... if an adult or older child chooses to take the risk then fair enough but I wouldn't expose my child to this very likely possibility.

BnBx
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gosh thats rather over dramatic!!! not every laminitic pony dies a crippling painful death, we had one years ago that the owner wasn't managing properly and it was either us take him or him PTS, treated and managed properly he didn't suffer another single bout of lammi!
as for the OP, a crest means pony is still overweight, what is the management like with their current owners, how long ago was the latest bout of lammi?
I think the question to ask yourself is are you prepared to have to be cruel to be kind, restricted grazing with a pony standing there pleading with you and trying to convince you it's starving can be harder than you think lol. if you're happy that you can ignore those big brown eyes imploring you and keep the little monkey at a good weight and level of work then go for it.:)
 
Thank you all so much for your replies - I know that whichever pony we take on restricted grazing is key - I have just sold a 12.1hh section A who needed the same so I can cope with being cruel to be kind, it is just the extra management a pony who has already had it requires that I find a bit daunting.

The pony with the big crest had lami 3 yrs ago and his crest isn't hard, it's really really squashy and a bit odd to be honest! I am confident I could get his weight down and give him enough exercise to keep him trim, I just know from reading posts on here that lami can be unpredictable and that worries me that it'll happen anyway, especially with a track record.

My farrier's due out next week so although I can't logistically arrange for him to view the ponies, I might pick his brains on the subject before I commit.

Thanks again for your responses...
 
Foxy girl said:
Thank you all so much for your replies - I know that whichever pony we take on restricted grazing is key - I have just sold a 12.1hh section A who needed the same so I can cope with being cruel to be kind, it is just the extra management a pony who has already had it requires that I find a bit daunting.

The pony with the big crest had lami 3 yrs ago and his crest isn't hard, it's really really squashy and a bit odd to be honest! I am confident I could get his weight down and give him enough exercise to keep him trim, I just know from reading posts on here that lami can be unpredictable and that worries me that it'll happen anyway, especially with a track record.

My farrier's due out next week so although I can't logistically arrange for him to view the ponies, I might pick his brains on the subject before I commit.

Thanks again for your responses...
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ahhh we had a trekking pony who had a crest that almost led over to one side it was that saggy!! crest appeared with a bout of lammi and never went away even though the pony was worked every day!!
good idea to talk to your farrier, good luck whatever you decide:)
 
Ibblebibble said:
gosh thats rather over dramatic!!! not every laminitic pony dies a crippling painful death, we had one years ago that the owner wasn't managing properly and it was either us take him or him PTS, treated and managed properly he didn't suffer another single bout of lammi!
as for the OP, a crest means pony is still overweight, what is the management like with their current owners, how long ago was the latest bout of lammi?
I think the question to ask yourself is are you prepared to have to be cruel to be kind, restricted grazing with a pony standing there pleading with you and trying to convince you it's starving can be harder than you think lol. if you're happy that you can ignore those big brown eyes imploring you and keep the little monkey at a good weight and level of work then go for it.:)
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totally agree with this, my guys are in muzzles and soaked hay overnight, the grass is getting short and starting to get difficult for them to eat through the hole... so I was tempted to leave them off as I felt they were struggling or so I think but I dug my heels in and left the muzzles on, they can still get grass through and have adlib hay overnight, as long as you don't give in to thinking you are being cruel for restricting then there should be no reason why not to take on the pony. Good Luck
 
We've had a couple of ponies that have had lami before we bought them, on had it when it was given to us, it was that bad it couldn't walk, people were feeding it a full standard size bucket of pony nuts a day as well as being in a 6 acre field to itself, anyway long story short he recovered well and never got it again, he was well managed and well exercised, so it was never a worry anyway, providing you can manage the type of grazing you have and remember that's natives are natives for a reason, there hardy little ponies that need to look for their source of food to survive not have it given on a plate ;)
 
I would just not do it. Wait for one to come up that hasn't had it. Any equine is at risk but to knowingly take one on that has laminitic history is madness IMO.
 
I think it depends on whether you have the time and facilities to manage it and whether any damage has been done to the feet already.

My 15hh cob is a laminitic and I am trying to stabilize it at the moment. But it is rather boring having to soak hay and finding a regime where he doesn't get hugely bored and doesn't completely take over my life.

It would also be good to exercise it everyday (lunging?) to control the disease - would you have the time?

I also second chatting to your farrier and getting his opinion on the state of the feet.

Apart from that, I think it is a fact of life that small ponies are prone to laminitus (and cushings) and it is probably best to treat all small ponies as if they are laminitic anyway!!
 
Foxy girl said:
Thank you all so much for your replies - I know that whichever pony we take on restricted grazing is key - I have just sold a 12.1hh section A who needed the same so I can cope with being cruel to be kind, it is just the extra management a pony who has already had it requires that I find a bit daunting.

The pony with the big crest had lami 3 yrs ago and his crest isn't hard, it's really really squashy and a bit odd to be honest! I am confident I could get his weight down and give him enough exercise to keep him trim, I just know from reading posts on here that lami can be unpredictable and that worries me that it'll happen anyway, especially with a track record.

My farrier's due out next week so although I can't logistically arrange for him to view the ponies, I might pick his brains on the subject before I commit.

Thanks again for your responses...
Click to expand...

We have a 12hh pony that had lami in the past, he has a huge crest no matter what his weight because he was cut late. I monitor all 4 of my prone ones daily by checking pulses and crests, the crests go hard and pulses faster and stronger when they are getting too much and I know to change the management immediately.

I just wanted to say that a large crest doesn't always mean the pony is overweight. We haven't had a lami attack for several years and I believe this is down to our winter management and daily obs. I wouldn't be put off because on had it in the past but I wouldn't take on one that currently had it unless it was a matter of life and death for the pony (ie slaughter if not taken on). There is loads of information on the internet about management of the condition and a good vet is a godsend!
 
I own a pony which had a serious bout of laminitis 3 years ago and has been back in full work since. I do agree with many posts that I would have to consider carefully the pros and cons before taking on a pony/horse who had previously suffered from the disease. However as mentioned EVERY horse and pony is prone to laminitis and it isnt just fat ponies that get the disease. I have heard of a wide range of horses getting laminitis this year and on my yard alone a small pony (not fat) kept on restricted grazing and a large Sports Horse have been on box rest since April with the disease. So before all laminitics are written off remember that any horse you buy/loan could have suffered from the disease in the past without you even knowing (some have no lasting signs of the disease) and ALL equines can get laminitis.
 
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