Before & After Pix of my Laminitic mare

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AppyLover2

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Some of you may remember that several months ago I asked for advice on what to do about my little girl. She was obese and I had just found out she had laminitis. Several of you offered great advice and (because of your suggestions) I found out that she had thyroid problems. I'd had her on a diet all winter and was getting some of the weight off, but thanks to you I knew to have the vet check her thyroid and he started her on Thyro L. She's doing soooo much better I wanted to thank you again and thought you might be interested in seeing before (diet and meds) pictures and the way she looks this summer.

Last summer - poor baby - I called her Momma's Little Piggy.

kittycollage.jpg


This spring. She's not exactly svelt but she runs and plays now like she's never done before.

KittyLeft.jpg


She and the 2 geldings have been on dry lot all spring (seems like forever) and I'm hoping that eventually the grass will dry out enough to be able to turn them back out on the pasture. My question is - how do I go about conditioning them to being able to graze again? I know it needs to be done slowly but would appreciate advice on exactly how to do it.

Thanks again for your help!!
 
Some of you may remember that several months ago I asked for advice on what to do about my little girl. She was obese and I had just found out she had laminitis. Several of you offered great advice and (because of your suggestions) I found out that she had thyroid problems. I'd had her on a diet all winter and was getting some of the weight off, but thanks to you I knew to have the vet check her thyroid and he started her on Thyro L. She's doing soooo much better I wanted to thank you again and thought you might be interested in seeing before (diet and meds) pictures and the way she looks this summer.

Last summer - poor baby - I called her Momma's Little Piggy.

kittycollage.jpg


This spring. She's not exactly svelt but she runs and plays now like she's never done before.

KittyLeft.jpg


She and the 2 geldings have been on dry lot all spring (seems like forever) and I'm hoping that eventually the grass will dry out enough to be able to turn them back out on the pasture. My question is - how do I go about conditioning them to being able to graze again? I know it needs to be done slowly but would appreciate advice on exactly how to do it.

Thanks again for your help!!
Same thing just happened to my gelding. The thyroid stuff is Amazing isn't it. Anyway vet said, no grass EVER except with grazing muzzle and Thyroid med. FOREVER. So no muzzle - dry lot, grass- muzzle always and meds always ( unless vet tells you other wise). Once they have had a bout with laminitis the are very prone to re-occurances. Triple crown puts out a forage called SAFE STARCH. I have just started Hogan on that because each bag is tested and promised to be less than 10% starch ( grass hay such as orchard) and it gives him something to graze on. He really seems to like it and behavior is not as grumpy because of a full belly, Also low starch grain and very little of it. But I am sure the vet explained all that to you. Good Luck
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Kim
 
Kim my vet said it was ok to put her back in the pasture once the grass lost it's lushness. Said "when the grass looks like hay" she can go back out. With all this darned rain we've been getting this year I'm beginning to think it's never gonna dry out like it usually does here in the midwest.

Interesting that your vet said no grass never. Makes you wonder why there's such a difference in the vets instructions.
 
I have had 2 vets tell me no grass ever, I did try when it was dry and nothing much more to even pick at and within a day he was limping around, so I learned my lesson and no grass ever.
 
I'm glad you got her the help she needed. It is so hard to watch them when their feet hurt and try to walk. We have two mares on thyro L (aren't we the lucky ones) and we have not been able to put them back on grass. We have one mare that when the new hay comes in it is rough on her. We try to keep some of the older hay back for her to have. The other mare it doesn't bother at all.
 
I have a friend who has a laminitic mare. This year wearing a grazing muzzle she did not founder at all. They were religious about the grazing muzzle. I also discovered that many people put the muzzles on too tight. The horse should have to push on down on the muzzle to get the grass. She even had a muzzle with a big hole so the horse could eat hay with that one.

I thought this was a wonderful idea and am having my husband build one in a stall.

http://swedishhoofschool.com/Hay_feeder/iframe_Norrhult.htm

Emma
 
Kim my vet said it was ok to put her back in the pasture once the grass lost it's lushness. Said "when the grass looks like hay" she can go back out. With all this darned rain we've been getting this year I'm beginning to think it's never gonna dry out like it usually does here in the midwest.

Interesting that your vet said no grass never. Makes you wonder why there's such a difference in the vets instructions.
I think area and the individual horse has a lot to do with it. I think it is a general instruction saying try it after it looses it lushness ( In my part of Va , it is "lush" around Mar. even though it is not green,tall,or appealing at all!) BUT if the feet hurt then off. Hogan got his muzzle off for 24 hours and all the gains we had made he lost and we had to start over so dry lot only now, if he can't be a good boy with the muzzle. Besides, they get rub sores with that stupid thing on no matter what.

I think the hay comment was good too. That's why I started him on the triple crown safe starch forage. It has a

an analaysis of less than 10% starch for each bag. No more hoping each bale of hay is uniform in starch. Kind of expensive but cheaper than a vet bill ")
 
a horse with thyroid problems I would never put on grass. I have my moms gelding here with this issue. She keeps him on grass year round, very short to almost none but it makes him gain like crazy. Since he has been to my house he is on dry lot. Maybe once a month I let him out to grass for a few hours. He has lost lots of weight, but still has a long way to go. Grass will not help with the already bad weight problems.
 
Blue Seal has Carb-Guard with a total sugar/starch "below 11%"..... fiber up to 25%, 8% fat.

So, the BP, soyhlls, alfalfa meal, wheat middlings provide a large amount of fiber for them......helps with the satisfaction ratio as well as they needed have. Vit/min, yeast and a fixed formula. It's an alternative if you don't have TC in your area. Pricey -- $14.95 bag, but worth it if the horse needs it.

Your mare is coming along nicely, it appears. I'm certain she feels better, too
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Good job.
 
I'm so glad you posted pictures - it's wonderful to see a "face"!!! She is absolutely adorable and I'm so glad to hear she's doing well! Personally, I would not put her back on grass -- just not worth the risk after what you have been through with her. She's looking great!!!!

Liz R.
 
I just wanted to thank you all for your input. Obviously you didn't say the things I was hoping to hear, but definitely gave me something to think about. Once the grass dries out I'll let her have a bit of it and see where we go from there. Thanks again for your response!!
 

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