I cant belive it!!!

[Biggerside Benwell]

Just a quick update to say that Danny is doing ok and vet is coming again on wednesday so fingers crossed he will be allowed out of his stable and into the hemmel at least as he is getting very grumpy now!

[bellajack]

Poor Danny, in all this lovely weather as well. They did say at the conference a minimum of 30 days on thick bedding 24/7 though, even for a very mild case, and Robert Eustace always says not to let them out of the stable until they have been sound for at least 30 days without painkillers. I know it's very tough!

[harveydales]

That's good news Kristy! Fingers crossed for Danny!

[bellajack]

I know that I am being a complete pain and this is not what you want to hear, but can I just stress, not just for you but for anyone else whose pony has laminitis that not only did all the research vets at the conference stress the importance of at least 30 days not being allowed to step off a thick bed (and remember this conference was to inform vets in general practice of best practice), but Simon Curtis's, world re known farrier, words still ring in my ears:

"That if any permanent foot damage occurs as a result of the laminitis, no matter how slight, chronic laminitis type 1 (survivable) will progress to chronic laminitis type 2 (not survivable) eventually, even with the best footcare in the world, and it will shorten the horse's life. The single most important thing to try to prevent permanent damage occurring is at least 30 days confined to a stable on a deep bed, moving about as little as possible."

This is advice that I wish had been stressed to me a few years ago.

Sorry, I'll climb off my soapbox and go away now!!

[Biggerside Benwell]

Well the vet stressed as bellajack has that the longer he stays in his box the better. There was no raised pulse in any foot yesterday and he has lost 5cms of fat around his girth so looks much better. Dropped down to half a bute for 4 days then try him on none but he is to stay in his stable for at least 2 weeks when sound on no bute then start putting him in school or hemmell for a hour or so.

He has been having a ball that drops treats out, do you think this will allow to much movement?

[bellajack]

No, I couldn't imagine that that would do any harm, and stress isn't good either, so anything you can do to relieve it has to be good. He is very lucky that you are being so pains-taking. The very best of luck to you both, you deserve it!

[harveydales]

Yes Kristy, I agree with Bellajack. I've sure it won't harm Danny - a bit of gentle movement in a large stable is probably a good thing at this stage. I think it is the sharp, tight turns that should be avoided at all costs. I expect Danny is perfectly happy stabled with all the care and attention he gets from you - it always suprises me how well they seem to take to it.

I've had Quest stabled as a precaution for 3 weeks now and even though I'm letting him an hour or 2 in a tiny square of bare paddock, he doesn't want to go out - far prefers the life of luxury in his stable, so long as he can keep an eye on what the others are getting up to in the field.

[loopylou]

I hope Dan is on the road to recovery.
It is always such a worry this time of year, right through the summer until the winter months.

[Biggerside Benwell]

Well Danny is really cross now with being in and is refusing to eat the soaked hay, keeps kicking the door even when he has food and Im there as well as when im trying to get to sleep so going to see if he can go into the hemell or school for 30 mins from the end of this week and stay stabled the rest of the time. Im doing carrots, little likkits (ocassionally as full of sugar i know!), hanging turnips, balls with treats in, massage, lots of grooming and cuddles and has a magnetic rug. Is there anything else I can do???

[harveydales]

Oh dear Kristy, I know just how hard this must be for you and Danny. What sort of surface is your Hemmel? If it is soft and a smallish area, maybe you could risk it for 30 minutes? Best consult the vet first though.

I'm not sure what else you can do to keep him amused inside. It sounds like you are doing all you possibley can. When all else fails I try abnd stay away as much as possible and the horses seem to settle better - I thinkthe pick up on my "worry vibes"!

Perhaps Danny should hav a few words withQuest. yesterday I let him wonder out into the bare paddock in his own time and a few minutes later he walked back into his stable saying he'd rather be in the cool shade with some hay than wonder round a hot, dry paddock.

[bellajack]

Danny, what I have done in the past is make up a pen outside the stable door, using three 12ft gates attached to the walls eitherside of the doorway, if you see what I mean. I then extended the same thickness of bedding out of the stable to cover the floor of the whole pen. That gave them somewhere to stand outside, and I left the stable door open. It worked really well because it gave them a bit of choice about where to be and was less claustrophobic than a closed door. You can get gates with weldmesh on if you think he might put a foot through.

A stable mirror might make all the difference - give him someone to pull faces at!

Just to make it even worse, go easy on the carrots (and apples). Their digestive system can get a lot more sugar out of them than ours can, and it's the most dangerous sort of sugar.

It's really hard I know but the way I used to try and think of it was that this time next year a few weeks extra in the stable was going to seem neither here nor there, but might make all the difference as to whether they were sound or not, or, in my two's case's, alive or not.

[harveydales]

I've been doing the same as Bellajack. I've been putting my old Aubiose in a small ara of the field, so Quest has somewhere soft and supportive to stand on.

The mirror might be worth trying too. Pity you're not nearer to me as i've got one you cuold have tried. I bought it for Quest for when he has to be confined to one of the wooden 12x12 boxes and he really appreciates it. But right now he is in his huge stable where he can see and touch noses with the other horses. Harvey hated the mirror - he tried to kill his reflection and never got used to it lol! So be warned - they don't all like mirrors!

[greydales]

It's a real pain isn't it Kristy when they get stressed at being in. I had Olivia on 6 weeks box rest and she is the worst one of all of them for being stabled, I had to put straw bales in front of the stable door to stop her kicking! I did put up a stable mirror but it didn't really help, she just wanted to be out, even though Dan was next to her (and she loves Dan!).

Would swedes be better than carrots and apples (less sugar?).

Does Danny have a stable companion or is he on his own?

[Biggerside Benwell]

Thanks for the tips ladies. He has a swede hanging every few days Gill, he just eats in a few minutes. The longest I managed to make it last is 7 minutes when I put the playball on the end of the swede string so it kept on getting in the way,lol.

He does have a friend right next door and because the stables are quite open plan they can touch/groom etc. Not sure what he would make of a mirror Pam?

The vet has just been and has said yes he can go into the hemmel which is only 50 metres away from his stable and has a sand surface or into the school 40 metres away which is a gel-track surface for 30 mins and build it up from there as there are no pulses/heat having not had bute for a week.

I have to say he has been much happier since I stopped soaking the hay and amazingly has lost more weight. I think because he was only eating a little bt of the soaked stuff his body was actually storing any fat rather than using it.

[Debbie]

What a nightmare!!! I'm so glad he's toned it down a bit.

I have to say when they get like that, I treat them a bit like a kid having a fit...make sure they're safe (and I'd probably have been lining the walls with rubber mats or similar) and then walk away to let them 'scream their little hearts out'

I'm soooo happy to hear the vet will let him go out for a little. Just be sure to wear gloves and a hat at first. I'm sure he'll behave for you, but it won't hurt for 'just in case'.