Laminitis/Poss Cushings advice please

[BonkeyMollocks]

I have had Shitland for over 8 years. He was 18months when I got him so about 10 now. Always been a healthy low maintenance pony - not used for anything more than the odd walk and as a companion.

This summer he got a bout of Laminitis for the first time - fairly mild - came in for a week - got fed dengie hi fi lite and a few years old hay - came right. Was careful with what he was out on after that. I had no experience of laminitis until now.

Last Friday I got a call from the yard owners saying he wasn't walking right and was seemed to be struggling to see. Vet was called - he had a mild bout. Was told to give him three weeks box rest - two weeks with danilon (sp?) twice a day (1/2 sachet) then the last week without anything. Was told not to give him anything bar dengie to eat and he needs to lose weight . (he is about 9hh and 200kg - he is a stick type anyway but anyone know what a ideal weight is roughly? Google didn't help)

Cataracts was the problem with his sight - one side worse than the other.

Since he has been in I have been feeding him old hay again alongside dengie - the vet told me no hay but am I wrong in thinking horses are grazers? Surely their digestive system works at its best with adlib munch? I have tried exclusive dengie and the sod just scoffs it within a hour. A small holed small haynet filled with old hay lasts him a good long time because he doesn't scoff , seems less bored and generally more content.

Bought him out yesterday and he is sound on his feet and back to his usual self.

What I wanted to ask if you got this far was :

1. Is feeding hay a issue - I wouldn't dare give him new hay but what he is having at the moment is at least 2 years old. Should I be soaking it also?
2. We are having a few issues with sweating - every so often when he is in he seems to sweat from his flank down - almost looks like he has led down in a puddle? A sign of cushings? Vet was quick to rule it out because of his age however after a quick google it seems to happen? Not drinking a massive amount more
3. Is there anything i should be doing that I'm not? (I think i have listed everything I'm doing) or anything that I should know - on a steep learning curve at the mo.

Plan for after he finishes his box rest is turnout in a muzzle (completely bare field anyway at the mo but even so...) , bringing him into work - in hand, lunging, rides with the kids etc.

Sorry its a long one.

I have no experience of Cushings so can't really help there but I have cared for a laminitic. It might be worth joining this group The Metabolic Horse. Lots of advice there.

Soaking hay will remove the sugars and means you can feed more of it. It's all very well saying restrict their intake but as you say horses are grazers and are meant to have a (fairly) constant supply going through their gut. I was very strict with my pony and kept her on box rest well after she appeared sound - I'm sure that's what the Laminitis clinic recommends. A balancer is a good way to get vits & mins in too, Baileys or Top Spec are reliable brands. I always look for feeds with a combined total of sugars/starches of under 10%.

The sweating could just be down to the current mild weather, I assume he has a good coat on him? Weight wise I'm not sure what a pony of that size should be but I tend to use condition scoring - I like to be able to ^just^ see their ribs and feel them easily as I run my hand over too. No cresty neck or fat pads on shoulders etc.

We have a cushings shetland. We took her on about 8 - 9 years ago and she hasn't had an attack of laminitis since then (touch wood!) but we are very strict about her weight. We don't have a stable so we have a small fenced-off paddock that she comes into during the day if there is any grass about, or it is frosty, and yes she always has some hay (coarse stuff so it takes longer to chew). I think it's very important with laminitics to keep the gut moving. She has a little feed before she goes back into the field with the others at night so she isn't too hungry and won't immediately stuff herself, but it is just some chaff and feed balancer. If the grass is in a growth phase she won't go on the fresh stuff at all, we strip graze so the others get some fresh stuff during the day but at night when she is in with them it's only what has already been mostly grazed down. The best advice we had was from the farrier and he said to treat her like a diabetic (so ration anything sugary like grass, carrots etc) which seems to have worked for us.
If you have had some morning frost with sunshine it might be what has triggered your pony's attack as it makes the grass very sugary.

As for the sweating, lots of ponies here have been sweating in the field because it is so mild and they have very thick coats so it could just be that.

I would follow vets instructions and feed NO hay. Or phone vet up and ask about feeding soaked hay instead of the Dengie Hi Fi lite. Incidentally the Hi Fi lite has a molasses coating I think. to some extent you are over feeding doing what you are currently doing, and it's generally best not to over feed any native, let alone a laminitic. I am quite sure my greedy pigs spend most of the night in their stables with nothing to eat, but that is is their choice, They could make their 1 1/2% of body weight nets last longer if they ate slower,... they are always in at night for weight management reasons, this way they stay chubby rather than obese.

My 12.2 had colic last year due to a change in his living arrangements and I was recommended Dodson & Horrell Safe & Sound - it is marketed as being for laminitics but I give it to him as it takes a long time to go through the system and keeps his tummy ticking over. He was a bit disapproving of the chewy bits and left them until last but it seemed to help.

May be worth looking into instead of hay - or maybe just the hay on it's own, and I think soaking is a good idea as that removes sugars I believe.

I found that feeding a magnesium supplement helped reduce the risk of re- occurence- might be worth asking your farrier or vet. Also found that fat stared building up the crest shortly before a laminitus attach (feeding the magnesium seemed to help break down the fat and stem off an attack).