The Castle Rock MARE-TERNITY WARD
Message Boards => Foaling Questions & Help => Topic started by: Carly Rae on September 20, 2016, 05:08:02 AM
-
Hello! ;D
I think my mare, Willow is in foal as of the 28th of April this year. But I am not 100% sure.
Willow is not a maiden, and she is 16 years old. She last foaled in June 2014.
Here are some photos. I'd much appreciate your opinions!
-
You'll not be able to tell from photos this early.
-
It would be hard to tell this early on... Has she shown any estrus ? She sure is cutie!
-
28th April was the last time you saw her being covered ?
Glad you started a thread for her. We should be able to see some better signs in the next couple of months when she has lost her winter woolies.
Keep us posted with her progress Carly :)
-
I had a feeling that it may have been a bit early still, thinking back to when Snickas was in foal. But at least now she has a topic for the future, I guess? :)
Is 'estrus' meaning in heat or season?
If so, I haven't seen any signs of it, nor any huge interest from the boys at all, but then again, I could have missed it.
Thank you!! ;D
Yes, that was the last time I saw it, and my Nan lives on our property too, she watches the horses out her window every day. She hasn't seen anything either since.
No worries, I'll come back with some photos in a couple months :)
-
Well if no estrus than chances are it's a good sign she is bred! Looking forward to future pictures!
-
Looking forward to pictures over the next months, and crossing my fingers we have another little one in the works!
-
Hi Carly!! Sooooooo......it's been a couple of months......do we get picture updates now? Who is the sire to this foal?
-
Agreed! Updates please!!
-
I'll go get some photos of her now ;D
If shes pregnant, the sire will be Toby. :)
This is Toby:
-
Here's Miss Willow
-
BEAUTIFUL , GORGEOUS and all that!
And I thinks a wee one is on the way!
-
Kinda looks like it, doesn't it Holly? She looks just a bit lopsided and bottom-of-belly heavy to me. About right, if she's due late February....isn't that right REAL breeders (not wanna be's like me!)
-
My first vote would be yes, too!
-
Yay! ;D I'm hoping a coloured foal, all the foals I've had have all been one solid colour.
Toby is a pinto, his Palomino has come out really dark this year!
How often do you want me to update? Once every few weeks?
-
Please update as often as you like!!
Foal watch is slowly approaching!!
-
Yup, we're so happy to watch!!
-
Ill throw In a yes too :)
So when was the first time you saw her being covered ?
Yep, agreed the more updates the better !!
-
Awesome :) I'll update in a few more days then :)
The first time I saw her being covered was on the 28th of April this year. Is that what you mean?
-
The dates will go from the last day you saw a cover.
-
Here's an update on Willow :D
-
Growing nicely :)
-
She is looking great!!
-
Ditto that , she is looking really good :)
-
Thanks! ;D
I have booked in a much needed farrier appointment for tomorrow afternoon. Super happy ;D
-
HI Carley, How is Willow?
-
Yes, please update us!!
-
Willow is doing good :)
Heres some photos.
-
Also, Willow wishes everyone a very Merry Christmas!
Today was our very first indoor photo shoot, she was really calm under the big studio lights too. My parents dont know that I smuggled my horse, chickens and cat into their loved rumpus room! So worth it though! ;D
-
How sweet!! Love the pictures!!
-
Great pics :)
-
So cute!
-
Hey Carly Rae!! As always, wonderful photos. Thanks for sharing them. How are things getting on in your part of the world? None of the craziness the last few weeks has touched your family, has it? Is Willow the only in foal possibility this year or is Snickas toting another?
-
Thank you :D
Everything over here has been good, no craziness. Hope the same for you :)
So far Willow is the only one in foal that I know of, although I think Snickas may be as well, but only from about 2 months ago max. Toby had gotten through one of the weak spots in our fence that needed fixing and he went straight for Snickas and bam, he went nuts. So she may be as well but not until late 2017 ?
I have an update on my Willow, I have her separated from the boys and she is on some different feed. I have also finally started weaning Texas off Snickas, so the girls are keeping each other company and I have some special feeds for Snickas too that was recommend to me while I wean Texas. :)
Anyway here are some pictures.
This one is from the 26th of December, I was supposed to post it but I completely forgot
-
And these are from Today.
-
Hi, just curious to know what you think? Does everything look ok with Willow?? :)
-
Carly, How many days in foal would she be? ( I have a hard time remembering others :)) I think she looks great, have you had a pregnancy test done?
-
I just calculated that if she is in foal as of the 28th of April 2016, she is 251 days or 35 weeks and 5 days, or 8.2 months in according to trusty google. :)
I haven't done a pregnancy test yet, although it was something Id like to do just to be sure. I have looked online and I can buy my own pregnancy test for her and do it myself.
Although I actually have a vet booked in next week to get Kevin and the 2 rescues gelded. But I am on a pretty tight budget and can probably only just cover Kevin's costs on my own. Their travel costs are crazy! For them to travel 15 Kilometers they are charging me $92! Plus another $450 on top!
Anyway, have you ever had a test done by a vet? I know the costs will be different but was it a ridiculous price? If the vet is already out it would be convenient to just do it then. But I found a pregnancy test online for $45. :)
-
I can send you a P Test, along with Directions. By now the P Test should be accurate. I have a lot and they are only $2.00 a test, so I will just give it to you. Private message me your address, you are in the United states correct? All you will need is a small syringe and an 18 g needle to put the urine into the vial.
-
She's in Australia.
At this point I'd not bother she's pretty round and changed quite a lot so I'm pretty sure she is pregnant.
-
Ahhh yea not going to send one there! Sorry!!
-
Yes I am in Australia, but Thank you anyway :)
-
I don't know....I'm not seeing enough of a change to think she's in foal. She looks like a smaller version of Paula's mare Koalah, so I may just be seeing the "I always look a bit out of shape" in Willow that I remember from Koalah. LOL
P.S....Holly, that was very nice of you to offer to send her a Pee Test. This forum is so great, and I'm very grateful Diane has it for us.
-
Yea I would so share if she were closer. It would probably not survive shipping that far. Please keep us updated on willow!
-
I appreciate the offer very much though :D
I am going away for a few days, so I took a couple photos this afternoon of Willow. I'm really hoping shes pregnant!
-
How about another pic update Carly ? :)
-
Finally got out and took some photos. Its been SO hot.
-
I think she is going to be a hard mare to tell pregnancy by looking at her. You should be able to feel foal movement by now.
Please keep us updated. I am anxious to know!
-
Ill have a go at feeling movement this afternoon :)
Well if it helps, when she was pregnant in 2014 with Bam-Bam, we were told she was pregnant, 2 years went by and no foal, she looked pretty much the same the whole time, then one day I looked at her udders when I was grooming her back legs and they were massive, a week later she foaled. If I hadn't have looked at her udders when I was grooming her we would have never known.
-
I agree , Looking at her , I wouldnt think she was but as we know, mares are sneaky and will keep you guessing :)
Being that she didnt show any great signs until you noticed the full udder, Id be keeping an eye on her :)
-
^^^^^^^^What Ryan said.
It's always better to be prepared and then be disappointed for no foal, than to NOT be prepared and lose a foal.
Either way, we'll be looking for updates and stories.
-
Ditto! Please let us know when you know for sure. In the meantime continue to share pics, she is lovely!
-
I, too, was shaking my head, until I read your story about her looking the same, and only noticing the udder. In that case, we'll just "be prepared" and look forward to more pictures as we wait and watch!
-
I really do hope she is in foal as this is the last foal I am asking of her. I am taking her away from Toby in a few weeks for good to let her 'retire' I guess you could say, she is 17 now, I feel as though she deserves it, she has been a brood mare her whole life before me. I just want Kevin to fully recover from his gelding before I put her with him.
I'll keep updating :) I wonder if a pregnancy test could come in handy?
-
Theres no hurt in trying a pregnancy test , but your doing the right thing , just in case she is cooking something wonderful in there for you :)
I hope she is too :)
-
I might look into getting one, curiosity is eating me away! :)
-
Hayley and Holly will be able to point you in the direction of a good one.
With the weefoal, theres one that is better than the other..
Ladies ?? :)
-
I just did some searching just then. I found the Weefoal one for $37.
Its at Victoria so it shouldn't take too long to get here. The other ones I found all needed to take blood, I'd much prefer just urine.
Its apparently its 98% accurate.
I attached 2 screenshots of the website.
-
As far along as she could be the wee foal 120 would do the trick!
I hope she's in foal for you, please let us know asap!!
-
Good work , Fingers crossed that she is pregnant as I know you want one last foal out of her :)
-
I asked my mum about the pregnancy test, I think she sees it as a waste.
So I have been doing jobs for my Nan. Kevins gelding fees sent me broke. ☺ So far I have $25 haha. She has a few more jobs in line this afternoon for me.
-
Has she been in season at all this summer ?
-
Not sure about the pregnancy test, it has come to $55 adding postage.
She hasn't as far as I know. If Id take her away from Toby for a few days, and when I put her back in with him he goes crazy and she stands for him, but he only has one burst of excitement when he sees her again and he doesn't touch her again after that thats all I've seen.
Although when we had our old Stallion Billy, he was mounting Willow up to around 3 months prior to foaling and she was standing for him giving us the impression she wasn't pregnant at all, thats another reason why we were so shocked on Bam-bam's delivery. We ended up calling her old owners and she said Willow has confused her a few times when she stands for the stallions, making her think she wasn't pregnant.
-
Here's an update, If she is pregnant, would she be showing any udder development, or is it too soon still??
I dont think the last photo looking on top of her back is useful, but I have seen some updates with it, so I just added one.
-
If she is pregnant and she took at the end of April 2016 then she would have a couple of months to go ? If that is the case then she should be starting to develop an udder shortly .
Im a little confused when I look at her. Sometimes Im thinking "Yes", then sometimes im thinking "No" .
-
Have you been able to feel any movement when shes eating her hay ?
-
I have taken one photo of her udders yesterday, so I can compare it to see if its changed when she starts getting an udder if that makes sense.
I'm hoping shes just being sneaky. :-\
I haven't tried yet, I'll go out and try after this. :)
-
So I was just out with Willow I felt for movement, she was moving her head around a bit, but I did feel her belly roll, It freaked me out at first, but I wasn't looking at her head to see if it was just her. I felt a few little 'ripple' feelings, then nothing.
I might have another feel later this afternoon and check a few times a day :). It could just be my hopeful mind playing tricks on me.
-
Let us know again.
-
Lol i can say with 99% certainty shes pregnant. Shes totally all one sided on the back photo and has a significant drop on the first photo.
-
Not sure Im 99% certain but the one photo that leans me in that direction is the side on photo that shows she has edema.
Have you managed to feel any movement yet Carly ?
-
Exciting!!
-
Sorry I haven't posted earlier! I had read some of the posts but completely forgot to reply, I have been back to school its been flat out here. I haven't been getting home till 7:30 to 8 pm so its been too dark to go see Willow.
I finally got out and saw her today, I only just made it before dark. I have some photos, I also felt for movement quickly, I felt nothing, but I was probably there barley 5 minutes. Its a public holiday tomorrow, so Ill have a better feel then. :)
-
The only comment I have is the appearance of what looks like a milk vein, combined with the growing edema. She's not really looking like she's overweight, so I don't think that's what we can attribute the edema to.
Just as an aside comment....when was the last time it rained there??? The poor earth looks very thirst.
-
Hmm, It last rained a few days ago, but we didn't get very much. We have been going through big heat waves that can last a week or two then we get very little rain, mainly a storm, then its nice for a few days then it goes very hot again. :-\
We have some massive cracks in the soil, its pretty bad, I have been tripping in a few of them. We need some rain that's for sure.
-
Here's an update on Willow.
I'm starting to feel as though she Isn't pregnant :-\
Any Opinions?
-
I still think she is and in fact think she is showing signs of getting ready. She would be 280 days if that date is right. She has large bumps before her boobs, which can indicate swelling in the udder will begin.
I've been known to be wrong though.
-
Thank you Hayley :) I really hope you are right!
Do you think udder development will start soon if she is pregnant? So far there is like nothing in her udders.
-
She does have a fair bit of edema in front of her udder but it could also be fat deposits. We are just going to have to keep a close eye on her.
I too , hope she is pregnant for you Carly , Hope you had a great Aussie day :)
-
Alright, I'll try update a bit more on her incase there's any changes. :)
So if shes 280 days in that leaves 2 months, which isn't really that long.
Thanks Ryan, we had a pretty good Aussie day here, did some 4WD and creek swimming. Hope yours was great too! :)
-
They can foal from 300 days to a live healthily foal - meadow was born on day 315 I think so could be sooner! Just keep a close eye on her lady bits
-
And not to panic, foals have been born before the 300 day mark and survived just fine.
-
Wow! So it could be closer than I thought!
I have been keeping a close eye on her :)
-
Heres an update on Willow :)
-
Looking good....and big!!
-
I'll quickly upload these.
Not sure if it means anything yet but Ill add them anyway.
The first one is from 8 Days ago and the second one was yesterday. Sorry about the quality.
-
CHANGES!! YEAH!!!!!
Looks like some positive changing!
-
I think I am just about convinced
-
Looks like you may just get your wish of a last foal for Willow ;pray
-
I sure hope she is in foal for you! Looks like some positive changes, fingers crossed!
-
* Excitement Overload! *
Here she is today. I think I see some more change in her udders!
-
Definitely more udder development!!! And Quickly!
-
DITTO that!!
-
Told you she would be soonish! Lol
-
Checking in daily for updates!!
-
Me too!!
-
Did you take her to the milk bar over the weekend ? :)
She's moving ahead perfectly Carly
-
Here she is today.
Just to add, I have taken her off the paddock because its really dry so I have started giving her lucerne and Mare and foal feed. :)
Gotta go now! I have a job interview! ;D
-
Just be aware the lucerne might be very rich if she's not used to it - be watchful form laminitis.
-
Its not very high quality Lucerne. For the past few weeks I have been throwing some Lucerne over into the paddock for them because its just so dry. But I will definitely be careful on how much I feed her just incase :)
-
Awesome, thats the best way because shes already used to it. Perfect :)
-
Good luck with the job interview :)
-
I felt movement! FINALLY ! Its 8:40 pm and I just felt the movement grinning like a maniac! ;D
Poor Banjo has collic we have given him some recommended meds so we have been up late watching him so I decided to have a feel for movement with Willow. Tenae is coming out early tomorrow to see him and if he hasn't changed she will be getting a vet.
Also back on the topic of Willow, she is SUPER touchy around her ears as of this morning. I went to put her halter on and brushed my hand over her ear by accident and she swung her head so fast she belted it on the fence. I thought it was odd but overlooked it, and this afternoon I tried to touch them and she swung her head away and speed walked away looking irritated.
Could she just be angry? Or could they be sore and I am hurting her? :-\
Anyway. Here she is today. :)
Should I update daily or every few days?
Also please excuse her halter, I had accidentally gotten one that was miles too big for her little face.
Thanks Ryan! I hope I get the job! ;D Then I can spoil my babies!
-
Update as much as you feel like :)
Glad you've finally felt movement.
-
Udder going up and down, going to stay up soon. Please update frequently! Super excited for you!!
-
Well I have been super excited, so you will probably all receive daily updates ! ;D I'm going to check on her now :)
-
We're happy to get the updates as frequently as you want. She's looking fabulous, and things will start changing...like her attitude! LOL
-
Cant wait for the next update :)
Hope Banjo is much better today and hes over the colic episode.
Havent heard of mares having sensitive ears during pregnancy but it could very well happen.
-
Texas is also suffering the same symptoms as Banjo.
Tenae called the vet today and he thinks it may be collic..... But he is also leaning toward the Hendra virus.
The vet said to watch it and if they get worse he will test for Hendra and if it comes back positive they will have to put them down.
Kevin has been sharing a paddock with Banjo and Texas, he has bad diarrhea same with Ted. I honestly feel so sick right now. Kevin means absolutely everything to me :( But the vet wont even come out to have a look because of the possibility of hendra.
I guess we just have to see if they improve. I'll be completely and utterly crushed if 4 beautiful horses have to be put down :'(
-
On a positive note, they look like they are improving, I have been keeping an eye on their vitals and Tenae has been keeping up on the medications. I have started a book and I will print up some tables and start recording their vitals for future reference if they become ill (hopefully no time soon). We are also going to look into the hendra vaccine as well :)
Back to Willow!
My dad came home for the night from work, this afternoon he went and said hello to Willow and gave her a pat on her head near her ears. She swung her head away and stormed away from him, I think he took it personally haha!
The first udder photo is from 6 am this morning and the others are from about 5pm.
-
Congrats on Willow, that is so exciting!!
On the other front, I'd never heard of Hendra, so had to look it up. Found some info on your AVA website - where it comes from (flying foxes). In 2016, it was determined that horses do not automatically need to be euthanased. I was looking for more info, but I'm out of time... IF it is Hendra - all info says highly contagious to the humans that care for the sick horses - high death rate in humans that have contractd it with direct contact with sick horses (!!yikes!!) - PLEASE DO BE CAREFUL and take care!!!
Good luck on your job interview.
-
Oh my. Certainly hope it's not Hendra. I know nothing of it but it sounds just horrible. Willow looks to be acting udder wise in the last 4-8 weeks! Super Happy for you!
-
This from the World Health Organization:
Hendra Virus (HeV) Infection
Hendra virus (HeV) infection is a rare emerging zoonosis that causes severe disease in both infected horses and humans. The natural host of the virus has been identified as being fruit bats of the Pteropodidae Family, Pteropus genus.
HeV was first identified during the first recorded outbreak of the disease that took place in the Brisbane suburb of Hendra, Australia, in 1994. The outbreak involved 21 horses and two human cases. As of July 2008, eleven outbreaks have been reported, all confined to the east cost of Australia. Horses have been identified as the intermediate hosts, transmitting infection to humans through close contact during care or necropsy of the ill or dead horses.
Symptoms of HeV infection in humans range from mild influenza-like illness to fatal respiratory or neurological disease. Horses are the only animal species in which natural infection of HeV has been reported, with a case fatality of approximately 75%. There is no vaccine for either humans or animals. The primary treatment for human cases is intensive supportive care.
And from the Merck Manual:
Hendra Virus Infection in Horses
(Equine morbillivirus)
By Bonnie R. Rush, DVM, MS, DACVIM, Equine Internal Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, Kansas State University
Hendra virus (HeV) is the prototype species of a new genus Henipavirus within the subfamily Paramyxovirinae and was first identified in Australia in 1994. The viral agent is endemic in specific species of fruit bats (also called flying foxes), and close contact with these bats is suspected to have facilitated transfer of the HeV to horses. Horses are infected by oronasal routes and excrete HeV in urine, saliva, and respiratory secretions.
There have been multiple, sporadic incidents of human and equine disease in Australia occurring in 1994, 1995, 1999, 2004, 2008, and 2009. The case fatality rate in horses and people is high, with reports of 81 horses and 4 people succumbing to Hendra virus infection, including an equine veterinarian investigating an outbreak.
Very close contact is required to transmit the virus among horses and from horses to people, and the virus is not considered highly contagious. Equine veterinarians are considered at occupational risk of contracting HeV. Infected horses develop severe and often fatal respiratory disease, characterized by dyspnea, vascular endothelial damage, and pulmonary edema. Depression, anorexia, fever, respiratory difficulty, ataxia, tachycardia, and frothy, nasal discharge are common clinical signs. (Also See Overview of Hendra Virus Infection.) A commercial HeV vaccine for use in horses is available under a Minor Use Permit for release to veterinarians who have completed an online training program. Horses must have a microchip to be vaccinated, and the information must be entered into the HeV Vaccine National Online Registry. The vaccine consists of soluble forms of G glycoprotein of HeV; it does not contain modified or inactivated virus.
So apparently here in the US there is a vaccine, but not sure about Australia. But, perhaps you could find out.
Keep us posted!
-
Glad that they are starting to improve Carly :)
The Hendra virus is every bit as bad as you are reading everyone. It is transferred from fruit bats to horses and then on to humans. Due to it being highly contagious, unfortunately horses that contract it , have to be put to sleep. Farms are quarantined for months after the contraction due to the severe nature of the virus. I think there has only been one case down south where I am , but have read of many up towards the top of Australia.
Very sad but most humans that have contracted the virus have died from it.
When you text me last night Carly , my stomach dropped when you mentioned the "Hendra Virus" I found it weird your vet would mention this as being a possibility without coming to see the horses.
Maybe Im a little more aware of what the virus is , so frightened the beeeeep out of me.
Im hoping it is just the change in the hay you have purchased.
And crossing everything possible that its not "Hendra" ;pray ;pray ;pray ;pray ;pray ;pray ;pray ;pray
-
Sending prayers it's not that virus!
-
Texas and Banjo are looking well today, a lot more lively thats for sure!
Banjo still has a sore stomach but they aren't laying down and rolling anymore. I don't think they have Hendra, but it's definitely not something to mess with so we are taking extra precautions around them for the next few days with them still isolated. The vet said to "Act as though they DO have Hendra".
I have also heard those humans who do survive it have life long issues with their health.
Apparently the vets wont come out because of the possibility, they said if the horse gets worse they will come out, take a blood test send it off and thats all, if the test comes back positive they will come back out and put them down, then they have to quarantine our property and close neighbors for full property examinations, and all your other horses have to be tested. And we also have to go get tested as well. I think all of this new information hit me and I went into full panic mode.
But hopefully they continue on their recovery and don't go down hill. :) Thank you all for the help and words of hope!
-
Here Willow is today :)
Her udder is a lot smaller today.
Also I attached a photo of Willow pulling faces after she ate Banana :D
-
Glad to hear they are doing better. Sure is a scare!
I've had just about all my mares decide no udder is a good idea after starting to get one! Typically after it comes back with a vengeance! Hope it's the same for you and Willow. Btw... Willow is one of my most favorite horse names.... Don't be surprised if you see I use it eventually!:)
-
I'm so glad to hear they are doing better. I think its a bit of a worst case scenario to jump to Hendra! I only know that when BSE and foot and mouth broke out here half the country was on lock down, thousands of cattle in a certain radius were killed if just one animal had it - millions of pounds worth of healthy animals just gone.
-
Glad to hear they are doing better. Sure is a scare!
I've had just about all my mares decide no udder is a good idea after starting to get one! Typically after it comes back with a vengeance! Hope it's the same for you and Willow. Btw... Willow is one of my most favorite horse names.... Don't be surprised if you see I use it eventually!:)
Yes Willow is a particularly nice name. I think it might sound nice with "meadow" too...willow and meadow..hmmmm!!!! ;)
-
Ohhh yes It sure does... That would be very nice!
-
I suspect the vet said Hendra as a worst case scenario since its a very serious virus he had to inform us just to be aware.
But I couldn't be happier that they are recovering.
I have made up a book each for Tenae and I and we are going to start recording the horses vitals so we have a baseline to refer to so we can see any abnormalities. I designed tables and printed them at school. I also printed a heap of handy info sheets and laminated them and hung them on a clip for quick reference :D
You know I actually disliked her name at the start. I had this friend with a very disobedient dog that was a complete terror, it barked, scratched, dug holes ect ect. I did not like the dog at all. So It kind of ruined the name for me. But then I lost contact with that friend and now I don't think of her name as that dog anymore. :)
Oh yes! Willow and Meadow sounds so good together! We can all have Willows haha!
-
Here she is today :)
-
We have another hot Weekend ahead of us!
-
We finally got rain!
I had almost forgotten what rain was it's been that long! ;D Hopefully the grass might thrive a bit now, we have been having to feed the horses hay lately.
Here Willow is today, sorry about the angle of the side photo, I was standing on a log avoiding mud and that was as best as I got.
-
She's looking good!!!
-
Here she is today :D Well actually these were from yesterday and I forgot to upload them. :)
-
Shes filling wonderfully Carly :)
Glad everyones on the mend :)
-
Just checking in for an update Carly ? Your Probably currently at school :)
-
Here she is, these are from yesterday :)
-
Shes looking great Carly , Dont think it will be long till she starts to fill that udder nicely :)
-
Looking good for sure!!
-
Thanks :D
My parents have been watching her today, they said she has been walking around with her ears back and her tail slightly lifted, also she was laying down a few times. Im guessing she is just a bit uncomfortable, or the foal has moved into an uncomfortable position or something?
-
Very correct. They may also see her start rolling, so don't be alarmed.
-
How's she doing now?
-
Yes, please give us an update!!
-
Ahh what!
My post must not have gone through properly! I actually posted (well thought I did) about 4 or 5 days ago.
Haha I'm so tired, who knows what I did.
Well I'll post the photo from the 27th of Feb as well as today's.
These are the 27th.
-
And these are from today.
-
Good steady progress Carly , thanks for the update :)
-
Things are moving ahead very nicely! Even small changes, when they are constantly happening, is very good!
-
Yay! I can't wait for this foal to get here!! ;D
Today I bought myself a saddle! Getting quite excited!
This time next week I will meet our newest addition, Hot Shot! ;D
I'm finally getting back in the saddle, last time I have ridden was 6 years ago. I loved it, I just didn't get the right horse for me as a beginner.
Hot Shot is getting given to me by Tenae's boss as he has a leg injury from when he was playing Polocrosse and needs surgery and cant ride anymore and just wants him to go to a good home.
He is a 14 yo TB crossed with either a Quarter horse or Australian Stock horse as far as I know, and he is 16hh.
He has been a polocrosse horse for a long time, but his owner is confident he is good for beginners and was going to give him to a polocrosse family for young kids to learn on but he chose not to as they apparently dont care for the older horses as much as the young competing ones or something.
So I have offered to give him a loving home and Tenae has offered to give me a hand in learning :) Very stoked! Can't wait to meet him!
I also may or may not have asked the owner to send me a picture of him haha! I have known about getting him for about 2 weeks now, so I am really testing my skills in the patience department! :))
-
That's great Carly, we'd love to have updates as you learn about riding and adjust to your new partner.
Enjoy the times ahead!!
-
Super Happy for you! I just love love to ride.
I love jumping and obstacles. And I love trail riding. So relaxing just jumping up and taking in nature.
-
Thank you both! I'll definitely post some photos when I get him, we have set up our fencing arrangements to accommodate all of our 7, soon to be 9 horses. I just have to drive old red down the back and clean up all the barbed wire and mesh floating around.
Which means we may even be able to get Hotshot during the week sometime so my dad can meet him before he has to go back to work again! Super excited! :D
-
Oh and back on the topic of Willow, I have been a bit worried about her. She is walking like she is in pain, with small slow steps and shes laying down a bit more than usual.
We have had some good rain here and the little yards she was in have been chopped up a bit and there is heaps of deep ish hoof prints everywhere and they are now dry making the ground uneven.
I was thinking maybe her joints were sore from being so uneven. So I have put her on flat ground to see if it helps any. Her legs or feet arent hot.
Or maybe she is just super uncomfortable. Shes eating fine and everything and seems to be getting around fine, just very slow. Ill just keep a good eye on her
-
It's not uncommon for her to be a bit uncomfortable at this point. But KUDOS to you for watching her carefully enough to note a change in her. It's good to hear that her hooves are not hot, because sometimes after bouts of rain that keeps the ground moist, some horses can get thrush in their hooves that can be very uncomfortable.
I'm thinking that perhaps baby has shifted a bit and she's uncomfortable with the position the little one is riding in. Some rolling or butt pushing should help shift baby around, and hopefully she'll be more comfortable.
-
Shes the same this morning. I have also noticed her poop is very green and half sloppy. And a small bit of her vulva looks to be a bit swollen.
Ill post a photo update in a bit.
Also after this rain the grass in our house yard is very green now, could too much green grass give her a sore belly? I will put her out into the paddock today.
-
Also she is looking quite thin from above.
-
Shes looking good Carly and to me, looking at the last lot of pics, baby has moved position. Do you think that the soften manure is that she has been introduced to the green grass to quickly ?
What are others thinking ? :)
-
I agree baby has moved, and that udder is still growing!! Good momma! I'm excited to see this little one, as I'm sure you are too, Carly!!
-
I am getting worried about her.
But I dont think it has anything to do with her foal. I researched the signs of Laminitis, I got pretty worried. But it said they may look sad/down and have a loss of appetite, but shes very happy and perky still eating as usual. And I was assuming the laying down was because of the foal. I also read that they should stand in one spot that they find comfy and stay there it if were laminitis, but she is either walking around while eating, laying down or standing under the tree napping which is all normal for her. So In a way I am doubting it.
I have just been out tonight and I have picked out all her hooves, all of them seemed fine, no heat in her foot or joints still and no pain to touch and lift. Until I got to her front right as I went to pick it up she stumbled forward and tore it from my hands and wouldn't bend it. I lifted it slowly and gently got her to bend her leg and she seemed a bit better with it but didn't like it bent for too long. But still no heat in it or in her joints, no swelling either.
I sat and watched for a while and she does small steps and looks to be avoiding pressure on that leg. Also on her hoof there was a flap of sole half attached I dont know how to explain it.
I was thinking maybe she twisted it and its hurting a lot. Which could be why she is laying down a bit as well. Mum is going to call our farrier hopefully tomorrow to have a look at her hooves. The are also just due for a trim too.
I have a book with her vitals recorded so Ill check them tomorrow to see if theres any changes.
Does anyone have any suggestions? :(
-
Having a farrier check her is the best way to go. He should be able to tell for you. We'll be waiting to hear.
-
Ill post when we get one out
But here she is this morning. She is already getting so fluffy and its only Autumn ! :)
-
:)
-
Carly with all the rain that you have had theres a good chance there may be an abscess in her hoof. Horses will often walk or hobble around avoiding putting weight onto it.
Please get your mum to get the farrier out as soon as you can , your farrier will be able to show you how to put a poultice on to draw the infection out if it is an abscess.
Also if theres any advice I can give you , would be to get her off the Green grass till the problem has been solved. If it is laminitis , the grass is adding to the problem and definitely NO treats( apples or carrots) as they are high in sugar and also will add to the laminitis problem , if it is that ...
Message or ring if you need any advice , you have my mobile number :)
-
GREAT advice, and I hope the farrier can get there soon!
-
I echo that advise. If there is ever any doubts about laminitis the best action is immediate laminitis treatment (soaked hay, no feed apart done a light balancer that is formulated for lami prone horses) and stalled on a very deep bed to avoid any damage to the coffin bone.
-
I got a text off Carly last night to say the farrier had been booked to come out , If I hear anything I will let you all know :)
They are thinking it could be arthritis and due to the fact she is nearing the end of the pregnancy, they are thinking its putting extra pressure on the legs.
Hopefully its nothing too serious ;pray
-
How old a horse is she? I'm hoping it isn't laminitis, as she sure doesn't need that this late in pregnancy. ;pray ;pray
-
17 if i remember correctly . Yes I hope so too as I know a lady whos mini has a laminitic episode in the late stage of pregnancy . She had to stop breeding her due to this.
Anyone else have this issue with their pregnant ladies ?
-
I agree with everything else said, and wanted to add that Kate got ouchie on her front feet when she was pregnant the first time, she also had a lot of edema that pregnancy and the vet felt she was a bit stocked up from it.
If farrier can't find anything I would see about x ray on that hoof.
Best wishes for her!
-
We had the farrier out yesterday. I told him about my concerns and he said he cant see anything there that could be causing any pain, and he said that she had a lot of sole build up that may have been uncomfortable and being pregnant and getting some age on her could all add up to how she is feeling now. Hopefully once she foals she will feel better.
I have also decided to sell my stallion Toby and not breed anymore.
-
That's GREAT news, and yes, having a hoof "off" can make walking uncomfortable! This is such good news!!
-
If you like Toby, you can always geld and keep him, train him to drive or something.
-
I think this afternoon I see a very small improvement in her walking, only a tiny bit but that's something! ;D She still has her normal attitude, and appetite. Just a bit stiff in her knees to walk.
I do love Toby, but we have 7 horses now, and Hotshot will be here tomorrow, plus Willows foal and Snickas is most likely pregnant too. We have had to make lots of new fencing arrangements which got quite costly, because of Toby attacking the others.
I dont have the money to geld him and I feel as though if I did I'd probably do nothing with him anyway, it would only be to stop him breeding. Now that I will be riding, and I recently gelded Kevin and I have plans for him. So either way Id probably waste Toby when someone could either breed him or geld and put time onto him and he would become a very nice little boy.
But saying that, I have had Toby since he was 5 months old. I am going to be a very fussy seller. :)
-
I'll get some more photos of Willow in the morning :)
I also got Hot Shot today! I posted in the General discussion about it and some photos! ;D
-
I hope she continues to improve!
-
17 if i remember correctly . Yes I hope so too as I know a lady whos mini has a laminitic episode in the late stage of pregnancy . She had to stop breeding her due to this.
Anyone else have this issue with their pregnant ladies ?
yes, I had this issue with K-La in late 2015 while pregnant with Blitzen. Cleared almost immediately after she foaled. There were days she wouldn't move away from the hay bale and others she wouldn't move away from the water tank once there... We took her off of all alfalfa pellets at the time, but didn't reduce her feed as we felt it was necessary. We DID go to checking her hooves every time the farrier came out and sometimes doing a little each time - but due to weather and health issues sometimes it was spread apart and sometimes more often... W/I hours of having Blitzen she was extending her trot and cantering & bucking around the pasture with her foal. Her feed was increased and she was put back on alfalfa pellets, too.
-
Hope you are all ok during these storms Carly, I hear they are pretty bad , just saw on the news people have been told to stay indoors ;pray
-
How is willow after the storms ? hope your all ok :)
-
We are all good, no damage from the storms. Although our back yard flooded and my poor silkie chickens and my baby chicks almost drowned! We had to rescue them at 9 at night. So all 14 chickens spent the night on our deck. Their pen is still flooded.
But my old Willow is still hanging in there, I cant wait for this foal! :)
-
This was the morning after it flooded, it had actually soaked in heaps over night and it was all the way up to the rocks. And the pen is over near the trees, we had to carry their whole massive nesting box up which is like a TV cabinet thing haha.
-
Glad to hear you are all ok :)
-
I have great news that Willow is walking normally again! ;D
-
That's fabulous news!!!
-
That's wonderful news!!
-
fantastic!
-
Thanks guys! Im so relieved! :)
Also she had some udder change I noticed today!
-
:)
-
Nice development! Glad she's better!!
-
Here she is from this morning
-
And from this afternoon :)
-
Looks like her udder is starting to hold up. Shouldn't be to much longer!!
-
I agree, Holly! Looking good!!
-
Ill Third that :)
This is what I was talking about in the text messages Carly ;pray
-
O, Look! The milk factory is getting "geared up"!
How exciting. Can't wait to see this baby for you Carly.
-
Here she is today at 334 days :) Udder is smaller again.
-
O, no!
Carly - was she out with the stallion after you saw her covered? I'm wondering if she was covered again later than you thought? OR she just may be one who carries much longer. It's hard to say. Some mares are never consistent with their carry dates either.
I know a couple on here have had mares go much longer than 330/344 days (Diane?).
-
Yup, I had a mare that went 365 days like clockwork! The first year it almost killed me since I was never told that from the breeder I purchased her from. But the second year, I was a bit more relaxed, and kept checking the dates, and sure enough.....365 days again!
She had several foals for me before I sold her to a friend. I shared the 365 saga with her, but she didn't believe me, until once again, baby came to ground at 365 days! LOL
-
OMGoodness 365 would kill me for sure!
Hope she does something soon for you Carley!
-
I don't recall him covering him after that date, usually Id write it down in the calendar. But its something I could have easily missed.
She has been laying down a lot over the past few days, sweating and swishing her tail. When she lays down she will do a short few breaths and hold her breath for a few seconds and let it out again and relax. But I have also seen her yesterday rolling a bit. So I was thinking she was just uncomfortable.
I am just really confused on her udder. They were quite large for a few days and now they are tiny. :-\
-
Don't worry about udders. She can fill an udder at foaling time so I'd watch more for signs such as the rolling, personality changes, etc. Maybe I'm not remembering correctly but didn't you say she foaled in the past with no udders?
-
Hope you are all ok with the massive Cyclone Carly.
Just saw on the news its going to hit land in around 6 hours , so im praying you are all ok :)
-
I'll get an update on Willow very soon.
We have just had some wild weather, then a lot of rain to top it from Cyclone Debbie. Completely flooded here, had to get my chickens to higher ground again last night even after we raised their hutch with bricks. The horses were all rugged and put under shelter, eager to come out for a play now that its all over. Now we are just fixing the place up again, pumping the water out of the yard.
Its FREEZING here now!
-
Oh my!!! Praying the water recedes quickly for you!! ;pray ;pray ;pray
-
Oh gosh hope water subsides soon!
-
Glad to read you are all ok, hope this subsides soon and that everyone dealing with Cyclone Debbie is ok ;pray
-
also glad that you are all ok.
The water will go down, I do know this. Crossing fingers and toes it didn't do any damage while it was high.
-
Hope the water leaves you quickly. Stay safe.
-
Keep us posted on how things are going. We are praying for you and the safety of your animals!
-
Hows things Carly ?
Hope you are all ok and the water is subsiding quickly , we are all thinking of you and hope everyones ok :)
-
Carly, are y'all okay?? You, your family and the critters haven't floated away, have you??
I hope that creek/small river that you had to go looking for your piggy by is minding it's manners and staying in it's banks. I've prayed you are safe, and that the water in the last pictures has receded. I've prayed that your family comes through this with nothing more than hardship stories. I've prayed Tenae and her family are safe as well.
Last, but not least, I've prayed that horses, dogs, chickens, piggy and any other animals are all safe and sound.
-
Okay, it's been since March 30th since we've heard from you Carly. I hoping it's just an internet problem with all the water and trauma surrounding you. Praying you are safe and sound, and the animals are faring well. ;pray ;pray ;pray
-
Ah! Sorry to worry anyone, my schedule has been jam packed and I have had no time to get on!
My sister has been moving house and we had to help her out, I have had my hands full with Tenae and Jesse's horses here while they are visiting family in Western Australia. And to top that we got a new cat (yes another one!) perks of working in an animal shelter! And yesterday we found a dog stuck on the road, there was those big concrete road work barriers and she couldn't get off the road and it was just too dangerous to leave her with all the cars, so now we are searching for her owners trying to avoid taking her to the pound. And she wont stop barking!
But other than that we are all perfectly fine here, all our animals are safe and we have pumped the water out of our yard. :D
But miss Willow is sure she doesn't want to show me this foal shes hiding! :( Shes at 349 days today. I'll grab some photos soon and update. Sorry again for not updating for a while!
-
Glad all is well!!
-
I, too, am so happy all is well!!!
-
Triple on the "all is well & happy for you"!!!
-
Thanks all! ;D
Here's Willow this morning. :)
-
Thanks for the update! Willow looks to be making progress again!
-
Looking good!!
-
There is definitely progress there! Is the left booby leaking or is it just a trick of the light?
-
How is she Carly ? :)
-
So Willow isn't doing so good :(
She is barley able to walk, and she is looking quite thin for a horse that is supposed to be pregnant. I've got a good idea that its laminitis, although an abscess could be it too. She's been leaning back trying to take the pressure off her fronts and to shift her weight she has to throw her head up and quickly move her leg. I tried to look at her hoof, but her other leg cant hold her and she falls to the ground. And she keeps going back to stand in the oaten hay where its padded.
Shes in a small pen now with bedding and I have soaked her hay in water like Ryan suggested to me. Shes laying down at the moment.
The vets are on their way right at this moment to look at her. I have taken the day off school to be there for her, I'll post again after the vet is here. I'm hoping like crazy that its nothing too major or long term. ;pray
Here are photos from yesterday
-
Sending best wishes to willow and hopefully its nothing too serious ;pray
-
Praying HARD that it is something that will heal quickly and she'll be back to feeling well again soon. ;pray ;pray ;pray
-
So we have had the vet out....
There is a chance I will have to put my best friend to sleep.
The vet was very thorough with explaining it to me, but it was a lot to take in especially when putting her down came into the picture.
She said that this time of year hits many people with ponies really hard. After we got the rain, the grass shot up, then we got a cold snap which kept the sugar levels up giving the horses time to pig out on the green (or something like that). She said it was like putting Willow in a lolly shop and letting her eat as much as she wants.
Apparently she is in a severe case of laminitis having it in all feet. She said she is in a lot of pain and discomfort, but she wants to give her any chance we can to get her better.
She has given us 2 weeks. In that 2 weeks we have to put her on a very thick layer of sand, on nothing but dry crappy hay like a grassy oaten she said. She has given me some bute that needs to be given once a day in 3ml doses. She also said to get our farrier (which she spoke very highly of and was so glad he was our farrier) out to touch up her feet which can relieve her a bit. She said Willow looks dehydrated looking at her poo, so I have to monitor her intake. And every day I have to move the sand around so it stays soft and padded and not compact and hard. She believes that all this is going to give her the best chance of recovery without throwing hundreds of dollars on medication that may not even work for a horse her age.
She will call me in a week so I can tell her any improvements there might be, and in 2 weeks she will come back out whether there's improvement or not to do an xray and see how her hoof is sitting and that will determine whether we are just fighting an uphill battle that we will never win and whether or not she should be put to sleep.
And she thinks Willow has lost the foal with any stress its common for them just to get rid of it, and she said we may not have seen it if it was small, and a dog may have taken it. She has been let walk around for the past few weeks so its quite possible. :'(
So these next 2 weeks will be focused just on Willow, I can't even explain how much I hope for her to recover...
She has also recommended that I limit how much time Snickas and Kevin get on the green grass being ponies and they should be given the dry hay too until the grass dries up a bit.
I will keep you all posted on how she gets on.
-
Im really sorry to read this Carly , laminitis is a terrible thing , I almost classify it as bad as the "C" word (Colic).
Your vet has given you some really good advice in every hope of saving her. As I said it wouldnt hurt to soak the hay for an hour or so to remove any excess sugar from it.
You need to think positively and send Willow our very best wishes.
I agree you should take the others off the grass too until it dries up.
Keep us posted :)
-
I wouldn't put her down, please reconsider :( I've had multiple rescues with such bad Laminitis they laid down more then they stood up, they were on chronic pain meds. All are good now, they are no longer on medication and live quality lives. Most people would have put them down even my vet agreed but it didn't cost me a fortune if that's a worry for you. I altered their diet, kept them trimmed on schedule, pain meds when needed and it passed. Sometimes it can take months but it's worth it trust me. Don't give up on your best friend
-
I'm so sorry you're going through this is heartbreaking
So we have had the vet out....
There is a chance I will have to put my best friend to sleep.
The vet was very thorough with explaining it to me, but it was a lot to take in especially when putting her down came into the picture.
She said that this time of year hits many people with ponies really hard. After we got the rain, the grass shot up, then we got a cold snap which kept the sugar levels up giving the horses time to pig out on the green (or something like that). She said it was like putting Willow in a lolly shop and letting her eat as much as she wants.
Apparently she is in a severe case of laminitis having it in all feet. She said she is in a lot of pain and discomfort, but she wants to give her any chance we can to get her better.
She has given us 2 weeks. In that 2 weeks we have to put her on a very thick layer of sand, on nothing but dry crappy hay like a grassy oaten she said. She has given me some bute that needs to be given once a day in 3ml doses. She also said to get our farrier (which she spoke very highly of and was so glad he was our farrier) out to touch up her feet which can relieve her a bit. She said Willow looks dehydrated looking at her poo, so I have to monitor her intake. And every day I have to move the sand around so it stays soft and padded and not compact and hard. She believes that all this is going to give her the best chance of recovery without throwing hundreds of dollars on medication that may not even work for a horse her age.
She will call me in a week so I can tell her any improvements there might be, and in 2 weeks she will come back out whether there's improvement or not to do an xray and see how her hoof is sitting and that will determine whether we are just fighting an uphill battle that we will never win and whether or not she should be put to sleep.
And she thinks Willow has lost the foal with any stress its common for them just to get rid of it, and she said we may not have seen it if it was small, and a dog may have taken it. She has been let walk around for the past few weeks so its quite possible. :'(
So these next 2 weeks will be focused just on Willow, I can't even explain how much I hope for her to recover...
She has also recommended that I limit how much time Snickas and Kevin get on the green grass being ponies and they should be given the dry hay too until the grass dries up a bit.
I will keep you all posted on how she gets on.
-
I am so sorry Carly. I had a friend that had a pony go through the exact same thing. She did exrays and had sever rotation on both font. My dear friend fought hard to help her mare. Sadly the mare passed away on her own.
I truly hope and pray that Willow we get better with a change in diet. I am very glad you have a good farrier.
Please know that we are here to support you and Willow no matter what choice you make. We all know how much you care for her. Hugs my friend.
-
I'm so sorry Carly. We are here for you, and praying for Willow, be assured of that. We know you will be her best friend and do a wonderful job following the great directions your vet has given you. With your good caretaking of her, we'll be lifting lots of prayers for her recovery.
Remember, we're here for you! ;pray ;pray ;pray
-
I'm sending every wish to you and to be honest it's giving me a little kick up the bum to get charm and thriller off the grass a bit more. My grass hasn't really grown much cause they all eat it well down but it's been hot, then rain then frosty at night which is basically a lami dream. I'll be checking them tomorrow and might start bringing them into a smaller lot until it too dries up.
I really hope your beautiful girl gets through this x
-
So sorry to hear this Carly, it is horrible seeing our horses in pain. Sending prayers and healing thoughts to you and Willow. ;pray
-
Thank you all so much for your support, I really, really appreciate it. I've never been down this road and I have always dreaded it, so it really helps to know I'm not alone.
Willow is looking more comfortable being on pain killers and sand. But you can still see shes in a bit of pain/uncomfortable.
She wasn't agreeing much with the plain hay, rather than her lush green grass but she realizes I'm not giving her anything else and eventually she eats it. She is a lot less dehydrated looking at her poop. She had been choosing not to drink, so since I soak her hay, I decided to keep the water and hay together and she slurps away in it.
She neighs at me at every sight, not just a little one, it a loud neigh. I was cleaning out my tack room this afternoon which is near her so I was in and out, without a doubt she would neigh at me every time she saw me, poor girl.
My vet is very supportive, knowing its hard. She told me so many times to call her if I ever need and not to be hard on myself, and she sent me an email with a few more words of support and an information sheet on the condition and a check list of what to do in terms of care. So far I have everything ticked off the list besides farrier work which is booked for tomorrow.
I believe we can fight through this together.
-
The poor dear, you can tell from her stance shes sore. I really am rooting for you though, i have seen some horses pull back from the worst cases of lami - the thing to remember about them though is once a lami always a lami. I know its hard not to feed them, we are trained to think they need food 24/7 and its best if they have access at all times, but in some cases they just can't. Small (almost cruel) rations are needed some times...and soaked to within an inch of their lives aka 24hours or more so its just nothing just something to chew really! This is when a lami safe balancer supplement will come in handy...but not now...not for a good while yet!
And as an aside, again thank you for posting this as it did give me a kick up the bum to go look at thriller a bit more. He was somewhat turfed out to go wild this winter, but it was so mild that even with a clip he did not loose ANY weight...so a few weeks of new growth on the grass and he is morbidly obese. Frankly, he would founder soon if i had not had this wake up call!
I really am keeping everything crossed for you.
-
Don't soak hay for more than a couple hours (3-4 tops) in cold water to remove sugars, any longer and the sugars start going back into the hay, as the solution is saturated, and it just equalizes between the saturated hay and the water. [If you use warm water to soak, no more than an hour soaking, or the hay will start to sour.] Poor the soak water well away from her, so she can't get into (water your plants with it).
She looks like she has wintered well, so doesn't look like she needs any extra calories, but should you need something to get her to eat supplements, a little bit of properly prepared beet pulp is safe. Beet pulp needs to be rinsed, soaked, and then rinsed again til the water runs pretty clear to remove the residual sugars. [To carry supplements, she'd probably only need like 1 cup soaked beet pulp, which only about 1/3 cup dry beet pulp.] If she liked soaked beet pulp before this incident, she might consider it a treat to get it again, now that she is on boring soaked hay.
I can't think of anything else at the moment that hasn't already been said. Keep your chin up, you and Willow have a long road ahead you. [It takes nearly a year to grow out a whole new hoof wall.]
-
Its great to see her up and standing Carly. You have a very long road ahead of you and plenty of people around you to help give support.
Hayley is absolutely spot on, unfortunately willow will be prone to bouts of laminitis now that she has had it. Especially around the same time of the year. With your hot tropical weather up there all year round ( very jealous) everytime you get rain , you need to be on the look out for heat and pulses in her hooves.
When i was a really young Kid I clearly remember my parents drilling into my head that ponies do not need to be grazing out on lush paddocks all day and night. My parents built me a little corral within the paddock that I had to lock my little pony "jamie" up in every night. He was allowed out to graze during the day whilst I was at school and then he was in his yard with a little grass hay of a night.
When my little pinto mare had laminitis a few years back it was this time of the year too. I thought she was pregnant and had been feeding her mare and foal feed ontop of what she was grazing on.
When the vet came out to see her , she said she looked like a coffee table and asked if she could rest her coffee cup on her back lol.
I know this is really hard for you, to see one of your fur kids in so much pain trying to move around , just about sits you on your bum.
It was the BIGGEST wake up call for me, having had Big horses my whole life made me take some time to do some research into this horrible disease.
I now constantly have people that come over and question me as to why my 4x minis barely have anything in their pastures. More often than not I bite my tongue as its hard to explain to non horsey people actually what laminitis is . I show them on my old phone how terrible it was trying to watch my little mare trying to walk like she was walking on broken glass.
Im proud to say that I am a lush pasture Nazi , My minis do much better on grass hay and mineral blocks. Throughout winter, I add alfalfa(lucerne) and a clover blend to their diet as they do need extra in the colder months here in Victoria.
The other thing that I did after having a little one with Laminitis was to turn my paddocks into smaller ones. Ones that are much more suitable to minis, easier to maintain, easier to keep grass down at the start of spring and autumn ( when the sugar content is at its worst here)
Hope she continues to improve Carly :)
-
O, Carly, WOW. Sorry to hear this. You have others here. The advice is sound.
I have not had a bad case like this myself, since I've always worked my butt off to get my grass lusher.
But our farrier has dealt with it before and has had almost all of them come sound (many actually came all the way back to riding/driving sound). She's worked with a farrier that has had several cases where the coffin bone rotated thru the sole and STILL HEALED - so it IS possible. I do not know all the procedures or costs involved in those cases - may very well be cost prohibitive. I know that the farrier(s) involved did a lot of work & they had to track part of it with exrays. Yes, and time to heal.
If you have to make the other decision to let her go, know that we are here and can help you thru that as well. You do what you can and then make your decision. If you make that one, don't 2nd guess yourself, as that will drive you mad for no reason at all. We know that you will work out the best solution for yourself, your herd and your family to the best of your abilities!
And if you have more questions, please ask. Seems many on this forum have had quite the experience!!
CYBER HUGGS coming your way.
-
Don't soak hay for more than a couple hours (3-4 tops) in cold water to remove sugars, any longer and the sugars start going back into the hay, as the solution is saturated, and it just equalizes between the saturated hay and the water.
This makes sense, but then any time i have done it i have soaked then changed the water or rinsed it off...
-
I now constantly have people that come over and question me as to why my 4x minis barely have anything in their pastures. More often than not I bite my tongue as its hard to explain to non horsey people actually what laminitis is .
Same here, but not that they dont know they just dont like that im not managing my land they way they do for their thoroughbreds! When i had TBs i was having them fert and spray my land when they did their own, but now i dont need that...i need NO fert, more weeds (safe weeds only) and NO resting pastures. Even so, my very small paddock still gives more grass growth than my fat ones can cope with, and i need to put them in stables and on the no grass area.
Thankfully Goldie is okay this year only cause shes about to drop, but Thrillers been pulled, Charm is on the verge of being pulled but i know she drops after about 4 months lactating, so i dont mind her having a little weight. Im going to look into splitting my paddocks again to make less space....and i only have just over 1 acre!
-
Computer glitch wouldn't let me quote...
If you are changing the water during the soaking process, then longer periods soaking are likely fine.
-
Sound advice, all. We're here for you!! And praying for Willow! ;pray ;pray
-
Chanda, thank you for sharing your story. That was very well said and full of great information.
In agreement I would much rather have bare pasture and have to Give food .
Still thinking of you Carly
-
I was fortunate here in Florida, as all my horses were on dry lots 100% of the time, as there was no grass growing in my pastures. So, everything they ate came from me feeding them -- which was great for a couple of horses I had here that I had purchased with a history of laminitis. Since there was no grass, they never had a recurrence even when being fed alfalfa -- which was the only hay I fed.
So, I'm not much use in information or experience, but I'm good at prayers! ;pray
-
Thanks Hayley , its good Im not the only one that is questioned more often than not.
Hope willow is making good progress Carly :)
-
Yes still sending good thoughts for Willow and Carley
-
Carly - you could also "double use" that water that you use for soaking the hay. If you have any type of flowers, veggies, fruit - gardens or trees, soak the hay near them. Then when you dump the water and rinse the hay, pour the "used" water onto the garden plants. They can utilize it and they will thank you! Then you have an empty container to carry the hay back to Willow with - then start again.
Yes, it can/does add another step, but one that works for you with no waste & lots of happy, nodding little plants that become big, happy producing plants for you.
-
I have been slowly reducing Willows doses over the past few days, as its been over a week, 2 weeks on Wednesday.
We are down to 2mls of Bute and is being reduced every day. I wanted to see how lame she was, but had to take her off the sand to get more room to see her fully walk.
When we were out of her pen, her head was up and all she wanted to do was trot around and stretch her legs. I let her have a bit of a walk, but didn't want to push our luck and have her out running too long, just to be sure, the last thing I want to do is make anything worse. And I don't want to get too excited with her still being on bute, but it shines a bit of light down the tunnel to see her feeling better. 😊
Our farrier was out Friday and gave her a trim too, he also said that he has seen many pony owners in the exact same boat as us lately.
We are looking to buy a few grazing muzzles for her and my other tubby minis, its been a big wake up call.
-
So glad she's doing well :)
-
Wonderful news Carly Rae! Since you're headed into fall/winter, I'm hoping you'll have an easier time of managing her now. Just don't let her sad expression and your own (possibly) guilty conscience sway you from keeping to the strict feeding regimen she needs.
Keep up the good work. We're looking forward to continued improvement....and photos. You KNOW we like photos!!
-
Such wonderful news! Thank you for updating. I have been thinking of y'all!
-
Yup! This is good news. And keep up your schedule, as it sounds like all is working fine! Very important to follow the instructions for weeks after the "symptoms" disappear! There are several problems horses can have that seem to be gone, but they're just hiding under the surface! So, keep up your plan, and give yourself a hurrah for doing such a good job!!
-
Bump
-
Thanks for the Bump, Ryan! Good thinking!