>>>> You've been lucky with your mare Mic. . . .knock wood. I hope things >>>> continue to be good for you and Molda on that issue. There's nothing >>>> worse than watching a horse suffer with terribly sore feet. I told >>>> myself I wouldn't put Rocky (nor me) through another round of founder like >>>> he had two years ago . . . It was awful.
I'm convinced there isn't a perfect solution. That said, Holly had her first bout of laminitis about 12 years ago, and the second one just a few months later. Once we got her meds adjusted, she had no more laminitis since. She's always out on pasture , except during and immediately after her acute attacks - but only on really weedy, non-improved ones. We can keep them up in "starvation lots" and control every bite they get, but gosh, that's got to be so mentally stressful for them. Horses are driven from inside to roam and graze. Our "weed grasses" that just come up in pastures that aren't planted are mainly Bermuda and in the summer, crabgrass. Thankfully, those tend to be low-sugar. The thing that really worries me about keeping horses in a state that they feel starved and confined (even if they are adequately nourished) is that I've heard, and it makes sense to me, that bored, hungry horse are more likely to eat poisonous weeds or leaves that their instincts might otherwise tell them to avoid. Maybe that's not true, but it seems likely to me. And remember, if the founder comes from Cushing's, controlling their food intake may REDUCE the chance of founder, but the chance is still there, no matter. Sundance lost a LOT of weight the week before his laminitis, so I certainly couldn't reduce his food intake. He was such a hard-keeper his last 3-4 years that I made the decision to leave him on pasture in the spring. By that time, he was having times where he seemed depressed, and that was awful too. He had his spring grass, and he didn't have another bout of laminitis. He was, however, on Cyproheptadine for the Cushing's. I'm a big believer in using meds when we can, rather than trying to do ALL the treatment via diet control. Quality of life is as important to me as the quantity... Karen Thomas, NC No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.5.516 / Virus Database: 269.20.5/1279 - Release Date: 2/14/2008 6:35 PM
