Midnight

[Abby P]

They totally eat the shells! Crunch, crunch.

 

[Cayuse]

How is Midnight doing?
I forgot to add, if you guys ever use the frozen peas to the feet, don't let them eat them, lol. Oatie was fine with it until the bag got a tiny hole poked in it and he could smell them, then he discovered the joy of peas .

 

[Marsha Cassada]

They totally eat the shells! Crunch, crunch.

I will get her some. Should I get salted, or just raw ones? I know she would love these.

 

[Abby P]

Usually it's the roasted/salted ones, like for a baseball game.

Is she off the grass now? I think that would be the most important change to make.

 

[Marsha Cassada]

This evening I could tell she needed more banamine. I am planning to take her for xrays next week, when things settle down after the holiday. Poor little girl. So many signs I can point to, after the fact. Such as, she gets her feet trimmed every four weeks, but her hoof growth never looks tight. If she weren't trimmed so often she would probably be in a more painful place.
Her hooves are beginning to look really good, too. At first her little frogs were all sideways and constricted. Now her hooves are looking like real horse hooves. Finally, after 3 years of Barefoot trimming.

 

[Marsha Cassada]

Usually it's the roasted/salted ones, like for a baseball game.

Is she off the grass now? I think that would be the most important change to make.

Absolutely. Not a bite. She is in the dry corral.
I will get her some peanuts. I can put them in her water jug so she can have something to play with.

 

[Abby P]

That's great! Once you get her diet where it needs to be you should see her crest get softer and start shrinking - that's really an excellent gauge. It won't go away overnight of course but the degree of hardness can change very fast.

Can you get teff or Bermuda hay where you are? Those tend to be low in sugar.

I really love the Hayburners 3/4" hole hay nets - they really slow Rowan down, but since they have no knots, they don't irritate his nose and he doesn't seem annoyed by eating out of them (of course he'd rather be buried up to his tail in the middle of a giant round bale all to himself, but too bad). It would just make her hay portion last a lot longer so that you don't have to feel so bad that she's without food for long stretches.

Hang in there, you've got this!

 

[Silver City Heritage Farmstead]

Here's another padding suggestion: you could try doubling up a maxi pad and vet wrappings duct taping it to her feet. Cheap fix, lots of extra padding and support, supplies are easy to find.

As others have mentioned, we'll support you however we can. MaryFlora said it well, "

we do the best we can with what we have to work with and that is all anyone can do.

 

[Silver City Heritage Farmstead]

The video posted while I was posting the above response. I've got to say, "Dapper Dan...that at the end!!"

 

[Marsha Cassada]

She has boots, but she is on pretty soft ground now. Her hay is bermuda. She does have a slow feeder bag. Excited to hear that the crest will soften eventually! Horses just keep teaching us.

 

[HersheyMint]

Dapper dan wants in on the sprinkler

What a great

 

[chandab]

I remembered about celery. I've given them small pieces before. Not their favorite. But Midnight is a little desperate for treats right now so she might like it better! I was taking expired lettuce mix to the chickens and offered both horses some of the crunchy pieces of romaine and butter bliss. I was thinking it was something I could offer her. I had a list at one time of safe treats, but cannot find it now.

Typical treat amount probably won't be much of an issue, just limit.
Purina has a new low carb treat, Carb Conscious, available at TSC; my minis like them, I think all of them do, but a couple were skeptical at first: Purina Carb Conscious Horse Treats, 5 lb. Bag at Tractor Supply Co.

 

[HersheyMint]

Peanuts in the shell, and hay cubes (probably best pellets for minis unless you can get the tiny cubes), are two more that are easily accessible and widely liked.

I'm so curious about feeding peanuts in the shell. I never would have thought. That's why I love you guys in this forum
Hoping Midnight is still improving

 

[Marsha Cassada]

She's still not right this morning, though happy and enjoying her grooming. I plan to take her for xray this week.
Another down side to this episode is Dapper Dan. They are used to roaming all over the property, probably walking miles every day. Now he is just sticking close to the corral by Midnight. I will have to take him out for drives and walks every day.
Her manure is loose today. What is with that?

 

[Abby P]

Excited to hear that the crest will soften eventually!

The crest can go away completely! It's really a great indicator for whether the diet is good or not. If Cushing's has been ruled out, then IR/laminitis is very much a diet-induced problem. Every horse will be different in how much limitation of sugar they need and what things they might or might not be sensitive to, but it is something that can be controlled. It's not always easy, I don't mean to suggest that, but it doesn't have to be a permanent state of being either.

I think X-rays are a really good place to start so you know the current state of her feet, but don't lose heart if they show rotation or other issues. I have seen some horses with really scary-looking X-rays return to soundness. They will help your farrier do a better job on her feet and once the trigger is removed, tight growth should start coming down pretty soon. They may look really weird for a while! But they can recover from rotation.

 

[Willow Flats]

Rats! Didn't think of the way it would affect Dapper Dan. Sweet that he is staying close by, but you are right, now you have to keep him moving.
I am praying this can all be turned around for her like Abby has mentioned.
The sprinkler idea was brilliant by the way!

 

[Cayuse]

She's still not right this morning, though happy and enjoying her grooming. I plan to take her for xray this week.
Another down side to this episode is Dapper Dan. They are used to roaming all over the property, probably walking miles every day. Now he is just sticking close to the corral by Midnight. I will have to take him out for drives and walks every day.
Her manure is loose today. What is with that?

Are you soaking her hay? That could loosen her up a little. Sending more good vibes to Midnight.

 

[Abby P]

Yeah, also just the change from grass to hay could maybe cause a little irritation, if she doesn't tighten up in a few days then maybe some psyllium?

 

[Marsha Cassada]

Not soaking the hay.
I was afraid it was the banamine causing loose manure so I didn't give her any tonight. She seemed a little more comfortable. I put four or five peanuts in her water jug and she worried it all afternoon. She cries to come out. I can hardly stand it.
I will take DD for a walk tomorrow.

 

[Abby P]

Hang in there - it's only been a few days and she'll settle in. It's much harder on you than it is on her. It's probably mainly missing her buddy - can he be in with her at least part of the time? That might help a lot, get into a routine with when he's in and when he's not, and she'll get used to it.