Better, But Not Sound

Nothing much to report on account of continuing lameness grumbling away there...

He had half a Danilon Sunday and Monday, don't believe I remembered to mention that. But that's all. Kate told me he'd been hooning around the paddock being all silly and deliberately spooky yesterday :) As my Nan would have said, his head's full of broken biscuits!

I panicked this evening because whilst the other two were at the gate waiting, Quadi was stood in the corner of the top paddock. He neighed to me. Laminitis, in big red flashing letters, flashed across my mind. I got to him and he was reluctant to move. But the mares were just over the fence, and when I got to picking out his feet to put on his hoof boots he was fine about this and not stood oddly. Weird for him to be on his own though!

I brought him in to soak his feet and then dry them out on the concrete. With the warm wetter weather we're experiencing I'm leaning towards overall infection as opposed to abscess. His heels are spongy and whilst not smelly, they don't look too clever. We're about to switch paddocks to a better-drained one.

I've been having some thoughts about his feed and so on. First of all his feet, tummy and topline do not please me! I think I've let something slip diet-wise. Fin and The Baby can often be found licking their stable salt licks or the pasture mineral lick. I don't think myself or Kate have ever really noticed Quadi use either. Plus I was reading somewhere (EE?) about how you should supplement with mag-ox if you feed an alfalfa/straw chop. I do, which incidentally is Hi-Fi and is coated with mollasSes extract. I'm just getting through the last of his Top-Spec joint supplement and will be switching him to MSM only. The former has glucosamine in it, contraindicated for laminitics I believe.

To that end, I think I'll have to start dosing his feed with salt. I haven't yet worked out how much to give him, I don't want to give him a full dose in case he is using the licks. Plus I'll get him some magnesium oxide. On top of switching to MSM, I'm going to look into a different kind of forage. With the linseed he's getting, I'm not sure the alfalfa as a source of protein is necessary, and it's kind of a hit-or-miss legume to feed to a laminitic. I'm thinking of an uncoated grass/straw chop....

In his stable, Quadi has access to the straw for bedding as well as his own hay. Not easily, but there are ways and means for a hungry boy! Despite my offering perfectly nice hay in abundance, he's expressing a preference for the straw. I've always been wary of feeding straw in case of colic, but am wondering if lacing his hay with straw will be good for him in order to feel full without calories?

At the end of August, the boys will be moving house. We'll be very sad to leave where we are, the only reason this is happening is that Kate has bought her own place, complete with grazing and stabling :D Quadi is very lucky to be allowed to move in too! There is a point to bear in mind that the grazing there is richer but the stables have a concrete yard and there's my aforementioned idea to give him hay and straw. Combined with strip grazing, a dry lot and muzzling if need be, as well as a full workload >:) we should be ok.

Lots of jumbled musings from me tonight...The Feeding Challenge rumbles on.