Help entertaining a bored laminitic horse on box rest?
Hi there
My 14 year old TB gelding is currently on box rest suffering from mild lammi contained by his left fore. The problem is that he has gone from living out 24/7 to being within and is finding it really boring. Due to the nature of his condition it is not possible for me to hang up a likit, or offer him any toys that he can kick about as he is supposed to be staying as still as possible. It also doesn't help that he is restricted to four slices of hay per light of day so he is starving. I have been splitting his feed (hi fi lite and a handful of happy hoof) into 3 meals a day and double netting his haynets.
I enjoy got him a plastic apple which apparently smells like apples to hang from his hay web ring, and he has a basketball on a string which I have tied up with baling twine but he doesn't bother near that either. The horses on the same block as him are out during the day and within at night.
Any advice?
Thanks x
Just as a little treat you could get a rubber bubble or something he can not chew and swallow cut a hole in it and put Sugar Free Jell-o in it..near a little bit of water to make it gooey and stick to the inside of the globe...worked for one of my horses. Hope this helps good luck and best wishes.
it sound like you are doing adjectives the right things my sisters horse had the same problem she played soothing music into his stable adjectives the time and tryed to make sure that there be another horse on the yard even if it was on the other side of the courtyard it was still some thing for her to amuse herself with
her horse is a arab x tb so it be extra hard for her to stay still lol
hope your tb gets better soon
obedient luck
zoe babe..x
He's bored and unhappy and have every right to be. Why is he locked in a box? Is he a danger to himself somehow? Doesn't make sense to me to restrict him. First thing, is to eliminate the trigger for the laminitic attack and this will take strictness of most of the pain. Move the horse to a dirt paddock with a buddy. Provide grass only hay and lots of dampen. Your vet may prescribe some anti-inflammatory and pain meds to help relieve the pain and capture the horse moving but he should be moving out of the stall. Excessive meds is not a good idea because some level of agony will keep your horse from further injuring himself. An initial trim should relieve pressure and tearing on the lamina - do this how it is most comfortable for the horse. then wager on up the foundered toe to the white line. If the heels are high so that the coffin bone is not parrallel to the ground, lower the heels down to the widest part of the frog. Make certain you also trim the hinds so that the horse will not continue to be in a foundered type stance longer than necessary due to long hind toes. Until he is recovered, I would not contribute him grain in any form. Again, you must determine the trigger for the laminitis and prevent it from happening again. Turnout is better for him than standing contained by the stall. Movement will help him heal with purely movement he chooses to make. Good luck to you.
I actually just read ina horse magazine that horses on stall rest enjoy looking at a mirror. s whether it possible you could get a shatterproof mirror and put it up somewhere visible to him. But it looks like what your doing is vitally the only thingsyou can do. Good Luck
hi you could try leaving a radio on for company,i know a yard that always have one on for the horses that are in a lot.
He might like a goat. We hold one for a horse that tends to pace, and the goat calms her down abundantly. He has a little hut in the corner where on earth he can get away if he desires to, but they spend most of their time together.
As "voice of reason" said you seem to be doing all the right things! Just make certain he has enough company as possible, even if it's a moment ago a horse across the yard, it will give him something to watch. Also go away the radio on, and groom him as much as you can.
I can so relate to you. The horse you see in my avatar foundered within all four in June. The vet gave him bute for strain. But it attacked his kidneys, and we almost lost him. He spent eight days in the equine hospital with a host of veterinarians on his overnight case. When he finally came home, we had to put him within a small paddock about 20x20. My other horses were in the pasture, so Casper be very bored and unhappy. I bought a cheap radio and a lot of battery and hung it up in his stall so he could hear actual conversation. I also got a big rubber duck and put it in his marine trough, and he played with it a lot. I know exactly where on earth you are coming from and it is so heartbreaking when they have to be so confined. But it sounds like you are doing the right thing for him. My vet's have him on equiox for pain and a special farrier that gave him corrective shoeing. He has solitary been turned out for the past three weeks as he could not be allowed to graze as long as there be green grass. You have a long road ahead and I wish you much success. I know adjectives too well how hard this is.
oh god poor you, it sounds as if you're doing adjectives the right things, splitting the feeds into smaller regular portions, double netting the hay nets, I use to hide carrot in the bedding and around the stable but that's no good to you whether he has to stay still. I use to play my boy music, it use to make him feel close to someone was around, but soothing music I found radio 1 use to wind him up. I also use to hide carrot in his hay net, that may help. Keep going, it's tough but within is light at the end of the tunnel. Good luck XX
The other posters are giving some great suggestions.
You can try a webbed stall guard (only use it if there is someone around to monitor him.) My horse loved his when he be on stall rest, he would hang out all day beside his head in the aisle, I think it made him consistency less isolated. I also hung toys just in his reach on the outside of his stall door so that when his door was unfold he had to really work to get to them, it kept him busy for hours. I fixed to try that after I found him playing with his halter that had been sagging on his door that I THOUGHT was out of reach =)
Answers: See if you can somehow attach a mirror to the external of his stall bars so he can see himself but not break the mirror. Safety type mirrors are out there but not sure where on earth.
*get a plywood piece, drill holes in the tops and the bottom corners. Attach stick on mirror tiles found at any home center with cement. Hang with rope/chain/wire from the drilled holes and secure to stall wall with the bottom holes.*
I other float things in the water tank. Normally a burlap backpack filled with 'hay'. They have some small ones that verbs tanks at Tractor Supply. Horses love to chew them. :)
I attached a brick with a short twine to give freight to it, so they would be less apt to run off with it.
Large Tree department attached to the bars. Great for butt itching.
*mine don't chew them much but they do nibble the ends*
Baling twine (jute twine) with big knots throughout. They love to suck that into their mouths and chew in boredom.
Tie to the bars/ring/etc in the stall and tie big thumbsize knot the entire length. Make sure there are no open 'holes' for a hoof or snout to get in, between knots. Make certain the chewing twine is not so long it can wrap around a neck.
I made mine about 1 foot long after the knots be added.
Knots were 2 inches apart.
Jugs of clean and empty detergent bottles near marbles/rocks/etc in them (noise makers). Tie high up so he has to make for it and just tap with his snout or tie low so he can dig his teeth in and take out frustration.
My boy loves them low and he digs within his teeth and crunches down.
Tie so that it cannot get around his neck. For tying low I had approximately a 1 foot length of twine.
Every other day or so stick a pinwheel or some other noisy, moving thing where on earth he can see it but not reach it. This will give him some mental relief.breaks up the monotony.
With adjectives of everyones ideas, you'll find some things that work for you two. :)
Luck!
