Munchie Update

We can't believe how quickly time is flying by at the moment - summer gave way to the most horrendous weather the last couple of days - gale force winds and driving rain - not pleasant at all!  Wolfie and Breeze's new loan family have been to visit them and thankfully we had the barn to shelter in so that they could meet properly!

It seems like a good moment to give a Munchie update as he's been with us for laminitis rehab since December 2016 (please click on the photos to enlarge them):

December 2016

December 2016

January 2017

June 2017

June 2017

He's made really huge progress and as usual we always learn lots from each case we take on.  Munchie's case is particularly interesting to us because it could have been easy for him to be "labelled" as a classic Cushings case based on his appearance and severe laminitis.  Previous vet tests had come back negative for Cushings...and a negative result was also indicated by iridology.  

In Munchie's case his kidneys were compromised, and for a long time he had been in a situation where he was having just one or two hours of turnout a day (all year around) and spent the rest of the time stood in a yard or stable.  His feet were very distorted from pedal bone rotation and trimming. 

We were very shocked the day he arrived back - he had abscesses in all 4 feet that had not been treated and the pus welled along the coronary bands at the top of the hoof - we started treating these straight away.

Our priority is always to get a laminitic rehab pony comfortable - both with surfaces and natural pain relief.  Laminitis rehab seems to be becoming a specialty for us at the moment!  

It is great to see how far Munchie has come, how his feet are realigning, the internal structures of his feet are developing, and how he's getting more and more turnout even in the height of summer.  Minerals and toxicity - and the knowledge we gained from conducting the Bodmin research last year - have been important aspects that we have taken on board.  Since specifically focussing on this with Munchie he has returned to the colour that he was as a foal, which is really quite extra-ordinary (he's no longer "orange"!).  Our thanks to the ladies at Naturally Animals and ForagePlus for their assistance!  He's still got a way to go but nearly 6 months on we are delighted at how well he is progressing.

So often horses such as Munchie are put onto Pergolide and we are so pleased that we have not gone down that route.  Of course, all horses and ponies are different and some will have Cushings, but perhaps it is all too easy for horses and ponies to be labelled as "Cushings" when other conditions can produce similar symptoms.

To send a message or ask a question, please click on the 'comments' link below