Duct Tape+ Plastic Mesh= Happy Winston

Recently we noticed that Winston was getting grumpy. All our horses like to work, but with the wet weather he has not done much. So we tried taking him out for spins on the longe. That helped somewhat. I started racking my brain for what to do.

I figured he needed time to be able to run in the big fields. The sacrifice area just is not enough room. Then the question is, what to do about the grass? The Hannibal muzzle is way too open for the pasture and even the Best Friends type of muzzle is a bit big.

As I was cleaning around a blanket box, I found one of our spare rubber muzzle bottoms (cut off damaged muzzles). That got a idea brewing. Using the muzzle piece, I cut out a piece of plastic mesh we use to wrap hay in to slow down eating. Then I used the duct tape to attach the mesh to the muzzle piece. Finally that combination was attached to his full muzzle with duct tape. This cut the eating area down to about half what it is normally. The two rubber pieces protect the mesh from damage.

View looking into muzzle

 With this muzzle we let Winston go out with the boys in the pasture for 1-4 hrs depending. Most of the time he comes in looking for easier food before we think about going to get him. Then he goes in his little area for the night. He seems happier just being able to flat out run if he wants to and that he gets to be with the boys. And Mom and I don't have to worry about him overeating.  Plus he is less grumpy. He even played over trot poles set on a circle like he has done them forever. Small things can make a big difference.

"Hey, this is tough"

Finding balance between a happy horse and prevention is challenging, but after getting the opportunity for Winston to get the Laminil all the steps are worth it. His videos are now helping promote Laminil and hopefully raise funds. According to their video, all 42 horses showed improvement. Here is the link: http://vimeo.com/72319445
Hearing about the number of people who applied to be part of the trial the first day and knowing that I applied a couple days after the announcement, makes me realize how lucky we were Winston was an ideal patient. It was a high point after a bad work day.

Now it is onto show preparations. My list is almost done :)

The Drugs are Coming!

Woo Hoo the Laminil should be here tomorrow. Winston will have to wear standing wraps tonight and tomorrow until the procedure. It is really happening.
When I get home I will be charging my camera, so I can document the day. I really hope this makes him feel better.

He is so sweet

And with all that has happened I forgot to mention Roscoe got a call for collection. Well he got a call, then it got rescheduled and then it got canceled because the mare owner's vet did not monitor the mare closely enough and missed the window of opportunity. So Roscoe gets a break until her next cycle. I felt bad for the mare owner since she paid money to have the mare prepped and monitored and now has nothing to show for it. Oh the joys of breeding.

Till tomorrow, fingers crossed.

Winston Update

Thank you all for your well wishes. Please keep Winston in your thoughts. I am a big believer in positive thinking.
When I got home yesterday, Mom told me more about the day. Winston did not want to walk in from turn out and it was pouring. Big red flag. His muscles were twitching from the pain. I have to say we have a wonderful vet. Mom called and said she really thought Winston was in a bad way and they immediately worked to fit him in between appointments. No questions. We are not ones to call the vet over small things, so they know if we call it is important.
Our vet in addition to the Banamine and Ulcer prevention meds, also put him on Thyroxine. This will induce Hyperthyroidism and hopefully help him lose some weight while on stall rest. We have a whole page of instructions for all his medicines. She said to mix the meds with applesauce, but we are just going to use wheat bran. Joyce Harman said that was okay. Dr Harman said to try and get him off the pain medicine as soon as possible. Too much walking is not good. Lying down is actually the best for him. And of course she recommended putting him on Pro Bi. Stomach health is a large part of managing laminitis.
We also have to ice his hooves and legs at least twice a day to help with inflammation. Surprisingly, Winston did not mind the big, blue boots. Such a good boy.

Icing session last night

Fortunately, Peggy and Larry had a spare Nibble Net we could use for Winston so that we could slow his hay consumption. We normally wrap hay in landscaping mesh and drop into a hay bag, but this net will be easier and quicker to use. Mom had to add some landscaping mesh to make up for a big hole one of Peggy's horse ate into it. Winston has very nimble lips and had no problem with the jerry rigged bag.
And finally...
At about 1am I received a response from the doctor in charge of the Laminil trial. He said "(Winston) is an ideal candidate, because the drug is most effective when used during 48-72 hours after occurrence." I just needed to have my vet send authorization and a shipping address and they would send the Laminil. How about that?
I immediately forwarded the email to our vet, whose opinion I trust, and asked if she knew anything about it and was it worth trying. Today I got her response. At first, she was leery since she had not heard about it and so many laminitis drugs are questionable. She recommended contacting Dr Harman for holistic treatment if we wanted a different path. Then about a half hour later, she wrote that she looked over the information about the trial and Laminil. She said "It looks promising, Let's try it." We sent back for her to go ahead and contact the trial group to start the process. Now we wait.
I am not normally drawn to this type of treatment, we normally go as holistic as possible. But I am a believer of "Things happen for a reason," and my seeing the trial article the day before is too big to ignore. Added to that, when I went to the Laminil website the trial is now full and not accepting any more horses.
So that is where we stand as of now. Winston is more comfortable looking, according to Mom, but it will be a long road.