Ask The Vet

Provided By: Melissa McKee DVM

There is an old saying that goes “there are two types of pony- those that have foundered and those that haven’t foundered yet”, so your caution is well advised! First of all, I think that the deep hoof rings you have noticed are more likely a result of his very poor body condition and malnutrition than from laminitis. I am sure you are being careful to monitor his weight gain so he doesn’t end up fat, which is the typical scenario for the insulin-resistant laminitic pony. Recent experiments have shown that you can actually trigger laminitis in ponies by giving a large dose of insulin, so monitoring insulin levels can help you make management decisions to prevent this. The best time to check insulin and glucose is first thing in the morning after a night of fasting. If they are already elevated I would not turn him out to grass at all during the peak growing season. I wish I could guarantee that normal blood levels means that a pony won’t founder on grass but unfortunately I think that old saying has a grain of truth to it. A safe approach would be to limit spring turnout time, use a grazing muzzle, and only turnout out in the morning when the sugar content of the grass is at its lowest. Be sure to keep him well exercised because this will improve insulin sensitivity just like it does in humans. I know he will be fine because you are obviously taking great care of him and you have anticipated this potential problem well before it had a chance to develop.