This is, Milly, a lovely, gentle pony. She was left in our field with the other horses.
I knew straight away that she was ill. She was just standing there with that sad look on her face, as in the photo opposite. I tried to get her to walk but she had trouble. Me and my son, Lee, managed to get her to the end of the field where the stable is and stabled her. It took over an hour to get her in the stable, she was in pain. I called the vet and she came straight out fearing it was laminitis (This is a wonderful website to learn about laminitis) I had never came across laminitis before, so I wasn't sure. The vet did a test and said she had chronic laminitis. It was heart breaking to see her rocking back and forth on all her hooves, she couldn't stand properly and her front legs were wide apart. The vet said it is through the pain that they rock like this. She told me what I should do to make, Milly, comfortable in the stable. Milly, needed to be standing on 16 inches of shaving that covers the whole stable floor. I went and brought bags of shavings and piled it high to 16 inches and it covered every part of the stable. She was put on Bute (Horse painkiller) twice a day and hay that had to be soaked for 12 hours. I had to buy her a bag of Hi-Fi Lite to put the bute in, the vet she was OK to eat this without putting weight on. The vet said that, Milly, needed to lose a lot of weight. I had to make up my mind right there and then to keep her. I was told I was silly to take, Milly, on by everyone. "The cost will be great" they all said, but the only other way for, Milly, was to be put to sleep and I couldn't do that. The vet said there was a 50/50 chance that she can pull through this with the right care........What would you have done? The people who allowed, Milly, to get into this state allowed her to eat to much. She was very overweight and her crest was very thick, there was no doubt that she had been neglected. The size of her neck was huge for such a small pony as you can see in the second and third photo. Her hooves had not been trimmed and needed doing ASAP. The farrier came out to do them a week later and also the vet came to sedate her to make it easier for her with the pain due to laminitis. The vet said she needed to lose a lot of weight which would help her with the laminitis. There was a change in her face in the next few weeks, it wasn't drawn any more and her eyes were bright. She could stand like a normal horse and she was jumping around like a baby in the stable. We couldn't wait to let her out, but at the same time I was nervous of doing so. Six months, Milly, was in the stable and she got better and better each week. We started to see the true, Milly! She started to put her head through the gate on the stable and call out to the other horses and they used to come and stand by the stable for hours watching her. Paris, took over, she would stand nearly all day with her head resting on the gate watching over, Milly. We brought her a head collar and tried it for size, but she played up and kicked out. It was hard work trying to put a head collar on, Milly and even harder to lead her around the stable. She would buck and bite us. It was obvious she had no training at all. We had to be very careful when trying to get the head collar on her for our own safety. Then it came to mind when we were training, Rosie, with putting the head collar on. I started to use the same techniques the horse trainer showed me. It worked a treat! Me and Lee, went to the horse shop and brought around 50 electric post, electric fencing, electric box and a car battery. It cost a small fortune, but worth it. We set it all up for her to have a small paddock with the stable. The field the others are in is over 10 acres. Far too much grass for her to be able to run in. The vet came out to check her once again and said that she was able to come out of the stable. We were over the moon and excited for, Milly. The vet checked her paddock and said it was fine for her. It was full of nettles which would do her good, hardly any grass. That was in October 2010. When the time came around again for the farrier, we called the vet to sedate her again, but the vet didn't turn up and the farrier said he would try and see how she goes. Well she was amazing! Lee, was holding her and she didn't fight at all. But within a week the laminitis was back! Milly, went back into the stable with bags of shavings and back on Bute. A very sad time for us and Milly. The vet said it would be to do with the trimming. This could happen each time! Every six weeks we have the farrier and she would have to have her hooves trimmed to help her not get the laminitis back. Milly, was in the stable this time for eight weeks and then was allowed back in her paddock. The vet gave me Bute to give to, Milly, on the day of her next hoof trim and told me to keep her in the stable for three days on Bute after the trim and see how she goes. Well it did the trick! We rested Milly for three days after her trim and there was no problems at all. I called the vet out when she was well again to have X rays for her front hooves. Again she had to be sedated and within a few seconds her head hit the floor. I was not happy at all and told the vet, but the vet said she would be OK. I was worried she had gave her to much of the drug. Milly, was standing with her back legs but her front legs have gave way and went down on her knees, I was holding her head up, but she was to heavy to hold. I kept rubbing her all over to get up to stand up and to bring her around a little more than she was. It started to work and she was slowly coming around. I placed her head down slowly and moved her tongue to the side of her month and stayed with her while the vet took the X rays in the stable. It didn't take long but it took over an hour to get her to come around out of the sedation. Me and Lee, kept grooming her and that helped her a lot. The vet said to place my finger inside of her ear and that made her jump, it did help to bring her around. The X rays arrived a week later. I gave them to the farrier and he was pleased. She was doing so well! There is only a slight rotation in one of her hooves. We thought it would be a lot worse with the way, Milly, suffered. We know it is something we will have to always be on guard for as it can happen again at any time. The last time she had her hooves trimmed, she was OK, she didn't need to go into the stable but I did give her Bute. I asked the vet if we could try it without the Bute next time and see how we go and she thought that was a good idea. It has been quite a while now since she last a bout of laminitis. Milly, hasn't had an easy time of it, bless her. She bounces back each time getting stronger and stronger. With a huge weight loss she is coming on great (photos 6 & 7) The vet came out to give them all their tetanus and flu injections and Milly, had her first tetanus and flu injection done and at the same time had her teeth checked. I thought how well she was doing, she will be up to date with everything now. She had to have her teeth filed down and again she had to be sedated. But this time she only had half of the amount of the sedation drug. The vet said she did not need anymore and wrote on her file, "Milly is a light weight and only needs a tiny amount". The next day she had a massive lump on the side of her neck from the injection plus a very large lump under her skin under her jaw and she wasn't eating at all or moving around. I called the vet immediately and she said it is more than likely a piece of tooth. She had a loose tooth and some of the tooth must of fell off. It took another 2 weeks to get her back to being herself again. I had to sit with her when she was laying down, otherwise she would call out. I managed to get her eating again by hand feeding her. I grated carrots up and mushed her food up and she started eating herself after a couple of days without any help from me! Having her teeth filed really took it out of her. But now she is eating so much better, where before she would drop food out of her mouth while eating.The vet said she is around 4 to 4 and half years old when she checked her teeth. Milly, thinks that she is one of the big horses, she tries to bully them, apart from Paris, but she gets away with it with, Ollie. He is smaller than she is! We have now had her chipped and also getting her a passport! The vet said that, Milly, is part Dartmoor. Her coat is beautifully shiny and thick! Milly, doesn't mind having her head collar put on now and will lead beautifully and loves to be groomed all over. In the time we took, Milly, on she has come on leaps and bounds and enjoys the attention from us, We couldn't do anything with, Milly, at first, she would kick out and bite us! My son, Lee, had quite a few kicks from her and even caught him in his back! Now we can take Milly for a walk with her head collar and lead rope, clean out her hooves, tie her up and groom her all over with no problems. I can now spray her all over with fly spray and she even takes her wormers with no problems at all. We have even had her travelling in a horse box to the new field and she was a star! She went straight the box and when we reached the new field she came out calmly and followed the other horses into the field! I was so proud of her! Milly is truly a big part of the family now and very much loved. Thank you for your lovely comments on young, Milly! Please keep them coming in...... 3 Nov 2012
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You spend a lot of time on her and not everyone would of done that. Bet she would say thank you to you if she could speak :) Lovely story x Lucy Faccio Thank you for reading all about our Lovely, Milly. She is so very special to us. Milly, is up to date with her tetanus and flu injections, worming and trims. You can read all about, Paris, Pip, Rosie and Ollie on their own page. If you would like to leave any comments on, Milly, then please do so. It is always nice to hear what you think. There will be new photos added regularly and updates on, Milly. Your email will not be shown on any comments. Please read our Privacy Policy on the Home page |