Penny has a foot abscess

Well unfortunately poor Penny is in at the moment as she has a foot abscess. I noticed her looking like she was favouring a leg and the next day she had a filled fetlock, with a strong pulse. I suspected a 'poisoned foot' as this is very common with brood mares, this being because they are out in the mud all the time and it's a perfect breeding environment for bugs! So she is resting up at the mo with a foot poultice on. Hoping she will be better within the next couple of days.

I have spoken to the feed helpline at Dodson & Horrell today, they were very helpful and happy to give advice. Based on what they have said I think that I will keep Penny on the Suregrow unless she looks to be losing weight. I am very pleased with her condition at the moment, she looks very well. She has a lovely shiny coat (under the mud!) and bright eyes, she is very alert and taking interest in her surroundings. So showing all the signs of being well and happy!

I have increased her intake to 600g per feed with a handful of chaff. She will be on this for a couple of weeks before I increase it again. If the grass is not good quality then I will increase her chaff ration. Her feed will need to be split in to two feeds in mid February as the foal will start to take up more room and restrict her stomach. The best thing to do is feed little and often. Unfortunately I don't have the circumstances where I can give her five feeds a day, so it will have to be split between two or three. The following table shows a feed guide I have planned, though it is all subject to change and does not include the chaff ration.

Jan 01 – Jan 14	500g
Jan 15 – Jan 28	600g
Jan 29 – Feb 12	700g
Feb 13 – Feb 27 (split into min 2 feeds a day)	425g	425g
Feb 27 – Mar 13	500g	500g
March	500g	500g
April	500g	500g
May	420g	420g	420g
June (immediately after foaling)	500g	500g	500g
July	500g	500g	500g
August	500g	500g	500g
September	600g	600g

From September on Penny and her foal will need to be fed separately. Penny will require much less feed and the foal will require more. Obviously this will all be dependant on how the foal grows etc. so I will have to play that by ear. I hope that the foal will be sharing or at least eating some of Penny's feed by this stage. Penny shares with her field companions so I am optimistic that she will be good with her foal.

Also had a reminder from the Vet this morning that Penny's second EHV is due 5th Feb, so must get that booked up. Penny was showing signs of lameness in her off hind last night. I have had a good look at her this morning and can't see anything obvious. She didn't look lame this morning so hopefully there is nothing to worry about. I will keep a close eye on it.

Penny is now having approximately 500g of Suregrow a day (since 27/12), mixed with a handful of chaff (she's not short of forage but it will slow her eating it as she is a gobbler). She is still in very good condition and does not appear to have lost any weight. She is carrying a bit too much condition, so I have a delicate balance between feeding for the foal and her. This is why she is on Suregrow as it gives her all the nutrients without the calories. I will start to creep up the feed though as I want to be feeding her 1kg of it by the time we get to March - the foal does most of it's growing in the last three months.

I am tempted to introduce Mare and Youngstock Mix or Stud Diet by the time she comes to foal, as I think she will need more energy when she is lactating than what is provided by Suregrow. Though I can add oats to the feed. I think another call to the Dodson & Horrell helpline is in order!

I have now purchased two bags of Suregrow and a bag of chaff for Penny. I am slowly introducing her to the pellets so that she is ready to start feeding January 1st. I have been giving her handfuls with her mineral lick, she seems to like it so will have her first full feed on January 1st. I might also get some molasses to wet the feed as she seems to rather like the stuff!

I have found some rubber matting for her stable, which has now been laid and swept. It's now waiting for a bed on top of it which I will put down shortly. I am going to start to bring Penny in for her feed so that she gradually gets used to coming in again. She found it rather traumatic when she came in the other day!

The weather has been very mild and wet, though it has got colder today. Penny's rug seems to be keeping her warm and dry so i am pleased with that. Her field is in a mess, the ground is very heavily poached, I am hoping that the horses will go in another field before the spring to give it a rest. Also need to ask about the fencing as it is currently eletric - which is no good for foals!

Penny now has a Mark Todd light weight rug to wear, the rain has been non stop lately and cannot be very pleasant for her. When I brought her in to her new stable she was very over anxious. She wanted to get straight back to her field companions and was not at all happy about having the mud knocked off her. As such we didn't achieve much but managed to get her new rug on - with her putting up quite a protest. I was pleased to find that under the mud her coat is in good condition, it has a shine to it and there are no signs of rain scald.

I have been researching what to feed her. Because she is carrying a lot of condition I am going to feed her a low calorie diet. I do think that she has lost weight over the past two weeks, which is not surprising given the extreme weather we have had. Hopefully with her rug on she will be better protected. I am going to start feeding her Dodson & Horrell's Sure Grow from January, to ensure that the foal gets the right nutrients. I will gradually introduce mare & Youngstock mix so that in her final three months she is being fed nearly her maximum amount. The most feed she will require is in the first three months after foaling, when she will be feeding her foal.

The weather is again bad tonight, with heavy rain and wind. TB's do not fare that well with rain, they can cope with the cold but not the wet. Hence the rug. Fingers crossed she keeps it on!

Next EHV due 5th February 2007. Need to seek advice on Tetanus etc.

Penny EHV

Penny has had her first EHV today. The vet said that she is looking well and not too fat as I had feared. He advised that she start being fed in her last six months, so I will start feeding her in January and build it up gradually until she is on maximum feed for March, April and May. We also now have a nice big stable for her, so she will start coming in at night from April. I now have to research what to feed her. It will be a stud mix but not sure which one. I will email the companies and see what is best.