Founder to Freedom!
In early July 2017 my mum messaged me to say my little pony Diva was limping badly – I told her she probably just stepped on something and not to worry I’d check her the next day. Boy, did our lives change dramatically!
Diva could barely walk and would almost try to hop on her front legs. After a few visits from the vet where we could hardly get Diva out her stable door she got me to bring Diva into the clinic for x-rays to confirm her suspicions of laminitis. The look on her face said it all! Diva had pedal bone rotation in both front hooves albeit one more than the other. She was on box rest for the next 2 weeks which is super hard when you work full time and also have another pony who had to stay in the stable too!
This is when I contacted the lovely Cath at McDowell’s Herbs and asked for help. Cath’s knowledge of all things horsey and her compassion towards my situation was ever so reassuring. I had complete trust in her and her products to help me get little Diva back on track and not in any more pain.
One thing I was told was to never starve them when they founder even though we had to get all the weight off her (I still don’t believe she was ever “fat”). Under Cath’s guidance we steered away from processed foods and put her on a simple diet of hay, chaff, speedi-beet and an assortment of Cath’s mixes specifically for the laminitic pony including the Tendon and Bone Mix, Alleviate and Infect-A-Clear. What a difference it made! Diva began showing signs of “normalcy” in no time.
She remained on these products for many months as she began to walk normal again and go back to her happy, cheeky self. In September she took another turn, however not as bad as the initial first stage and again with Cath’s help we got her back in no time. By Christmas 2017 she was almost ready to be able to hop on and just walk around. She came off the Alleviate and Infect-A-Clear and was still very much sound but remained on the Bone and Tendon mix.
Diva has been rideable since then and keeps getting stronger and better every day. She will remain on the Tendon and Bone Mix for most of her life. After 2 – 3 months of just walking and a bit of trotting we thought she would be OK to handle a lesson. She was brilliant!
Diva loves to shine so there was no holding back from the competition world since she had been 100% sound for months. In the last 2 months she has competed in a hack show for Champion Pony, dressage training day for a score of 68% (my highest score to date!), 3 weeks ago she was just sashed Champion Open Prep at the 2018 Clarendon Winter Dressage Festival (horses and ponies combined) and last weekend she went to Tamworth Dressage Championships for a 5th and 7th place in the pony prelim classes.
I would like to extend a massive thank you to my vet, farrier, a few good friends who have helped me in that terrible time and most importantly to Cath McDowell who really went above and beyond. If it wasn’t for Cath we would’ve struggled, her attention to detail, knowledge, compassion and patience is extraordinary and much appreciated. I highly recommend her to absolutely anyone and everyone whether you have an issue or just need a good, balanced, safe diet – Cath has the answer and is always happy to assist!
