Muzzle Woes
Because he has Cushing's Disease, Dino needs to wear a grazing muzzle when he's out on pasture. His body can't handle as much sugar and starch as a normal horse's, and that makes him more prone to laminitis and founder. The muzzle restricts his intake to manageable levels, and keeps him safe and healthy.
That is, when he actually wears it.
Like all ponies, Dino is a devious little mastermind and has figured out how to remove his muzzle by rolling on his back and then rubbing the crown piece off over his ears. I've tried tightening it, and putting on a fly mask over the muzzle to add an extra layer he's got to get through/take off, but the little shit still gets it off on an almost daily basis. If Dino doesn't want to wear the muzzle, he doesn't wear the muzzle.
Short of duct taping it to his evil little face, I'm at a loss as to how to keep the thing on his head. He's going to find himself dry-lotted for the summer if he keeps this up!
Staples? Super glue? I'm at my wit's end.
Please send help. And industrial-strength fasteners.
You need muzzle suspenders. I hear Emma is doing a DIY. Stay posted!
ReplyDeleteNaughty Dino! I have no advice sadly :(
ReplyDeletehave you tried putting a halter on over the muzzle? we have a couple obese horses and we have to do that. they still take it off sometimes.
ReplyDeletemy friend used to make it so tight on her mare she looked like hannibal lecter hahahah
Can you link to the muzzle? So we can see what it looks like?
ReplyDeleteIt's this bad boy: https://www.smartpakequine.com/pt/tough-1-easy-breathe-grazing-muzzle-12426?utm_source=cpc&utm_medium=google&utm_content=shopping&utm_campaign=nb_shopping_tes&utm_term=22426&gclid=CjwKCAjwsqjKBRBtEiwAkWyN37D5h9lYOCNtCro1LxD1lT28egdVYQ-c1qQ-Uf1PkorCgpsHilbRlBoCMOcQAvD_BwE
Deletei've seen muzzles that connect directly to a halter - so maybe that's worth a try? keeping him in a halter (that is presumably maybe more difficult to take off) and attaching the muzzle to that?
ReplyDeleteThere was an amazing COTH thread a long time ago where a woman laid out step by step instructions for how she basically duct taped a grazing muzzle to a conniving Shetland's face. I seem to remember it involved two halters, zip ties, duct tape and a fly mask but I can't remember exactly. Well worth some intrepid googling if you can find it.
ReplyDeleteNot going to lie, that sounds like some serious entertainment right there!
DeleteHave you tried putting a breakaway halter on OVER the muzzle? So that when you put on the muzzle you actually put on the muzzle and an extra halter? I've found that on those that can get the muzzle off, the extra halter helps keep it on. You have to put the halter over the muzzle before you put it on and put the whole thing on as one big thing, but it might be worth trying?
ReplyDeleteI have no advice, but the comments thus far are outstanding. I wish you the best of luck!
ReplyDeleteThis is going to sound a little unsafe but surely it could be made with materials that would make it work for turnout- but what about using a neck collar and connecting the O-rings on the muzzle to the collar?
ReplyDeleteOr try adding a browband and throat latch a la http://www.paintingpony.com/blog/2014/09/16/how-to-really-keep-a-muzzle-on-your-horse/
ReplyDeleteoh my i have LOADS of experience in this hefty matter (ha ha ha see what i did there)! Remus and Dino might have been separated at birth!! What we have on Remus now (knocking on wood hard right now) is the one that is attached to the halter with velcro. Which we then duct tape with hot turquoise duct tape all the way around. Plus it is attached to a hot pink halter (yes i want to see it in the grass). And some fleece too cause hot house flower Remus won't stop eating long enough to stop the rubs. BUT it is staying on.
ReplyDeleteRemus used to talk other horses into taking it off and I have a video of him actually using his hoof (I kid not) to pull it off. I was flabbergasted watching that one. BAD PONIES.
I have tried them all. Some stay on some don't but what we are doing above works for now. One note: the effing thing has to be tight as SHIT. Then tighten it some more. Also they only last about a session. I have found good prices online if you want not to pay full retail. Since I buy them every year i don't feel like spending 50 bucks on each!! Just saying!
(My farrier swore that he braided a piece of cord from the headcrown to the pony's mane on both sides. I have not tried that yet.
season not session. Le Sigh can you tell i am in conference mode at work LOL!
DeleteNo advice, Bridget learned how to tear hers to bits by hooking it on the fence or even her hay net and pulling...hard. She just loves in a dry lot now :( Ponies.
ReplyDeleteI have no solution other than surgically attaching it, but these comments are amazing.
ReplyDeleteI can't even keep a regular halter or neck collar on my conniving OTTB, so I have no help on how to outwit a pony. I can't wait to see what you come up with to defeat him though!
ReplyDeleteWhat worked great for me was braiding Katai's forelock to her mane over the crown piece (sort of tying it to her head haha). I don't know if that makes sense but it was easy and only needed to be redone every few days to tighten it up.
ReplyDeleteI have no assistance, but would really, really, really like video of your pony rubbing his muzzle off upside down please!!!
ReplyDeleteWe used to put a baling twine loop at the crown and braid mane through the loop. Helped, though Rosemary did greet me with it hanging one day. Roscoe used to help the others get theirs off when he was little.
ReplyDeleteI have no experience with muzzles at all, but I did just want to chime in and say that Cushing's alone doesn't necessarily mean no grass. Not all Cushing's horses are insulin resistant - it's common for the to be paired together, but not a guarantee. I keep an eye on Tristan's grain (he gets the Blue Seal no carb one) and we're careful in the spring and fall for grass that has the highest sugar content, but other than that he's out on pasture with no complications. You may already have separate evidence that Dino is sugar-sensitive that I have missed, and if so, I'm sorry to have barged in with useless info - but if you haven't seen any other signs of a problem, or if you want to get an insulin test to determine how sensitive he is, you can at least worry less when he gets more grass than anticipated.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the added info! He was also diagnosed with PSSM pretty much at the same time as we diagnosed the Cushing's, and so I'm very very careful to limit his grass intake. He is quite sensitive to increases in NSC (we fed him rice bran once and he was SO SORE from it), so I don't take any chances! Plus, he's a pony, so genetically predisposed to laminitis/founder anyway!
DeleteSo many good suggestions! I can't even keep a fly mask on Apollo... I'm not help with a muzzle haha
ReplyDeleteflymasks are the devil. I am housesitting at a farm and put both fly masks on the tbreds and turned them out the other evening and i had not gotten back to the barn ( a few yards at the most) and I looked and they BOTH had them off. ARGHHH LOL
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