Muzzle Fail, Part 2-- help with next steps!

[Calvincrowe]

I posted a week or so ago about my aged gelding and his rejection of his Greenguard muzzle. Apparently, adding the rubber piece to soften it did not make it comfortable with his continuing
battle with EOTRH. I reread the vet’s notes after his dental in February: incisors are intact, show some somes of EOTRH but not significant. But I’m assuming now they hurt to push against the muzzle.

He is on Prascend and Equioxx daily, tolerating both nicely. His body condition is very good, with fat pads nearly non-existent at this time. He eats his beet pulp, vitamins and a handful of low-carb (makes him happy, so I continue it) feed along with low-sugar hay and a handful of alfalfa. I have him out on a small pasture with his pony friend (who is also aged, refuses to eat hay but loves her alfalfa and same beet/low carb mix) and he grazes easily.

But…he cannot go out on my big pasture without a muzzle to slow/restrict grass intake. The longest I put him out there is 5 hours. This routine has worked well for 4 years since we had a laminitis episode that we caught very early and resolved satisfactorily with no rotation. I am paranoid about it happening again.

If you’ve gotten this far: what solutions do you recommend? I am willing to buy a different muzzle if there’s one that is soft(er) than the GG. Or what else?? I really don’t want to dry lot him all the time, as the more he moves the better it is for his arthritis. Today is his 28th birthday, and his old Paint body is still going fairly strong.

[OzarksRider]

I just bought a Flexible Filly muzzle for my gelding that ripped up three GG muzzles last summer. It was only delivered two days ago and it’s been raining so I haven’t had a chance to try it on him yet, but I can tell you the material is much softer and more flexible than the GG muzzle and its inserts. It also only has a center hole instead of slots, so that may make a difference. If you decide to try this I would suggest buying the muzzle with the larger (3.5 cm) hole. Be sure to check on this, because some vendors only sell the 2.5 cm size.

Another option you might try is the Tough One Easy Breathe muzzle. Like the Flexible Filly, it has only a single slot at the bottom. It’s a rectangular shape, I’m guessing about 2" x 1". It’s cheaper than the Flexible Filly, so you won’t be out too much money if you decide to try this. My guy likes this one ok, but the problem is that he chews through it in less than 2 months so by the time I buy 3-4 muzzles in a year I end up spending more than I would with a pricier muzzle. For this reason, I only use it as a backup.

I wonder if the problem for your horse is that he doesn’t like the slots in the GG. If that’s the case, he might do better with either the FF or the Tough One.

I’ll update on the Flexible Filly after my horse has worn it a few days.

[PaddockWood]

The Flexible Filly muzzle is a very soft plastic and my horses wear it with no protest. Worth a try I think. Happy Birthday you lucky guy - you are clearly very loved.

[NaturallyHappy]

We have the FF on every horse who needs a muzzle. One wears the 2.5cm, the others wear the larger one. They are very soft and very durable. You can make the hole larger; I found that awkward to do. We don’t use their halter. Horses here either use the Dover cotton/leather halter or a regular leather halter.

[RedHorses]

@Calvincrowe

incisors are intact, show some somes of EOTRH but not significant. But I’m assuming now they hurt to push against the muzzle.

You/your vet may be underestimating how much pain his teeth are causing him. The disease may also have progressed since February.

I was talking about pain with a vet last year and she mentioned how much difference it made to horses with EORTH when the affected teeth were removed, even when they didn’t appear to be causing much pain. Your horse is telling you his teeth hurt more than he wants grass right now. Maybe it’s worth discussing removal.

My 27 on Tuesday, senior had a tooth fracture sometime in late January, early February. He wasn’t showing mouth issues, but I had a feeling there was something going on. I attributed his reluctance to do much to his fragile stifle and associated compensation pain. After his tooth float I was astonished at how much brighter he was, even though the hind end wasn’t any better. That was one tooth.

[ndirish07]

I bought a green guard the first year or two they came out and it wore my horse’s front teeth down horribly. When I called to ask about it, more so to see if there was something I was doing wrong with fitting it, I was told by Greenguard their plastic can’t do that and suggested my horse was chewing other things to wear his teeth down, and were generally very dismissive of the concept. I find it funny now they make inserts to soften the plastic to prevent tooth wear, but I digress.

Flexible filly all the way! They’re light weight, breathable, and haven’t worn down any teeth. Because the plastic isn’t heavy, you may have to replace it more often as the hole will get bigger. My chonk lives in his for 9 months out of the year and never protests.

[Calvincrowe]

I ordered a Flexible Filly muzzle. Sigh… hoping this does the trick. I tried it out again Sunday and so much frustration for both of us. So, no more GG muzzle (hit me up if you need one!). I gave him an hour on the big pasture which made his birthday special, but I know that cannot continue. Thank you all again for your advice and stories.

[pompeiii]

@ndirish07

I bought a green guard the first year or two they came out and it wore my horse’s front teeth down horribly. When I called to ask about it, more so to see if there was something I was doing wrong with fitting it, I was told by Greenguard their plastic can’t do that and suggested my horse was chewing other things to wear his teeth down, and were generally very dismissive of the concept. I find it funny now they make inserts to soften the plastic to prevent tooth wear, but I digress.

Just adding that my dentist has seen a lot of wear from the greenguard muzzles so your experience isn’t unique. I was advised against switching when I brought it up and stuck with the FF.

[Demerara_Stables]

I know there’s some science around amount of sugar in the grass varying at different times of day but I’m not exactly sure what the science says. Can you adjust his turnout schedule so that he’s out only at times when there’s less sugar in the grass?

Also, I think you said in your other post that he’s older. How old? Do you know if the laminitis was caused by just the sugar in the grass or by him being overweight? If it was weight, can he get worked to keep the weight off? Even just walking daily or 5 days a week for an hour will keep him relatively fit.

[Calvincrowe]

He’s 28, has hock arthritis but gets around (and up and down) decently well. He exercises himself by grazing and trotting around after his 25 year old pony friend (she’s in great shape!). His weight is good, no signs of laminitis at this point (farrier was here today to trim). He’s eating well, but is tired of hay since there’s grass to be had. Gobbles down his beet pulp and has reliably eaten his Prascend in a piece of carrot since day one (and I am eternally grateful for that!). I watch him like a hawk for any sign of lameness since his one bout of laminitis four years ago.

At this point, I’ll try the Flexible Filly muzzle before getting the vet out again. He is AWFUL about his mouth; floats are a nightmare. He has trouble with sedation-- likes to fall over if you give him enough to keep his head quiet, and will not hold his head still even when sedated and in a speculum. He won’t let you touch his ears, give him wormer, paste bute, etc. on a good day. You can see that pulling all his incisors would be a trial and I’m not sure if I could put the old boy through it. Has anyone done that to an aged horse successfully?

[OzarksRider]

@Demerara_Stables

I know there’s some science around amount of sugar in the grass varying at different times of day but I’m not exactly sure what the science says.

In general, sugars are lower in the morning. Photosynthesis occurs during the day when the sun is shining and plants use the light energy to produce sugars and oxygen. Longer days have more sunlight and produce more sugars than shorter days or cloudy days. The plants use the sugars at night to fuel growth. So, the sugars are depleted at night and are lowest before dawn.

Even though sugars are lowest during the morning they could still be too high to be safe for an insulin resistant horse. For my insulin resistant horse the most dangerous time of year is from about mid-April to about the end of July, because the days are long and sunny and the grass is growing like crazy and going to seed if it isn’t cut.

[Demerara_Stables]

Thanks for the explanation!