Bute is a bad idea for horse with stomach issues but I'm between a rock and a hard place here. Wits end is just around the corner.
On a better note, I hacked Radar yesterday and it will be the last time this season that I hack him in a snaffle. He was far too boisterous. We got to a point where we normally turn and he tried to tell me where we were going so I carried on down the road. He went into marching mode so I just carried on until he did a decent relaxed four beat walk. Two miles later ...... he realised that we were getting further and further from home and stopped marching. So he added four miles to the hack. I didn't mind, the scenery was lovely :-) And it sure beats having to send a horse on all the time!
Hedges soon !!!!
C
Bummer. Wish we had an answer. Everything was going so well. I would suspect his back, knowing what we do know now. Quite possible the injections wore off quickly because of the general physical structure of his back.
ReplyDeleteRegardless, the news is certainly disheartening. And I don't for a second blame you for not wanting to get back on him.
You have had some really bad luck trying to find a good dressage horse. I was hoping it had started to turn around with Ace's diagnosis.
Glad you have Radar the Magnificent to keep you somewhat happy with the prospects of an amazing hunting season ahead of you.
I still think it's gas at the moment Jean, there are horses dropping like flies with laminitis now we have rain and warmth at the same time, the grass is lethal.
DeleteYesterday he looked like a balloon the had been popped, like cats do after a worker. He'd 'lost' so much weight - to look at. What I think he'd lost was a bloated grass belly.
I'm off outside to work him now. That may or may not include getting on.
C
Is it worth getting Ace scoped if you haven't already - it could be that it's glandular ulcers which are linked to pain issues? It would maybe also indicate that a course of Gastrogard would be worthwhile. I know a lot of people believe that Gastrogard is an expensive rip off but unless you feed omeprazole every 2-4 hours you're not getting the same effect, or indeed enabling the result you're after which is to try and get the gut heal itself rather than just manage symptoms short term.
ReplyDeleteOr as he seems so reactive to the girth could it be he's damaged or bruised his sternum somehow meaning that the girth is causing considerable pain?
Just throwing some ideas out there. I have a horse with quite severe kissing spines and ulcers in both the glandular and squamous layers. (For him yea sacc, liquorice, meadow sweet and gastrogard sorted the ulcers, whilst we worked on the KS).
I don't believe that you are correct about the omeprazole. I've done a lot of research and two drugs are effective in horses, ranitidine and omeprazole. Ranitidine is short acting and needs to be given every four hours for effectiveness. Omeprazole is effective for 24 hours. Gastrogard IS omeprazole and both the Abler product that I am using and the human drug I have are enteric coated just like Gastrogard to stop the stomach acid modifying the drug before it gets to the part of the gut that absorbs it.
DeleteC
I welcome your suggestions, thanks for trying to help.
DeleteC
Just did a quick search. Theory has it a change in the weather can really aggravate gas colics. So you might well be on track. Here in the US is a product called "Gas X." It's a drug called simethicone. On one of the horse boards, a poster said her vet recommended it for a horse prone to gas colic. Might be worth some research if this is the problem. This would be in addition to omeprazole, in whatever form you give it.
ReplyDeleteBoy, talk about a high maintenance horse! Ace is a real challenge. Hope today went better than yesterday.