The long road to recovery begins

After being given all of these medications I felt overwhelmed. I had just been given some type of answer that I had been hoping for, yet I felt like the walls where still pushing in on me from all sides. I have a great support system of family & friends thankfully. No better friends than your barn friends right? They have been so helpful through everything & the barn staff has gone above & beyond caring for all his needs (especially since they where about to be high maintenance). My mother is for sure my biggest supporter out there. She's my anchor when I'm loosing myself in this storm of events. She is always right there beside me helping me care for Ben & his needs. My vet has been another rock in all this. She has always been there answering all my questions at anytime no matter how crazy. Without these people I don't know how well I would be coping, if you can call it that, because sometimes I just breakdown anyway. I'm not perfect I don't try to be but I do try my hardest to research & choose the best options for Ben that I'm able to do.

I'm not the most organized person there is so being handed so many meds & having to figure out a schedule was going to prove to be a challenge. The Sucralfate is the biggest of challenges not only is it dosed orally via syringe but it's also to be given 4xs a day...yup 4xs a day. Then comes the Gastrogard. Should be simple enough right? Nope has to be spaced apart from the Sucralfate & given 1-2 hours before a meal... challenged again. Lets not forget Mr. Misoprostol! Luckily this is the easiest which is just put in his food & he eats it up no problem! So after much configuring & discussing with who was going to be able to do what doses, low & behold a schedule was born! It's been working nicely & copies where given out to anyone involved in his treatment plan along with a copy hanging in the room where his meds are kept.

 Ben doesn't love taking his medication but agrees to it as humbly as he can. Once a nice routine was established I decided to add in a feed designed specifically for horses with ulcers & other digestive issues. Welcome to the line up Cavalor fiberforce! It is low sugar & low starch with alfalfa hay pieces pre mixed in. So I began the slow process of adding in the new food. I eventually was building him up to eating a full scoop Fiberforce & 1/2 scoop of his Triple Crown Senior given 3 times a day & weaning him fully off the mash & mix. He also was started on soaked alfalfa hay cubes to help with stomach acidity. He is given all his meals soaked & actually eats it fine that way where as before he hated soaked feed. Things seemed to be looking up?

His appetite returned nicely as did his water drinking increased to a healthier level. The stall walking decreased & he seemed much calmer than what I was used to. I was beginning to see the horse I had known & adored again. Could it possibly mean he was coming back to me? I shed some tears but it was tears of quiet happiness for the moment we where in. Every time my phone goes off at any given time my heart skips a beat & I have to rush to see who & what's wrong because once you go through something like this you don't let it go that easily. Time heals all wounds right? Well I am giving Ben all the time he needs to heal, he is my beautiful pasture pal currently & even if I never ride him again just having him right beside me means the world. I just want him healthy again. This journey is not all going to be smooth sails & happy tales , its going to have it's up & downs. You just have to keep pushing forward & try to see the little improvements as a step towards a better one. Trust me it's much easier said than done. Ulcers are not an easy or cheap fix, they don't just go away forever it's a battle that will be constant. You can't let it beat you down, you have to beat through it. Try & try & try again until something works. 

If you would like to keep following our journey through recovery as we go through it keep checking back for updates.