Trip to the Hopsital round 2

Well today was the big day. I got an ok amount of sleep myself knowing he was at least in the indoor ring & not playing the merry go round in his stall all night. I get to the barn & find him starring out the window that has the view of the fields & he looks over at me then back out the window giving me a hint as to where he really wants to be (as if I don't feel guilty enough). So I grab his halter he willingly comes over hoping to be turned out & fed but once he realizes that's not my plan his mood changes to cranky real quick. So I get him groomed, dressed & ready, & he unhappily gets in the trailer. I could see his displeasure & he was angry about the entire situation he wanted us all to go fall in a hole. So off we go with a hungry & angry Ben.

We arrive & I go to check into the office as usual were they then get a tech to come unload your horse from the trailer. Well As said before Ben doesn't unload well always & he was in rare form this morning. The tech approached & I told her he can fly off the back sometimes so you have to watch. Well I suppose she didn't head my warning very well. My mom had his lead rope up by his head attached by the window & he had been unclipped from the actual trailer (luckily) so the tech gets on with him & Ben gives her a moment but realizes at the same time there is nothing behind him so since she was hesitating & did not grab his lead rope he proceeded to shoot backwards at top speed catapulting so fast that when he got off he rolled on the ground.....I didn't see the whole thing I was on the side of the trailer I just saw my baby on the ground! He got up real quick & easy but my heart dropped as I watched him closely for any signs of injury. The tech looked shocked & embarrassed . I was annoyed because I do warn people how he is & hope they can handle him safely.  I give my mom a lot of credit she held his rope as much as she could hoping the tech standing next to him would take over though she did not but she had to just let go, there's no holding 1111 pounds back. The tech assured me the vet would check him over thoroughly. Good thing we where at a vet I suppose.

Now it was time for his exam. They told me he had sustained a superficial cut on his hock & by his hoof from his fall but otherwise was fine. They clipped, cleaned, & applied cream to his wounds & then began the gastroscopy. I wasn't really sure what to expect with these results. He had been doing a lot better than before that's for sure but you never know how long something like that will take to heal you know? So as we went on the vet was very pleased by what he saw! He was fully healed in the squamous mucosa in the greater & lesser curvature , & the glandular mucosa of the pylorus was improved with mild ulceration/inflammation still present. We also repeated the Succeed test & he still has colonic ulcers which are very hard to treat so not too surprised there. So overall good results we're not out of the woods yet but the sun is looking a little brighter with the almost fully healed gastric ulcers. The vet even said that he must like his meds!

New medications schedule given to me was a little bit of a relief in a sense of it's easier for everyone involved. His Gastrogard will be a weaning off dose of 1/2 tube for 30 days now, the Sucralfate will only be given twice a day (yay!), & the Misoprostal will continue to be the same which was 8 tablets once a day. He is also switching off the Succeed Vet formula & moving to the Assure instead to compliment when he gets the Assure Plus monthly for sand removal. He is to continue the Alfalfa as well. Thankfully he does not need to be rescoped again & only needs a succeed fecal test in 30 days which means no fasting & no trailer escapades!

After all the medications & discharge instructions Ben was awake & ready to leave. He walked happily on the trailer were he was greeted by tons of hay! He happily ate the whole ride home. As we got back to the barn my nerves sky rocketed because he had to come off the trailer. So thankfully the barn guys came & unloaded my precious man safely off the trailer & he was still on all fours! They knew how to handle him so he didn't get hurt! So thankful for my barn & all the workers there! Took him right to his field & brought him his alfalfa hay, breakfast, & his usual hay. He didn't even know were to begin he was so hungry he ate from every place his mouth could reach! I left him to his nice afternoon to enjoy himself. When I came back to medicate & check up on him later he was a very happy man outside eating all the hay he could! He would not leave his feast corner with his water trough & hay all in one area plus his neighbors hang out right across from there as well & he must see them!

All in all it was an experience & I'm thankful for the positive results & hoping we fight these colonic ulcers better this time around. So this fight is still not over we are not stopping until we have a clean test! Keep checking in for updates & Ben's birthday is tomorrow so special post then!