Don't Turn a Blind Eye

It's easy for someone to be aware of potential problems but want to turn a blind eye so to speak. If your lucky things wont get worse but 9 times out of 10 they are a ticking time bomb waiting to explode. So why turn that blind eye in the first place? Well the answer for that is different for everyone really. They have plans they have goals they have everything all set & ready so when you see a little subtle something you see it but choose to look past it sometimes. That may work for a time but it will eventually hit you like jumping in freezing cold water. You will go numb, you will go in shock, you wont know what hit you. Blindsided. Or maybe you will be lucky but how lucky do you feel? I know I never have luck on my side or so it seems, but hey it can always be worse.

Show season is just beginning for most of the equestrians who compete out there. Everyone is busy getting in their lessons maybe scheduling more than during the winter or prepping even harder. Maybe coming out of winter were your horse had more time off he or she seems a little more girthy or has a new behavior that wasn't there before. How is your horse to groom do they seem to not like being touched in certain areas? The list is endless really with little things that can pop up, but the question how are you going to go about it? Show seasons just starting your all excited but your horse isn't all about the game exactly but you think with a little more practice it will be just fine. But will it? Is it truly behavior or is it something else? Do you feel lucky enough about it?

The recorded percentage of horses with ulcers is over 60% & growing. That's more than half the entire horse population. Ulcers are becoming more & more common because people are becoming more aware of the issue. We ride, we train, we lesson, we show, we don't always have ideal living situations, herd dynamics change, stressful events happen its just the way it is. We cannot take every ounce of stress out of our horses lives no matter how much we try. What we can do is notice the subtle changes & if there's a problem reassess the horses entire situation. That means feeding, riding, stabling, turnout , the whole gamut! How can we manage things differently. I am by no means saying don't ride or show or anything of the sort but am saying just notice things & don't turn a blind eye or hope it goes away. There are always yes always some sort of sign or symptom leading up to ulcers they don't get bad overnight, though they can form in 5 days so keep that in mind as well.

Has your horse been having a chronic problem that keeps ailing them? You may be trying to help that problem the best you can or you may be continuing as you have been with just a few things changed. That is stressful for your horse (you also) & enough to start the ulceration process. Ulcers are almost always a secondary issue to a primary cause & its typically pain related or stress related (show horse). Not always but its important to try to find the cause nonetheless. I get it once you go the ulcer route & find yes your horse has them its a commitment fully & its not a cheap one at that. But neither is emergency vet calls all the time or countless tries at supplements that don't work or even addressing an issue that wasn't really the issue at hand. You may think oh well then I will just do gastrogard for the recommended 28 days & it will all be fine. Consider that bubble burst because that's not how it really works sorry to say. You cant stop Gastrogard cold turkey. Why? Because if you do kiss all that money goodbye & that's a lot of kissing! Stopping cold turkey from a full dose will cause a rebound effect & it can cause an even worse acid problem than before. So what does that mean? It means after 28-30 days of a full tube of Gastrogard then you very slowly & carefully wean off it being cautious in the process per your vet yes your vet because you better have one in your treatment program will tell you how to do so. Also lets not forget the lesser known fact about Gastrogard while it is a fabulous product & I highly recommend it, it does not cover the entire stomach so depending on the location of your horses ulcers you will need an additional medication from your vet to cover everything properly. Like I said its a commitment.

I am not trying to say all your horses have ulcers by any means. Just please be aware of the high risk that most horses do indeed have some form of ulceration. Look at your horse & notice the subtle things you may be lucky now but it never lasts & all equestrians know this. My blogs are to create more awareness & share what I am going through with Ben. I want you to be able to catch & treat sooner than I was given the chance to. Don't let it fool you because it has a nasty side.

Becoming an Independent Ben

Ben has become such an independent man lately! When he first started being turned out at night & there was only his 2 neighbors in the field next to him he became pretty attached to them understandably . If he couldn't see them & they went in their run in he would neigh & run looking for them until they reappeared . Well after almost 2 months of being out all the time yesterday was the first time I saw him feeling confident enough to not have a mini fit with the other two out of view. He was just standing in his usual corner looking over knowing they were indeed there but just out of view for a short time. I was very proud of him. He may not always do that but it's a big step for him. Now that the weather is really nice finally there are more friends out during the night & he has not become so attached to just them but just enjoys whoever is around him.  This makes me so happy to see him becoming so well adjusted.

I feel like he's grown up to become a stronger horse mentally. Yes I know he's 27 but that doesn't mean anything. His arthritic knees have improved so much with his turnout & he has his beautiful floating trot that I get to see every so often when he chooses. He knows his evening routine so well he tells me when he's ready for his sucralfate! When he is done with his alfalfa, meds, & treats he goes off to do his own thing now. I want him to be like that & feel confident with himself. I am beyond happy with how things have been going so far & can only hope he improves even more! I do get nervous when he starts a new decreasing dose but I trust his Dr.'s & know they always have his best interest. Some people have asked if & when I can ride him again & I don't know the answer to that honestly. I will not ride him while he is undergoing treatment. Why? Just because you start them on medications to curb the symptoms does not mean they are healed enough to be ridden. Ben is undergoing his 3rd month of treatment & still is not 100% healed. Just because he is feeling a lot better does not mean he is on the inside fully yet & we are avoiding set backs as much as we can. When he is fully cleared I haven't decided what we will do. We will see when the time comes. I know most people especially those who show would hate to give their horse many months off but ulcers are in my opinion considered an injury. They are an injury to the digestive tract & should be treated as such like other injuries & given the proper time off. Showing, lessons , & riding will have to wait if you want the best chance to get your horse back. Ulcers are no game to play as you all have read. Here's to looking up to a brighter year hopefully!

 

 

Recheck number 3

So Ben's 3rd Succeed fecal blood test was run on Tuesday evening & I spoke with the Internal Specialist Vet that has been managing his treatment plan in regards to the next plan. His test came back almost fully negative! His previous 2 test have been very positive so this is a big deal! We did not need to repeat the gastroscopy because his gastric ulcers were almost fully resolved. Our new treatment plan for another 30 days is Gastrogard at 1/4 tube for 2 weeks & as long as he is good it can be stopped. His Sucralfate will remain the same at twice a day & the misoprostal will also stay at once a day for another 30 days. The vet also said if everything continues how it should after this months treatment he can stop the Misoprostal.

I can't believe we are heading into our 3rd month of treatment already. It seems so surreal. I couldn't be any happier with how he has been responding to everything. He is gaining weight & topline muscle again & just seems happy finally. He has been through so much with ups & downs so far. Some of you might wonder why the treatment plan takes months to complete but that's how it is when they have ulcers especially at the severity he had them. You have to fully commit to not only following through with all treatments but management changes as well.

I want to send another huge thank you to all our people out there (you know who you are). Thank you to our friends, vets, barn owner & manager , barn workers, farrier, massage therapist, & chiropractor. We couldn't have come this far without all your help & while we are not done with this journey yet I cant thank all of you enough. Lets hope we continue this path of improvements.

 

 

 

Managment of a horse with Ulcers

After my previous post has been about how important it is to asses your horses situation & to become more aware of potential stressors, this one will be about what I personally have been doing to manage Ben's ulcers.

Yes he is still undergoing his treatments with medications, but I feel like it's a good idea to cover management as well. Throughout my blog I have gone over everything he is currently getting but to keep it all contained here's this post!

Feeding: Through much of my research I've come to realize just how not so great grain is. Hay Is & always will be the most important aspect of your horses feeding. Some people are lucky & have those "easy keepers" that require no grain & just a vitamin & mineral balancer to get all the nutrients required. For Ben he is & always has been what many call a "hard keeper". I never thought much about grain & how much I fed honestly because he needed more than just hay & vitamins & minerals to keep good weight. Luckily these days there are so many different options you can choose from in order to add those extra calories without the added grain increase. For Ben he gets Cavalor Fiber Force which is grain free. It is also high fiber, low sugar & starch which is ideal for horses with any type of digestive issue including ulcers! The feed is unlike anything I have ever seen before & looks nothing like typical grain (especially since it isn't). It even has alfalfa hay pieces mixed into it! Ben loves this feed especially when it's got some warm water mixed in! He gets 1 scoop 3 times a day. He also gets Triple Crown Senior which yes is a grain but it's also beet pulp based & also lower in sugar & starch. He only gets 1/2 scoop of that 3 times a day mixed with the Fiber Force. The Vet at the hospital wanted him on Alfalfa either soaked cubes or hay. I tried soaked cubes for almost the first month & while he ate them as long as they were not too wet he wasn't super crazy about it. A good friend of mine mentioned a place where I could find some beautiful western Alfalfa hay. So off I went to pick up a bale & wow it is pretty beautiful & the aroma is amazing! Ben receives typically 1 flake in the evening. I will sometimes give him 2 flakes if the weather is supposed to be cold. He is head over heels in love with this hay. One bale lasts almost a month for him at the rate I'm feeding it & its worth seeing him so excited over it! What better way to help the ulcers heal than the best form of alfalfa which is hay. He also gets free choice grass hay available all the time which helps his weight a lot. He gets hay fed through his Nibblenets. That is the best way to feed any horse really because horses are natural grazers so they eat small amounts frequently to keep there digestive system in working order. Ben has 4 Nibblenets total in various places. I started using them in the first place because he had his choke issue over a year ago & it was recommended. I do allow him his alfalfa free from a net & whatever he doesn't finish goes into his baby nibblenet. That sums it up in regards to his feeding.

Supplements: The supplements Ben currently takes other than any medications are Assure, Assure Plus, Cosequin ASU Plus, & Stomach Happy. The Assure is a digestive supplement that is approved by the Dr at the hospital. Assure Plus is a sand removal supplement that has a few added bonuses for the digestive system. It is unlike your typical sand clear or rid. This product was highly recommended to Ben before he was even diagnosed with his ulcers & when he was diagnosed the vet did not want him off of it. The Cosequin ASU Plus is his joint supplement also recommended by his vet. The Stomach Happy is a Chinese herbal supplement you can only purchase through a vet that is for the aid in gastric ulcers. Once he is more healed I will be adding back his Vitamin C which is for his allergies & nose in the summer time. Ben is more prone to nosebleeds than other horses. He has weaker blood vessels in his nose & was scoped many times to get this diagnosis.

Living arrangements: I have been extremely lucky that my barn has agreed to allow Ben to be turned out day & night. He stays in his stall only if the weather is really bad. He has mellowed out so much with this new arrangement & his arthritis is much improved with it also. He will only tolerate a stall for a few hours at most or else he stall walks nonstop. He is an outdoor kinda guy clearly...as long as he can see another horse because he doesn't like being or feeling alone but horses are herd animals!

Medications: He gets Gastrogard, Sucralfate, Misoprostal, & Isoxsuprine. Gastrogard is for his gastric ulcers & he currently gets 1/2 tube daily. Sucralfate is also for his gastric ulcers & he currently gets it twice a day. Misoprostal is for his colonic ulcers at 8 tablets daily. Finally the Isoxsuprine is twice a day & for his healing bruised heel (increases circulation to feet). There will be changes based off of his next recheck which is next week!

I posted all of this because when your horse is diagnosed with ulcers there does need to be changes. This is the program that is currently working for us as of right now. Some may agree or disagree & that is perfectly fine! You do what you can with the resources you have available. I have nothing against grain but it does need to be monitored & the lower the sugar & starch & higher fiber the better. Hay should always be available. Turnout is key & so important. Medications should always be at the discretion of your veterinarian.

Ben has been doing good! His weight is improving slowly, he is now sound at every gait for a few days now as he displayed to me one evening when he saw his alfalfa flake! He is shedding like crazy as expected & looking like a shiny copper penny! The weather is warming up nicely so he is able to go naked throughout the day. He appears to be a happy camper so hopefully his recheck will prove that as well.

Subtle Changes

I often find myself asking when did all of this actually start? He didn't develop these ulcers overnight that's for sure. Well recently I think I have come to shed some light on that question maybe. Back before I moved Ben to my current barn he had been through a few stressful events. He went through a choke episode requiring a vet & 3 abscesses one after the other on his hind feet causing him to be 3 legged randomly. He had lost a good amount of weight during those times as well. Due to weather & barn reasons he was kept in a lot sometimes for a week at a time. When I chose to move Ben I put him on Ulcergard (preventative dose) for almost a month because I knew he would be stressed moving to a new place. He flourished so to speak at my current barn. His appetite was better than ever, his weight was increasing beautifully, & his muscle tone was improving like it never had done before. So after having him on the ulcergard for close to a month & him doing so well I naturally took him off of it & just used random supplements that claimed to help with ulcer type issues. While all seemed well for awhile subtle things started creeping in. Ben has always had a veracious appetite when it comes to food (you might think he never ate) but he had began eating like a normal horse finishing all his meals yes but not tearing his food apart like before. Ok no big deal right he's still eating fine...? Wrong. I should have taken that sign more seriously but I didn't think much of it until now honestly. Why? Because now his appetite is veracious again.

What I'm trying to get at is there's a possibility that he developed minor ulcers back at my previous barn due to experiencing the choke, abscesses, & increased stall time. All of that is enough to cause any horse stress. He certainly lost weight over it which isn't hard for him to do in the first place. So when I moved him & placed him on ulcergard he naturally improved greatly & changing his environment that better suited his needs both helped out a lot. The reason it came back I'm thinking is because as I now know you have to commit fully to the treatment with ulcers. I was at that point not aware there was that type of possible problem so I was only doing the preventative dose. Within that same year little changes were popping up & while I noticed I was told by many that it was nothing to worry about & not a problem , even though I felt inside something wasn't right & that was back at the end of summer.

I write & share so much because I don't want someone to have to go through what we did. Really think about everything you are doing with your horse & there lifestyle & think if it is causing stress of any kind. After that think if they have any problems ranging from behavior, physical, & medical issues. The signs & symptoms can be so vague from as little as being girthy or not eating as fast as before! Every horse shows different symptoms. I have even heard people report of hind end issues from ulcers even to go as far as lameness or not getting a lead. So really take a good hard look. Some even look the picture of health dapples & all you just never know what's going on inside. I am by no means an expert on this subject nor any other but I have experienced a lot & researched a lot first hand & only post things I can back up with written facts or other peoples experiences.

On another note for brief update on Ben he will be getting his colonic ulcers recheck in a little less than 2 weeks. It's hard to believe we've been in this journey for almost 2 months now with treatments. It doesn't seem that long for whatever reason. I don't know what the test results will show or what our next treatment course will be but I do know he is showing me he has been a happy man lately. I never thought he would do so well on being out 24/7. I thought he liked coming in at night & it gave him a chance to relax boy was I wrong. He is ok being in for a few hours but any longer & he does a running version of a merry go round. Some might say he is doing it to get his way so he goes back out & while he is very intelligent he has a panicked look on his face & in his eye while doing it so I dismiss that theory. He had a lot of bad experiences in his stall from ulcer pain to the one night he possibly got cast for a short time (though we cant confirm that for sure) since then he truly wanted nothing to do with it. Can't say that I don't blame him he's been through too much in such a short amount of time. He is happy as a little lamb outside anytime as long as he can see another horse. I am so grateful for my barn & how they work with him & allow him to be out all the time. They are such caring people always looking out for the best interest of the horses & it shows. He has a great team behind him from his family, vets, farrier, massage therapist, chiropractor, barn owner, barn manager, barn workers, & his friends of course! Don't know where we would be without them all.

 

 

 

Positivity

Ben had two appointment this morning that consisted of his farrier visit that would consist of trimming his feet finally & his massage session. So in preparation for his farrier visit I decided to go ahead & give him a dose of Equioxx, even though he was feeling so much better with his foot I knew the bruise might still possibly be sensitive when asked to stand on that leg for longer than a minute. I also was thinking of making things a little easier on my farrier since he has done so much for us & been so patient as always with Ben despite his rebuttals. When a horse compensates like Ben had for any length of time it will cause soreness in other places another reason I went ahead with the Equioxx. He was very well behaved for his trimming better than he usually is! He still had his time limit on his right front but that's part habit at this point & it is his arthritic knee. So my plan had worked to help make it easier for the farrier while making Ben feel more comfortable & at ease about the whole situation which is important. I want to say this about my farrier though he is truly great with Ben & his limits on range of motion. Ben finds it very uncomfortable to have his knee pulled up & placed between some ones legs like the usual trimming position so my farrier never does this he instead holds his leg lower & trims it that way. He also gives him breaks if needed for mostly the right front when Ben requests it as well. He is always looking for ways to make it easier & more comfortable for him & whenever he has a new limit or problem pop up he always works with it in his calm patient way. A great & knowledgeable farrier is one of the most important people to have in your horses life! 

Ben's massage showed vast improvements from his one prior. He actually had some minor inflammation felt in his left front hoof from compensating so much but it was easily resolved with energy work & tons of licking, chewing , yawning , & head shaking! His back was so much better than before & no longer as tight & it was also noticed that he had put on weight & muscle since his last massage 2 weeks prior! His right front knee was also improved but still some minor soreness but we are working on that still with the surpass applications & now that he is sound he is walking normally so that should help as well. His right front hoof had pretty much no issues at this point just minor residual soreness if anything. Overall he had a great report especially considering his last one so I'm very pleased!

So in review his feet are doing really well & his massage showed a lot of positive changes from before!

   

Truths & updates

So Ben has been doing very well in regards to his bruise. For the past 3 days now he has gone without wearing his boots & remained perfectly comfortable. He had only been given the one dose of the Equioxx still & taking his Isoxsuprine as directed by his vet, but it clearly has made a very nice improvement or him! Seeing him walking soundly is like a breathe of fresh air by itself. If your horse ever has any foot issues forget the duct tape boot & vet wrap especially if they are less than pleased about the situation it is not worth it, consider the Easyboot Cloud. Those boots have been amazing through all of this. They did not rub, shift , or cause any problems. They have been so easy to apply & Ben has a time limit when working on his one foot so that is very important for me, if you measure your horse it is very easy to find the correct size. Ben happen to be a very popular size 2 which was hard to find but thankfully Dover had them! He was turned out 24/7 in those boots & even when it rained some & still they held up like champs! I also did use them with the animalintex pads when he was thought to have an abscess so they are very versatile. So basically I highly recommend them!

I know I've kind of strayed from the whole point of this blog which is the ulcers but these issues could have easily caused a flare up with a horse that has a history of ulcers or one that has never had ulcer prior. It's shown that a horse experiencing some type of pain even If its minor is enough to cause ulcers. I'm sure when people give their horses bute or banaimine or any other type of NSAID really don't think twice about it. The majority of people know Bute has a risk of giving horses gastric ulcers but did you know that Banamine can actually irritate the hindgut & cause hindgut ulcers over time with prolonged use? Don't believe me look It up yourself. Has your horse been on stall rest or a course of antibiotics recently? There's another risk for ulcers yet again. What exactly is the grain you feed your horse & the amount? Is it  high fiber low sugar/starch if not there's another risk. Has your horses herd dynamics changed in their field lately if so yet another risk factor! Anything your horse (not you!) considers to be a stressful event or situation is a risk factor & it is our responsibility to help lessen that to the best of our abilities.

So why not just do a trial course of Gastrogard & see if it works? Why? I will let you know why in my experience I did do a weeks trial & saw a huge improvement within that week but then he crashed yet again out of no wear. So did that mean he didn't have ulcers because of that NO it was because Gastrogard does not cover the entire stomach & depending on your horses ulceration that could be a major issue. A gastroscopy is not fun for you or your horse there is no way to try to sugar coat it & make it sound more pleasant than it is. You have to starve your horse for 12 hours while they are having all these problems to begin with & then trailer them however long (unless your vet is able to do it at the barn) to sedate them & shove a scope up their nose into the stomach. It is a necessary evil unfortunately. Scoping has provided me with so much incite & answers that I would still to this day know nothing about & honestly probably saved his life. You know exactly what your dealing with grade wise of the ulcers & how to proceed with treatment. Ben needed 2 medications just for Gastric ulcers found from the scope & we where able to see how well the treatment plan was working for him on his rescope where he went from bleeding grade 2/3 to a low grade 1 ulcers! You will spend more on medications than you will on the actual scope. Another test I highly recommend is the Succeed fecal test. Its simple & quick with a low price tag! It will tell you If your horse has colonic ulcers by detecting Albumin & Hemoglobin. The test is very sensitive & accurate & every vet I have used always uses it as a diagnostic tool. You just need fresh manure balls brought to your vet in a timely manner & they can have the results typically the same day! 

My main point is stress happens to horses does not matter whether you view it as such or not you should take note of ANY minor changes & take them seriously don't just brush them off. Diagnostic test for ulcers whether you scope or do the succeed test (for hindgut) is very important even though its not ideal always. I just want to bring more awareness to the subject so maybe someone can help their horse sooner.

Ben has been doing well that I can tell with his ulcers. He takes his Gastrogard 1/2 tube & gets the Sucralfate twice a day now & the Misoprostal pills once a day. He switched from the Succeed Vet Formula to the Assure & seems to be doing well with that as of now. He is eating like a little piggy like he used to which is great to see. He trots circles around me until I put his alfalfa hay where he can eat it! He is loving his 24/7 turnout & learned how to use his run in shed or he knew & I thought he didn't ! He seems to be slowly putting on weight now that his foot is feeling better again. He is enjoying what I lovingly call the pampered feral horse life .

A Little Light Shines Through

So the day after the vet apt I go to the barn & again Ben seems more uncomfortable with his foot. This was beginning to be our pattern. He would be good for almost 2 days with 1 dose of Banamine but then progressively get worse again. So since I knew what I was dealing with 100% & how to proceed per his vet I went ahead & gave him a dose of Equioxx. I didn't want him getting any worse & being any more uncomfortable unnecessarily. So I go to check on him later that evening & to my pleasant surprise he was walking extremely well! I was very happy at that point to see him getting the relief he deserved after going through so much already.

Today I go to the barn not sure what to expect soundness wise but to my extreme surprise he walked over to me perfectly sound at the walk for the first time in 10 days... So I made a bold move & removed his boots...both of them. Now a reminder when he was bad I could not even lift his left front leg due to him not wanting to bare full weight on the right! So I watch him holding my breath as he takes a few steps in the soft sandy footing that is his field. He looked the exact same. I made the choice to keep the boots off all day to air out his toes since they have been kept captive in boots for so long & they needed some fresh air! So I go later in the evening as usual for his medications & nightly check over not knowing what I would find soundness wise since the Equioxx only lasts for 24 hrs & it was past that. I see him taking a snooze in his field & when he spots me he walks over.... sound as he did earlier ! I breathed a sigh of relief! So I go & grab his boots, hoof pick, & thrush treatment to get to work. I wanted him to wear the boots for the evening because he is still recovering & little baby steps at a time without over doing it. I was finally able to clean out all 4 feet & even get some thrush treatment in them as a precaution since I haven't been able to clean them daily like I normally would.

So overall I'm very happy with how things are progressing finally. I think the Equioxx is a very good medication that helps a great deal for pain & that in combination with the Isoxsuprine is helping a lot. I only gave him the one dose of Equioxx & will only give another if he shows me he needs it. He has been such a champ through all of this. He has not once despite being 3 legged at one point stopped walking around & grazing or doing his normal routine. He is a fighter & it shows. His eye is softer now that he's feeling better & he's able to relax a lot more which is very nice to see. I just hope he continues to do well overall with everything.

 

 

 

 

Rollar coaster of a ride

Well looks like we have our final answer as to what exactly is going on with Ben's foot. Lets back track a little before we get to today. So the day after Easter he was showing so much improvement we really thought hey his abscess popped & he's on the mend now or so we hoped. Well he was doing ok but never returned to soundness. So as the days went by he started back tracking & getting worse again. Frustraion levels always on the ups these days anymore & what else was I to expect right. So I looked at his foot & found a purple heel... Well hello there bruise? It was pretty nasty looking & went into his Hoof area as well. No wonder he was not fully returning to soundness he had a nasty bruise brewing... So another contact to his farrier & he agreed it looked like some sort of trauma had caused it vs an abscess now. Ben never follows any rules so it's difficult to get a proper diagnosis with him especially when it comes to his right front. So I put some magic cushion xtreme on the bottom of his foot booted him back up & was hoping for a sounder horse by,morning. Well since this is me & Ben naturally its never going to be that easy....so I come to find an even more painful Ben ... This was the last straw I was tired of waiting tired of guessing ...what if something more serious was going on & that's why he was not coming back? What if he had a fracture of his coffin bone or anything of the sort. So I needed more definitive answers so vet appt scheduled for the following day & his farrier also coming out again to see if he could find anything else. 

So brings us to today. I go to see Ben before farrier arrives & he's baring full weight on his foot..now I did give him a dose of banamine the night prior but it should be out of his system by then... So he walks to me 80% better than the day before . it's like he knew the vet was coming. So the farrier sees him nothing obvious nothing at all really his bruise had even faded. He still has a pulse though so we both agreed the vet needed to come to rule out anything else for peace of mind & if she can help him be happier & sounder. So out comes the vet we go to the xrays which revealed nothing thankfully. Everything looked perfectly normal! That's a sigh of relief no hoof falling off at least or broken bones. So it was agreed to be a bruise behaving badly like they love to do apparently. He's going to be out for a few weeks with this even though he's not currently being ridden due to the ulcers anyway but still. So he was placed on Isoxsuprine for his feet & surpass for his knee, & allowed to take Equioxx as needed for his painful days (which hopefully are behind us) . So I feel much better now that we have a better plan in place & can move forward once again. I'm hoping this didn't upset his stomach in anyway but I guess time will tell unfortunately ... Keep checking for our dollar coaster rides.