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.