Think First

Hot weather has been in full blast these past few days which means hose downs & baths galore! The approaching summer is both friend & foe to Ben. He loves being naked finally, but with that comes the allergies he gets this time of year along with bugs & sweating. He can tolerate the heat fairly well but has his limits especially with his age. As horses get older a lot of things become harder. They can't cool themselves off as well as a younger horse or build muscle as well as a younger horse ect. You get the point I'm sure. For defeating all these nuisances we turn to a fly mask (Equine Sun Visor), fly boots (Kensington), fly spray (Endure), SWAT (for those sensitive areas & extra coverage), & a fan (appropriate for barn use for when he is in his stall during feed times). For those fun summer bath times we use the Equitek MicroTek to keep any possibility of skin issues at bay. Allergy wise he will begin taking a Chinese herbal both his Chiropractor & Vet deemed appropriate for his symptoms & current condition. The herbal is called Xin Yi San. His allergy symptoms vary pending on weather but typically range from runny itchy eyes, sneezing or blowing (whatever you want to call it) , & because of that he gets broken blood vessels in his one nostril occasionally resulting in minor nosebleed. He sometimes tosses his head but very minor. Summer time also tends to be Ben's "hard keeper" season & he sometimes looses weight. Last summer he looked beautiful with lots of muscle & held his own very well. This summer will be different for him. He has gone through hell & back with his ulcers that riddled his GI tract from beginning to end & now month 4 of his treatments. He will not look as he did last summer but that does not mean he is not improved or looks good. Yes he has lost his topline he once had, but the thing people don't seemed to know or recall is he has never had a great topline in all the years I have had him. He was emaciated prior to me owning him & was like a coatrack with fur. My then trainer/barn owner helped me in building him back up & nourishing his health. He never fully filled out completely despite great efforts made by all through the years. He is a senior with issues hands down. For the first time last summer he actually filled out that topline beautifully thanks to walking the trails, but expecting him to look like that again is completely unfair to him & I as his owner. He is 27 yrs old just overcoming a huge health hurdle in his life & not being ridden but instead given the time he has more than deserved to heal properly. I have done & do everything humanly possible to bring him back to full health. No he doesn't have a full rear end & no he probably wont ever have that, as it was extremely difficult to get in the first place but that does not mean he is not improving. Since he became sick his muscles decreased as with any ill horse would. The only area that has muscle loss is his hind end naturally as he is not worked & again has been sick for months. 

Ben has been doing well despite the summer challenges (even though they are just beginning). He has all his needs met & then some to keep him comfortable this season. His weight has not decreased but held steady nicely. He has a natural athletic look about him & the moves to go with that when he's feeling it! His eating habits have been great & he seems to be keeping himself nice & hydrated. His hoof that had the bruise isn't as strong as before because of the damage it sustained during his fall off the trailer, but again holding its own. During his chiropractor & acupuncture session the Dr. commented on his calm demeanor. His session went well. He had a tight back but all was put back together as it should. He hasn't been done in a few months as so much has gone on but we are now back to our every 8 week schedule as before. He is still not allowed any vaccinations at this time due to the unneeded stress it would cause his immune system when he needs to put it all towards healing. I also received a comment on how good his weight was looking from another boarder which is always nice to hear. 

Next week he will be getting his toes done & his massage. He seems to be enjoying his new lifestyle though when things change even just a little I can see some stress symptoms in him. Always the sensitive & in-tune type he is. I don't know that I will be riding him again as I have said in previous posts before. Certainly not when he is undergoing any treatment but even after. He has his arthritis in his knees which cause some tripping & he has more than done enough for people when it comes to riding. He has more than earned the right to have a sound & comfortable retirement. Do I miss riding him sure but he has given me 6 yrs of that & given his all each time. I am just thankful to have him with me by my side where he belongs. That is what you realize when you go through the ordeal we have. You just want them not what they can or cant do. Just them healthy with you. That's what matters. He will not have a "ridden" body type but develop his own new one that fits his needs to keep him happy & comfortable.

Until next time

Just a reminder

Ben has now been off Gastrogard for almost a full 3 weeks & his new supplements began a week ago. Just as a refresher the new supplements are Assure Guard & Steadfast. The things I have noticed is an increase in appetite for hay. I don't know whether he is just in love with the hay our barn has all of the sudden or he is feeling that good! Our barn has great hay quality always so that's nothing new....I'm hoping he feels that good! The Steadfast is currently at the loading dose for a full month for his joints. The other day he trotted to me for his peppermints & he looked beautifully sound floating towards me like a ballerina. He has beautiful gaits & is such a pleasure to watch. His mood has been pleasant, calm, & at ease. He has adapted so well to being out all the time & I tell myself now I should have done it a few years back when I almost did....but alas one always has reservations especially when climate isn't always the best in these parts. Nonetheless he has done so well despite our forever changing weather! He will also be switching to just his Cavalor FiberForce & taking away the Triple Crown Senior shortly. As posted before he is still receiving the Sucralfate twice a day & the Misoprostol once a day. He is entering month 4 of his treatments. I find myself looking back & thinking back to where this all began & find it baffling that ulcers have caused so much trouble. Again why I began my blogging. I wanted to raise awareness to how prevalent ulcers truly are among horses.

Just a few things as a reminder when treating a horse with ulcers. If your horse is being treated for gastric ulcers you also need to support the hindgut or you will end up with colonic ulcers. Its very important to support the entire GI tract whenever possible. Always slowly wean off Gastrogard never ever stop cold turkey the acid rebound will be worse than the ulcers you are attempting to treat. Gastrogard does not treat the entire stomach so if your doing the treat & see approach & it didn't help doesn't mean they aren't there it means (possibly, like in my case) your ulcers are in abundance & in areas the Gastrogard cant treat properly. If you have Gastric ulcers there's a good chance you have colonic ulcers. Alfalfa hay is a great acid buffer & should be added to your horses diet if possible. Don't just treat change management which includes revaluating your horses diet, living arrangements, & their job. Ulcers are usually a secondary condition to a primary cause so do your best to investigate a possible underlying issues. Research is always your best friend & so is your vet! Grain is not your friend. Make the diet as grain free as possible! Small frequent meals along with access to hay 24/7 is very important to keep those stomach acids in check & not overloading your horse with huge concentrate meals! The more turnout the better. Don't expect to have a fully healed horse in just a month its not going to happen. It takes longer than just 30 days we are on month four! Get a gastroscopy its cheaper than treating ulcers if you don't have them & if you do it gives you all the info you need for proper treatment of medications & duration. Give you horse a break! Just because your treating the symptoms does not mean they are magically healed. Ulcers are an injury to the GI tract so much that some even bleed! It takes more than a month to heal. Just because they are starting to feel better doesn't mean you jump on their back right away. Even though you don't see the ulcers on the outside doesn't mean they aren't there. You would give a break to a horse with a ligament or tendon injury wouldn't you so why should this GI injury be any different?  Listen to your horse they know more than you. Is your horse super shiny & perfect weight? Does not mean your horse doesn't have ulcers! They don't have to appear sick to be injured & a fair amount look perfectly plump on the outside! Last but not least the signs are always there sometimes subtle sometimes screaming but its our jobs to figure it out.

Where do I get all this info research & my brain.

Until next time...

30 days later

We have reached another 30 day period in this long standing journey. I cant believe how much time has gone by since we first started all of this. Everything felt so uncertain back then but even now I still relive it from time to time & quickly shove those thoughts aside. You cant help but become a little paranoid about things because you don't want anything to get out of control again. Are we ever really in control though? One has to wonder....

With the ending of the 30 day period it was time to run the Succeed test again. Ben so nicely obliged to giving me the sample needed to run the test. The results are negative on Albumin but still positive with the hemoglobin.... While its not exactly what I was hoping for we all know its never easy. So with those results I contacted the specialist at the hospital or our next course of action. Ben will be continuing the Sucralfate for another 30 days at twice a day & the Misoprostal once a day. So made arrangements for his medications & they will arrive next week. I'm not too surprised honestly simply by the fact that he had very bad ulcers coating his entire GI tract from beginning to end. He no longer at this point takes Gastrogard so there is an improvement in itself. He has been off it for 2 weeks total so far. We will run the Succeed test again in another 30 days & go from there.

I have also made a few changes in his supplement routine. He finished his Stomach Happy herbal a few days ago & I then switched him to Assure Guard for protection of his entire GI tract. I also decided to revamp his joint supplement from Cosequin ASU Plus to Steadfast. I'm hoping with these changes he will finally have the long awaited fully negative Succeed test instead of partially negative. The Dr. agreed on all the above changes & thinks they are great.

Ben has been doing well with everything & doing very good with his turnout rain or shine he doesn't care. He received a much needed bath were the water running off turned a nice chocolate color... outdoor living problems... but whatever makes him happy! Here's to another 30 day course with an even better outcome!

Are we in the clear yet

Today marks the last day of Gastrogard for Ben (hopefully for good!). He started out with a full tube for 30 days then went to 1/2 tube for 30 days & now 1/4 tube for 2 weeks. We are at the last day of the two weeks & while I'm excited with that comes some apprehension naturally. He has relied on it for 2 & 1/2 months. I always become nervous when he decreases any of his medications but its also a step in the right direction which is what we strive for. Fingers crossed he is perfectly fine without it. He will still be continuing the Sucralfate & Misoprostal for the remainder of the month. Next month as long as he continues improving will be even more nerve wrecking because that's when the Dr was considering stopping the Misoprostal. I trust my vets so I know they always have his best interest which is why you don't stop the medications cold turkey. He has gained good weight & putting back his muscles on his topline nicely. He hasn't been ridden in 3 months now & the fact that he is putting muscle on is a full result of his turnout routine. He will not be ridden while on any medications because as I have said before just because you are decreasing the symptoms does not mean you have a fully healed horse yet.  Ulcers are an injury (an internal one) & should be given proper time off & your routine reevaluated. Once your horse is fully healed you slowly bring them back just like an outside injury.

Ben had a very nice morning/afternoon full of appointments. He had his massage which showed his right knee was feeling its arthritis due to the weather we have been experiencing (nonstop rain) which intern resulted in left sided back discomfort. Both were helped with the massage & energy work with plenty of releases! I cant imagine how stiff & sore he would be if he was stuck inside though! As I always say rain wont make them melt! You just need a proper blanket (if you blanket). His toe trim was one of his best behavior wise yet. He was very calm & very cooperative for him. His farrier even commented on the difference in his behavior since his ulcers have undergone treatment. He began displaying uncharacteristic behavior before his ulcer were found. He never likes having his toes done but he was behaving worse than he ever had. After both his appointments he went back outside with his neighbor buddy & began eating his hay.

In another two weeks I will recheck his Succeed Fecal test to see where things are. I'm hoping we get fully negative results this time around! I couldn't be more pleased with his progress & response to his treatments. Always remember its more than just doing the medications you also have to look at your routine & make some serious changes & that includes feed changes. Ulcer horses should be getting small frequent meals (3+), unlimited hay, alfalfa (hay or cubes soaked)  low sugar low starch feed ideally one that has no grain & as much turnout as possible. They also need digestive support supplements & if needed a supplement to help prevent reoccurrence. The less the stress the better off everyone will be!