missyclare
Posted : 10/24/2011 2:40:21 PM
That's so sad. Here he was doing a magnificent job in life and because of that he paid more dearly. The people in receipt of all that money, still couldn't do right by him, except the previous one that got him back....too late, but better than nothing. I hate the way industry has people thinking about horses and the way they treat them. Makes me mad. I can see his extreme discomfort and unsteadiness. The unsteadiness comes from pain. The management here says that pain is the priority for treatment. Previcox will help you avoid ulcers, rather than Bute. It's good to see that he is out with others and moving around avoiding stiffness, but he looks like he'd be happier at this point lying down. I would encourage it by breaking a bale of hay up on the ground. He will gravitate to it and all his new friends will gather around and have a picnic with him. What could be better? Just make sure that he isn't roughed up by the others. He's in no position to defend himself in this situation. Glad you started with the lesser supps that come in the Sr. Feed. That's the way to go, start small and work your way up. This guy says different, though. I think he's past this point. I wouldn't worry about the senior feed at all. I don't even have to look at the feed tag to know that there isn't enough of anything in there anyway, except a lot of iron and the ability to become Cushingoid on it down the road. Senior feed is sweeter than some of the new "lite" feeds, which are safer. He's not exactly a senior yet either, in terms of metabolism....just the pain getting in the way. I'd make up a special emergency diet for him instead of buying feed. Here's what I'd put in it. a) 1lb. of beet pulp covered with 4" of hot water and soaked for 1 hour, then dumped somewhere where other horses won't get at it and definitely not down the plumbing! A pail with a tight fitting lid is perfect. Then fill with hot water again, dump it again, fill again to just getting soupy. Nice warm mash, lots of nutrients, lots of fiber, excellent for weight gain and is a good/safe replacement for grain. You could go 1/2lb. beet pulp and 1/2lb. oats, though, if he needs some encouragement to eat it. Make sure the beet pulp has no molasses in it and you can increase to 2lbs/day, especially if the pain has diminished his hay intake. If you lose the fiber, you get ulcers...now that's expensive to heal. Peppermints are no cure all, but they will encourage him to eat when he doesn't feel like it. You can do the beet pulp thing at home, put the lid on the bucket and go....whatever works. The water in it will be good as well. If he doesn't feel like eating much, he won't be drinking much either and water is everything...keeps everything working. b) 4oz. of fresh ground flax. Really great anti-inflammatory. I'm actually keeping my 25 year old off of joint supps right now with it. A $10 coffee grinder and grind fresh, or you can grind up to 5 days ahead of time and keep it dark in the fridge. These are the perfect balance of omegas and the only oil he requires. c) Vit. E Gelcaps for his immune system from Walmart for people. 4 of them, or however it works out vs. his weight. It should be 2IU/lb. of body weight, so if he weighs 800lbs., then 1600IU Vit E.= 4-4oomg gel caps. Drop those in the bucket, he'll never know they're there. d)1 heaping tbn. of iodized salt to insure he drinks more than what's in beet pulp. Salt drives thirst. Feel free to add another tbn. if you are not satisfied with his water consumption. e) Add Vit. C for now, so get some when you get the E. He'll need 1000IU. This is good for stress. Good for helping get over the hump. f) This one is a good one, expensive, but worth its weight in gold. Feeding this for a few months will also be a biggie for getting him over the hump. RECOVERY EQ HA.
http://www.recoveryeq.com/recovery_EQ_HA.htm It's got Reversatrol in it. The HA is also a better route to go. I've used this stuff and I was looking at a different horse in 6 months. Even if you could afford it for a few months, it would be a biggie to getting him sent on his way with recovery. g) Minerals...another important one. I'm talking about the traces. The magnesium is a major mineral and will cover you there with the Recovery. You can throw them in the bucket as well, or offer them free choice. I've checked the analysis of it and by using it, you'll be able to delete the addition of C, but will still have to add a couple of E gel caps. You'll still need the flax and beet pulp and salt. Use the beet pulp as the base/carrier for the additions. The magnesium in it is really a good one. Glucosamine is good, but it promotes IR. So does vitamin C. So why I say temporary on the Recovery HA. with both C and Glucosamine. You don't want an IR horse, so take care not to feed him towards it. Sure would help him get started though. So does the sugar/starch in that senior feed promote IR. You could throw a handful of alfalfa cubes to soak with that beet pulp if you want to further boost things. Another important thought is ulcers and probiotics to avoid them. Pain and not eating will bring them on fast, even without the addition of Bute. Ration Plus is the only one that has enough billions of good bacteria to do the job and its a pre and probiotic as well. Along with the E, we're talking about his immune system and next to ulcers, a heck of a lot cheaper to avoid, rather than having to treat them. That's why the fiber in the beet pulp is so important. The bag of beet pulp and the flax seeds will last forever and in the long run, much more $ savings than buying a feed bag every month that doesn't cut it anyway. Just compare with what he needs here vs. what's on that feed tag in the barn and see the holes in the bag for yourself. Halfway measures, get halfway results. I'd also be bandaging all four legs with no bows. The thickness of them will offset his pinch points when gets up and avoid sores on his hock points. They will also support and add warmth and improve circulation. As for his feet, I can see what his stance has done to them. His feet will always be what they need to be in order to survive. In this case though, its not helping. The pain in the front legs has had him standing under to take the weight off them and he's spraddled in the hinds to help with his stability. I would imagine that he does not have enough heel in the hinds and a medial/lateral imbalance going on. Once his feet get this way, it makes him stand this way whether he wants to or not. It puts him in a locked room, adding imbalance and tension to those joints above, so he needs to be balanced. You may need to build up the heel in the hinds to help him stand straight and get the stress off those joints. Good balance and pain therapy will work together to fix this. I hope this helps you help him. Give him a kiss for me will you?