Cushings/Laminitis & Diet

As you can read from my last post, we were so excited to get in some fresh hay for the winter! It feels so good to know that my stash is about half full, and know that the other half will be here in a few weeks. But the new hay had some unexpected consequences for Arthur, our 25yo pony. A few days after we started feeding the hay to him (he is up in a dirt paddock because he tends to get owwie feet when the grass comes in after a drought), he started showing signs of laminitis again. I had not made any other changes, and it seemed surprising to me that the hay could cause his feet to be sore. It wasn't grain overload or a ton of green grass - just hay? A very smart lady said it sounded like cushings - and I spent some time researching it. My best source by far was this group: Equine Cushings Group

I quickly learned that the hay could very well be too high in sugar/starch for Arthur, especially since it was grown during a drought time in Texas (although it was well irrigated and fertilized). So the solution was to soak the hay for 30 min (hot water) - 1hr (cold water) before feeding it to him. I was also advised to discontinue any grain, and use soaked/rinsed beet pulp instead, supplemented with vitamin E, flax seed, salt, and magnesium.

Within one week, this change in diet took him from a very ouchy laminitic pony who had started laying down for a few hours in the afternoon to get off his feet, to one who looks completely comfortable again, and has even been trotting around! He also seems much brighter, and the gook in his eyes he has had for the last year has completely cleared up. Amazing what diet can do!

I feel silly for not thinking of Cushings earlier - I knew Arthur had foundered in his past, and that he tended to be laminitic sensitive, but always thought "old foundered pony" - not Cushings. And then I remembered how hairy he had been this winter, and how he continued to shed (blankets!) until almost June before his coat looked nice, short & shiny.

My next steps will be to get a baseline ACTH, insulin, and glucose. And to have my hay analyzed so I can do a more specific diet balancing. Right now, though, we are through the hardest part of getting him stabilized and knowing what to feed him to keep him healthy and happy! I am so glad I found the Equine Cushings group and I am learning as much as I can for Arthur's sake.

120 bales happier...

Saturday we loaded up 120 bales of beautiful coastal hay into my 24' stock trailer to start filling my winter stash. I've bought hay from the same guy the past two years - clean, fertilized, irrigated - and I am lucky he had as much for me as he did this year. He had 2 other customers to fill before me, but he ended up with more than he expected, thank goodness! The drought in my area of Texas is "exceptional" - it has been 100+ most of the last 2 months, and we have had hardly any rain.

And yes, it was over 100 while we were loading. No way around that. But we got 'er done, and Sunday night we stacked it all in the barn. Arthur will be in heaven as he can reach it through the panels that make up his stall. Best news - I saved $360. Hay is selling for $9/bale at the feed store, and I got this for $6 out of the field. (Isn't that what the feed store was selling it for a few years ago??! ) The price of hay came down briefly to $8.50 for a few weeks in June then went back up to $9. If that's where it is right now - I can't imagine where it will be in winter! I hope to get another 100-150 bales from the same guy mid-September, if the grass recovers well. It has been so dang hot!

Praying for rain...

Another Colic Episode...

Everything was normal when I let the horses in this morning, and thankfully I puttered around a bit in the barn before running back inside to get out of the heat. Within a few moments, I heard Sweetie pawing and knew immediately she was beginning to colic. I put a halter on her and walked her into the yard - she was not interested in grass, and laid down and rolled up on her side. I watched her for a few minutes, and things did not seem to subside, so went in for some banamine. When I got back out to her (laying down), I heard the strangest noise - it sounded like she was trying to burp - a very fluidy burp - from her chest up in to her neck. I watched a few minutes more as she got uncomfortable, and stood up - the burp sound continued rhythmically, and she looked more stressed and stretched her neck out. Some green slobber dripped from her mouth and a tiny bit from her nose - which seemed like a choke, but she wasn't coughing or attempting to. I called the vet and let them know I would be on my way - and asked if it was okay to give her the banamine, which they said so long as it was IV it would be okay. I gave her the shot and then ran to get the trailer hooked up. I pulled the trailer around to the barn, and by then Sweetie was standing calmly by the fenceline - I went over to check her out, and if she looked completely normal, I would not have taken her to the vet. But I heard that weird burp/fluidy sound again and was not taking any chances - I have had Sweetie 19 years, we've been through a handful of colics that have all been very similar, and I had never heard this noise. I prayed it wasn't reflux.

Sweetie did not want to get on the trailer - I couldn't really blame her. I pulled out the lead with the chain which always did the trick when she was younger and more energetic - and that did it first try. Just knowing it was across her nose was enough to coerce her to get in.

By the time we got to the vet's (15 min later) she seemed pretty normal to me and was no longer making any weird throat noises. They drew blood which had a normal PCV (37 I think?), and did a protein test that was slightly high at 6.8, but not horrible. She tubed her, there was not any obstruction at that point (if there had been), everything seemed normal. She got a gallon of mineral oil and some water. The rectal palpation was also normal, everything was soft, no large amounts of gas or fluid anywhere, all seemed pretty dang normal.

What I was worried most about was some kind of obstruction, either in her neck, or something that would cause a reflux (fluid to come up from her stomach into her mouth, that would only happen in the most serious of colics where there was an obstruction). So my worries were calmed, and I decided to go ahead and take her home and watch her. My instructions were to not let her eat until tomorrow morning, and then start her on a half ration of her grain. Well, that, and I could hand walk her once this evening and let her graze on grass.

Everything started about 9am, and we were already home by 11am. But by 3pm, Sweetie had not drank a single sip of water while in her stall. She normally doesn't, the water was fresh... she prefers other water sources. So we grazed for 15 minutes at 3pm and then I took her to the trough where she sipped 3-4 gallons of water. But still not as much as I'd hoped for. I put her back in her stall, hoping to see at least one bowel movement. By 4:30, she still had not drank any water from her bucket, and still no poop. But the water issue was more concerning than the poop at that point - the vet had pulled out a fair amount during the palpation. If she wasn't going to drink water in her stall, we'd have a lot more serious issues to deal with soon - talk about impaction! So, I made the decision to let her out in the field with everyone - and pray that there was not anything seriously wrong with her. Sweetie went straight down to the pond and drank for 2-3 minutes before moving on. I also have a trough that I keep fresh water in, but I guess the pond water was cooler. (It is 104 here today). She looked completely normal as she grazed on the grass, and wandered off with our little herd.

I just went out to check on her - about 9:30pm - in the beautiful moonlight! And she was just fine, munching on some grass with her pals, not a worry at all. I am so thankful that she is doing well, and I know that I made the right decision for my horse. Every time in the past when she has had a mild colic that she has worked through, I have always let her back out in the pasture with grass, skipped a meal and then started back with 1/2 or less the next meal. She has always done fine that way, and I hope that she always will!

But if she does start colicing more frequently - weekly/monthly, then we may need to scope her to look for ulcers. But they want to keep them without food/water for a while before that - and that just doesn't make any sense in this heat (or at all for that matter- horses are supposed to eat all the time, I don't want to interfere with nature). So, it would have to wait until a cooler season at least, if I ever were to go that way. If I do get concerned about ulcers, I'll buy some Stomach Soother (half the cost of scoping) and go from there. I've already seen that work great on a rescue horse.

I also got a call tonight that my hay guy will be baling tomorrow, so we will be loading up 100-150 bales tomorrow in 100 degree heat. And drinking LOTS of water! But I will save 1.50-3.00/bale by doing it this way - that works out to $300-450 in savings! Gotta do it while the price is right - and this may be my last chance to get any hay this year out of the field. The drought down here has been horrible on crops of all kinds. Here's hoping for rain soon!

Spontaneous Healing

Wow - it has been far too long since I last wrote on here! Vacations, busy schedules, have kept me away.

I rode Sweetie briefly last weekend - she was very good - we just walked around in the field a bit. And I rode Rocky this morning - lots of trot circles/figure 8's. He was also very good. Sammie has ridden Arthur a handful of times - our new favorite thing is to walk him down to the pond/"tank" and back up to the barn.

The good news is that Penny has been on her treatment, "Marquis", for EPM for about 2 weeks and I can already see the difference in her demeanor! She is much perkier and happier in general. Her hind end seems to be moving more naturally - not such a hesitation when we go in/out of her stall. I played with her a bit this morning. Only about 10 minutes of "work" if you can call it that - I played some Parelli games with her, and then asked her to go both ways on a circle, first at the walk and then at the trot. To the left seemed a bit harder on her. (Her "lame" leg is her LH). You could also tell when moving her hindquarters around that she would not cross over her back legs to move that way like she would to the right - a clear sign of lameness. But she finally did cross just barely one time and we quit there.

I also need to get Penny ready for Sammie to ride, and so I practiced mounting/dismounting a few times with Penny. She was so good, let me lean over her on my belly and scratch her everywhere before swinging my leg over.

And then the good news about Arthur's facial paralysis - over the last two weeks, I have started to see some improvement! His ear is now moving with the other ear at about 85% capacity it seems, and his nostrils are now about even instead of the right one drooping down lower, and his lower lip on the right is only drooping the smallest amount now in comparison. I'm so glad I didn't attempt to put him through an expensive treatment/surgery to correct this and that things are improving so well! It really is amazing to see. I was so worried about him for a while.

The other thing that has happened is that about a week ago, we finally got some rain here in TX. So the drought grass full of sugar has started to come up, and I have had to keep Arthur & Penny up in a dirt paddock so that their laminitis issues don't flare up. Thank goodness they keep each other company so well! They are enjoying all the hay and their feet are not aching, so I know I'm doing the right thing. In a week or two, I will start letting them out for a few hours in the morning, and work up to being out at night again. All for now!

Sweetie Colicked - again...

What was I saying about these episodes happening maybe once a year? Again, yesterday morning, approximately 1hr after breakfast I found Sweetie in a sweat in her stall, pawing, anxious. So I took her out to the yard again to let her walk around and see how she was doing. This time it was clear the colic was a little more serious than Sunday's, so I did give her 6cc of Banamine (I know the full dose is 10cc, but I only have 6cc syringes on hand right now, and if it didn't help, we would be looking at more serious stuff anyways). I even gave her the IV shot while she was laying down, in the shade, thankfully. And also, thankfully, about 20 minutes later, she was back to her normal self, grazing as if nothing had happened.

So - I started to go through what might be causing this. Someone recently suggested ulcers - and although it is possible, I doubt it due to the way the horses are managed. They are out on pasture 24/7, always with something in front of them, and they are only in the barn for about an hour, twice a day, for feeding times. What bothered me about it was that the colic both days was exactly 1 hr after feeding. So, it made me look to the feed. Sweetie has been on Aussie Logic's "Kool & Kalm" for about a year now. This was her first colic since being on that grain - she gets one 3lb coffee can at each meal, which is the approximate volume she has been receiving for the last 19 years in my care. Kool & Kalm is an extruded feed, primarily made from alfalfa, but low in starches, and it actually looks like dog food. It is however, what the local holistic vet highly recommends, and up until this point, I would have too. My horses have looked great on this feed, but they have also looked great on others.

Recently, dealing with Arthur's facial paralysis, I have begun to wonder more about the feed. When it gets moist, it becomes a gritty mash - and when Arthur is done, the dribbles and drools on his bucket turn into a very hard, rough surface. It does come off pretty easily in water, but I've never had a grain that was quite that consistency - kindof reminded me of cement (yikes!) So for dinner last night and breakfast this morning, Sweetie ate a handful of Manna Pro apple treats for her meals, followed by a flake of hay, and both times she was completely fine. I can't say for sure that it was the grain, or possibly the last bag I opened, but either of those is NOT okay by me - and Sweetie, my precious 1st horse, is also my most sensitive digestive system, so if she says something is wrong, I will go by that.

I used the end of my Kool & Kalm this morning, (timing is everything!) and this afternoon purchased Purina Equine Senior for Sweetie, (and Arthur will probably get a tiny bit) and then Nutrena's SafeChoice for everybody else. Man, the horses were delighted! Arthur kept licking his bowl long after his tiny 1/2 lb was gone - everyone else was happy, too. I know to start switching everyone over slowly, of course, but for 3 or 4 of them, the 1/2 lb is all they are getting anyways (the piggies :) ) And we will slowly get up to where we should be for Sweetie and Arwen.

I also dosed Sweetie with half a tube of Probios and started her week of Sand Clear. So hopefully, we won't have any more of the episodes any time soon. Fingers crossed!

Test riding Arwen

The rescue has heard from some people that may be interested in adopting Arwen, so I needed to find out what she really knew under saddle. I have lots of fears about riding a horse for the first time - especially after being thrown off Kiley so recently, but I did my best to remind myself that she *is* an OTTB that was raced, and Sweetie was also one when I first rode her 19 years ago, so although she might be quick, the chances of going into a bucking fit were smaller, I hoped. After bringing all the horses in the barn for breakfast, I sat down in my barn chair and listened to the horses peacefully munching away. I stood up when Arwen was done and had put her head out of her stall and rubbed her forehead and then let my hand follow her neck back to her withers for a good scratching. Arwen enjoyed the scratches and then I went inside the house to put my britches on.

Back at the barn, I pulled Arwen out of her stall, and started grooming her with the curry, and then heard Sweetie pawing in her stall. I stopped and went over to Sweetie's stall and watched her for a minute - she continued pawing in each corner of her stall, with her nose down - a clear sign that she was beginning to colic...

I sighed and put Arwen back in her stall in the middle of our grooming routine, and put the halter on Sweetie and brought her out. I started by grooming her just to see her response - it distracted her for a minute, but her respiration was still a bit elevated, and then she started pawing again, so we went for a walk in the grass around the house (that is much greener). She half-heartedly took a few nibbles, and then pawed a few more times, so I left her there in the yard while I went to get some banamine. It took me a few minutes to find the syringes, etc., and when I came back out, shot in hand, Sweetie was eagerly eating some green grass. I watched her for several more minutes, and she didn't paw anymore, and seemed her normal self. So I put the banamine away and took her back to the barn.

Sweetie is known for having mild colics occasionally that she usually works out on her own. I have previously kept her on Fast-Trak with good results, but had thought that the probiotics in the grain I am using would be sufficient for that. I guess it is also a good reminder that it has been a few months since I did a round of Sand Clear - so I'd better do that again soon. Thankfully, this time, Sweetie seemed fine and back to normal after we were in the barn. So I decided to continue with Arwen.

So many dang fears about getting on a horse I don't know... I can't afford to get seriously hurt - I'm a mom of two youngsters that need me. I have to trust in my own judgment of the horse and how they are responding at the time. (I should never have gotten on Kiley... if I had been paying attention to all the signs, I would not have - I put pressure on myself to do it, there were other people there, etc...) Anyways, I got Arwen out and resumed grooming her where we had left off.

Arwen absolutely loves grooming. And she acts like she very much wants to trust me as a human, but is also cautious, not sure of my expectations. I let her sniff the saddle pad, and then the saddle and girth in succession as I put them on her back/belly. She stood well for the saddle. And I wanted to use a bridle- even though she had mouthed the bit so much and seemed so anxious before, I felt it was a safety issue (my safety, that is). I used a Dr. Bristol (is that the right term for it?) It has two joints instead of the one in the plain snaffle, and a flat piece that goes across the tongue. She accepted it the first time, but the bridle I had did not fit her, so I had to put the bit on a smaller bridle. Arwen watched me as I worked on it, and when I was done, I adjusted it some more while standing in front of her and she walked up about 5 feet to get closer to me and what I was doing - as in saying yes, she was okay with the bridle, she wanted to be a part of what I was doing.

With the bridle finally adjusted correctly and my helmet fastened, we walked to the ring. She was mouthing the bit constantly again, but she did not seem as anxious as she had the last time, and she was picking the bit up and chewing on it, but was not opening her mouth wide like she had last time. (So I think the change in bit was appropriate). Another funny thing is that although she is only 14.2, she has the girth of a horse that is 16 hands. She is very broad for a TB, and the girth fit her the same way it fits Sweetie.

We played some friendly game and asked her to move her hindquarters away from me both directions. We did a few circles, and through everything she seemed calm. So I asked her to "walk on" and "ho" being sure to put pressure on the reins to make sure she was okay. Still was fine. My fears were there in my mind, and I decided I would at least try to lean over her, and maybe that would be enough for the day. (She had not stood still at the mounting block last time we did that (but I did not have a saddle on her that time) - every time I leaned towards her she wanted to take a step. We finally did get to the point that she would stand still last time we worked together). But this time, Arwen did not move. I leaned on the stirrup with my hand from the ground and she stood quietly. So I took her to the mounting block. She did not even move as I leaned towards her and over the saddle. And she stood quietly as I put a foot in the stirrup. Up until this point, she had been chewing on the bit constantly. But the moment I put my foot in the stirrup, the chewing stopped. Suddenly and completely, the chewing was over. The way she was standing so perfectly still encouraged me to bring my leg over her back and sit down - and she continued to stand. I dismounted and remounted and she continued to stand still. So I remounted, and she stood still and then took maybe one step backwards. I sat there, pleased that it was so far uneventful, and then began to ask her to move forward, using the lightest of aids. The last thing I wanted was to ask too hard and end up galloping around the ring. So I clucked quietly, repeated "walk on", squeezed ever so gently, and Arwen stood completely still. I wiggled around more in the saddle. Rubbed her withers, her neck, and her chest (she is only 14.2, so I could reach) to tell her how good she was being. I reached behind me and rubbed her rump and she continued to stand. So I started shifting my weight around a bit, squeezing a little more firmly (but no kicking, of course), and still, she stood. So I tried the "turn their head and hold it until they take a step" idea, without success. Well, I guess that depends on your definition of success. She willingly gave me her head, turned it all the way around and touched my toes, both directions, and I held it there for 30 seconds or so while she closed her eyes and relaxed. Still no movement. I felt guilty for holding it for so long and released. Her neck is very flexible, and it seemed like it didn't bother her at all, but I couldn't bear to hold her head around like that in such an uncomfortable position for longer than that. So I gave her more pats, tried squeezing again. Then my husband called out to us from the house which startled us both, and she stepped back, and then planted her feet again. I even tried taking the end of the reins back and forth over her withers (gently) without any response. So, after about 10 minutes of standing there without moving forward ( a step or two backwards), I dismounted and knew I would need to work more with verbal cues on the lunge line to teach her to go forward - or the help from someone on the ground. And as soon as my feet touched the ground, she started chewing away intensely at the bit again.

I have wondered if she was internalizing her response - and then could "blow" so to speak, but her body language did not suggest that. She was perfectly calm when I dismounted. She is very sensitive (her skin, to sudden movements) but never over-reacts like an "afraid" horse. She might move away, but catches herself quickly.

I am sure I could have gotten her to move forward with a crop, but gosh, that might have sent her skyward. My goal was for her to feel comfortable with me in the saddle, to reaffirm to her that I am a relaxed, calm, human being that she doesn't need to fear, and I feel we succeeded there.

Somewhere, it just doesn't make sense that an OTTB that raced a lot did not want to move forward. Seems counter-intuitive. I wonder if the only "forward" cue she has experienced was a crop on her butt, but think to myself that there must have been some other cues. I hope, anyways.

We'll keep playing with it - patiently. Now that I have more information to go on, I know more specifically were to start. So, I would say she is fine with tack and mounting, but has not been trained to move forward with leg signals at all yet. We'll get to work on that. :)

Priceless help

We've just returned from a week's vacation, and I have to say that there is nothing more comforting than knowing you have the best animal care in the world while you are gone. I am so thankful for the retired farmer down the road who gladly comes down and cares for the 6 horses, 3 dogs, and barn cat. He has had all sorts of animals throughout his lifetime, and does a great job with all of the animals. I think he even enjoys it - it is a break from daily chores for him. This time was the first vacation we have taken since we built the barn, and I wondered how things would go with all the horses going in and out twice a day to be fed. But good ol' Clyde had no trouble at all. I guess it helps that all 6 horses know where their stalls are, but it is just so nice to know how well they are taken care of. I came home to a freshly sweeped aisleway, full water troughs, and happy animals that didn't seem to notice that we had been gone. Well, okay, the dogs were very happy to see us, but they were all in excellent health, and the novelty of our return wore off quickly. :)

Actually, Clyde has been caring for our animals on all of our vacations for the last 8 years, and he always does a wonderful job. I feel so blessed to have found him shortly after we moved here!