Post by ladymcts on Jan 1, 2015 17:28:00 GMT
My poor horses are probably thinking I've abandoned them, and here I sit playing on the computer instead of playing with them. I'm heading out to see them soon, I promise. But since November 1, I've been enjoying a break from them. Can't really ride either one anymore, so I'm paying the barn owner a little extra to make sure they get their daily "grain" (pellets) and supplements - feeding other than hay is not normally part of regular board. So it's been nice not having to go out to care for them every day.
Jacques is still doing really well. He's definitely an old man now, starting to show his age with getting a little lean, which is odd after years of being roly poly. He choked once a few months ago, so had his teeth done, and am making sure to soak well now, and boost his calories up a bit. His sway back is getting more swayed the less I ride him, and the more swayed it gets, the less I think my fat butt should be up there on him. So I've got two college-age riders who give him a little attention when they can. One is not very experienced so goes in a saddle at a walk and very little trotting. The other is interested in bareback trotting for her own personal fitness boost, so she does a little warmup walk then some trotting. Between the two of them he's getting ridden once or twice a week, but I haven't been on him in probably 2 months.
Just the other day I've noticed Jacques has a new wear pattern on his right front foot. They put lime into the paddocks, so he's now on this finely gravelled type of surface roughly 12 hours out of 24 each day. The new wear pattern emerged after that, seems like he's wearing down the front of his hoof a bit more. So looked a little harder, and I think his right knee is a little swollen compared to the left. And yet can't tell any difference at walk or trot, it's not showing like he seems lame. Just guessing he's a getting older and creakier. Both riders have been advised to keep him on the level (no riding outdoors up or down hills) inside the arena, and out of the deepest areas of the sand. As long as they stay to the well worn tracks he seems to do OK.
Reggie has perked up considerably since being started on Vitamin E. For those of you who missed it, the vet who saw him in September thinks he has EPM. While he has never seemed to have any of the "big" neurological symptoms for it that I was sure I knew, there are a whole bunch of little bitty symptoms that do seem to make sense. So he's now on Red Cell and Vitamin E, and for the first time in two years he's actually starting to look a little pudgy! We had his blood tested for the antibodies against the virus, and that came back positive. But for a long list of reasons including some verbal and email consults with other vets, I'm choosing to take him to the University of Tennessee for further diagnostics to rule out any other causes for his "asymmetrical ataxia" before I start him on the EPM drugs. Or if I even do. Honestly if it really is EPM, the reality is that he's had it for more than 2 years, possibly more than 3 ... I have my doubts about how much the drugs would be able to help him.
Other avenues or medical things we've been thinking about or considering trying to rule out include so many! I had wondered about EPSM, but ended up finding out that less than 1% of Clydesdales are affected by EPSM, so maybe it's not so likely. The U of T doc I spoke to by phone said they would start with a complete neurological, possibly Xrays of the neck and withers since his ataxia is worst in the shoulder area, confirming or ruling out past injury, and then possibly the spinal tap to confirm EPM for sure, and maybe even a several-day stay to test for Cushing's.
All that leads me to one more visit by one more local vet next week so we can get the appropriate blood tests for Cushings, as they need a "baseline" before the horse travels. This will be a new vet who hasn't seen him yet, so who knows what next week may bring.
Meanwhile I have not tried to ride Reggie since September. He was getting more and more pissy about being ridden, and I think getting close to being bucky. Since that's just so against his nature, and I know he's not completely healthy, I decided to give him the benefit of the doubt and give him time off. I lunge him every now and then, and week before last he was horribly lame on the right front ... the foot\leg that may have been involved in some past injury at some point. So it is what it is.
As for myself ... started some diet pills at the urging of a new doc. I haven't done diet pills in more than 10 years, and really resent the thought of not being able to do it "the right way" - eat less exercise more, I'm not a moron, I know that's what needs to be done. But heck if I've been trying "the right way" for 20 years and not made any progress then I guess I'm only hurting myself if I don't at least try something different. Down 20lbs since November 1. And due to all the issues with both horses, and the possibility that Reggie may never be regularly rideable, I've started looking around for some property to move to. Boarding two pasture puffs at a place with an indoor arena ($$) is pretty silly.
Jacques is still doing really well. He's definitely an old man now, starting to show his age with getting a little lean, which is odd after years of being roly poly. He choked once a few months ago, so had his teeth done, and am making sure to soak well now, and boost his calories up a bit. His sway back is getting more swayed the less I ride him, and the more swayed it gets, the less I think my fat butt should be up there on him. So I've got two college-age riders who give him a little attention when they can. One is not very experienced so goes in a saddle at a walk and very little trotting. The other is interested in bareback trotting for her own personal fitness boost, so she does a little warmup walk then some trotting. Between the two of them he's getting ridden once or twice a week, but I haven't been on him in probably 2 months.
Just the other day I've noticed Jacques has a new wear pattern on his right front foot. They put lime into the paddocks, so he's now on this finely gravelled type of surface roughly 12 hours out of 24 each day. The new wear pattern emerged after that, seems like he's wearing down the front of his hoof a bit more. So looked a little harder, and I think his right knee is a little swollen compared to the left. And yet can't tell any difference at walk or trot, it's not showing like he seems lame. Just guessing he's a getting older and creakier. Both riders have been advised to keep him on the level (no riding outdoors up or down hills) inside the arena, and out of the deepest areas of the sand. As long as they stay to the well worn tracks he seems to do OK.
Reggie has perked up considerably since being started on Vitamin E. For those of you who missed it, the vet who saw him in September thinks he has EPM. While he has never seemed to have any of the "big" neurological symptoms for it that I was sure I knew, there are a whole bunch of little bitty symptoms that do seem to make sense. So he's now on Red Cell and Vitamin E, and for the first time in two years he's actually starting to look a little pudgy! We had his blood tested for the antibodies against the virus, and that came back positive. But for a long list of reasons including some verbal and email consults with other vets, I'm choosing to take him to the University of Tennessee for further diagnostics to rule out any other causes for his "asymmetrical ataxia" before I start him on the EPM drugs. Or if I even do. Honestly if it really is EPM, the reality is that he's had it for more than 2 years, possibly more than 3 ... I have my doubts about how much the drugs would be able to help him.
Other avenues or medical things we've been thinking about or considering trying to rule out include so many! I had wondered about EPSM, but ended up finding out that less than 1% of Clydesdales are affected by EPSM, so maybe it's not so likely. The U of T doc I spoke to by phone said they would start with a complete neurological, possibly Xrays of the neck and withers since his ataxia is worst in the shoulder area, confirming or ruling out past injury, and then possibly the spinal tap to confirm EPM for sure, and maybe even a several-day stay to test for Cushing's.
All that leads me to one more visit by one more local vet next week so we can get the appropriate blood tests for Cushings, as they need a "baseline" before the horse travels. This will be a new vet who hasn't seen him yet, so who knows what next week may bring.
Meanwhile I have not tried to ride Reggie since September. He was getting more and more pissy about being ridden, and I think getting close to being bucky. Since that's just so against his nature, and I know he's not completely healthy, I decided to give him the benefit of the doubt and give him time off. I lunge him every now and then, and week before last he was horribly lame on the right front ... the foot\leg that may have been involved in some past injury at some point. So it is what it is.
As for myself ... started some diet pills at the urging of a new doc. I haven't done diet pills in more than 10 years, and really resent the thought of not being able to do it "the right way" - eat less exercise more, I'm not a moron, I know that's what needs to be done. But heck if I've been trying "the right way" for 20 years and not made any progress then I guess I'm only hurting myself if I don't at least try something different. Down 20lbs since November 1. And due to all the issues with both horses, and the possibility that Reggie may never be regularly rideable, I've started looking around for some property to move to. Boarding two pasture puffs at a place with an indoor arena ($$) is pretty silly.
made the dry lot so bright, I didn't even need a flash light. There was hardly any wind. Diamond and Chief came to be close, and I stood between them, just enjoying the moment and the smells, and the quiet sounds. It was only 5 degrees f, and I could even feel the warmth, coming off there lush fuzzy coats.
