HeyMich
Well-Known Member
I can't shake the feeling that my mare is slightly off. Just a few niggly things really, so if you don't mind I'm going to list them here and see what the collective HHO mind comes up with.
I've spoken to the vet about all of this, and she is going to pop out to see us next week. The vet agrees it's nothing urgent but is worth digging deeper sometime soon. Lameness work-up and blood tests suggested, possible scope too.
Mare, 16.2 ISH (more ID than anything else), 8 yrs old. Owned her for 2 years, bought in a terrible state from a place I wouldn't send my deepest enemy to! She's a big gentle giant, always willing to work, really looks after her rider. Has come on leaps and bounds since I've had her, in both her ridden work and calmness around people. I have her schooled by a fantastic, sympathetic rider, a couple of times a month at most. In light work with me - ridden between 2 and 4 times a week, gentle schooling or light hacking. Can be anxious when travelling alone, and is now only just confident enough to hack alone from the house with me (little victories - yeay!).
She scoped positive for ulcers about 18 months ago (bets are she had ulcers when I bought her). Treated with UlsaGold paste and then the omaprezole injections, scoped clear after 8 weeks. Sucralfate then given for 6 weeks, which helped too. Another flare up in November, not scoped again as I knew the symptoms and didn't want to put mare under any unnecessary stress. Treated again with omaprezole injections and sucralfate. Seems to me that the ulcers come on in winter months when she was stabled more at livery and on haylage all night. We have recently moved house to have her at home (with 2 other companions) so I've swapped haylage for hay and they are all out 24/7.
Sore lumbar spine on a few occasions, reported by physio. Possibly due to saddle issues - new saddle fitted and checked. Back issues not a problem at the moment, as far as I can tell. She does flinch a tiny bit when mounted when a slightly heavier friend rides her (I've tactfully stopped her riding for now), or if anyone sits too far back in the saddle.
She had a serious hock injury last summer, but it has all healed and as far as I can tell there's no lasting issues there.
She had a strange skin irritation a few months ago - like mud fever or rain scald but under her saddle area. I clipped her and washed with hibiscrub and it cleared up. She's still not got her summer coat through yet (the others in the field are in full summer glory), but has seriously long cat hairs over the clip. She gets really hot and sweaty so I try to leave her naked or lightly rugged only.
Good body condition score at the moment, no extra weight. She eats well, always has a good appetite. Drinks plenty (maybe too much? Difficult to tell as they are out 24/7, but she's always the first to drink when I clean and top up the water troughs). And yesterday looked like she was having trouble peeing after work, but it could be that she's coming into season and she was just winking a bit. (I was standing by the gate watching her closely, and I guess I've only started doing that since she's moved home - it could be that it is normal behaviour for her, just that I've never stood watching her before!)
She's very tail swishy when I put my leg on. She's very sensitive to brush over her belly and girth area. This has always been the case to some extent, but particularly so when her ulcers are bad. She is usually such a sweetheart in the stable, but has turned really fidgety and grumpy lately - the physio even commented on her being really unsettled last time she was here. She's fine once tacked up and ready to go (girth done up incredibly slowly!) or is this just her being conditioned to ignore the pain and get on with the job maybe?
She's just feeling a bit off. Lethargic maybe? Yesterday bringing her in from the field she was carrying her head really low. This was a sign she was in pain last year when she injured her hock. Could she just be relaxed? Am I overthinking things? (OH says definitely, yes!)
Ulcers again? Probably, yes. Buy why? Something else going on in the background maybe? I was thinking maybe one of the metabolic type diseases, but I'm not sure if there's strong enough evidence for anything in particular. She's such a sweetheart, I don't want to ignore her trying to tell me she's not well, but also I don't want to stress over nothing. Really not sure!
OMG, I've just realised what an essay I have just written! I'm not expecting any of you to read it all, but a million thanks if you do. Really useful to have it all written down, I think I'll print it out for the vet!
Thanks all xx
I've spoken to the vet about all of this, and she is going to pop out to see us next week. The vet agrees it's nothing urgent but is worth digging deeper sometime soon. Lameness work-up and blood tests suggested, possible scope too.
Mare, 16.2 ISH (more ID than anything else), 8 yrs old. Owned her for 2 years, bought in a terrible state from a place I wouldn't send my deepest enemy to! She's a big gentle giant, always willing to work, really looks after her rider. Has come on leaps and bounds since I've had her, in both her ridden work and calmness around people. I have her schooled by a fantastic, sympathetic rider, a couple of times a month at most. In light work with me - ridden between 2 and 4 times a week, gentle schooling or light hacking. Can be anxious when travelling alone, and is now only just confident enough to hack alone from the house with me (little victories - yeay!).
She scoped positive for ulcers about 18 months ago (bets are she had ulcers when I bought her). Treated with UlsaGold paste and then the omaprezole injections, scoped clear after 8 weeks. Sucralfate then given for 6 weeks, which helped too. Another flare up in November, not scoped again as I knew the symptoms and didn't want to put mare under any unnecessary stress. Treated again with omaprezole injections and sucralfate. Seems to me that the ulcers come on in winter months when she was stabled more at livery and on haylage all night. We have recently moved house to have her at home (with 2 other companions) so I've swapped haylage for hay and they are all out 24/7.
Sore lumbar spine on a few occasions, reported by physio. Possibly due to saddle issues - new saddle fitted and checked. Back issues not a problem at the moment, as far as I can tell. She does flinch a tiny bit when mounted when a slightly heavier friend rides her (I've tactfully stopped her riding for now), or if anyone sits too far back in the saddle.
She had a serious hock injury last summer, but it has all healed and as far as I can tell there's no lasting issues there.
She had a strange skin irritation a few months ago - like mud fever or rain scald but under her saddle area. I clipped her and washed with hibiscrub and it cleared up. She's still not got her summer coat through yet (the others in the field are in full summer glory), but has seriously long cat hairs over the clip. She gets really hot and sweaty so I try to leave her naked or lightly rugged only.
Good body condition score at the moment, no extra weight. She eats well, always has a good appetite. Drinks plenty (maybe too much? Difficult to tell as they are out 24/7, but she's always the first to drink when I clean and top up the water troughs). And yesterday looked like she was having trouble peeing after work, but it could be that she's coming into season and she was just winking a bit. (I was standing by the gate watching her closely, and I guess I've only started doing that since she's moved home - it could be that it is normal behaviour for her, just that I've never stood watching her before!)
She's very tail swishy when I put my leg on. She's very sensitive to brush over her belly and girth area. This has always been the case to some extent, but particularly so when her ulcers are bad. She is usually such a sweetheart in the stable, but has turned really fidgety and grumpy lately - the physio even commented on her being really unsettled last time she was here. She's fine once tacked up and ready to go (girth done up incredibly slowly!) or is this just her being conditioned to ignore the pain and get on with the job maybe?
She's just feeling a bit off. Lethargic maybe? Yesterday bringing her in from the field she was carrying her head really low. This was a sign she was in pain last year when she injured her hock. Could she just be relaxed? Am I overthinking things? (OH says definitely, yes!)
Ulcers again? Probably, yes. Buy why? Something else going on in the background maybe? I was thinking maybe one of the metabolic type diseases, but I'm not sure if there's strong enough evidence for anything in particular. She's such a sweetheart, I don't want to ignore her trying to tell me she's not well, but also I don't want to stress over nothing. Really not sure!
OMG, I've just realised what an essay I have just written! I'm not expecting any of you to read it all, but a million thanks if you do. Really useful to have it all written down, I think I'll print it out for the vet!
Thanks all xx
