Advice needed on my veteran

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Ruth_Cymru

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I have posted this in the general forum, but thought I would post it here as well. I have a 26+ WarmbloodxTB and he's run into some problems lately. Firstly he had 2 boughts of cellulitus in a front leg, with quite severe lameness. He has recovered from this, but has now taken to standing very oddly, with his front and back legs stretched out, the vet took blood samples which showed his internal organs to be functioning normally, and his test showed negative for cushings.
He is eating normally, is walking sound and is very much himself, appart from his change in stance, and being tucked, although this has been improving slowly. He is out in the field in the day and stabled overnight. He is on 1 bute a day to keep him more comfortable, as the change in the way he stands is obviously to try to get himself in to as comfortable a position as possible. He only stands like this when he is resting, when he is grazing he stands as normal. The vet now thinks it could be arthritis and old age, which could be very possible, as his other legs took a huge strain when he was lame with cellulitus.
He isn't ready to give up on life yet, so I want to try my best to give him a chance. However, I am well aware that I face having to put him to sleep, and will make that decision if needed. Any help/advice/thoughts would be greatly appreciated.
 
Has the vet looked (i know he said internal organs are working properly) but maybe at the idea that there is something in the abdominal region that is hurting him? so is stretching out to change pressure area or something?
I mean I am just trying to think of a differential diagnosis to lameness/arthritis and old age........
cant think of much though as the lami stance is leaning back off all four heels......
strange!
sorry not much help :s
 
I used to ride out with a pal whose ned had odd gut problems now and then. You always knew when he was struggling coz on hacks he would stop every 5 mins and assume that stance as if he wanted a pee. But with no straining and no peeing. In his case it was caused by mild colicky pains that made him think he needed to pee. I wouldn't mind betting your boy has a low grade belly ache but the $64,000 question would be why. Veteran neds' digestive systems don't work as efficiently as in younger horses so it could be that. But it could be something more sinister. Is he eating and pooing as normal or any subtle changes, however tiny eg appetite, number of poos, colour of pee etc. Any signs of tenderness anywhere in his belly area?

Fingers crossed hun x
 
He is eating normally now, he went off his food a bit when he had cellulitus, but he was in a lot of pain. It's hard getting enough fibre in him, as his teeth aren't the best any more (he has regular dentist checks) and he refuses to eat grass nuts, he can be a fussy eater. He has 3 feeds a day, haylage in the stable and goes out in to the field in the day, so I'm trying to get as much fibre as I can into him, but he doesn't make it easy!
he doesn't mind me proding his belly, so it's all a bit of a mystery really.
He is slowly getting less tucked, so I'm hoping that that is a step in the right direction. I'm thinking of getting a guy out who does bowen technique, he was recomended, so even if I don't get right to the bottom of things, I may at least be able to make his body feel more comfortable and relaxed.
Thank you all for your comments, fingers crossed!
smile.gif
 
Ruth have you tried wetting his grass nuts so they go sloppy? If he still won't eat them, try sloshing a cupful of Tescos El Cheapo apple juice over it and watch it disappear! My veteran would eat cyanide if it had mint or apple juice in it!
 
I have tried wetting them down, no joy, however, the apple juice sounds like a plan, i will give it a go tonight. Don't think these horses realise the lengths we will go to to try and help them, all I want him to do is eat!
 
Well, my horse is officially the oddest eater I have ever known! I put a generous helping of apple juice and some honey for good measure onto his grass nuts, he proceeded to move the nuts out of the way so that he could lick the juice at the bottom of the bucket, and picked some of the honey covered nuts up, sucked off the honey and spat the nuts back out!

I think he is trying to tell me that he just doesn't like grass nuts!
 
Fair play to him, he does keep me entertained, that is when he's not stressing me with his different illnesses!

He has a stable mate next door who looks at me trying to feed him all these things, and I can practically hear him saying 'Give it to me, I'll eat it, please give it to me!'. The horse on the other side was trying to squeeze his lips through the window bars to get a better smell of the food! But still Baxter remains adamant that nothing other than his usual feed and carrots will do!
 
If you mix carrots or apples in with his feed does he just pick the bits out?

Or how about (this could be really pushing the boat out abit here) blending it all, so if you soak it all then blend it and it mushes together (like soaked sugarbeet) then he couldn't pick out what he wanted?!
 
He picks the carrots and apples out, I think he sees it like apple bobbing! I'm going to try Alfabeet to see if he likes that any better, as it is more of a sugarbeet concistency and he loves his sugarbeet. If that doesn't work, I give up!
 
Ruth - it sounds as if the offending foodstuff is the grass nuts! There must be a thousand other similar products that you could try - if you ring some feed helpines or ask around friends, you should be able to get your hands on samples to try without having to buy a sackful of something that he still won't eat! My veteran has just about ok teeth and he ADORES his Mollichaff Veteran Chaff. It has a load of vits and mins and very light oil covering and nettles/herbs and MINT in a base of chopped oat chaff. Every horse on my yard has had a bowlful at some stage or another for various reasons and they all love it! Where abouts in Wales are you? I'd be happy to post/bring a bucketful for your picky boy to try! If he wouldn't eat Veteran chaff + apple juice, I promise I'd eat it for him lol!!!!
 
I think it would amuse my horse to watch you eating a bucket of chaff! I must confess I have actually tried a grass nut, and I can't say that I really blame him for not wanting to eat them.

I'm going to try him on fast fibre, but if that doesn't work I will definately start ringing up feed companies. I wonder if your horse could explain to my horse that he's being a tad too fussy! I'm in the Swansea area btw.
 
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