Glandular Ulcers

[Jive Master]

Long Post Alert.!! Sorry... Okay so my poor boy (Paddy) has been suffering lately & I'd like some opinions.

Some background info:
He's an 11 yr old 16.2 ex racer. I got him straight out of racing 18 months ago. He occasionally box walks, weaves at meal time & does this awful thing where he slides his teeth up and down the metal strip on his door (but only when he anticipates being fed or going out etc), so he is in no way vice free. No recent change in feed, forage or routine. Although they have been in a bit more recently due to the weather & paddock maintenance.

Now at the end of December I took him & his best mate (Harry) to a SJ. I intended to jump one then the other, however Paddy behaved appalling, both ridden & on the ground. We put it down to him not being able to be glued to Harry. I managed two good rounds with Harry but was unaware that Paddy nearly killed his groom whilst we were in the ring.! Its safe to say he wasn't himself.!

For one reason or another he ended up having two weeks off & I got back on him on a Saturday. We were just riding out around our paddocks & again he behaved as he did at the SJ. I hacked him out the next day but he was not his usual bubbly self. He was lethargic & uninterested, he didn't even spook at his regular points. Also over this weekend he began to drink excessive amounts in comparison to usual, wasn't fussed about his meals or haylage.

I called the vet the in the Monday, several checks were done & bloods taken. They came back clear but he was given nordine & bute for 5 days as he clearly wasn't happy. Well 2 weeks on & no change. In the last 3 days he's started showing intermittent colic like symptoms (biting sides, pawing the ground, not eating, no poo). His heart rate is normal, as is his temperature. More bloods were taken yesterday just in case we missed anything but again they were fine.

Clinically he is absolutely fine but I know he isn't.! He's depressed, showing these colic signs on & off and has become grumpy about his sides being touched.

I now have several local vets working together & they are all stumped. They want to send him to be scoped for ulcers as they think he may have glandular ulcers.?

So, He is eating most of his normal amount of haylage, leaving his hard feed, poos range from hardly anything to normal amounts & from cow pats to normal, he goes from drinking normal amounts to anything up to 4 x normal. He is depressed & doesn't act his normal nutty self when turned out, he is going through his whole repertoire of vices daily & more frequently than usual & he is showing these colic symptoms on & off.

He's having is back done Monday & is booked in at the hospital for Tuesday but I just wondered if anyone had any ideas as we are all grasping at straws...

It's so frustrating I just want my boy back

 

[racebuddy]

Scope for gastric ulcers as Tb and wind sucks , at least then that would be ruled out

 

[Goldenstar]

If they find glandular ulcers be sure to get him put him on antibiotics when they start him on the gastroguard ( or similar ) .
I wasted six weeks on gastroguard with one whose ulcer did not clear till the antibiotics where given with the second course of gastroguard.

 

[Fruitcake]

I'd say a scope does sound like a good idea. Lots of the symptoms sound similar to the ones my horse had before being diagnosed with ulcers. He too showed mild colic type symptoms for a couple of weeks on and off. I think, in hindsight, the fact that it was initially treated as colic (less food and use of NSAIDs) probably actually made the situation worse as the empty stomach and Bute will have irritated the ulcers.

Eventually, after blood and urine tests etc, vets suggested scoping and they found ulcers.