Grumpy old horse

[pippixox]

My old boy is getting very grumpy the last week or so.
My mare always starts to get a bit grumpy as winter sets in. They have plenty of grass but she demands feed as soon as she sees my car!
But my old boy is normally happy all year round. He is an ex-racer who likes living out which helps keep him moving (arthritic not surprisingly!) but I’ve noticed he is just a bit grumpy at the moment and worried he is uncomfortable.
I’ve put a warmer rug on him as the temperature has dropped.

The vet is coming out soon for routine teeth and bloods for my sick pony. So I will obviously ask them. But as it is subtle I don’t really know what to say!

I wonder if he achey legs from arthritis are worse this winter and we need to start regular pain relief?

Has anyone else found this with oldies in the winter? He’s only early 20s but raced 2-8

 

[Pearlsasinger]

I would ask the vet to do a Cushings test and also try giving him a low dose of bute to keep him comfortable. There has been a dramatic change in the weather recently, so it's no wonder horses are feeling it!

 

[meleeka]

A friend has had similar. They’ve put him on Bute for his stiff joints and also had a cushings test which came back positive so started in Prascend. He was seen at the weekend doing circuits of canter round his field so I think it’s working

One of the symptoms of cushings is depression and lethargy. I thought my little mare was just getting old and didn’t realise she was depressed until she started medication and reverted back to her 10 year old self. Definitely worth testing.

 

[pippixox]

HE had bloods done a few months ago for cushings and liver (as my pony was diagnosed with severe damage earlier this year) and all came back negative.
Also did worm count as he looked quite bloated but came back with zero count.he tends to have a belly look anyway, especially since he retired. So he has had a mini mot already!

I may get the vet out a bit sooner as booked for 30th. Hate seeing him being grumpy.

 

[pippixox]

He was lathargic and flat over the summer (hence cushings test then) but back to normal as soon as it stopped being 30+ degrees, he couldn’t handle the heat wave

 

[MiJodsR2BlinkinTite]

My old boy (horse in my profile picture) would ALWAYS without fail go very "odd" during the winter months, and I never knew why!!

It would start round about half-term break/end of October'ish, and one day you'd go out and he'd be Mr Chilled-Guy, and the next he'd have suddenly changed into Mr Evil-Barsteward!! There were winters when I despaired of ever seeing "my boy" in his Mr Nice mode again, but then, in the Spring when the days began to get longer, lo and behold there he'd be back to his normal self again! It was very reassuring!

I never ever knew what triggered the transformation; he was a quirky boy at the best of times, dear of him, and it would just "happen", totally inexplicably.