Never Ending Problem.... Ulcers/Spines etc..

ChestnutHunter

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Sorry if I am bombarding the vet board at the moment!

Long story short - Horse started broncing and being difficult to mount in January, persevered with vet who told me I was being paranoid and to ride through it, was eventually referred to a specialist, horse had grade 4 ulcers. Treated with Ulcergold and scoped grade 1 four weeks later, carried on the course as a quarter maintenance dose and weaned off. That was 6 weeks ago. My horse then went from being more laidback but still tense in the school and napping out hacking (he has hunted all his life so very out of character). Told the vets I wasn't happy, took him back, rescope and grade 3 again last week. I told the vets to start investigating so last week horse had full spine xrays, around 4 processes under/behind the saddle had extra bone development so this was medicated with steroids. Found slight sidebone on fore right pedal bone after nerve blocking and xrays etc. although horse has never been lame or sorry, so I'm not inclined to think this is causing any issues.

Recently he has started carrying his tail to the left hand side, which is his weaker side. He also religiously stretches his right hind leg out every time I pick his hooves out, but no other leg. I've been advised to keep walking my horse for 20 min a day despite the ulcers as they are in a small area this time, today is the first day that I am working him since him being off but I am still concerned that even though he has had his back medicated he is still carrying his tail. He does seem looser but I'm just not sure he's still right.

He has had physio 3 times this year already who actually said he was in good shape and not particularly sore, so I am trying to contact a chiropractor to see if they can find anything. I mentioned the Sacroiliac to the vet but she doesn't think this is the issue from her findings last week.


Does any body have experience of this at all? I'm at my wits end. We've spent thousands and done hundreds of miles to and from the vets and he doesn't seem any happier. He is the most laid back and friendly horse you will ever meet which concerns me even more.
 
What a nightmare for you both, well done for pushing for more diagnostics.

Do you have in your mind a figure or timescale that would be your limit?

I know that my Vets will investigate/medicate anything that I wish to pay for, remember they are working for you.

Hope you get the answers you want, another option if money was limited would be to try Osphos/Tildren and see if that makes him comfortable.
 
What a nightmare for you both, well done for pushing for more diagnostics.

Do you have in your mind a figure or timescale that would be your limit?

I know that my Vets will investigate/medicate anything that I wish to pay for, remember they are working for you.

Hope you get the answers you want, another option if money was limited would be to try Osphos/Tildren and see if that makes him comfortable.

He is insured for £4000 and prior to the investigations last week we had £2600 left. Does opshos/tildren medicate the hooves? I've just spoken to my farrier who told me that he really wouldn't be concerned about his hooves unless he became lame. We have never known him to be lame and his feet aren't of the best quality as it is so he said that removing his shoes wouldn't be a good idea, and he pulls his shoes off in the field that frequently that heart bars would be a complete waste of money. Think we will stick to looking into his spine/SI for now.
 
He is insured for £4000 and prior to the investigations last week we had £2600 left. Does opshos/tildren medicate the hooves? I've just spoken to my farrier who told me that he really wouldn't be concerned about his hooves unless he became lame. We have never known him to be lame and his feet aren't of the best quality as it is so he said that removing his shoes wouldn't be a good idea, and he pulls his shoes off in the field that frequently that heart bars would be a complete waste of money. Think we will stick to looking into his spine/SI for now.

Tildren is used for navicular as well as spavin. It targets those areas in the horse requiring support due to arthritic changes. It is given to the horse intravenously over a period of 3/4 hour (more rapid flow can create colic). Sorry I don't know about Osphos.
 
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Just wanted to offer some sympathy! Mine was treated for ulcers, didn't make any difference, looked further, found KS, 3 processes removed & ligament snip over a year ago - STILL doesn't want to work! I have phases of utter despondence & phases of trying to fix him. I've just had a 'fix' phase, so got a new & v good b/f trimmer, changed diet to Thunderbrooks, spent hours soaking his feet in cleantrax as apparently his heels are sore, got his WOW adjusted, had his chiro out... He is perfectly happy in himself & we do 20 mins' work in the school a day as he *ought* to be 100%, but there is no engine whatsoever. He is sound & he looks magnificent, & he did actually win a few races back in the day, & he's by far & away the most athletic thing I've ever sat on, but...he doesn't want to go.

Oh well, his yearling S***land companion will be backable in a few years, & I weigh 7 st 12, which she ought to be able to carry, so maybe I'll have to back her & BS/BD her...! And at least I wouldn't need a lorry as she'd fit in the car...

So yeah, no help whatsoever, but sympathies...!
 
You need to Google Dr Kerry Ridgeway. This American Vet has treated many horses with gastric ulcers and believes if a horse has gastric ulcers it most likely has hind gut ulcers too. Gastro Gard / Omeprazole won't fix these. They have to be treated with Ranitidine. I have just spent 2 years, thousands of pounds and gone through 15 vets and specialists before I treated mine with Ranitidine. I saw an improvement virtually straight away.
 
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