Some opinions please...

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noodle_

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Okay - do not judge....Ive never been in such a tricky situation as to what to do for the best :( ***warning GET A BREW and pull up a chair***.....

my mare is 6, suffered from severe ulcers and hemorraging (sp)! since Feb (well since dec 2011 so we think but apparant in feb as she went horsepital) ...shes been on and off Gastrogard since, i didnt ride for 7 weeks at one point and just hammered the GG at her which cleared them up ( :) )

Shes been scoped around 5 times, each time seeing an improvement, all on gastrogard, however our bill is OVER the £5,000 insurance and at £25 a tube i cannot afford Gastrogard anymore.

Last scope she had (may) she scoped clear except for scar tissue, so on vets advice i left her on GG for another 10 days (1/4 a tube), and then she (iw as told)! didnt need it anymore nor did she need another scope but...
ive put her on Omeprazole which shes been on for around 2ish weeks (1 sachet a day which ive now upped to 2/3 and i'll explain why now...)

She started the little telltale ulcers signs.... mega mega girthy, (literally taking my face off), lip wobbling (her sign before she colics) and barging - throwing people out the door
sounds very minor but i know my horse and i know when all hell is about to break loose now.

So given I literally have no more money for this (as a round trip to horsepital for scope/GG and transport is around £800 for a day and were no longer insured)...I need to act now before she goes down with ulcers again.

I have 3 options (for now....)

1. Carry on as we are, supplement her upto the eyeballs (she gets about 6 horus out a day on the most fabulous yard ever....so quiet which she loves)

2. Take her back to horsepital, scope and if clear carry on with above #1 or..

3. Turn her away for 12 months in a field, let her chill out and reassess, (re-asses what im not sure as if she cant even be ridden without colicing and getting ulcers i guess tha means #4)>>> :(

problem with #3.... there is **** all in the way of turnout round here (im not even kidding)... i can find wonderful grass livery but were talking about a 2 hour round trip (i drive but work!) so that would mean full grass livery?? (what does that do?)!.... i like this option....but its the whole feeling of leaving her and walking away actually breaks my heart :o :o i absolutely adore this little horse....

I could visit twice a week (max ) if were talking an hour round trip...but what if she colics?? im not there.... i dont think she would living out if im totally honest...i think she needs "chill" time... an din a little herd and left alone.

can someone share some words of wisdom or give me a bloody good slap?

p.s im NOT selling or loaning her out....shes MY horse and effectivly my problem...

im just lost. and very confused,

thanks
 
I don't envy you this desision.
I had one who despite gallons of gasroguard the most chilled life style ever the horses ulcers just got worst it was heartbreaking but I PTS .
If I where you I would turnout for a year providing you are confident in the care if you can't get there daily.
 
Poor you, you've both been through the mill.

Ideally #3 would be ideal, but is out of the question if you can't get there quickly if she colics. So I would stick with #1 but rough her off - don't ride her, let her have her six hours out (presuming this is winter too?) and then after work take her for a wander in hand to graze a bit more if possible. Would it be worth a chat with YO saying how you really don't know what to do for the best - perhaps you'd be able to wangle an hour or two more..?

Hugs to you both and fingers crossed!xx
 
Thanks goldenstar

sat here in tears as i know thats also an option if she goes again. i literally have no money left...

i figured the turnout may be a last ditch attempt if only to have another few months of her living a life she should do.

i dont believe in keeping horses as pets, but the way it looks at the moment is, if i dont then she will be pts, and that is really killing me :(

and no - if i get her on grass livery i will see her twice a week max as its so far away (2 hours round trip) so would need to find someone i trust to make sure shes ok
 
honeey08 - i could ask but winter is quite limited.....I thought she would be fine as routine is what horses love and she would be fine going in/out with the others...and so far its great


im just thinking im being so very selfish keeping her as a riding horse when what she really needs is to go be a horse for a few months and mabey come back as a hacking horse??

i can deal with just ridin gher once/twice a week and never competing again (which is why i bought her)....

btquetsion - do i scope in a couple of weeks?

i WILL spend the money in a last ditch attempt....least i will know before i either carry on or turn away what im dealing with?
 
Whereabouts are you in cheshire to have to drive 2hrs for turnout?x Just out of interest what would you pay for grass livery? I'm less than 2hrs from most of Cheshire - could have a fish about up here?
 
I can't tell you what i suffered over mine I did everything right everything but she kept getting worse she was miserable I was miserable I admit it was a relief after the deed was done ,turn out did not help mine I hope it helps yours.
 
Thanks

honey08 - will pm :)


GS - ive already had one put to sleep in 2008 as he severed a tendon - i spend 2 years rehabillitating him and keeping him as a pet until i snapped, again ran out of money (bill was 11k)...! and did the deed i should have done 2 years previous... :(


this is my horse of a lifetime - shes such a superstar but an absolute pain in the arse at the same time lol!! not her fault though
 
If you're going to PTS anyway (and I understand why you would in your situation) then you may as well go down the turnout route if you think it will help, with the knowledge that you'll PTS if she colics. She might not colic for ages, or at all. But if you don't think she'll winter out then is there any point stressing her out with a yard move for the sake of a few months? Full field livery usually means organizing and bringing in for farrier, hay in winter, a daily visual check from the field gate, putting a rug on or changing it occasionally, putting a bunch of buckets (one per horse, all containing the same food rations) spread out in the field once or twice a day and leaving them to it. If you can't get there daily you'd need to check yard are happy to treat a wound if found, rather than just call you to sort it.
 
noooo!!!! im not planning to pts just like that..... i HAVE to try everything i can

including scopeing if necessary and turnout


Most round here (im not even kidding) is absolutely shite....i wouldnt even put a rock on some yards ive viewed in the past....

id rather go further away knowing that i have further to travel but feeling more comfortable in the field shes in etc


better than pts right?? just giving her that chance?
 
Have you looked round to see if there are any private yards or fields that wouldn't mind an extra? If you could get somewhere local & cheap with 24hr turnout, even if turning away doesn't work what you'd save on bedding alone would cover the cost of gastrogard. I know you said there's no where local, but use Google maps to look at every single field in the area, then track down the owners of anything suitable.
 
thanks little legs - i will do :)

i have a couple of famers numbers stored in my phone....if needby i will resort to bribery, bake a cake and a low cut top lol!! (joking...!)! but anything to get something local !

as long as its not an absolute dump thats my problem round here..! :)
 
Noodle sorry if I misunderstood, thought you was saying you'd run out of money for treatment and would maybe have to PTS. It's late and I probably didn't read it right. I wasn't suggesting you wanted to PTS as an easy option.

Lol at the "rock" comment! Yeh a Yeh a yard like that is no good, better somewhere nicer but further away. I know people who keep their horses on full field livery miles from home and it works fine just as long as there's no major injury/illness and mostly their horses are fine and seem to live forever!

It's hard having to make horsecare decisions when you're on a tight budget. Nobody is made of money though and if hit with a ton of vet bills will eventually run out. Try not to feel bad about anything you can't afford. You're obviously a caring owner doing your best for your horse.
 
Sugar_and_Spice said:
Noodle sorry if I misunderstood, thought you was saying you'd run out of money for treatment and would maybe have to PTS. It's late and I probably didn't read it right. I wasn't suggesting you wanted to PTS as an easy option.

Lol at the "rock" comment! Yeh a Yeh a yard like that is no good, better somewhere nicer but further away. I know people who keep their horses on full field livery miles from home and it works fine just as long as there's no major injury/illness and mostly their horses are fine and seem to live forever!

It's hard having to make horsecare decisions when you're on a tight budget. Nobody is made of money though and if hit with a ton of vet bills will eventually run out. Try not to feel bad about anything you can't afford. You're obviously a caring owner doing your best for your horse.
Click to expand...


thanks :)

its an option (pts) but my final option


i figure keeping her miles away (if needby), isnt the end of the world just yet....i may as well try giving her a shot at living out than putting her down

shes only young but at the same time i didnt exactly want to keep a pet for the next 20 years...! short term i want her "fixed" and happy - will figure the rest out later :)
 
I'm playing the "be cruel to be kind" card here. Horses don't think or believe in the same way we do. If her quality of life is bad with no hope of improvement then you need to do the kindest thing for her -- pts. Sometimes waiting for a cure is worse than going over the rainbow bridge. I have always believed in the saying "better a week too early than a day too late". And that can often be a much longer time of suffering for the poor horse. I know you have done everything in your power for her. Now you probably need to make the hard decision which is in HER bests interests.....
 
lord don,t know how you cope with all that , your care and concern are admirable.We re in cheshire lots of grass /livery near us...hope you get sorted soon.Whats the criteria for the yard/grass livery ..I,ll check out some yards near me...
 
I totally agree with pts... but i NEED to give her one last chance to improve.

Shes not in massive amounts of pain (else this thread wouldnt need opinions i would pts).... with the ulcers shes just uncomfortable IF they have come back (onyl way to tell is scoping which i will do in about 2 weeks - im going to enquire about cost as its a repeat should be cheaper...)

Wildflower - i will pm you ANYTHING goes :) Im off tomorow so any suggestions i will drive to them tomorow


thank you for all being so nice and helpful :) x
 
I have a mare who gets ulcers very easily, even the sniff of cereal feed and they are back,its really not much fun. We had problems with turnout on our last yard, and looked at a few, but we have 6, which makes life difficult. we were talking to a friend who knows a farmer, an have been there ever since. It really is worth driving round, and banging on doors. Our fieldlooks like a bit of a junk yard (not in with the horses, just everywhere else) but it suits us down to the ground.
 
thanks ^^

nice to hear im not overreacting and not alone!

shes so minor signs when she colics its unreal...not many people (Well none so far) would notice.

will be driving round tomorow and banging on some doors - have a day off so thats my plan :)
 
I would turn her out for 12 months and then reassess - not really much to lose. Then try and bring her back into work as slowly as possible. My horse had mild ulcers - clearly not as bad as yours and the vet said that if they were worse, then he would have just recommended turning out full-time anyway as in his view, this was the best way of them settling down. Good luck to you, you must be going through a terrible time. I hope you get out the other side and update us in 15 months to say that after her 12 months away she is happy and cured. xx
 
also as you like your yard...have a chat and see if they can accommodate you. I know my YO has gone outside her normal livery terms for liveries whose needs have changed, so pregnant mum, on off lame horse who needs turning away... Would not have taken them in, but as they are " her" liveries and been there a while, thought of compromises to help horse and owner.
 
If you go the turn out route I would give a short course of gastro guard over the time she goes and changes yards then she s gone onto the grass with the tummy in good nick.
Have you tried feeding charcoal ? I am sure like me you have tried every supplement I know someone where this was the key to keeping hers comfortable aloe Vera is another also someone was telling me the other day about a new supplement that's had a blind trail in the US with good results I will try to remember and post later.
But there's no point turning out if you can't find a yard where she likes the arrangements and care that's important with these horses.Keep looking for foe grassing there might be a better situation nearer to you that just have not found yet .
It look me three years to give up with mine but honestly her issues where complex and not just the ulcers it was not oh it's got ulcers its expensive, it was that gasroguard cleared them the moment she came off they where worse back on they cleared off worse again she did not like turn out 24/7 she got angry when other horses where worked and she was not I tied to keep her hacking them there would be bolts of extreme very dangerous behaviour the final straw was when we narrowly missed falling into a twenty feet deep concrete culvert it was the final straw in the second I knew We were not going to fall in it it was never again I lead her straight home and arranged it.
You are not there does she have the splash type or the ulcers around the exit of the stomach?
 
thanks all

holly hocks - ive had her two years - shes always been grumpy, makes me wonder if they have been there/off and on??? guess we'll never know (nor want too)!

GS - she has splash ulcers and hemmoraging (Sp) a specialist said it was the most unique case he had ever seen....so dosent sound too good

ironically her ulcers are only grade 2... so not massive, but obviously she cant take the pain (totally get it tho it must hurt!)

Shes on Omeprazole at the moment, and still showing signs...ive put her on 2x sachets a day, vet said she wont need anything....but i (Was) riding her lightly and in the past few days, jumped a midget crosspole which i recon has set it all off again (but she was a bit tetchy before if im honest)

Shes been on several supplements but im more than open to trying anything new.

Theres no chance of more turnout at the yard im at sadly.... absolutely love the place but not enough land for 24.7.365


She defiantely needs to live out - she cant wait to go out in a morning then when shes brough in shes barging. she likes being out - with a good rug she can live out even in the worst of winter - shes a hardy warmblood lol
 
There's more going on with ulcers than science understands yet that's as my view after my experiance.
Keep looking for better nearer turn options but it sounds like its the way forward.
 
Hi Noodle, let me know where abouts in cheshire you are, there are a couple of yards near me that do 24hr turnout.
 
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