Tension when grooming?

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Annagain

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Sorry, this ended up being longer than I thought! I've posted before about how A used to hate being brushed but was transformed thanks to some grooming gloves I bought. We had 18 months of him enjoying it, but recently he's started to seem to not be so happy again.

As soon as I take his rug off (lightweight just to keep him clean, as not yet clipped) you can see him tense up, particularly around the back half of his tummy and around his nether regions. You can actually see lines forming as he tenses the muscles. He also pulls faces while I'm grooming his girth area, although he'd never bite. This was normal until 18 months ago (and had been for 10 years) but we haven't had this again until recently. As soon as I get a hand on the back half of his tummy and start to groom him very gently, it's like he remembers it's ok again and he relaxes. We even get the top lip going after a while but the next day we're back to square one.

In the past, brushing his back legs was a challenge to say the least. Although I know he'd never kick, he'd often wave it around while I was trying to brush it - more in avoidance than anything else. With the grooming gloves he LOVED having his back legs brushed. He'd go all gooey eyed and start rocking back and fore. Recently, he's perfectly happy for me to do the leg closest to me but if I reach across and do the inside of the other, he starts waving the leg closest to me around almost to block me getting to the other one.

I'm wracking my brain trying to work out what it could be. He has melanomas in his sheath but he's had them for the last 8 or 9 years so I don't think they will have changed and then changed back. I have considered ulcers in the past but it's literally just when I'm grooming him. He's not girthy and is fine to ride, even if I have to use my leg quite strongly at times. Could they heal by themselves with no treatment and return after 18 months for no obvious reason? He's already on an ulcer suitable diet as my share horse has a sugar intolerance and they share feed.

He's still out 24/7 at the moment so it's not being in causing it and he's not clipped yet so it's not sensitive skin. I thought a few weeks ago it might be just that he was changing coat but it's continued long after his winter coat is through and it started before his rug went on so it's not that. I don't brush him any more or less than I ever have so he's not fed up / not used to it. Any other thoughts?
 
If the lining of the rug is nylon it could give a static shock when it is taken off which may make him wary, also if the rug is creating a small pressure point somewhere or could have some hair sitting the "wrong" way which that could cause an ouch when it is taken off and make him think grooming is going to hurt as well.
 
I would be inclined to have the sheath melanomas vet checked. It all kind of happens in that area, from reading your post.
 
i would still be thinking about checking for ulcers as you say he is uncomfortable being touched in the area most common with them. have you had him scoped before?

silly question what type of brush are you using? my last horse used to go tense if i used a really stiff brush on his sides, and my current boy loathes having his mane brushed. coincidentally my last boy was a cribber with suspected uclers, however came back clear after being scoped much to everyones shock!
 
My horse was seen for being sore around his flanks , off food , symptoms for worse horse was pinning me in the stable as was so sore around flank area even to take a rug off , he's had full work up done and now. Even diagnosed with gastric ulceration and itditbale bowdl , I wouldn't irgnore the signs , my horse is so honest and it was the only way of saying how sore he was xx
 
Seville said:
I would be inclined to have the sheath melanomas vet checked. It all kind of happens in that area, from reading your post.
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Thanks, it has crossed my mind but as they’ve been there 10 years I don’t see how they could have got better for the last 18 months and now bad again? Surely they’d get progressively worse?

weesophz said:
i would still be thinking about checking for ulcers as you say he is uncomfortable being touched in the area most common with them. have you had him scoped before?

silly question what type of brush are you using? my last horse used to go tense if i used a really stiff brush on his sides, and my current boy loathes having his mane brushed. coincidentally my last boy was a cribber with suspected uclers, however came back clear after being scoped much to everyones shock!
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No he’s never been scoped. I’ve asked Vet but he doesn’t think he has them as no other signs, he’s a very consistent weight, his diet is good and symptoms are relatively mild compared to most ulcer victims. He also thinks it’s unlikely they would show only when he’s being groomed.

I’m still using the grooming gloves. They’re the only things he’s ever been happy with.
 
Hi, afraid I can't be much help but I have a similar experience to yours.
My grey mare used to hate being groomed, pinned her ears, snapped her teeth, stamped her feet. Like your horse, it stemmed from around her flank/tummy. I had her scoped for ulcers, xrayed her back, ultrasounded her ovaries...nothing found to explain it.
Over the past 6 months she has got a lot better for no reason that I can see apart from calm, consistent practice at grooming, but every now and then she has an off day where she is very grumpy again. It's bizarre. Like your boy also, there are certain grooming tools she tolerates and others she dislikes.
 
atropa said:
Hi, afraid I can't be much help but I have a similar experience to yours.
My grey mare used to hate being groomed, pinned her ears, snapped her teeth, stamped her feet. Like your horse, it stemmed from around her flank/tummy. I had her scoped for ulcers, xrayed her back, ultrasounded her ovaries...nothing found to explain it.
Over the past 6 months she has got a lot better for no reason that I can see apart from calm, consistent practice at grooming, but every now and then she has an off day where she is very grumpy again. It's bizarre. Like your boy also, there are certain grooming tools she tolerates and others she dislikes.
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I've had him 12 years and he's always hated being brushed until I found the gloves and the change was incredible. I'd definitely recommend them, they're called Hands On Grooming Gloves. I just don't get why he's suddenly changed back.

I was up for the farrier this morning and gave him a little groom and he was much better this morning. Typical as soon as I write about it!
 
Melanomas in the sheath can go through static periods and then periods of growth. They can also be worse at certain times of year e.g. the summer when the heat and the flies can cause infection. My pony has them and during the summer we were having my vet clean the sheath every month to keep on top of it. This then gets scaled back in the winter when it's cooler. My pony also dislikes being groomed, except on his face (which he can't get enough of!) I've always assumed that it just isn't pleasurable for him. Luckily he is very tolerant of a warm sponge so I just sponge the stains off and keep grooming to a minimum!
 
tatty_v said:
Melanomas in the sheath can go through static periods and then periods of growth. They can also be worse at certain times of year e.g. the summer when the heat and the flies can cause infection. My pony has them and during the summer we were having my vet clean the sheath every month to keep on top of it. This then gets scaled back in the winter when it's cooler. My pony also dislikes being groomed, except on his face (which he can't get enough of!) I've always assumed that it just isn't pleasurable for him. Luckily he is very tolerant of a warm sponge so I just sponge the stains off and keep grooming to a minimum!
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We have to sedate him to clean his sheath properly - about every three months so I've got plenty of experience of dealing with them and yes they're worse in the summer usually. I get that they get static periods and then growth periods but I don't get how they could improve as there had been a definite and vast improvement for 18 months which is why I don't think they're responsible now.
 
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