Georgie wets his knickers
Well if he'd had any on, Georgie would have wet his knickers today! We had a little clipping lesson, and he was beside himself with fear. I took it very slowly, of course, with them turned off at first, then turned on, then held against him with my hand in between. Surprisingly, he was a bit less concerned once he could feel them. He even let me clip a two inch stripe up the front of his neck, and I thought he'd been terribly brave and that was enough for today. I'll do a bit more each day and hope to have a bib clip to hunt with on Saturday.
Zippy's legs are only the tiniest bit filled today, and there is a very slight warmth around both legs where a splint would come up if it was going to. If we carry on with the kind of roadwork that I would expect a three year old to cope with (and he's four), then I am pretty sure he will throw two splints. So I will stick to shorter hacks for the next few months as a precaution.
Jazz. Mmmm. There is, I am now sure, something wrong with him. I decided to take him out on a hack today because that's what I wanted to do. I decided also that I would not fight with him, but get off and lead him. (Please note anyone who takes what I write as training hints that I would NEVER do this with any other horse than Jazz. I have never come across one in my life before where it was not better, for me and the horse, to stay on and persuade them to carry on with me on board.)
What happened was that he was reluctant to leave the yard, but did. He stopped halfway down the first hill after leaving the yard. He whipped around turned for home, but I managed to stop him. He climbed the bank but I pulled him off it. Then something really peculiar happened. He "left". His body was there. His soul, if that's what we can call it, was not in his body. He stood motionless, making no attempt to go home or go down the hill. I could not move him. And his eyes were dead. He was just "not there".
Now this is not him. He's never done that before and it was very spooky. I got off and led him down the hill and he came back to life. I got on again but he wouldn't go past the wallers so I led him again. I got on and he stopped again, so this time I booted him and he realised that I wasn't going to get off again. We did complete our ride and he was better on the way home, but I would still say he did not feel like himself.
Putting everything together, his increasing fractiousness and fear, his tendency to chew whatever wood is available, his worrying nature and need to be in control, a hint of reluctance to have his bridle put on (this is new the last couple of days)then the number one suspect is ulcers. So I have bought ranitidine today and will start him on it later, because it's quick and easy to get hold of. If it appears to have any effect, then I'll look at getting hold of proper ulcer meds for him. If it doesn't, then I'll call my friend's horse physio and we'll see if we can find something else which is physical which might be bothering him.
I don't see this as the answer to all his issues, but I am convinced that he is not right, and it's either in his body or in his brain.
C
posted by cptrayes @ 5:11 PM
10 comments
10 Comments:
Oh, dear. It sounds so much like the "Tucker shutdown." Absolutely no amount of persuading could get him to go and the stall feels so complete it is as if he is not there--never noticed his eyes. Worse, though, with Tucker, is my fear that he will perform a capriole if I hit or kick him too much.
Not sure about the ranitidine dosage. I kind of calculated it by weight. I'll look around the Internet to find the website that mentioned how to figure it. Off to search.
oh dear. hope it is only ulcers, in one way, as at least you know the fix for that. what very odd behaviour...
Histamine Receptor Antagonist
In humans an effective family of drugs at lowering gastric acidity are the histamine type 2 receptor antagonist. The two best known are cimetidine and ranitidine but their efficacy, particularly cimetidine, in the horse has come under question and higher doses and/or more frequent administration than traditionally been prescribed is required for a good effect. Because of this omeprazole should be considered as the best therapy for ulcers.
Ranitidine has been shown to be more reliable than cimetidine. The IV medications are much more expensive than the oral medications (roughly three times at the doses stated) but if your horse?s stomach is not emptying well IV is the best choice. These medications need to be given for a minimum of 8 weeks to ensure adequate healing of the ulcer and a recheck at the end of therapy warranted. Recommended doses are:
• Cimetidine: not recommended for the adult horse.
• Ranitidine: 6.6 mg/kg orally every 6 hours or 1.5 mg/kg IV every 6 hours.
http://www.horseadvice.com/horse/messages/4/141410.html
The website article cited is excellent and gives a great deal of good information. If you can't access the site, let me know and I will copy the article into a word document and send it to you.
Fanstastic Jean thanks, I have 75mg tables and need 630x6.6 per dose, say 600x7 for ease, abit less than 420mg per dose, say 5 tablets 3-4 times a day. I'll give him ten twice a day and see what happens.
C
Oh poor Jazz!
I am sure you know that he was CATATONIC.
*I* have never seen it. Linda Parelli keeps saying that her own horse was going catatonic, when introduced to new exercise and she was asking strongly.
My Parelli instructor had a young horse going like that.
Roberta had a horse going catatonic AND falling.
They can explode, when coming out ... apparently.
It is extreme fear-based behaviour.
As usual you are right, he is not himself, ulcers, perhaps colic???
Weather change, food change???
Yes he was Muriel, though I hadn't thought of that word. It was a horrid thing to see and feel, not him at all, he is so "alive" usually, it's what made me buy him. No sign of colic Muriel, no sudden food change, no weather change, but surely pain somewhere?
Tonight he has wolfed ten uncrushed ranitidine tablets (that's easy then!) in a food consisting mostly of oil. The article Jean suggests says that corn oil is beneficial. I stopped feeding oil over the summer and I had no intention of starting it again BECAUSE of ulcers! In humans, you would be told to reduce your fat intake if you had ulcers. He practically drank the stuff - he's always been a horse who knows what he needs, and he clearly felt he needed oil, he was slurping it down like he'd been starved, not like it was an extra feed for the day!
It will be interesting to see if he changes over the next week, particularly at the trainers on Monday.
C
ps it's a fascinating article if you are inclined to read it. It explains why it only hurts when they exercise - with pictures.
Ah bless George he's had some rough handling in the past.
Well its GOT to be worth a try with Jazz.As you know I had success with Ranitidene then tried the Hilton Herbs ulcer supplement which I thought was good.
I would not call Tucker's balks "catatonic," but they surely are absolutely without motion. He gives a feeling of total "stop" with no way to get him going.
The ulcers were the primary cause, but he will also do it from other discomfort--this last time I'm pretty sure it was his stifle.
Have to wonder if there is some sort of instinctive protective mode he goes into. As I said, since I have been on him, I cannot see his expression so I don't know if he "spaces out" too. I don't think so, but I could certainly picture a horse reaching such an emotional state that he would shut off.
According to the Parelli, a catatonic state happens when the horse goes in extreme fear. Linda P says that the horse goes to his "happy place". They shut down.
She says that to get them out of it, you have to wait do nothing do not ouch them or else, just become very quiet and still. They come out of it.
If you try to wake them up, they can either blow, or goes even more inside.
It is a deep introversion. They go in, not away.
Jean - According to the P, it is based on fear. But perhaps it is fear based on pain ???? dunno???
I've certainly seen catatonia caused by pain in an unridden horse Muriel.
C
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