Post by Deleted on Apr 18, 2013 10:02:31 GMT 1
I'm not doing hands on work for health reasons, but do get my pony fix with my own ponies and with the herd of Exmoor ponies that graze the Essex Wildlife Trust managed local heath. We now have 8 of them - a herd of 8 Exmoors looks amazing!
Because the ponies graze a location that is used a lot by walkers, and because the site is a SSSI, we have several contraints that you wouldn't normally have in looking after ponies. We are not normally allowed to bring any food on site, and we have to try and keep any chemicals (drugs) to a minimum. The ponies have to remain wary of people and certainly not associate people with food. If they start mugging we will have a big problem on our hands and it could even spell the end of their living on the Heath.
That's all well and good until there is a problem.
Trystan nearest the camera, Jago behind him.
About 3 weeks ago, we noticed that Trystan had a problem with one eye. We at first decided to leave it a couple of days to see if it would improve on its own. It then started to look like this:
so we set up the pen, herded them all in, and called the vet. With Trys in a little section on his own, the vet was able to get a bit of a look but not much. He was reluctant to sedate immediately so we decided to try 5 days of antibiotics.
This on its own wasn't as straightforward as with a domestic pony. Trystan had never seen a feed bucket or any sort of food that wasn't growing. On day 1 we got no meds down him as we had to find something he'd eat, and teach him to eat it out of a bucket. It also had to be something that was high enough value to outweigh the smell of the drugs, but at the same time not something that would give him laminitis. Top Spec Cool Balancer did the trick, he guzzles it up.
Unfortunately, the 5 days came to an end with no sign of improvement. There was only one thing for it - we had to sedate him. The lovely Zoe came out on Monday. We got Trystan in a very small pen area so she could try and inject him. He was absolutely terrified, and we had the added problem of Zoe being outside the pen trying to inject through the mesh. The first idea was to do it on a stick, but the needle bent and the whole thing fell of. She then tried again holding it, but this time the syringe broke. She then went for a reinforced syringe and cattle needle - she got about half in. We left that to work for a while before trying to get the rest in. After 4 jabs, he finally had enough for her to examine him.
He wasn't fully out and Zoe worked very quietely - I was impressed by her handling of him - and managed to work her way round to his bad eye. He was very, very reluctant to let anyone there - his vision was clearly impaired that side. She did manage to get quite close, but didn't want to even attempt to stain the eye. From what she could see, though, she's fairly sure that that he has recurrent equine uveitis. The changes she could see were such that this is likely to be something he's had for a while and that this is a flare up rather than something new.
So, 10 more days on Danilon + ABs. The good news is that he's responded well. The swelling has reduced, as has the discharge. He eye is cloudy and may well stay so.
All of the 4 ponies who joined us in February need their feet trimming. This, then, seemed a good opportunity to see if I could get Trys halter trained so he could, at some point, have his feet trimmed. After the trauma of Monday, I wasn't sure he'd let me anywhere near him. He has, though, been amazing.
On Tuesday, I started with my sexy pink feather duster, and got him to understand that I wasn't going to hurt him when I was in the pen with it. I did some advance and retreat while he was eating, and he did settle. He has meds twice a day, so training twice a day too. On Tuesday evening after his feed, he found that he could get the duster to go away by looking at it. Even in that 2nd session, by gradually shifting the boundary of when the duster would go away we got as far as him sniffing it and it touching his nose.
On Wednesday morning he made it clear that he was less happy having this when he was eating, and was much more accepting if I worked after his feed so I agreed to go along with that. Once fed, he was willing to investigate the duster, give it some good long sniffs and feel it with his muzzle. He even allowed me to start stroking round his nose and we got as far as his jaw on one side.
He was not as bad as expected with it behind him - he turned round a few times so it was his choice, I wasn't going to go there - but is very unhappy if I stand anywhere near his side on his near side. My guess is that come from his branding - he's branded on his flank and shoulder. With his eye starting to clear already, he also started being less worried about me on his off side, so I also did some advance and retreat there but without touching him, to decrease his anticipation.
Yesterday evening was amazing. After his feed and after some initial advance and retreat - just a couple of minutes was all it took to settle him - we started working face on, duster extended, around is nose. When it was where he'd accepted it he remained quite relaxed. He allowed it on the sides of his face and even under his jaw. I gradually worked towards his neck on his off side. He was brilliant, gave it some thought but agreed it was ok.
We then had a huge breakthrough. I started working round his face towards his neck on his near side. As soon as the duster touched his neck his head shot up. I kept it there a second so he could make the decision not to run, then released. And repeat. And repeat... at which point his gave me a HUGE sigh and dropped his head. I was quite choked up! I decided to leave it there and walked away. He followed me.
I love this pony to bits. He's so regal (he was entire till he was about 10), and despite everything he's now giving me the benefit of the doubt.
This morning I just stood with him while he ate - just a couple of feet away and next to his head. He's less happy with me there, nearer to the shoulder, but after a couple of minutes he did decide it was ok and carried on eating. That in itself was good, so I did no more.
Given his progress, I thought I'd keep a little diary here, partly in case anyone's interested but also because he's my boy (I know, he's not mine really) and I adore him, so it's a pathetic excuse to talk about him!
Because the ponies graze a location that is used a lot by walkers, and because the site is a SSSI, we have several contraints that you wouldn't normally have in looking after ponies. We are not normally allowed to bring any food on site, and we have to try and keep any chemicals (drugs) to a minimum. The ponies have to remain wary of people and certainly not associate people with food. If they start mugging we will have a big problem on our hands and it could even spell the end of their living on the Heath.
That's all well and good until there is a problem.
Trystan nearest the camera, Jago behind him.
About 3 weeks ago, we noticed that Trystan had a problem with one eye. We at first decided to leave it a couple of days to see if it would improve on its own. It then started to look like this:
so we set up the pen, herded them all in, and called the vet. With Trys in a little section on his own, the vet was able to get a bit of a look but not much. He was reluctant to sedate immediately so we decided to try 5 days of antibiotics.
This on its own wasn't as straightforward as with a domestic pony. Trystan had never seen a feed bucket or any sort of food that wasn't growing. On day 1 we got no meds down him as we had to find something he'd eat, and teach him to eat it out of a bucket. It also had to be something that was high enough value to outweigh the smell of the drugs, but at the same time not something that would give him laminitis. Top Spec Cool Balancer did the trick, he guzzles it up.
Unfortunately, the 5 days came to an end with no sign of improvement. There was only one thing for it - we had to sedate him. The lovely Zoe came out on Monday. We got Trystan in a very small pen area so she could try and inject him. He was absolutely terrified, and we had the added problem of Zoe being outside the pen trying to inject through the mesh. The first idea was to do it on a stick, but the needle bent and the whole thing fell of. She then tried again holding it, but this time the syringe broke. She then went for a reinforced syringe and cattle needle - she got about half in. We left that to work for a while before trying to get the rest in. After 4 jabs, he finally had enough for her to examine him.
He wasn't fully out and Zoe worked very quietely - I was impressed by her handling of him - and managed to work her way round to his bad eye. He was very, very reluctant to let anyone there - his vision was clearly impaired that side. She did manage to get quite close, but didn't want to even attempt to stain the eye. From what she could see, though, she's fairly sure that that he has recurrent equine uveitis. The changes she could see were such that this is likely to be something he's had for a while and that this is a flare up rather than something new.
So, 10 more days on Danilon + ABs. The good news is that he's responded well. The swelling has reduced, as has the discharge. He eye is cloudy and may well stay so.
All of the 4 ponies who joined us in February need their feet trimming. This, then, seemed a good opportunity to see if I could get Trys halter trained so he could, at some point, have his feet trimmed. After the trauma of Monday, I wasn't sure he'd let me anywhere near him. He has, though, been amazing.
On Tuesday, I started with my sexy pink feather duster, and got him to understand that I wasn't going to hurt him when I was in the pen with it. I did some advance and retreat while he was eating, and he did settle. He has meds twice a day, so training twice a day too. On Tuesday evening after his feed, he found that he could get the duster to go away by looking at it. Even in that 2nd session, by gradually shifting the boundary of when the duster would go away we got as far as him sniffing it and it touching his nose.
On Wednesday morning he made it clear that he was less happy having this when he was eating, and was much more accepting if I worked after his feed so I agreed to go along with that. Once fed, he was willing to investigate the duster, give it some good long sniffs and feel it with his muzzle. He even allowed me to start stroking round his nose and we got as far as his jaw on one side.
He was not as bad as expected with it behind him - he turned round a few times so it was his choice, I wasn't going to go there - but is very unhappy if I stand anywhere near his side on his near side. My guess is that come from his branding - he's branded on his flank and shoulder. With his eye starting to clear already, he also started being less worried about me on his off side, so I also did some advance and retreat there but without touching him, to decrease his anticipation.
Yesterday evening was amazing. After his feed and after some initial advance and retreat - just a couple of minutes was all it took to settle him - we started working face on, duster extended, around is nose. When it was where he'd accepted it he remained quite relaxed. He allowed it on the sides of his face and even under his jaw. I gradually worked towards his neck on his off side. He was brilliant, gave it some thought but agreed it was ok.
We then had a huge breakthrough. I started working round his face towards his neck on his near side. As soon as the duster touched his neck his head shot up. I kept it there a second so he could make the decision not to run, then released. And repeat. And repeat... at which point his gave me a HUGE sigh and dropped his head. I was quite choked up! I decided to leave it there and walked away. He followed me.
I love this pony to bits. He's so regal (he was entire till he was about 10), and despite everything he's now giving me the benefit of the doubt.
This morning I just stood with him while he ate - just a couple of feet away and next to his head. He's less happy with me there, nearer to the shoulder, but after a couple of minutes he did decide it was ok and carried on eating. That in itself was good, so I did no more.
Given his progress, I thought I'd keep a little diary here, partly in case anyone's interested but also because he's my boy (I know, he's not mine really) and I adore him, so it's a pathetic excuse to talk about him!
