Well, he doesn't have anything at all wrong with..

[Trouble]

...his kidneys or liver. The blood tests came back completely normal.

BUT, I've just had a good long chat with the vet, who was exceptionally helpful, and he has recommended that we investigate for stomach ulcers - this was the other 'thing' that I had in mind as being a potential problem, and the fact that the vet has also thought that on the descriptions I've given kinda ups my suspicion that there is an issue there.

SO, now all I have to do is find someone with a trailer willing to take him to the vets and bring him home again, because he has to go in to have cameras shoved in every orifice so they can have a good look around.

I'm half glad that the bloods came back clear but half not glad. Would have been nice to have something 'real' to treat.

But having said that we may still have something real to treat as the vet did seem to be suggesting that ulcers were more than a high possibility. Is it awful that I'm crossing fingers that they find ulcers?

If it isn't, then we'll have to have a chat about other possibilities, including behavioural.

[stybba]

Glad that he hasn't got liver or kidney problems. Do keep us up to date on the ulcer situation though.

Personally I have found your story with this horse utterly inspirational, and I hope you get to the bottom of things soon!

[Trouble]

Thank you! That is possibly the single most nicest thing anyone has ever said to me about my horse! Honestly!

Usually all I get is people telling me I'm doing this that or the other wrong, that I'm not good enough, that he's just a 'bad horse'

I love that horse, he's my dream horse, and he clearly adores me (and that's not me being big headed) but something is wrong, somewhere. I've had horses for so many hyears now and have never had such a feeling that something 'real' was wrong.

[Trouble]

Bugger I just realised I forgot to ask the vet something.

Anyone know how I should manage his excercise while I'm waiting to find out? Do I carry on as normal (bearing in mind my chest infection is going to keep me out the saddle for another week at least) or do I jusr gently lunge til I know, or do I stop totally (bearing in mind that if he does have ulcers, stable confinement is the likely cause as we have restricted turnout at our yard!)

Ok, I need to stop being a paranoid owner now.

[stybba]

Jan 2, 2009 17:01:26 GMT 1 Trouble said:

Usually all I get is people telling me I'm doing this that or the other wrong, that I'm not good enough, that he's just a 'bad horse'.

What a pile of poo!

I genuinely wish I had half your skill, patience and determination.

Don't you ever listen to anyone who puts you down. In fact I was telling your story to my mum and dad just this morning, and they are full of admiration too!

You go girl!

Lets hope 2009 is the year everything comes together for you and that handsome chap of yours.

[jennyb]

If he is confined and has suspected ulcers, I would certainly carry on with gentle, undemanding exercise to get him out and about.

Good luck for the scope. I've had one done and it was horrid, but I believe they sedate horses routinely - the nurses talked me out of sedation for mine! It's very quick, hopefully they find a reason for his behaviour.

[Trouble]

Thanks Jenny, Think that's what I would have opted for but thought someone would know for sure!

I'm an invalid at the moment so actually the timing works well, I won't be able to do much for another week but then after that I'll have to take it easy for a while as my chest/lungs is wrecked from this infection.

I'm not sure whether I should be going doing some reading on stomach ulcers or not, I find the more you read the more you find things that 'fit' and I don't know for sure if it is that or not, though I do have to admit it sounds more likely than the kidney infection idea.

[Trouble]

Stybba - heard another good one tonight actually. Asked one person who has a box if they'd be willing to transport him for me if I paid for their fuel/time/goodwill etc.....and got told tha if he was theirs he'd have been 'in cans' a long time ago.

Nice eh.

[mags]

Nice!! hope you told them a few things!

[Trouble]

No for once i bit my tongue...I desperately need someone to help with transport and if I start mouthing off now I'll be in everyone's bad books and no one will help!

Trust me, once I'm sorted I'll be having more than a few words...nearly expolde trying to contain myself earlier...and that's in my fragile ill condition! lol

[june]

Whereabouts are you? Maybe someone on here could help.

[mags]

They can come and help me at the same time lol

Have you tried the anti acids on him to see if that makes a difference

[Trouble]

I'm a few miles below Peterborough, little village called Folksworth - junction 16 of the A1.

If anyone could help that would be fab - I've managed to find someone willing to drive for me but their horsebox is too small for my 17hh plus a bit horse! So they have said if I can borrow a box they can spare their time to drive.

Horse has only travelled a couple of times but both times he travelled like an old pro, with no problems at all! No kicking or box wrecking (although he poos a LOT!)

[iceberg]

Hello Trouble, my horse had ulcers - didnt know till he reared and bust my nose - so he must have been in severe pain - and I didnt know until then, so I dont think you are 'wrong' for hoping it is ulcers - as his bloods came back normal. You know something is wrong, and having him scoped will confirm or rule them out - but I do understand what you mean - if you know something is wrong you then can deal with it - not knowing but suspecting is a lot worse, so is trying to convince others he isnt 'evil' but in pain somewhere!

My vet contacted another vet with a portable scope, and it did take a week or two to organise it - so Im wondering whether you could ask your vet to investigate if another practice would be willing to loan it or send a technician to do your horse and save him the trauma of transport - and strange surroundings?

Blue was scoped twice over a period of around a month, we didnt use 'medicine' we changed his routine and decreased feed, increased grass/hay and turnout.Within 3 months he was a different horse and is now ridden again. xxxxxxx

[Trouble]

No I haven't tried anything yet - don't really want to go playing about with things until i know for sure, just in case I inadvertently make things worse.

I couldn't resist reading up about it and Snip is a prime candidate - he's stabled, on restricted turnout and when he is turned out the turnout has no grass at all, it's just a leg stretch area. He's a stressy horse in his stable when the horses either side of him are taken away from him for any reason (box walks, poos continuously, calls out, heightened nervousness) For a leisure horse he's worked quite intensively.

I think he may have had this problem last year but it went unnoticed as I was off riding after a car accident last winter, and when I did get back on i put his behaviour down to having been out of work for so long...then all summer (out at grass 24/7) he was a perfect horse, don't think I can recall one bad day with him. Start of this winter he was fine, but has been getting gradually worse...course it could be excessive energy due to extra stabling, but he doesn't ever act 'fizzy' or over lively, the bad behaviour is very backwards/upwards/napping/objecting behaviour.

He IS worse when he has less food in his stomach (ie. we have a 'play barn' the he spends over an hour in during the early evening, and then I come home from work and ride him straight away and he's worse then than if he's been in his stable with hay.

The symptoms I'm seeing are him reluctant to go forwards when ridden, he will stop and kick his hind legs up at me when I ask for forwards. If I persist then he will eventually go forwards through it, and will go nicely but if I then transition down and ask for transition up again, I get the same resistance. He will nap inconsistently, he's not napping 'to' or 'from' anything, he'll just nap...and the napping will take form of stopping, throwing head up with ears back, rearing, bucking...not all the time I n eed to add, this is all inconsistant. But as winter goes on he's definitely getting worse and I can almost guarantee a battle to get him forwards now.

He is more 'nervous' than he normally is....I had a bad fall on Xmas eve when he took fright at something that over the summer he would have barely noticed. He's spooking badly in the school at things he sees all the time (he's really not generally a spooky horse, for all his faults!) He's jumpy in the stable, he won't stand and eat his food, he takes a mouthful and is then pushing to the door to eat and look around all the time.

I wish I could keep him somewhere that would allow more turnout but it isn't really an option for me at the moment. If it comes to that then I will have to find alternative living for him, but if this can be sorted without him moving then that would be the better option for me (not many yards are an option round here and actually most of them also have very restricted turnout too)

I've just been reading that licourice can help with (He's on small, high fibre feeds already, with ad lib hay)