Horse Care Pam Levy of the Horse & Human Wellness Project Horse Care Pam Levy of the Horse & Human Wellness Project

Slowly. But Surely

And here we are, 14 days after starting ulcer treatment…

A story about a  horse and her ulcers

When I wrote this installment, it had been 14 days since we started treating Stella for ulcers

If you remember from my last post, we were hoping to see a little improvement by day three, and real improvement by day five.

You can imagine my disappointment when, on day three, there was no improvement whatsoever.

Day four? About the same. 

Day five brought a pony who was still too sensitive to be groomed, and couldn't even tolerate being in the indoor arena, let alone doing any work (her first trip back into the arena began with a series of rears, and when I let her off the leadline to see if she would play a little bit, she stood dejectedly by the door with her head down).

I was just about to give up hope.

Then, on day six, something changed.

Nothing big.

Nothing that anyone else would even really notice.

On day six, when I went out to her paddock to bring her in, she came over to the gate to greet me.

Which she hadn't done in... well... ever.

After that, there were some signals (obvious and not-so-obvious) that she was on the mend. She was a little bit of a happier pony. She was a little less reactive to every. single. thing. (although she still had moments where she seems very nervous in her stall, or coming in from the paddock).

In the arena, she was coming along. We "worked" her about every second day (and by "work" I mean a combination of free lungeing, lungeing and ground work, in a halter or her bridle, without a saddle). She was pretty tricky to bring along in those early days. Her first instinct was still to go up on her hind legs, although that seemed to now only happen right at the beginning of a lungeing session, and I don't think it was necessarily pain related, because once she got going, she seemed pretty happy to keep going.

Her stride had improved, and was almost back to where it was when I first got her. She stretched her head and neck down a lot, and really started to relax after she'd been working for a few minutes.

If you didn't know something was wrong, well, you'd never have known something was wrong.

The only real left-over from the stilted, painful 'ulcer-trot' was that she never really relaxed her tail. During the worst of the ulcer pain, she held her tail out stiffly and cocked off to the right. Now it was straighter, but it took a while for her to relax it, and it didn’t really "swing" the way it used to.

Of course at this point it was still very early days. We were only at day fourteen of treatment, and it actually ended up taking over fifty days of Gastrogard to get this ulcer gone. Which makes me think it was a bad one, and that it had been there for awhile.

I wasn’t even thinking about riding her at this point. Heck, I wasn’t even thinking about putting a saddle on her. I refused to do that until I was relatively certain that the pain was gone.

The thing that mattered most (scratch that. The only thing that mattered) was getting this pony pain-free.

The difference in demeanour between ulcer-pony and non-ulcer-pony would break your heart. For her to go from a pony who was standing at the back of her stall shaking with nervousness, to the sweet, loving pony that she is now... well, like I said, the only thing that mattered was getting pain-free.

I knew we weren’t out of the woods yet with Stella. And even once the physical pain was gone, a whole lot of re-training had to happen to get her back on the right track. Once she was pain free, we went right back to the basics to begin the long, slow process of starting over. 

But I knew that we would get there. And this pony would lead a calm, happy life. That was my promise to her.

A couple of things I learned from this whole blasted experience:

1. You can have all the big plans you want, but in the end, you need to do what's best for the horse. Period. I will never allow this pony to be in a position ever again where she is stressed to the point that it threatens her well-being. Her entire life, and all of my plans for her will now revolve around her being happy and healthy. She is too important to me to have it any other way.

2. Always look for a physical problem before you assume something is behavioural. It really worries me to think of all the horses out there who have been labelled "bad", but are probably just in pain. Horses are very good at telling us that something is wrong. We just really need to learn how to listen.

3. Young horses need exposure. Babies need to be allowed (or sometimes taught) to be curious by being quietly introduced to everything under the sun, right from the start of their lives. They need to learn to go on trailers and walk over tarps and play games. They need to learn that going somewhere new is a normal part of life. That there's a nice, big, fun, beautiful world outside the pasture fence, and that it's really nothing to worry about.

Loved hearing Stella’s story?

Head over to the Horse & Human Wellness Project to keep up to date with her progress.

This was written by Pam Levy, who is an equestrian blogger and the creator of The Horse and Human Wellness Project, a blog that chronicles her quest to create a stronger connection with her horses. She is currently living her dream on the small farm she owns with her husband in rural Nova Scotia, on Canada’s east coast. Their herd includes three horses (Sunny, Stella and Q) and two cats (Jack and Arthur). Visit The Horse and Human Wellness Project blog or Facebook page.

Read More
Horse Care Sarah Gallagher Horse Care Sarah Gallagher

The Pain is Real – Coping with Arthritis in Horses

Arthritis is a debilitating disease in horses. So how can we prevent or manage the pain?

What is arthritis

IMG_4859e.jpg

Arthritis, also known as Osteoarthritis (OA) or Degenerative Joint Disease (DJD), is a disease that creates pain and inflammation in a horse’s joint.

Arthritis is a progressive disease where the cartilage in the joint is slowly degraded or worn away. As the cartilage wears, it exposes bone and nerve endings, becoming extremely painful and inflamed and leading to symptoms such as lameness, joint swelling and general discomfort. Unfortunately, arthritis is a chronic disease that cannot be cured, so management is key, and the earlier we intervene, the better the outcome is for the horse.

The cause of arthritis in horses includes injuries to the joint, age (progressive wear), or infection. With the arthritis caused by injury, the symptoms of arthritis may become visible long after the initial cause. It is not a stretch to say that every horse that has lead an active life is going to develop some form of arthritis if they live past middle age.

The earlier we intervene, the better the prognosis is for our horses.

How can you tell if your horse has arthritis?

If your horse has been in some level of work, or had an injury, or over the age of 18, it is likely your horse has arthritis.

You can monitor for symptoms such as:

  • Favouring a limb or side, even if there is weight bearing

  • Lameness and limping

  • Swelling in the joint

  • Intermittent tenderness in the joint

The only accurate way to diagnose arthritis is via a radiograph (x-ray), however most vets can identify the potential diagnosis of arthritis via clinical history and examination.

How can we reduce the likelihood of a horse developing arthritis?

While there is no evidence that we can prevent arthritis, there are steps we can take to reduce or delay the onset arthritis in our horses. And it starts as soon as they are born.

In young foals and weanlings, the correct nutrition can actually impact the potential for OA to develop. A diet that is in excess or limited in selected nutrients, including total calories, can misbalance the ratio at which the body forms its bones, cartilage and muscles, thus increasing the risk of joint issues. Restricted exercise can also unbalance the musculoskeletal development.

Younger horses, from 2-5 years, should not be started under saddle until they are physically mature. Once started, the process should be gradual to allow for correct skeletal and muscular development – no matter how fast they respond to the work.

In mature horses we should ensure that we work their bodies in balance, ensure they have correct training to cope with the physical burden of a rider – and ensure our riding is balanced also. It is also a good idea to keep your horses’ body condition score between 4-6.

In our older horses, it may seem counter-intuitive but exercise really does help reduce arthritis or the symptoms.

Other things you can do that could help reduce the risk of arthritis developing include:

  • Correct physical conditioning through training

  • Ensure proper farrier care is taken through all stages of life

  • Allow periods of rest when exercising and developing your horse – a pause in training will often do more good than harm

  • Identify potential causes for injury and be proactive about post-injury arthritis management

  • Keep an ideal body weight and condition to keep lean muscle mass, especially in older horses

My horse has arthritis- what can I do?

There are multiple options for managing arthritis in your horse. Remember, the aim here is to reduce the pain of arthritis while slowing the progression, as unfortunately there is no cure.

Non-steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs (NSAID’s): Your vet may prescribe these to provide short term pain relief for both mild but more usually severe pain associated with arthritis. These drugs reduce inflammation but must be prescribed and should be used with caution as they may have side effects when used long term, such as upsetting the gut lining or impacting on major organs. Discuss the use of these with your vet as options.

Corticosteriod injections: These injections aren’t used frequently as they can have many negative side effects, but your vet may use these intermittently to dramatically reduce the inflammation in the joint and give other solutions, such as nutraceuticals and exercise, a chance to impact. These can only be administered by your veterinarian.

Pentosan Polysulphate Sodium (PPS): Studies have shown therapeutic levels in synovial fluid (the fluid that helps reduce friction in the joints) following intramuscular injections. These injections are delivered once weekly in a series of 4 injections, and on occasion the injection may be administered directly into the joint. There are fewer side effects with PPS but should be used in caution with other medications, and always under veterinary supervision.

king8e.jpg

Nutraceuticals: There are many oral nutraceuticals on the market. Some contain glucosamine or chondrotin, which are essential building blocks of healthy cartilage, and there are many other products with a range of natural or herbal extracts that may have benefits to arthritic joints in horses. Some nutraceuticals may help improve synovial fluid output, some may reduce inflammation and swelling. Unfortunately, not all supplements are created equal, nor do they have to have studies to prove their efficacy (or in some cases that do have studies, they may not be on horses). Speak to your vet about your best options rather than wasting your money on 4-5 different options. And note – what works for one horse may not work for the next. (If you want me to do some research on the strength of efficacy of studies of any nutraceuticals you are using or interested in, please comment below!)

Acupuncture, acupressure and light therapy: These are therapies that, from a number of horse owners, seems to have some benefit. I am not aware of any studies but from personal experience feel these are great options if they are available to you.

Exercise: gentle exercises that help to stretch the limb and move the affected joint without too much pressure are crucial for long term health of the muscle and reduction of pain. In actual fact, running through the dressage training scale from the very foundations is a great way to realign muscular development that can help support painful joints. Your horse will let you know when they have reached their maximum movement capabilities.

Hydrotherapy and swimming are also great exercises that allow your horse to perform a range of motions without having to weight bear. A limb that is toned with strong muscle is more likely to have good blood flow and therefore more impact from medications and supplements, as opposed to a limb that has muscle atrophy.

Chiropractic sessions: While your chiropractor can not work miracles by reversing the arthritis already developed, they are crucial to help ensure that any movement abnormalities (that occur due to the pain in one or more limbs) don’t become a permanent change to their conformation, to reduce the likelihood of muscular atrophy and also reduce the damage to non-arthritic limbs.

Would you like to share your experience with arthritis in horses or ask a question? Comment below!

 

 

Read More

Looking for more specific content?

Have a question you are seeking answers to? Send us a message and we will create a blog!