Category Archives: Equine health

And They’re Back….Scratches, Scratches EVERYWHERE!

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Over the last couple weeks the rain has been unrelenting.  And with rain comes scratches (Pastern Dermatitis).  In a previous entry I spoke about an amazing treatment for scratches that actually worked…however, when it rains like it has recently, once again the scratches got out of control.

A handful of months ago I got a skin scrape on Chance’s hind legs to determine the bacteria that was causing the scratches.  Sure enough there were three types of bacteria growing which was why I was having so much difficulty getting them under control.

Below are the results:

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As you can see above, the bacteria shows resistance or no interpretation to all but 7 antibiotics.  I spoke to my vet and she suggested beginning with Gentamicin and go from there if he does not respond to the medication.  Chance has been receiving an injection of 30 mls of Gentamicin in his muscle once a day for about a week now.  He obviously does not enjoy this, nor do I for that matter, but his scratches are showing improvements!  He is also on the topical cream, Silver Sulfadiazine, once a day.

Fingers crossed that I will get ahead of the scratches and they will go away forever!

 

 

First Time In Over A Decade….

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I was able to throw on a saddle and get on Chance!  He is finally strong enough for me to “ride”….and by “ride” I am referring to walking around in a ring.  We walked in circles and figure eights and over some ground poles for about 15 minutes.  It was absolute bliss!

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Sadie followed us around the ring the entire time...

Sadie followed us around the ring the entire time…

and Lucky stood by and watched!

and Lucky stood by and watched!

Catch Me If You Can

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Chance has always loved to follow me around.  Usually he just walks behind me or next to me around the barn or in the field, and other times he prefers doing this….(the bandage on his hind leg is a treatment to get rid of pastern dermatitis or “scratches” which you can read more about in my previous posts).

What He Has Taught Me Through Our Journey

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It is amazing to me that it is coming up on a year from the day that I received a phone call about Chance’s health! As I think back over the many months of diagnostics, research, hyper vigilance, wishes, decisions, stressors, and connection- I am truly amazed.

I am amazed at Chance’s strength.  He never gave up; he kept on fighting.  No matter how sore, tired, or sick Chance was there was ONE thing that remained- his gentle and determined soul.  He never seemed deterred by the obstacles in front of him whether the obstacle was a hill, walking a straight line, or walking in general; he just kept trying each and every day.  He showed kindness to the numerous vets who poked and prodded him; never once trying to bite or kick at them. Chance did not give up throughout this tiresome and seemingly, never ending journey.  He persevered.  We persevered.

Every single day I am grateful that I have been able to spend this time by Chance’s side; to reconnect and go through this journey together.  We have made up for the time lost while he was in Forest, VA. If today was Chance’s last day, I can honestly say that I would be at peace.  I wouldn’t have been able to say this a year ago.

Over the last year, while the journey was overwhelming, sad, tiresome, and at times, heart wrenching, I was able to witness Chance become a horse.  That may sound strange, but after enduring the many years of pain medications and intermittent bouts of lameness and Lymphangitis, I saw a horse that was not able to 100% enjoy his life.

And for the first time, I have seen him doing the very opposite, I have seen him enjoying life. Life as a horse. I’ve seen him running in the pastures, laying in the sunshine, & rolling in the snow. I’ve seen him make friends, eat warm bran mash, and devour his hay. I’ve heard him whinny and I’ve seen the light come back into his eyes.

For that, I am truly grateful.  I can say without a shed of a doubt, I have no regrets about the decision I made a year ago, no matter how difficult it may have been.

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Packing On The Pounds!

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Chance is now on 6 quarts of Nutria Senior Feed with 2 quarts of Hay Stretcher and 2 cups of Rice Bran TWICE A DAY! That is 12 quarts of feed a day and 4 quarts of Hay Stretcher plus his alfalfa mixed hay!

At night he also receives his SmartPak (Senior Flex, Immune Boost, and Vitamin C) & DuraLactin (for inflammation and swelling).  He is no longer skin and bones or on daily pain medication!

Lucky Lucky?

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Well, I hate to say it but Lucky had to get castrated….after trying to keep him from relentlessly mounting the miniature pony, there was no other choice.

He he was a trooper through the entire ordeal. He was given the standard doses of antastesia medication and was walked outside to a soft and grassy area to lay down. He wobbled a bit and was guided down gently to avoid additional stress or injury.

Once he was laying down his face was covered and one leg was tied with a rope and someone held the rope to ensure the vet was not kicked. The castration procedure began and lasted about 20-30 minutes from start to clean up.


Once the procedure was completed the vet continued to try to keep Luck laying down and calm to aid in minimizing the bleeding. However, Lucky was ready to get up even before he was completely awake. He was hand walked until stable enough to walk around alone. The vet explained that it was better for him to walk around instead of standing in a stall.

I brought him in once to clean him up a bit more and add SWAT around the wound to keep the flies off.  This was only accomplished by me leading him in while begging for him to “just come inside for a minute” and promising he “could go right back outside.” While I was pathetically negotiating with Lucky, Chance came up behind him and kept nudging him lightly in his hind end! It was the cutest thing I have ever seen! After I got him inside and cleaned him up and applied more ointment I let him back out.

However, later around dinner time, when I tried to get Lucky to come inside again to eat he decided to get sneaky.  He decided to go into stealth mode and “hide” from me so that I wouldn’t try and bring him in. (Pictured below). He actually went into a random paddock that he isn’t familiar with and stood there quietly and barely moving. Just watching me out of the corner of his eye while I called for him.

Luck stayed out until about 10pm and when he came inside for the night SWAT was reapplied and a dose of Bute was given. He refused to eat his dinner but gladly inhaled carrots and drank some water.

This morning his feed was all gone and there was no apparent swelling or increased discharge thankfully. According to the vet it takes about a month for the testosterone to be depleted after castration. I’ll be interested to see the changes, if any, that occur as a result.

Luck following Chance in their new matching halters

When It Rains, It Pours

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The other day I noticed that Chance’s back fetlock a were slightly swollen and he was visably stiffer then normal. I also noticed a golf ball sized lump in the middle of the his chest. It wasn’t super sensitive and looked like a tick bite reaction, except there was no tick and a tiny barely noticeable scratch. 

I put a Poltace wrap on his back right leg (which was the leg he had previously injured and received stem cell injections in) and gave him some pain medication. I also started him on Baytril and Ulcerguard as a precaution as previously advised by the vet.

I made an appointment with our vet to come ultrasound his hind right leg and she was to come out in the next two days. I was incredibly anxious to say the least.  

The vet arrived and explained that the lump on Chance’s chest was a hematoma from another horse biting him or from him hitting something. Nothing to worry about, it was just the pooling of fluids to lowest point. 

I then trotted Chance back and forth as the vet watched. After an exam and the ultrasound, the vet explained that she felt that the swelling was due to Chance’s hip pain and the Pastern dermatitis that we have been treating and we’re finally coming off. 

The ultrasound showed a tiny DDFT lesion (vet referred to as a defect that shouldn’t be causing any symptoms). The ultrasound also showed scar tissue that we need to get “stretched out” so that he can gain increased flexibility and work as a protection for Chance’s tendons and legiments. The ultrasound also showed some fluid build up as well. Chance’s Fetlock looks good as do his legiments.

The vet wants Chance to stay on Baytril and Ulcerguard until complete. She also has added a 5 day course of Benadryl and steroids to help with edema of back hind legs. 

She also provided me with a shampoo that is milder to clean off scratches and apply swat after cleaning. The vet explained that she didn’t understand why people picked the scabs from the scratches because they’re super deep and pulling the scabs off does more harm than good.  

The Vet commented on Chance’s weight gain and how great his skin looks gooded. She wants me to continue working on the scratches and continue doing physical therapy on hills to build up his hind end then get farrier out for back feet. 

All and all I feel good about how Chance is doing and feeling. He is still full of energy, eats like he hasn’t eaten in a week, and his eyes and coat are bright. He is not on daily pain medication and is only given it when he is not feeling great. Aside from a few hiccups, Chance is loving life and being spoiled!

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One of the Scariest Moments 

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What do you do when your horse suddenly chokes?!
Well, unfortunately, I found out the hard way. Thankfully I had my emergency medical barn book and was able to quickly reference what to do.

Here are the steps an owner can take until the vet comes (if necessary):

1. Help keep your horse calm

2. Give injection Intramuscularly (IM) or Intravenously (IV) or orally (liquid only) of Banamine (10cc) to help relax the muscles

3. Rub the horse’s throat until the substance the horse is choking on comes out of the nose and mouth

4. Remove all other feed and hay

5. Call vet to ask if the horse should be put on antibiotics in case they have aspirated (the substance getting into their lungs)


Here is a link to more information on what you and/or your vet can do to help your horse- When a horse chokes

Beauty Shop

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4:30am is clipping time! Chance has never been clipped but due to his unrelenting shedding and the allergic skin response, there’s no better time to try.

Chance was awesome! He stood quietly as I clipped him for over an hour and I decided to stop when I noticed he had fallen asleep. I guess not everyone is a night owl.

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The BEST Treatment for Scratches 

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The other day the vet gave me a way to treat and get rid of my horse’s treatment- resistant, stubborn, and seemingly  IMPOSSIBLE to get rid of scratches or Pastern Dermatitis. 

She suggested mixing Betadine and Vaseline and applying it to the infected area, then wrapping it with Seren wrap and a standing wrap. Leave it on for 12 hours, remove, clean, and redo if necessary for up to 3 days. 

Well, it worked! The scabs just fell off! No more trying to pick off the scabs resulting in the discomfort of my horse or struggling to get him to let me pick at him! 

I have been fighting my horse’s scratches for about 15 years- antibiotics, ointments, MTG, baby oil to soften them, Zinc Oxide, wraps, immune boosters, etc- and nothing has worked until now! 

Lucky’s Teeth

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Luck had his first ever dental floating today! It was quite the ordeal for the poor little man but, according to the vet, Luck was in desperate need of some work due to the sharp points of some of his teeth.

Thankfully he did great and was pretty laid back despite the contraption he had to wear and the big file in his mouth. But, to be on the safe side the vet gave him a little sedative.

The vet explained that an animal who receives a sedative should have all their hay and feed removed because the drugs usually make them hungry, but due to their drowsiness they are likely to choke!

Luck drugged up

 

Luck also got his sheath cleaned for the first time. Apparently, stallions or Jacks normally keep themselves very clean and do not require much sheath maintainace.

Now Luck is up to date on all of his vaccinations, hoof trimming, and dental care!

Check-Ups

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Chance had a chiropractic adjustment, acupuncture, and electro stimulation on his cervical spine. He actually fell asleep resting his head on someone’s shoulder while receiving the stim for 20 minutes. 

I also spoke to the vet about Chance’s unrelenting scratches on his hind legs. She suggested mixing Vaseline and Betadine and applying it to the affected area, wrapping seren wrap around it, and then wrapping it with a standing wrap. After 12 hours, remove the wraps and clean area. – scratches not improving.  Once scabs have all fallen off then he can begin an Antibiotic like Baytril. 

Chance is still stiff on both sides of neck, although he can bend with better balance (when vet holds one of Chance’s front legs up while he bends to the opposite side).  He also shows Improved lateral flexibility on right side. Right base dorsal secrum and d-v flexion improved. 

  

Chance’s skin is having a “typical chestnut reaction” and the vet advices to discontinue transfer factor due to his immune system working too hard, and then use 1/2 of current dose. Start Tellurium 1 teaspoon a day for 5 days and then 1x a week to help with his skin. 

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Chance in heaven while receiving stim

A Beautiful Shiny New Coat

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A couple posts ago I expressed concern over Chance’s recent hair loss especially under his chest.  Yesterday, while I was giving him a medicated bath, I noticed that he had this soft new fuzz and no longer had bald patches on his chest!

YAY! Another medical mystery solved! Or rather, not needing to be solved!

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Trust Your Instincts

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Chance being lunged after many years of not being lunged due to a DDFT injury and possible EPM treatments.  He is still stiff and needs to build up the muscle in his hind end thus why he is being lunged.  In addition to his chiropractic adjustments, acupuncture, stretches and massages, and all natural pain medication (MicroLactin), he is also doing physical therapy- walking over poles, walking serpentines, and walking up and down hills.