Tag Archives: senior horse

Horses in Virginia are at risk of Liver failure due to Panicgrass or Panicum.

Horses in Virginia are at risk of Liver failure due to Panicgrass or Panicum.

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According to Haymarket Vet (http://haymarketvet.com/fall-panicum-grass-and-liver-disease/) Panicgrass is causing Fall Panicum Toxicosis in horses.

“In 2004, our practice was involved in documenting an important toxin for horses—fall Panicum (Panicum dichotomiflorum) grass.  This common native grass has been fed to horses in hay and in pasture probably since the Europeans first brought horses to our area.  But, while we know that it doesn’t cause illness all the time, certain growing conditions can cause it to become toxic, as it did in Nokesville, VA in 2004.  We don’t know what triggers the grass to become toxic, but we do know that it sometimes does become toxic, and the conditions are right this year. This study proved the hepatotoxicity: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/17186859/

Currently, there are several cases of liver disease in Fauquier, Clark and Loudon counties that appear to be from grazing Panicum grass in the pasture. Some signs of toxicity from eating the grasses includes: decreased appetite, lethargy, somnolence (unusual periods of sleepiness), mild colic, or neurological signs. Some horses have no symptoms at all.

If you have this plant in your pasture or if you find it in your hay cut this year, you may want to have your horses tested for liver disease; this involves a simple blood draw.”

Below is a link on more information about Liver Disease, symptoms, and treatment options.

http://www.tsln.com/agliving/equine/7614069-111/liver-horse-says-disease

Chance’s Face Lift

I brought Chance in from his turn out this evening and immediately noticed this flap of skin hanging off of his forehead.  Another emergency vet visit…yay!  Unfortunately, due to the skin flap being to the side and not hanging downward from the top, Chance needed staples…I believe it was 14 staples in the end and two cuts.

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Needless to say, the vet did a phenomenal job stapling his poor forehead.

“But Baby It’s Cold Outside…”

Here are some helpful ways to know when you should blanket your horse and what type of blanket to use.

BlanketTempChart_0 Untitled 2 Temperature-Chart* Sources: Weatherbeeta.com, Auburn University

Who Says A Donkey Doesn’t Cuddle?

 

 

Every time I come to the barn and the guys are outside, I will go and sit in the field with them.  Lucky will undoubtedly walk up to me and nuzzle his face against me.  He gets so close to me that I am waiting for him to try and climb into my lap like a dog.  He is such a sweetheart.
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Chance was a bit jealous 🙂

Pump, Pump, Pump It Up!

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The vet came out to give Chance and Lucky their fall shots and do some follow up acupuncture on Chance.  The vet said that Chance has increased flexibility especially in his cervical spine and has gained weight and muscle mass!!!!!!

His feeding regiment is as follows:

AM:

  1. 6 quarts of Nutrina Safe Choice Senior Feed
  2. 3 quarts hay stretcher
  3. Alfalfa hay mix (as much as he wants through out the day)

PM:

  1. 6 quarts of Nutrina Safe Choice Senior Feed
  2. 3 quarts hay stretcher
  3. Alfalfa hay mix (as much as he wants through out the day)
  4. 1 Scoops of DuraLactin (Natural anti-inflammatory and pain supplement)
  5. 1 SmartPak (Senior Flex, Immune Boost)

He is out all day when it is cool and all night when it is hot during the day. So he has tons of green grass to eat.  He walks constantly- up and down the hills- and runs around with Lucky.  We also walk ground poles and do stretches and massage every time I come out to the barn.

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We still need to continue upping his weight and muscle mass preferably before winter.  Fingers crossed.

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Rubber. And aluminum. And plastic. Oh My!

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What type of shoe should I use on Chance’s back feet?

I am looking for something that is glue-on, provides support and comfort, that has good grip, while providing protection for his hoof from the rocky terrain.

After some research, I found GluShus- a company out of England. Their shoes sound fantastic. They have an aluminum shoe set in rubber that glues onto the hoof.  Read more about these shoes by clicking the link below.

GluShu

I’ll let you know how it goes!

The Luckiest Unlucky Day Ever

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Today was not the greatest of days….but I will say that we had the luckiest unlucky day ever!  And, of course, it was a full moon tonight which means I should just stay inside.

Today we met with a new farrier.  I have been doing some research on shoes that provide comfort, support, and do not mess up Chance’s hooves like nails tend to especially when a horse is on rockier terrain.  I spoke with my vet who suggested to,   “put shoes on all 4 hooves with a 1 degree wedge pad on both hind shoes.  Set all 4 shoes back from the toe of the foot by at least a 1/4th an inch.”

I went to the farm a bit early and gave Chance a bath, some Equinox for pain, and got ready for the farrier.  The farrier arrived and Chance was great!  He stood on the cross ties and ate hay like a champ.  For some reason I decided to lengthen the cross ties.  I am not sure why exactly but thank God I did.

My dad and the farrier were with Chance while I went to feed Lucky his dinner.  Well, after I fed Luck, I turned the corner and saw that Chance was on the ground!  Yes, you read correctly, he was on the freaking ground…all 17.1 hands of him!  The moment I saw him our eyes met- I know it sounds like the beginning of a love story- and he immediately took a deep breath and calmed down.  I walked up to him and he slowly got up and stood there right in front of me with his head resting under my arm- breathing heavily and he had the beginnings of sweat covering his body.

I stood there and just spoke to him- calmly- telling him he was okay.  Once a few minutes had passed, and he was calm, I walked him forward to make sure he was okay.  Sure enough, he was fine…aside from some surface scrapes.  I cleaned his scrapes up and walked him outside to eat some grass.  After about ten minutes, I walked him back into the aisle for the farrier to finish up.

According to both my dad and the farrier, Chance was having his back left shoe nailed in when the nail hit a nerve and he flinched.  I guess the farrier didn’t realize this because he hit the nail once more.  That was when Chance reacted and went down.  Thankfully, the farrier got out of the way & removed the nail midair (so that Chance wouldn’t go down on the foot with the nail and drive it deeper).  Think of a splinter going under your nail…and then hitting it again, deeper under your nail….ouch!

However, he landed somewhat gracefully, but due to the cross ties not being break away and the concrete not allowing Chance to gain any “grip” with his newly shod feet, he began to panic.  Upon seeing me, he calmed down, and he was able to get back up.  I can’t help but thank my lucky stars that I had lengthened the cross ties so that he had some slack, and that I came back inside when I did…had I not, he would have kept flailing.  Had I been in there when the nail hit the nerve it may not have happened because I would have said something to the farrier.  However, had I been in there when it occurred, things may have also been far worse…since my dog, Sadie, is always right by Chance’s or my side at all times.

We ended up deciding to forgo putting hind shoes on until later (a few weeks) and the farrier removed the one evil hind shoe and trimmed up the other hoof.  Chance stood quietly and allowed him to complete his job.  I was so impressed with my old guy!

I have emailed my vet to see if she is able to come check on Chance tomorrow just in case…hopefully, Chance will just be a bit sore in the morning and nothing worse….:(

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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).

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!

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