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Post by CatB on Mar 7, 2003 9:44:25 GMT -5
A friend's horse has had episodes of colic-like behavior over the past 6 months or so. She even spent $1300 at K-State vet school last fall during a particularly bad episode, but the vets weren't able to tell her anything specific. He's been having problems for the past week or so, and on the advice of her vet, she is giving him shots of Banamine, as needed. The weird thing is, he is passing stools on a regular basis. I was reading in my vet book about ulcers and the symptoms are: intermittent colic, off feed and weight loss, restlessness, and frequent getting up and down - ALL of which her horse has been displaying. It also said that anti-inflammatories, i.e., Banamine can aggravate the problem. My question is, can ulcers only be diagnosed by a gastroscopy (which wasn't done last fall)? We're not sure any local vets can do the precedure and she really dreads the expense of taking him back to K-state.
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Post by Big Tee© on Mar 7, 2003 9:54:52 GMT -5
One cheap thing to try is feeding baking soda. Most horses with an ulcer will eat the stuff without hesitation. When I got The Donald, he had ulcer behavior, and I let him at the baking soda, and he chowed down four POUNDS of the stuff in roughly 10 days. If the horse does refuse, start using it in the feed, a good handful per day, and see what happens. If the pain reactions stop, the soda is doing its thing, but still, the only real test is scoping the horse.
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Post by CatB on Mar 7, 2003 10:00:32 GMT -5
Baking soda? Hmmm, I have to suggest that. I also read Tagamet, Mylanta, and other "human" stuff could be used, but at least 4 doses a day (she works as a nurse and is on call - not sure if she could keep that schedule up). I wonder if she could just get some Gastroguard and dose him for a few days, to see if he made any improvement?
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Post by Einstein on Mar 7, 2003 10:48:31 GMT -5
Well...I would think so. They called it endoscopy, which is the same, gastroscopy is looking in the stomach with the endoscope. So yes, that is you're 100% rule out. Bute an Banamine do make it worse.
2 main drugs are rinidadine, and gastroguard. Gastroguard actually heals the ulcers, rinidadine reduces the acid production in hopes that the horse will heal itself. After the gastoguard, I went to Sam's Club and bought a HUGE amount of rinidadine and gae him 10 twice a day in his feed. But I think if you buy it from the vet it's in tubes and it is 3 times a day.
I say go have him scoped. It's the only way to know for sure, and if they are bad, they can shut down the horses kidneys. Tell her she can email me at any time. She's lucky, I think the scope is only $300 or so and then the gastroguard. I'm at about $5000 for Porter's little hospital stay!
Oh, and yes, I think most vets will start a horse on Gastroguard and if there's improvement, then you finish the 10 days on it. They initially started Porter on it before the scope and them scoped after 2 days of marked improvement.
Hope that helps ;D
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Post by CatB on Mar 7, 2003 10:56:33 GMT -5
Thanks, Kiddo! I'll forward on your info.
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Post by sk on Mar 7, 2003 23:18:31 GMT -5
Make sure the horse always has hay. Studies show that depriving horses of food can lead to ulcers because even when the horse isn't eating, the stomach still produces acid. That is what erodes the stomach lining. Horses were built for constant grazing. Changing their nature leads to physical/mental problems.
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Post by CatB on Mar 8, 2003 21:53:53 GMT -5
I talked to my friend again, today. Her next door neighbor's daughter is up from Florida, where she's a horse vet (her speciality is colic surgery). She thinks it might be a gallstone. The only way to find out is to do an ultrasound and if it is a gallstone, surgery is the only option. My friend is divorced and can hardly afford that sort of procedure. sigh.
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Post by Einstein on Mar 9, 2003 0:31:20 GMT -5
CatB~Steve and I were just talking about this today, horses don't have a gallbladder and that's where a gallstone would be. So now I'm confused  So curiousity has gotten the better of me and I'm dying to know what's wrong with your friend's horse! You'll have to keep me posted, and I hope he's OK!! |
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Post by ZenRider on Mar 9, 2003 0:43:10 GMT -5
Ah HA! Maybe that's the problem! This horse has a Gallbladder. No seriously, I hope they figure out the problem and I never knew they didn't have gallbladders. Then again, I know I have one, but have no idea what it does.  |
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Post by Einstein on Mar 9, 2003 22:11:43 GMT -5
Zen, it's used in digestion, all omnivours (SP?) have one, I seem to remember. You can have it removed and be OK on a modified diet and suppliments.
More then ya wanted to know about gallbladders?!
I know more if you want it ;D
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Post by ZenRider on Mar 9, 2003 23:29:48 GMT -5
Naw, that's all right. I'm perfectly happy letting my body do what it does without me micro-managing it. :coffee:
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Post by Einstein on Mar 10, 2003 10:24:37 GMT -5
OMG Zen I can't stop laughing! :hahaha:
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Post by CatB on Mar 10, 2003 11:45:09 GMT -5
No gallbladder? Well, that's a fine how-do-you-do! My girlfriend must have it all wrong. I was even talking to the vet yesterday (her mom's dying of cancer and she's in town), but she never mentioned gallstone specifically to me. Maybe it's one of those enteroliths?? Anyway, the horse seemed pretty chipper yesterday, and since I have to horse sit for 5 days later this week, I hope he stays that way!! Will keep you posted.
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Post by CatB on Mar 10, 2003 20:48:09 GMT -5
Okay, I just talked to my friend, Lisa, and apparently, the vet mentioned "stone", so she automatically assumed "gallstone". And since it's been a long time and many brain cells since I had to know that horses don't have gallbladders, gallstone sounded good to me. Anyway, are enteroliths detected by ultrasound or endoscopy (both?)? (oh, and would you please hold your consultant fees until LV? ;D)
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Post by Einstein on Mar 10, 2003 23:41:11 GMT -5
That would be by ultrasound, but, ultrasound can be tricky in horses. Well, I can't tell anything on them, except heartbeats, but that's why they pay the vets the big bucks ;D
Oh, and I fully expect my consultation fees to be paid in full upon arrival in Las Vegas. Just kidding ;D
But aren't you soooooooo excited to go?!
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