A week ago Friday, I had the vet come out to my barn for a routine visit on all my horses. All the horses got their shots and Annie and Nadia both had their teeth floated. Since it cost so much (almost a mortgage payment!), I had a different vet do the work. My usual vets take payment up front whereas this vet was willing to do payments. I also got
Coggins tests on Scout and Nadia in preparation for some planned traveling and trail riding. The blood tests came out negative, the same as my attitude towards the testing.
Coggins tests are required by most states (all?) when horses are in contact with other horses (events such as shows, trail rides, etc.) or traveling, on a yearly basis. The blood test is for Equine Infectious Anemia, commonly known as Swamp Fever, which is primarily transmitted between horses by bloodsucking insects. If the horse tests positive he must be completely quarantined for life which is nearly impossible to do. The more common alternative is to put the horse down. There is no known cure and we don't have a vaccine, although China does. Usually, horses that test positive don't even show symptoms. Frankly, I think it's served it's purpose. The test was developed in the 70's and eradicated all the infected horses at that time. I don't know if horses still test positive or not but it's always terrifying to know that a simple blood test can give your horse a death sentence.
Anyway, both Nadia and Annie had their teeth floated. Scout had his teeth done last fall although he could use it again already. I'm going to have to save more pennies or win the lottery really soon at this rate!
I also asked about Yalla's pot belly. He suggested three reasons: worms, protein deficiency, or normal growth pattern. See below for an example but please excuse the blurry photo. Also, she is still fuzzy with winter hair. It gets very warm during the day but last week we had a freeze.
I have been reading so much about too much protein and joint problems that I cut her back on her supplements, probably too much. So, I have begun feeding her Calf Manna (25% protein) about 1 lb a day, which is the recommended dose for growing horses (1- 1/2 lbs), along with a half pound of grain.
Although I wormed her last year, it's been several months since her last worming. Uh oh!! I know my other horses don't have worms, or very few, so I kind of forgot to keep on the schedule. (I am a bad horse owner!) The vet said that foals often have a lot more infestation than adult horses and should be wormed regularly. I asked which wormer to use on her and he suggested doing a fecal sample for analysis. So, I took in a fecal sample last Thursday. Waited until she pooped after the morning feed and scooped up an "apple" in a little baggie. I wrapped a paper towel around the baggie, foil around that, and then put it all on ice. Delightful! The vet called back with the results on the fecal sample and said she had no parasites. She did recommend worming anyway with a broad spectrum wormer and retesting her in three weeks.
I also talked to the vet about feeding options for Nadia and Annie because they appear ribby. Annie has always been tough to keep weight on and as Nadia gets older she seems to be losing her muscle and fatty stores. He suggested feeding them a daily ration of oil, a couple of cups, whereas I had only been giving her a tablespoon or so, daily. He said any type of fat was good, even bacon grease, because it provided the lipids needed to gain weight. Also, feeding beet pulp mash is a good addition to the diet because it provides calories without the energy and it has a low glycemic (sugar) index. I have read that beet pulp can be fed dry with no adverse effects but I am still reluctant, knowing how it expands and breaks up when water is added. However, I find soaking it beforehand to be such a hassle.
Tuesday morning, I noticed that Nadia couldn't reach the ground to eat! She would bend her neck so far and then quit. This is a dire predicament for a horse. After all, they eat off the ground and the water source is often low to the ground too. She appeared hungry and alert. I felt her neck and didn't notice any major swelling. I wondered if she had any infection around her teeth because the vet ground her molars down hard just a few days earlier. I didn't feel any fever either, so I thought it must be a reaction to the shots after all. I noticed she was a little dehydrated so I separated her from the other horses and placed a water bucket in her grain feeder so she could reach without bending. Luckily, there is a wall feeder in that stall so I threw in a bunch of hay so that she could munch at her leisure having to bend down. Then I gave her a big serving of soaked beet pulp with a little grain and decided to watch her.
She was no better on Wednesday and so by Thursday morning I called the vet when she laid down and then got right back up. She seemed alert and hungry but definitely not herself. She still had no fever and the vet thought it was a sore neck from the shots. He told me to come pick up some bute paste to give her for the pain which I did. I again left her in to eat by herself. She was hungry for the beet pulp mashes that I gave her both morning and night, well watered down so that she wouldn't dehydrate. Annie also enjoyed the mashes.
Friday evening she seemed to be improving. With thunderstorms in the area, I brought Scout in to share her pen and he happily cleaned up all the hay on the ground that she hadn't eaten. This morning, I again gave her and Annie beet pulp mashes along with their hay and left them in while I put Scout and Yalla outside. I plan on regularly giving beet pulp mashes with lots of corn oil to the ladies from now on. I have been meaning to do this. I had the beet pulp already. I've just been lazy, and there it is again- a bad horse owner! Sometimes, I think I should just sell my house, horses, and everything else and move to the big city. Yes, I have been very depressed lately.
Worm, the pain and blade - song; Voyeur of Utter destruction , artist: David Bowie, album: Outside
We were a little surprised at the number of unknown graves there. We counted a dozen or so in one area.
Then we drove back to Albuquerque and visited my husband's final resting place, leaving four red roses with him.
