Note the First: Pentosan. Should we do a round in the spring, and see if he responds? Is it available again?
Legend injection in late fall made zip, zero difference that I could tell. Had a marvelous ride the day after, and then two days later, nothing. Taking him off Previcox has not resulted in a gimpier horse. I am not necessarily addressing a specific issue, but rather hoping I can improve the overall picture.
Note the Second: Gut issues. He remains the gassiest horse in the barn by yards and yards. Do I want to worry about this? Do I think harder about a hindgut treatment of some kind? Do I make some attempts at ulcer treatment?
He's already on a pre & probiotic and doesn't seem bothered by his gassiness.
Note the Third: General supplementation for weight/energy/hydration. Will try hay cubes/pellets, soaked, or beet pulp, soaked, as a snack/meal when out and hauling, or as something to give him as a treat after riding in the summer.
Adequan was (and is) the one that’s hard to get your hands on. Pentosan apparently was scarce for a while but seems to be accessible now. I’m actually waiting on a PentAussie Rx for Tucker right now (his first; we’ll see). AFAIK the only hold-up is that our vet can be hard to track down sometimes…!
ReplyDeleteI read something the other day suggesting that beet pulp can increase gassiness…thought it was at The Horse website, but I can’t seem to find it again now…
Hmmm, I will look into the beet pulp question, thanks.
DeleteI will be interested to hear how Tucker does, and it's good to hear that Pentosan is back in regular circulation. Definitely leaning toward getting a bottle for Tris with his next vet visit.
Gut issues - gas specifically can be cause by high starch being digested in the large intestine. What feed is he on? How much hay and roughage? I would be concerned, gas is never something you want in your horse. I would suggest looking for a feed that has LOW starch.
ReplyDeleteHe's on a primary roughage diet right now: more or less free choice hay (grass hay, I would guess 30-40lbs or so per day), and 2.5 lbs of Blue Seal's Sentinel SR per day, which is just under their recommended maintenance, as he tends to be a very easy keeper. It's supposed to be a low starch feed. He's been just as gassy when fed a low starch feed (ie something like the Blue Seal's Carb Guard). He gets a general nutrition balancer supplement with added Vitamin E and Biotin that includes a pre and probiotic. I have gone back and forth on worrying about this over the years: when he is in a well-managed environment it doesn't seem to bother him in any way, it's just his default. When he's not in a well-managed environment (ie, the pastures are overrun or he is not generally watched after) he has had some low grade gas colics.
DeleteI have had vets look at him and check on him and none of them has ever specifically said something to worry about. So it's not my #1 worry but it is something I try to keep an eye on.
To clarify, when I say gassy I mean: consistently high gut sounds and passing gas on a semi-regular basis (when he's led out of his stall, when he's warming up, when he lifts his belly to get into work, anywhere from 5-6 times of note while I'm with him in a 2 hour period).