There is and there’s not a lot to report from my side of Pennsyltucky. Well, a lot to report, but nothing is good.
Bug Man 2.0 reporting for duty
I’ll start by saying, Nay Nay isn’t doing well. I’m waiting for the vet to open so I can put a call into my vet and hopefully, she’ll call me back anytime BUT 2-3 when I’m meeting with my boss. Chances are it’ll be sometime after 5. It’s not an emergency, but he’s just not doing well.
A few posts ago, I mentioned that we were still struggling with ulcers. We’ve been fighting with ulcergard/omeprazole/some combinations of brand name/compounded since March 12. He’s still not himself. Now, I know this can take months, but his symptoms are worrying to me. I think we’ve done well to treat his gastric ulcers (honestly with the thousand-plus I’ve spent, hopefully, we’ve made a dent?), but Nay Nay still is off his feed/hay. He’ll eat up over night in terms of grain (and puts a good dent in his hay at night since we got him his new hay feeder), but barely touches his hay outside and breakfast is tough.
New hay feeder is a hit!
He’s also started with mini colic-like episodes after each meal. They’re not full gas colics, but he’s uncomfortable (paws like CRAZY), paces, is super sensitive at flank, and then once he has a bit of diarrhea/supper mushy poop, he instantly feels better. My vet has been hesitant to diagnosis him with hindgut ulcers because he isn’t colicking constantly/more seriously and doesn’t have constant diarrhea, but…
Hindgut ulcers tend to have more profound clinical signs than gastric ulcers, according to Andrews. Signs include a recurring lack of appetite, lethargy, intermittent fever, colic bouts, occasional edema on the belly from a loss of protein in the blood, weight loss and thin body condition. According to Russillo, typical signs include a combination of loose manure and large fecal balls or, in some cases, complete diarrhea. Liquid manure down the horse’s inner thighs and legs also serves as an indication. —Problems in the Equine Hindgut
The last 2 mornings he’s had some dried sweat as well…
First grass of the season
So, that’s where we’re at. He’s also broken my fence because he’s not smart enough to find the open gate, but that’s a different story that I don’t think has anything to do with ulcers. As of the time of this post, we’re scheduled for a vet visit on Thursday, 5/14 and a gastroscopy June 15. I’m not sure if we can start with bloodwork or if we need to go right to ultrasound:
A presumptive diagnosis of RDC can be made on history (recurrent colic episodes, intermittent diarrhea, loss of performance, weight loss), clinical signs as mentioned above, changes in blood work (mild anemia, toxic changes in white blood cells, and a high number of white blood cells, low blood proteins and high inflammatory proteins, and low calcium). — LSU Colonic Ulcers
In terms of diet, I’ve heard everything from no feed and all hay to no long stem hay to all alfalfa to complete feed only (ie: Purina Equine Senior) to low sugar/starch which would eliminate the Equine Senior recommendation. So, who the heck knows. It may also be getting in the right meds. I just want to get him feeling better. At this point, our current path is NOT working.
Calm evening
Three Chestnuts 
Oh man…sorry he still isn’t doing well. It really is the worst not knowing what is going on and feeling like everything you are doing is a waste of money and time. Believe me, I’m right there with you on this. It sucks. I hope the vet appointment brings some answers for you guys.
It’s so frustrating! Just as frustrating as waiting for the vet to call me back. I’m curious at this point if I can just make an appointment at New Bolton or if I need a referral… I want answers (or returned calls) NOW.
ugh that’s so frustrating. a barn friend had a similar experience with her horse last year with intermittent colics and gastric distress, and basically nothing to pin down as a root cause. i think they ended up evaluating potential allergies, including in feed, forage, and supplements. not sure if that’s relevant for Nay’s case tho. another barn friend ended up needing to get her horse on a mega treatment of sucralfate, not just omeprazole — tho she had done a fair amount of scoping to nail down ulcer locations and grade. here’s hoping you can get some answers!
He’s on sucralfate too (2x/day) because I had access to it, but I can’t say it’s helping. The fact that nothing is helping makes me think that maybe it’s not just gastric ulcers anymore just hindgut crap. Either way, I’ll do the diagnosis if someone will just get back to me! I’m really ready to just see about contacting New Bolton though they’re still only providing limited clinical services due to Covid… And they’re providing telemedicine to vet referrals so not helpful for me. UGH. Basically, my vet needs to call or I need to sign up for New Bolton field service and get in that way.
Argh. I really hope you can get things resolved and answered for Nay soon.
The light in the last photo is gorgeous!
Thank you. Me too. We’re trying to move up the scoping (to next week if they have space), but I don’t feel like anyone is listening to me. I know scoping is the first step, but saying lets switch from Ulcergard to Gastrogard when they are essentially the same thing minus the dossage and when you’re using a full tube of ulcergard so it essentially is gastrogard…???
I wish getting a second opinion was easier right now! New Bolton and their Covid restrictions!
Ugh, I’m so sorry! I hope you can get some answers asap!