Saturday, April 20, 2019

April Update




We’ve been very busy the past few months and I haven’t had the time or inclination to post.  Before I disappear completely from blog land I thought it was time to try and get back on track. So here goes.

All the horses have been getting their Spring vaccinations and since we do them in increments every two weeks we have one more round at the end of the month.  While the vet was here, I had them take a Lyme test on Rosie, Hanz, and Grady.  Rosie and Hanz came back positive and Grady was negative.  They’re on doxycycline for a month.  Hopefully, this will make Rosie not feel so reactive and touchy.  Rosie started to not want to be mounted and would start swinging her butt away from the mounting block whenever I put my foot in the stirrup.  So, after checking saddle fit and other guides to see if she was in pain, I thought it a good idea to have her checked. 
While here, the vet wanted to see her on the longe.  He also decided to take a test for PSSM.  She seemed very tight in her back end and slightly muscle bound.  We always attributed that to her previous training.  We’ve been working on having her lengthen her stride by longeing and she is tracking up much better than when we first got her.

The PSSM test also came back positive.  This all went on during her first round of vaccinations.  I should mention that Rosie doesn’t like her shots and reacts badly when anyone other than my daughter or myself goes into her stall.  I’m sure it must be from past experiences and she’s very suspicious of strangers.  Then again, who wouldn’t get a tad nervous if a strange man barged into our bedroom with a needle?

Long story short, the next round of vaccinations the vet took another PSSM test because this time she was more relaxed and not having a melt down.  This time, the PSSM test came back negative.  So, just to be on the safe side he had me longe Rosie the night before and the morning he was due to come back and do the next round of vaccinations to see if the condition might be exercise induced.  He took another PSSM test Thursday and I will find out the results in a few days.  Fingers crossed it’s negative again and she doesn’t have it.  If she does, it’s manageable with diet and exercise.  So, that’s what’s been going on with the horses.

Quote for Today
Horses can't talk, but they can speak if you listen.

15 comments:

  1. Spring is vaccination season. I hope that you find out definitely if it’s PSSM.
    Sorry about the lymes disease. God, I hate ticks.

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    1. I think this test should be the defining test. I can't think of anything I hate more than Lyme carrying ticks. My two daughter's have been infected, the dogs and now all of the horses.

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  2. I hope the PSSM comes back negative! Bummer that she is having a Lyme flair up though! Hopefully she feels better soon!

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    1. Fingers crossed for a negative here too. But if not it can be dealt with. I'm thinking this is her first time for Lyme's, it might be the first place she's been exposed to ticks. I don't know for sure.

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  3. Oh, I hope the PSSM is negative too but if not you know how to manage it. Cody has it and does quite well on acetyl l-carnitine and Ontario Dehy Timothy balance cubes. I also keep him on a higher dose than usual of vitamin E and ground flax, and magnesium. This seems to be the best combo for him. He’s actually at age 15 looking better in terms of movement than he did at 5! We just had our farm perimeter sprayed by a local company who developed a coconut oil-based organic/nontoxic product that targets ticks. I never saw a single tick after they sprayed last year and so far this year have only seen one. I hope this continues to be a solution for us - the tick-borne diseases are nasty. The woman who developed the spray has suffered with one of tick-borne diseases and her mission became finding solutions. Hope the medical stuff is done soon and you can move on and enjoy the springtime!

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    1. I'm hoping for a good outcome too. We'll have to wait and see and deal with whatever turns up, if anything.

      I'd love to find someone around here with that spray. We're constantly picking ticks off the horses, dogs and humans. It sounds like a great solution.

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  4. Yikes! That is a lot to take in. I’m not familiar with the effects of Lyme. Horses not feeling good, and not knowing why, is the story of my life though. We’re always playing detective. The fact that she’s swinging her butt away is telling. Leah has all sorts of pain issues, but for her I find that they get better the more she works. I tried to get a canter from her a few days ago and she absolutely would not, so I didn’t push her. We just walked on the trail. I’m okay with going with the flow nowadays. I hope she gets to feeling better for you.

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    1. Thanks Linda. Lyme's is a terrible tick born disease that affects both animals and humans. My daughter had it so bad when it first appeared here in the East and no one would treat her for years. She developed seizures from it and after a bad car accident where she seized and passed out someone finally did treat her, she's fine now. It can certainly make you feel out of sorts and it's dangerous if left untreated. A trail ride on Leah sounds better than dealing with a "no" and probably more fun for both of you too.

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    2. I’m curious, about what year(s) was your daughter’s Lyme onset? My first husband suffered chronic “arthritis” which cam on very suddenly about 1979. We were in NE Pennsylvania at the time, and I think we asked more than one doctor if it might be this new “Lyme disease.” No one took us very seriously, but I still wonder.
      Hope Rosie feels better soon, and that you don’t have to worry about the pssm possibility.

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    3. I'm not sure about the year but it was at least 20 years ago. She had the tell tale circular rash and aches and pains etc. One doctor told her the rash wasn't big enough to be Lyme's it should be the size of a dinner plate, another told her she had Fibromyalgia. No one would listen or take a test. I'm sure it could be diagnosed as arthritis. I think it wasn't a prevalent disease back then and no one knew how to diagnose or treat it so they just came up with alternate diagnoses that fit the description. So it could be your husband had it and was misdiagnosed.

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  5. Thanks Cathryn, we hope it's negative too. I hate ticks they are vile and have no useful purpose that I can think of.

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  6. Is Lyme disease common where you live, and have you had horses in the past that have had it? Is it treatable in horses? I know it can give humans a whole bunch of issues. So sorry to hear about your daughter's struggles but I am glad she is OK now.

    I am hoping the PSSM test is negative too. Rosie is in my thoughts!

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    1. Lyme's is prevalent in our area in the Northeast. Also when I had Dusty she had Leptospirosis and so did my dog Ginger. All from ticks and possums urine. Unfortunately, all the horses have had it but it is treatable with doxycycline and now the horses and dogs even get vaccinations to prevent it. Rosie and Hanz didn't have the vaccination for it because they were new to the barn and it wasn't time for shots before they were infected. I hate ticks more than anything else!

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  7. Fingers crossed that Rosie's pssm comes back negative! Ugh - I've picked a half dozen ticks off of Val so far this year. Luckily he points them out to me so I can dig them out before they stay on too long. Good hearing from you A!

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    1. Thanks C. Still haven't heard from vet, guess he'll tell me Friday when he comes for shots. Blue and Grady will let me know where the ticks are, they're good like Val about that. Waiting for your next post on your build...

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