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T O P I C R E V I E W
mogwai
Posted - 14 Jan 2010 : 09:27:38 AM I know, this topic comes up every winter, but i'm really struggling. I have a 4 year old filly who has been blighted with infections (liver!) and viruses and needed 8 weeks of antibiotics at the end of last year, leaving her immune system very low. She also has 4 high white socks, and the horses have moved recently onto our own land, only compounding the issue i imagine.
Ruby's mud fever started just before christmas. I had been using pig oil and sulphur, and she developed a few surface scabs, had a small amount of hairloss and there was a bit of swelling, all above where i'd been putting the pig oil. I continued with the pig oil, higher up thinking the sulphur would clear it. It got no worse, but not much better either, though did look drier. I also clipped some of the hair off around the sore bits. I contacted the vet after a week and she suggested wrapping with cling film and bandages, which i did, and that's when the trouble really started. I took the bandages off and nher skin looked horrendous, sore, weeping and soggy, she was just hobbling about and looking very sorry for herself, all 4 legs had swollen and just looked awful.
I called the vet again and they said they weren't coming out except for emergencies (we have loads of snow, ice and freezing fog here!) and that they wanted to give her steroids, antibiotics and streroid cream to get the swelling down.
I am now in a dilema. I have a very sore horse that the vet seems to want to hurl everything at, and i'm just not sure that's right for her! She will let me touch her legs, but is unlikely to let me wash them without sedation. I am tempted to get a more local vet out (i'm sdtill using my old one about 15 miles away) and have her sedated and clip off all the hair and give it all a really good clean up and start afresh.
I have put her on a high dose of probiotics to try and ensure her gut is working effectivly, in the hope that will help her immune system, she is also on a liver/skin tonic from roger hatch. In desperation i have got a product called "ruggle it" or "stop it all" which seems to be a neem type oil, in the hope of at least treating her naturally to prevent any further depletion in her immune system. I have no idea if that's doing her any good, and she's only had it on since last night.
Anyone got any advice for my poor girl. She really seems to be a disaster area at the moment. If i can just get her immune system going, i think we'll be ok.....
Ros (sorry it's so long!!)
25 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First)
marionpack
Posted - 08 Feb 2010 : 12:05:46 PM Great news that you have them both home
Goldenmane
Posted - 08 Feb 2010 : 07:24:24 AM Just read this from beginning, so glad they are home, you sound very patient and caring.
mogwai
Posted - 08 Feb 2010 : 07:14:38 AM Grape juice, lol. All quiet this morning. They're still out at the moment, as i have some sorting out to do before they can both go in (doing things for the first time at 5.50am, in the dark with no electricity is never a good plan if you can avoid it!) So they'll have a few hours of daylight today, though looking at the sky we are not going to see much in the way of uv light today!!! As from tomorrow they'll be going in first thing and then out again after dark for 6 weeks. They all seem very relaxed and happy. Missy had lots pof straw in her tail, so she'd obviously been taking it easy. Ros
Timbercroft
Posted - 07 Feb 2010 : 8:04:00 PM Just seen this Ros, sorry about Miss but so glad they are both now home! I bet its lovely to have them home .
I would agree with Buffy..some nice "grape juice" for you! lol
xxx
buffy
Posted - 07 Feb 2010 : 7:18:51 PM Great news Ros, delighted you have your girls back home safe and sound. You've had a time of it haven't you?!!
Treat yourself you some of that 'grape juice' with the % mark on the bottle!! You are due a wee celebration.
Sandra x
joanna_piana
Posted - 07 Feb 2010 : 6:22:29 PM Ah that's great that they are both home and on the mend must be such a relief for you!
Kharidian
Posted - 07 Feb 2010 : 6:11:34 PM So pleased about their progress - and they're both home which is great news!
Caryn
mogwai
Posted - 07 Feb 2010 : 6:07:46 PM Well, she's back, Hooray!!! It took a while (2 hours), but i was determined she wouldn't get stressed. When i got there this morning she was very pleased to see me. She looked very tucked up and stressed. After spending half an hour with her she was much more relaxed, and was happy to start mnaking steps toowards the trailer. To cut a long story short patience paid off and she's home. They were all overjoyed to see each other. Ruby looks fabulous, really well and back to herself. She doesn't mind being boxed during daylight hours at all and is quite happy to eat her haylage and lick her horselix all day. Missy has paid the price a bit and looks generally a bit poor and upset. She'll get there, but she's had a rough time poor thing. Ros
Callisto
Posted - 07 Feb 2010 : 07:22:37 AM Oh no, how frustrating - and believe me I know what it is like to spend 4.5 hours trying to persuade a horse into a trailer. Hope it goes better today, and you will have Missy back where she belongs. At least you have Ruby home safely. Congratulations on their recovery, which is the main thing
mogwai
Posted - 07 Feb 2010 : 07:13:29 AM Well, yesterday didn't go quite as planned! Ruby was an absolute star, looks fabulous and is now back home where she should be with her friends. She was overjoyed to see me, and behaved like a horse twice her age during some very tricky moments through out the day. Missy looked stressy and jumpy as soon as we arrived. She was flinging her head a lot and barging about (not something she ever does at home). After 4 1/2 hours trying to load her into the trailer, we put her back in her box and left her at Leahurst!!!! So, we're back up there today (3 hours each way accross the penninies!!!) without the partitions. One of the problems was that she'd had acp prior to us arriving, and i'm not sure that helped us much. It meant she wasn't remotely interested in food, and she was very disassociated with the world around her. Good for some, not so good for miss. So, i will update tonight when hopefully we have both girls home! Ros
Timbercroft
Posted - 06 Feb 2010 : 10:46:24 AM! Super news Ros! Hope you have a lovely day today with the girls home!!! xxx
saddlebred
Posted - 06 Feb 2010 : 10:39:09 AM Fab news. I am so pleased for you. Keep us posted.
xsara
Posted - 04 Feb 2010 : 9:49:01 PM sure your delighted
karen d
Posted - 04 Feb 2010 : 9:33:11 PM
mogwai
Posted - 04 Feb 2010 : 9:27:53 PM Thanks guys Girls are coming home saturday. YIPEE!!!!! xxx
Fee
Posted - 04 Feb 2010 : 12:43:27 PM Hi Ros,
Just caught up again, had damp eyes with relief reading your updates, was so worried for you. So, so pleased your babies have been diagonosed, are being treated and responding well
Fee and the girls xx
nikki
Posted - 03 Feb 2010 : 1:10:31 PM so pleased to read this ros
mollydog
Posted - 02 Feb 2010 : 8:40:38 PM So pleased to hear your horses are improving. That is interesting what you say Shah about it not coming back after a bad attack. The horse where I work had it for quite a long time but not as bad as some of the pictures I have seen but he has been fine since last spring. I will tell his owner this tomorrow as she worries about it coming back.
buffy
Posted - 02 Feb 2010 : 08:22:01 AM Hi Ros,
Very pleased that things are going well! Been thinking of you!
Sandra x
mogwai
Posted - 01 Feb 2010 : 8:27:15 PM Thanks Shah, that certainly makes me feel better x Well, they're doing well. The vets are very happy with their progress. At the moment they're just gettin g off as much of the manky skin and hair, and they're being sedated every day. However, the skin coming through is nice and healthy. They are in a covered barn, totally away from sunlight. They are both on bute, but at this stage nothing else. The legs are being washed in a very very dilute hibis scrub solution, but nothing else. They are eating and seem fairly relaxed. However, all treatment is being done in tandem as they go beserk if they are taken away from each other (bless them!). It's nice to know the staff are sensitive enough to recognise that and treat them accordingly, rather than just let them get even mnore stressed! The results from Missy and Raf (my gelding) swab came back. Missy has pseudomonas, but Raf is clear (yipee!) However he still is losing quite a bit of hair from his lower legs. The proff reckons it can't be LV because he has black pigment, but i think nthere is definatly a reaction of some sort going on, just not as extreme and with no lesions like on the girls white legs. So, all in all things are looking good Ros
shah
Posted - 01 Feb 2010 : 08:14:53 AM Once recognised and treated properly LV will respond well, for some it's quick for others it takes longer time.
Well done for getting a proper diagnosis and I'm so pleased they're on their way to recovery. Hopefully you won't see it return, normally if they get it really bad it doesn't come back. For some though it's chronic and returns every year but when you know what you're dealing with it's so much easier to prevent it.
xsara
Posted - 31 Jan 2010 : 11:56:38 PM i am so pleased for you and it is good that they are doing so well so quick and a nice surprise for you
marionpack
Posted - 31 Jan 2010 : 2:39:03 PM So pleased that hopefully they are now on the road to recovery and even if it does reoccur, you will know the first signs and how to deal with it, lets hope they are home soon
Nut
Posted - 31 Jan 2010 : 1:41:59 PM Keeping everything crossed for you x
alison
Posted - 31 Jan 2010 : 1:36:58 PM So pleased that the Professor is now looking after your beloved horses, and he has given you a correct diagnosis. They will be better before you know it, and meanwhile you know they are in very safe hands. Wishing you the best of luck
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