Sunday evening we noticed that Saumur wasn't eating or drinking, and seemed overall listless. When he refused a horse cookie I knew we were in trouble. I gave him Banamine paste, but that didn't improve anything in the 30 min. or so it usually takes to kick in. His temp was normal, but he obviously wasn't. So, a call to the emergency number at the vet was in order. Luckily Dr. DeWitt called right back and came quickly. She thought it was gas colic, and the exam revealed dry manure in his 'pipes', so out came the long tube, up his nose it went and then oil/liquid got pumped into his stomach. It took a bit but then Saumur was interested in nibbling on hay again.
We suspect that the large doses of SMZ (antibiotics) he receives after the dental surgery upset his system. Tonight is his last dose, whew! I tried to counteract the effects with pre- and probiotics, but obviously it wasn't enough. Saumur is still not into anything but 2nd cutting hay and soaked alfalfa pellets, but at least he is eating this. And he does love "German Horse Muffins" (thanks, Andra!), they are soft, easy to chew, and smell yummy.
It's interesting to see that the other two, Chambord and Remy, started to pick on Saumur, chasing him away from the hay bags (there are five for four horses). It's like nature kicks in, and the weak is getting kicked out of the herd. Luckily we have a good set up: Saumur has a turnout area connected to his stall, so he can go in and out. He can see the others, but eats in peace. After lunch he joins them for a few hours.
We are at the beginning of a cold spell that will last until the end of next week (gasp!). We will be lucky to see the teens (F). JP was one frozen tractor driving snow removing barn manager today. Needless to say, I canceled all my bodywork appointments, as well as our rides. Even though Berwyck has an heated indoor, trailering on those treacherous roads is too dangerous (and never mind getting the horses ready, hooking the trailer, etc. etc.) Looks like we will be forced into some kind of hibernation for the week.
The good part is that it gives time to review plenty of educational programs. I attended a webinar on Muscles and Fascia (Gillian Higgins) that was excellent. Loved her exercise to show a human how hard collection is for a horse and that the strength for it has to be carefully build up:
Go into a squatting position and then jog (staying in the squat). Uff! I have a new appreciation for Remy's dressage work.
Both Remy and I have been working very hard on our respective areas of improvements, especially knowing that we will have periods of 'hibernation' this winter. We both are happy in the challenging work and are making progress:
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