Ridecamp: Re: [RC] more on thumps

> Great discussion!
> OK, so a "slight" case of thumps means a "slight" imbalance.  In
> this mare's case, it was only observable on the left side, not the
> right, so very easy to miss.
> The cause is an imbalance, therefore the electrolyte mix I was
> administering was not "right" for her.  Back to the original question,
> do I add more Calcium?  I have done Gayle Eckert's sweat
> analysis (which is very cool) on other horses, and I would think that
> this might be a possible way to see if she excretes certain
> electrolytes more than "normal".  She is high strung and does get
> wired around other horses.

Well, not necessarily.  A "slight" case in a horse prone to thumps may be
utterly meaningless, whereas a "slight" case in a horse that is quite
impervious to thumps might mean a whale of an imbalance.  (That's why I
always had trouble with the knee-jerk reaction of some that "all" cases of
thumps are reason to go right off to the treatment barn--like anything else,
the problem has to be evaluated in light of the entire horse.  I have a hard
time getting overly excited about a horse with a history of slight thumps
that has a pulse of 48, good gut sounds, is bright and alert, well-hydrated,
and is ripping his hay bag down.  Does it mean the rider may have some
homework to do?  Sure.  Does it mean the horse is in dire straits?  No.
OTOH, if the horse's pulse is hanging (even below criteria, say 56 or 60),
the CRI is going up, the horse has reduced gut sounds, etc., and just
doesn't have the spark he had at the beginning, then are the thumps
significant?  You bet!

Heidi


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