Home Current News News Archive Shop/Advertise Ridecamp Classified Events Learn/AERC
Endurance.Net Home Ridecamp Archives
ridecamp@endurance.net
[Archives Index]   [Date Index]   [Thread Index]   [Author Index]   [Subject Index]

[RC] Ulcer scope - April

This morning I took Tanna, my 10 year old Arabian gelding, to the vet
for a gastroscopy. Tanna has done 2 light seasons of competitions. He
has 200 endurance miles (150 from last season) and 80 LD miles (25
last season). He camps well, not nervous, just interested in the
goings on. He trains well. He is eager to see what's around the next
corner. But he has been off his feed at endurance camps and on long
training rides. I tried Fastrack at my last 50 and Tanna did eat
better, but still not as well as I'd like.

My vet is well aware of my endurance aspirations and my training
schedule. I asked him last fall about doing a scope for ulcers. He
said he didn't really think Tanna would have ulcers, but many horses
that he didn't think would have ulcers do. So he said it was up to me.
I decided to put it off.

Fastforward to this week. I called Dr. Matt back to ask when to do a
scope. Tanna has been on pasture rest since October (no particular
reason other than just giving him a break) and I plan to start him on
reconditioning next week. Dr. Matt advised doing a baseline scope now
and then a follow-up scope in late spring after a full schedule of
reconditioning and after having attended a couple of competitions.

This morning we did the scope. Tanna was diagnosed with some grade 1
ulcers. They are not bothering him now, but with training and stress,
they would probably flare up and be painful. Dr. Matt says this could
be why Tanna has a poor appetite at rides and on long training rides.

Dr. Matt did not recommend doing a regime of Gastro-Guard yet. He
advised me to begin using Neigh-Lox daily when I start working Tanna
hard (30 or more conditioning miles in a week). Go to our scheduled
rides and see if Tanna acts better and eats better. If he is noticably
better from last season, we will be happy with that and continue to
use Neigh-Lox. If Tanna is not noticably better or I am still not
comfortable with him at rides, I should take him back for another
scope in late spring to see if there are new ulcers or if the ones we
noted this time have become more advanced.

I'm hoping that if he shows signs of improvement, I can back off how
much I have to give him. With 2 feedings a day, I have to give him 4
scoops of Neigh-Lox a day. That's $2.50 a day. Pretty expensive stuff.

I even got a CD with small movies showing part of the scope where
there were ulcers.

Just wanted to share my particular experience thus far. Watching the
scope in action was pretty cool. My vet really took his time and
explained what we were seeing. We almost got by clean, but just at the
end, he found some small ulcers.

April
Nashville, TN

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net.
Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/Ridecamp
Subscribe/Unsubscribe http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/logon.asp

Ride Long and Ride Safe!!

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=