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RE: [RC] Thumps - heidiAnytime the subject of thumps comes up I am reminded of this story. Julie Bullock [DVM] was in TX to head vet a ride in April 2004, and was giving an impromptu lecture about "stuff" she has learned. One point she made was that for research, she wished we would NOT pull horses for thumps, but treat them and allow them to go on, so we can see what will reverse the condition. She likened it to some other studies involving cows and e-lyte imbalances [I think]. Todd Holbrook [DVM] was listening in the audience and pipes up with "That's great Julie but I have never seen thumps in cows!" Julie says "Well then Todd, you are just not riding them fast enough." <snork> Yes, I've met Julie--she is a character. :-) I tend to agree with her "take" on this--when you see a horse with a pulse of 44 that is eating, drinking, and doing everything else right but has a tiny tic in his flank, I think it is silly to pull, but instead to see what one can do to solve the problem. I've let some go on over the years with no ill effects--my protocol has been to hold them at the check until the thumping resolves, have the rider either feed them a bit of alfalfa or get an appropriate e-lyte mixture, and then advise them to go on somewhat conservatively. Every case that I've allowed to go on has finished uneventfully without continuing to thump. Like any other problem, I think you have to look at this as a matter of degree, and look at it in the context of the whole horse. If a horse is really prone to thumping, he may be in far less trouble with a mild tic in his flank than his neighbor is who isn't prone to it but has been overridden. I know this is controversial in the veterinary community, but it just doesn't seem rational to me to go to extremes if the problem isn't extreme. Heidi =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= 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!! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
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