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[RC] Toxic amount of acorns? - rides2far@xxxxxxxxNeed some advice. Saturday, when I went out to feed Kaboot he just stood about 10 ft. away and didn't offer to walk to his bucket. Big alarm. I tried to lead him forward and he was *extremely* hesitant to move and seemed to breath hard when he did take a couple of steps. No sign of lameness..no evidence of colic, bright eyed. I took his pulse and it was 40, 32 is probably resting but it's usually higher just because he's always looking around. Temp was 101.8. No sign of founder stance but did seem to keep his left fore flexed at the knee as if getting ready to take a step but not taking it and shivering some (it was cold but he doesn't usually shiver). No sign of injury. His gut sounds were present, more active low than high. Didn't really take his respiration but it seemed normal except when I made him move and then I could hear it...sort of raspy, but not like rattly, no nasal drainage. Not acting colicy. So, I gave him paste banamine and within 20 or 30 minutes he started eating hay and seemed back to normal. It didn't look like colic but the banamine seemed to fix it. That evening Bonnie mentioned that she saw him going down the hill and he seemed really stiff in the rear end. I watched him and he just looked like he was moving like an OLD horse...or like a horse with a heavy coat on a hot day (it had gotten warm) that's just feeling really sluggish. Monday Josie mentioned that the others ran & trotted up to eat and he walked slowly the whole way (he's been eating normally all week). I trotted him out and he is not lame or stiff, but didn't leap into his trot out like usual. Yesterday I saw him going down the hill very slowly again. It's cold now. The ONLY thing I can think of is that he's been eating lots of acorns. I looked them up on the net but only get notes that they're mildly toxic in large amounts...low risk. Kaboot loves acorns and there's several oaks in his field. I've seen him down there sifting through the leaves for them. Do these sound like the sort of symptoms a horse would get from eating too many? I've now locked him in the stall to see if being off the field changes anything. This morning he was more like his old self, swinging his head in a circle demanding breakfast but he may just be lively because he hates being locked up. He had eaten all his hay, pooped and wanted his grain but he hadn't drank much water. (he doesn't care if water's cold. Has never taken a sip of any warmed water I've offered him and always drinks enough cold..night time temps in low 30's) By the way, I went down to see if I could rake the acorns but they're all sifted down into the dirt. He's searching them out. Angie =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- 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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