Copper and The Nice Vet

This morning, Dr Glen came to see Copper.  He's one of the Nice People In Coveralls Who Smell Like Medicine.  We have wonderful vets who give the horses lots of pats and attention to make up for the poking and jabbing they usually have to do!

As some of you know, Copper has had a history of stomach ulcers, which has often made her snap her teeth during grooming and tacking up.  Sometimes I've suspected that it was habitual behaviour - that she expected to hurt, so she snapped her teeth before she was even touched.  For a long time, she would quickly get over it and be okay.  But over the last couple of weeks she's gotten much worse.

I've tried over the years to help her through it (for example, special feed supplements) but never felt that my management was doing enough. It can be very hard to tell what's wrong with a horse, and figure out what they're trying to tell us.  They can't tell us in words, and we humans can be incredibly dumb.

Recently I have been concerned.  It seems to have been much more than a habitual behaviour.  She has been difficult to ride, and reprimands don't make a difference. I don't want my horses to be rude.  But more than that, I don't want them to hurt.   If something actually hurts, it doesn't matter how many times she gets a slap.  For me, constantly punishing her for something she probably can't help is heartbreaking.

I've known Copper all her life.  This teeth snapping, stomping monster, is not the sweet little mare I raised from a yearling.  Time to stop messing around and get her the help she needs.

Dr Glen gave her an examination and left me with a bottle of Sulcrate, a medication that coats the stomach to protect from acid.  I have to squirt that into her mouth three times a day for two days.  I also have a paste to mix into her feed.  After that I'll have another medication, Omeprizole, to heal up the ulcers.  Since we don't want it to flare up again, we'll be looking into some probiotics to keep the stomach bacteria in balance and keep her belly healthy.

These medications do work fast, so we're optimistic that she'll be feeling better within days.

Imagine how many horses out there are dealing with ulcers or other health problems, and can only express their discomfort by biting, kicking, and generally acting like nasty horrible creatures you wouldn't want to deal with.  A horse with an ulcer could end up untrainable and unrideable, and dangerous.  These things can be hard to diagnose and hard to treat - I have to stick a tube of medicine in that mouth three times a day?!?!?!  On top of that, vet bills are expensive.  (As they should be!  Vets are heroes and deserve to be well paid for what they do!!) Luckily, Copper and I can do our job together and earn enough to pay for her medicine.  It will all be worth it.


I'm so much looking forward to having my little mare back to herself again!