A much needed update....

Okay so I have been neglecting the blog recently, so I have a lot to talk about.

Pre-Turkey Circuit

I ended up taking Woody over on Sunday just to get some exposure. He did great!!! I didn't get any nervous energy from him (well except when the water truck came into the ring as I was leading him out). Even though the warm up ring wasn't packed, he did very well in the traffic. I also finally felt that we were clicking better and I could finally get him to lope instead of canter.

Second Chiro Visit

Before Dr Foeling came out to work on him again, I started noticing that he was flinching when I was rubbing the liniment into his hips, which means he was getting more sore again. Dr Foeling came out and ended up testing him for Lymes since even though his body soreness had improved some, not as much as it should have. She recommended changing his diet, having his teeth floated and 1% wedge pads. At that time I didn't change his diet. The Lymes test came back negative so I scheduled another appointment for her to come out to draw blood for the PSSM DNA test.

Another Vet Visit

Connie suggested that I have Dr Foeling do a flex test on Woody to rule out any issues with his hocks or stifles. It was noted that he was still short stepping on the lunge line, but after the flex test he actually moved better so she ruled out any hock/stifle problems and thought that he probably had PSSM. She took his blood and float his teeth. After this visit I decided to change his diet to Southern States Low Starch, keep his hay the same and start him on a supplement called Endure that and PSSM horse in the barn is on instead of feeding the corn oil. I also decided to turn him out in the front lot with the other show horses. I felt so bad for him when I first turned him out as he just kept running away from the other horses, but he now seems to have settled in and is allowing the yearling to play with him. I must admit I am not happy with the yearling playing with him as I don't need the cost of replacing his new blankets right now.

Our First Lesson

I finally scheduled a lesson with Connie and felt that I learned so much in such a short period of time. Basically she had me work on holding him up in the bridle to help him round his back better. This helps me so much with what I need to work on with him as I just started to feel like I didn't know what else to do. I am debating about putting him in training for this upcoming month as money is kinda tight, so I will have to talk it over with my SO. If I don't I plan on scheduling two 60 minute lessons over the next month.

The Results are In

Well Dr Foeling called me today to let me know that Woody was negative for PSSM. From my understanding the blood test is only a DNA test, but he could actually have it and only a muscle biopsy would determine for sure if he did. At this time I am going to continue with his new diet and see if he improves. If he does not improve in 4-6 weeks then I will think about having the biopsy done or other evaluations done to see if it is something else completely.


Christina