Things Can Go South Fast!

We're going to preach a little  - again - on the importance of frequent dental exams in Equine Elders.  Twice a year is recommended, more often is not overdoing it if your horse is prone to dental problems.

As an example, Freddy, our self-cleaning dancing Arab gelding was examined seven months ago.  With no major problems, he had a few sharp edges and points addressed, with everything functioning pretty well afterward.  He dropped a few quids here and there if given coarse hay, but that was not new, and not alarming at the age of 26.

However....a few days ago, we noticed Freddy having noticeable problems chewing.  He had no other obvious sypmtoms, but since the dentist/vet team was in the area this weekend, we asked them to stop by and take a peek.

On the initial exam, it was noted that Freddy had a bit of a "fat face."  Not any one lump, bump or swelling, just sort of puffy all over.  A quick look at his teeth didn't bring up anything obvious, except that he seemed to be biting his cheeks because of the edema in the tissues.

Next up: x-rays.  And there is was.   A tooth infection that had moved into his sinus.  Alarmingly, three other teeth looked like they were headed in the same direction.  They had to come out.

Here, Freddy receives a "nerve block," both to keep him comfortable during the extraction and to prepare for flushing the sinus to knock out the infection.

The tooth causing the biggest problem is removed first.

Because there was very little of the roots left, all four teeth came out easily, with little discomfort to the patient.  Here are two of the four teeth removed.  The larger tooth on the left was the one causing the sinus infection.

Next, the sinus cavity itself was flushed out, to be followed up with two weeks of antibiotics. 

With that, Freddy should be good as new!  He may have fewer teeth, but he'll have fewer health problems and less discomfort as well.

Infections, abscesses and dental-related sinus problems are not at all uncommon in older horses.  Nip them in the bud.  Watch for any signs of chewing difficulty, and schedule exams earlier rather than later.

What Part of "Be Careful........."

.........don't Britches and Freddy understand?

Yay! the snow has stopped!

No problem that its 8 degrees out there!

Various Photos on a Warm Winter Day

A "January Thaw! "  Here are a few random farm shots as we were enjoying the outdoor work today.

Freddie - not too bad considering all the recent mud.  We're not wild about the new mane "do," though.

Sanctuary housing we hadn't noticed while the leaves were on the trees.

The first step in solving some of our drainage problems.  See that little white pipe on the upper right?  Somehow, former property owners thought that would carry all the runoff from the field east of the driveway to the ditch west of the driveway.  The current pipe is the professional version.  According to the weather forecast, it may get its first trial this weekend.

Wade and Marye.  Still a couple and going strong.

Jubal enoying a lunchtime beverage.  Ahhhhhh.

TREES' Cushings Club

I just realized we frequently talk about our Cushings Club, but we've never really told you who the members are.  The official membership stands at six, but last summer's testing revealed two more may be at the jumping off point.  As we mentioned a few days ago, our new arrival, Sherman, looks pretty suspicious as well.  Not long ago, a diagnosis of "Cushings Disease," now known as PPID (Pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction,) was viewed by many as a death sentence.  Not any more!

And so, without further ado...........The Traveller's Rest Equine Elders Sanctuary Cushings Club:

Nate, mid 30's

Freddy, 26

Wade, 26

Sonny, 38

Josh, late 30's?

Henry, 25

Interestingly, all are geldings.  All are managed with pergolide and a carefully controlled diet (thank to all of our visitors for being very understanding about our "No Treats" policy,) and all are retested each year with pergolide dosages adjusted accordingly. 

The Universe must love old horses.

In the very early days of Traveller’s Rest, we asked our vet how people would know we were here. How should we go about letting people know we were here to help with elder care issues?

Doc laughed. “If you build it,” she said,” they will come.”

Very funny.

But she was right.

At first those who came were almost entirely people wanting to “donate” their older horses to TREES. (At some later date, we may post about why we don’t consider our residents “donations.”)

Gradually, as the community became aware of “the place that takes old horses,” other people began to visit. One here, one there. Then, a few years ago, a visitor got out of her car and commented “Oh! I’m so glad to see a horse rescue that’s not completely depressing.”

That took us by surprise. We’ve never thought of horse rescue in general as “depressing,” and we certainly don’t see TREES as depressing. We started asking all new visitors what they expected to see when they got here. About half answered that they expected to see a bunch of old horses, basically standing around waiting to die.

Whoa! First of all, why would anyone even consider visiting a place he or she expected to be that sad? But more than that, how could we begin to break down that misconception of an Elders Sanctuary?

Simple. Tell the Elders’ stories. These horses are spirited and vivacious. Dynamic, interesting and gregarious. They form friendships and other herd relationships just as younger horses do. They roll in the mud, play in the water, rear, crowhop, prance and scamper. They cuddle, present themselves for scratching, and demand attention on their own schedules. Not at all models of “waiting to die.”

In other words, the Elders speak for themselves. And as they speak, they draw more people to them. When Doc first said “If you build it, they will come,” we assumed she meant that horses would come. Horses have come, obviously, with more always waiting in the wings, but more than that, people are coming. People who are interested in giving elder horses better lives, both in sanctuaries and at their own farms.

Is it just because we tell their stories? Or is something bigger at work? Sometimes it feels as if we – the humans managing the sanctuary – are only here to keep a foot on the gas pedal, but something larger is doing the steering. There seems to be no other explanation for some of the things that happen.

The Universe just seems to love these old horses. And who are we to argue with the Universe?

Fitz, 26, and Josh, 38-ish

Freddy, 26

Lucy, 30-ish, and Delphi, 29

Fitz, 26

If you would like to meet TREES' exceptional elders, please shoot us an email at info@equineelders.org !

I Knew It!

Found this near Freddie's "feeding station" at supper.

We've suspected for years that Freddie is a unicorn in disguise. The horn is curly because of his Cushings, of course.

Here's Freddie May 1, 2009. (When do unicorns shed their horns?)

Freddie, the Self-Cleaning Arabian

Thank Goodness. Freddie really is self-cleaning most of the time. We're on our way to a record number of consecutive rainy days (or so the local weather gurus "joke.")

Even so, look at our 26 year old Arabian gelding, Fred Astaire:

Photo courtesy of Molly McDonald Peterson, mJm photography

No kidding! This is Freddie, as is, no special grooming, bathing, or "photoshopping," after several days of rain and mud. What a good guy.

We also have to take the opportunity to point out that Freddie is one of TREES' Cushings patients. Freddie's symptoms have been controlled for three years now, using dietary management and Pergolide. Again....Thank Goodness! Can you imagine dealing with an almost white "Cushings coat" during mud season? We don't even want to think about that prospect.

More Valentine's Day gifts

We wanted to share a few more pictures taken yesterday. We're not sure what prompted all the celebration, but does it really matter?

Sonny (38 years old,) Val (20,) and Wade (yes, Wade, who is 26) getting a little exercise to loosen up those joints. Note Freddie, the gray, watching at the fence.

Minutes later (obviously Britches wasn't moving fast enough):

Freddie's play was wonderful to watch after the scare he gave us last week.

And finally, our man Fitzhugh Lee. What a pleasure to watch. Before being treated for a heart infection, Fitz could not trot 20 yards. Look at 'im now!

(Please remember these photos when you hear the word "bombproof" in association with elder horses.)

It might be minor, but assume its major.

There is a theory that horses are more prone to colic in winter. Another says that colic is more likely during dramatic changes in weather. Yet a third implies that elderly horses are more likely to colic than younger horses. Put all those theories together and we should have had a disastrous winter so far. Fortunately, that is not the case. {{tap, tap, tap on wood}}

Yesterday morning, however, we did have a minor episode with Fred Astaire, or Freddie to his friends (and sometimes “Fernando!” on the days he feels the need to display his tail-in-the-air floating gaits.)

Freddie seemed perfectly fine Tuesday night at the 10PM feeding. He finished his senior mash, made a snake-face at Britches, and went off to munch on the night’s hay ration. Normal bedtime routine. At 6AM Wednesday, nothing seemed amiss. The early morning hay snack was welcomed with nickers, though in hindsight perhaps Freddie didn’t eat with his usual enthusiasm.

At 8AM, Freddie was not at his assigned breakfast station. That was not terribly alarming since, every now and then, he makes an attempt to usurp Britches’ position in the breakfast line-up. What was alarming, however, was his reaction when he walked around to his regular position. Freddie looked in his dish and walked away! This is a horse that has never refused a morsel of food in the three and one half years we’ve known him.

After the rest of the herd was fed, another check on Freddie found him standing several yards away from his full breakfast dish, looking just a little “off.” He stood with his head low, eyes squinting. Then he made one small circle, acted as though he might lie down, but resumed his previous stance instead.

That was it. Time to call the vet clinic. Colic is one thing we do not fool around with when it comes to elders. While some colic episodes can resolve themselves, we’d rather have a vet evaluate early. The clinic’s office manager let us know a doctor would be out in about half an hour. We used that time to put Freddie in a small clean paddock so we would know at a glance if he passed any manure, and filled a bucket with warm water in case the vet needed to “tube” him. During this time, Freddie pawed the ground a few times, something he does not normally do and another possible expression of pain.

Upon arrival, Doc B performed a general exam, noting the Freddie’s color was good, his heart rate was normal, he had good gut sounds, and he had no fever. A rectal exam, though, revealed some “doughy” feces in one area of his colon, near the pelvic flexure (where the colon makes a 180-degree turn,) rather than well-formed fecal balls. This might be the problem.

After administering a little sedative and a dose of banamine, Doc inserted a NG tube, first to ensure Freddie had no reflux, though there did seem to be excess gas, then to direct some “maglox” (generic version of Maalox) directly into his stomach. Freddie immediately perked up. Then came the hard part. The waiting. Horses cannot vomit or belch so if things can’t move from front to back, they can’t move at all. Horse owners may be the only people on the planet that pray for poop. Meanwhile, Freddie could not have anything to eat. If there was an impaction, adding more food would make things worse.

Finally, at 5PM on the dot, a beautiful pile of meadow muffins appeared. One portion of the pile appeared softer than normal and was a large sticky ball compared to the normal size and texture. There it was - the “doughy” feces Doc B felt earlier in the day. Another pile at 11PM looked almost normal, but again with a few “doughy” looking, but smaller, balls.

As of this morning, all seems well. Freddie ate a small breakfast with gusto and munched some hay as dessert. Now dozing in the sun, he has no idea how badly he scared us yesterday.

The moral to Freddie’s story is: Know the signs of Colic (pawing the ground, laying down and getting up repeatedly, thrashing or rolling, biting or kicking at the flank, etc.) Perhaps more importantly, know what is normal for YOUR horse. Freddie did not exhibit what might be called “classic” signs of colic, yet he was brewing a potentially urgent condition. If you suspect colic, early veterinary evaluation may mean the difference between a simple resolution and a prolonged, complicated treatment. It may even mean the difference between life and death.

PPID (aka Cushings)

Traveller's Rest is currently home to three horses and one pony with confirmed diagnoses of PPID, or Pituitary Pars Intermedia Dysfunction (commonly called "Cushing's Disease," or "Cushing's Syndrome.")


Researchers have found that horses with PPID have very few dopamine-producing neurons in the pars intermedia. Since dopamine inhibits the production of hormones by the pars intermediate, its absence allows excess hormone production which leads to the classic symptoms associated with Cushings.


While dietary management and supplements help control symptoms resulting from high insulin levels, and Trilostane can directly inhibit the production of cortisol, only one medication in current use addresses the dopamine deficit, believed to be the root cause of the problems.


That drug is pergolide mesylate, a medication originally prescribed for human Parkinson's patients. Upon diagnosis, all PPID horses at TREES are started on Pergolide.


Below is Oracle, diagnosed with PPID, but not yet started on treatment in this photo:



Freddie, on the other hand, has been on Pergolide for two years:
Symptoms of PPID are many and varied, though not every horse will have every symptom. Some things to watch for:

• prone to laminitis
• gains weight easily
• cresty neck
• unusual "fat pads"
• muscle wasting
• "pot belly"
• problems with thermoregulation, especially in warm or hot weather
• abnormally long, curly hair coat, year-round
• suppressed immune system
• excessive thirst and urination
• irritability in a previously good-natured horse
• occasionally, neurological complications