Day #39

We have been trying to stick to the care for Pearl’s ulcers that our vet, Dr. Susan Roach, has suggested. It is quite complex compared to our regular regime of a scoop of sweet feed twice a day. (That is what Blaze gets along with the sand colic medicine.) We had to buy everything except the salt and baking soda. For our horse friends, here is her schedule:
• ¼ cup of Triple Crown fortified feed twice a day
• ¼ cup of Purina Outlast supplement twice a day
• ¼ scoop of psyllium to prevent sand colic once a day
• ½ c of rice bran with ¼ tsp salt and 1 tsp of mineral oil twice a day
• Alfalfa hay free choice
• 60 cc of Aloe vera juice to coat the stomach as needed
• A dose of electrolytes once a day
• A dose of probiotics once a day
• Decrease stress
So, at first light this morning she stressed out. We heard the coyotes before Pearl started rocking the camper. She was in a panic swinging her hind quarters around and pulling at her lead line.

By the time Dan got out there, they were not in sight. Pearl still was sure there was reason to be worried and continued to crank her neck around and look up the foothill. She refused to eat her morning meal until she settled down.

The vet called to check on her today and she is researching to find a calming medicine, like Quiet Tex, to help with stressful times. The

problem is that most of the medications have sugar in them, which she isn’t allowed.

We decided to wait until afternoon to take our ride. Pearl was bad when Dan went to tighten the girth. She bit him! She got smacked for that. She has never done that before but has been “cinchy” since we bought her last spring. We remembered that she probably has pain from the ulcers which are in her belly right behind the girth.

The rest of the ride was uneventful. We took a short trail around the inner foothills and back. It was only 45 minutes. She was relaxed and obedient and showed no signs of stress.

I checked her respiration rate today after talking to the vet. I guess we must watch for aspiration pneumonia because the tube going down her nose during the procedure made her cough quite a bit. Her respiration was normal.

We are looking forward to a longer ride tomorrow and maybe it will be a bit warmer. It was only 55 degrees at 3:00 pm.

Until tomorrow, blessings.
Pam