i knew there was something wrong with jerry

[Palomino Mare]

well...he had a sarcoid on his sheath banded on monday. it then burst open and i put cream on. last night i thought it looked like it could be infected. he also had a few swollen lumps on him, one just looked like a fly bite but the other 2 were circles made up of small lumps.

i thought it could be a reaction to fly spray (although he has used that spray before...) so i tacked up and rode. he was ok for 30mins but then he started bucking when i put my leg on and he kept making squeling noises when i touched his side. i got off immediately and started asking everyone if they thought the sarcoid was infected, i was branded "paranoid" and i put him back in his stable.

i asked them to leave him in this morning so i could ride. i also asked if they could look at the sarcoid in the morning to see what they thought of it ("they" being yard staff). when i got to the yard at 11.30am he was really hot and covered in HUGE lumps (smallest was the size of a tennis ball) they were even down his legs and over his body. his mouth was swollen and he could only eat small amounts of hayledge at a time- couldnt eat carrots. he then kept putting his legs into his water bucket. how on earth did nobody notice???i'm soo glad i went up when i did.

anyways i called the vet and as i was waiting for him i noticed some pussy fluid leaking from one of his knees. i then saw the same thing on the inside of a hind leg by his hock.

The diagnosis was.......i will see if anyone can guess;)

[Bronya]

allergic reaction to something?

[gypsygold]

A severe allergic reaction. Pussy fluid? With severe allergic reaction there can be serum leakage but not puss so not sure? Was it clear, yellowy?

[Palomino Mare]

A severe allergic reaction. Pussy fluid? With severe allergic reaction there can be serum leakage but not puss so not sure? Was it clear, yellowy?

it looked like puss but it was more yellowy fluid!

[Teehee]

Hives from maybe a bee sting? Or a poisonuos plant?

[gypsygold]

OK if it was yellowy and clearish then I still go with the allergic reaction theory but I cant guess what to. Fly bites, pollen, cream you put on sarcoids????????

[Jenni]

Poor boy, i hope you are having words with your livery yard.

Hope he feels better soon :)

[Palomino Mare]

hi, teehee, so so close! it was wasps stings!well the vet went with wasp due to the number of times it stung him. he got 2steroids injections, one quick acting and one that will take 3-4 days. i cant believe he is allergic to wasps, its not the easiest to control unless i kill all the wasps in scotland! i also have a gel to put on him...cant remember the name but stops flesh protruding or something (i cant even remember the term for that:rolleyes: )

jenni, its just really confirmed my decision to go on DIY, i've no doubt that the YO will be horrified and i feel guilt because the staff are good friends and one even has my mare on loan but when it comes to a horses health then i cant take that risk. i mean what would of happened if he had come down with colic - would they of noticed??

amz x

[Palomino Mare]

just a wee update for you...

i had a missed call from the YM this morning but didnt see it until 3pm, i tried to call her back but no answer. i finally got to the yard by 4pm and the YM came running over. apparently jerry has had "chronic diarrhea" all day and they have been constantly hosing him down. so i called the vet - why they didnt do that i dont know:rolleyes: who wasnt too worried but did say that this wasnt a normal side effect of steriods. if he is still like this tomorrow then they will come out and see him. vet also said to watch for colic....so i've sent YO on "colic watch" tonight.

i also noticed some more stings on his leg so i am wondering if he has been stung again (i have suspitions of a nest in his neighbours haybar) and the steroids are keeping his swelling at bay and so the diarrhea is how is body is reacting to these new stings??

amz x

[gypsygold]

Poor Jerry!

Sounds a strong possibility that the diarohea is a reaction to the drugs or surely he would of had it first time round he got stung.

I think you are going to have to find the nest or graze him somewhere else.

[Greentchr]

I would wait until early morning when it is chilly and the wasps will not be active yet, and go on an immediate wasp-nest hunt!

We have 3 types of wasps here- one type makes a paper-nest that hangs from trees; the second makes paper-cell nests that can be in among rocks, hanging from roofs, behind or in just about anything from feed bins to picture frames; the third type of wasp nests in holes in the ground.

What I have found helpful is to spend an hour just walking slowly around the property and watching for wasp activity. I note where I see wasps, and then early in the morning I go out with the "killing tools"- wasp spray, a bucket of soapy water (to knock nests into), a shovel and a stick. As long as it is cool outside the wasps cannot fly, so choose your time wisely!

Wasps do not have a large range, so if you were able to kill all the nests on the property, you would have a pretty good chance of not getting stung again. If they have not controlled wasps in several years, there may be many nests to find- even after controlling them here every year, I still find 10 or more small nests each summer from the ones who got away last year. I keep after them all summer, however, and we rarely get stung any more, though my teenage son got stung 4 or 5 times last year- a painful summer.

The fact that your horse has multiple stings tells me that he is/was right in the immediate area of a nest. Wasps (at least all the wasps in my part of the world) tend to sting only when threatened, but especially so when their nest is threatened.

[Palomino Mare]

hi,
Greentchr - some very handy advice there, thanks!

well...i did ask for them to look in the haybars and sure enough they havent so i will have to!:rolleyes:

we have a book at our yard that stays in the tack room and we can write in it "please turn jerry out" "keep jerry in" etc for what we want the staff to do that day. so for friday i had "jerry in please, if he has diarrhea call vet immediately, also please check for colic, i will be up late"

so i get there at 7pm and low and behold he was covered in diarrhea and gues what...he had signs of colic!oh and nobody had called the vet as they "had been checking all day and he was fine".

so i called the vet out and have a probiotic to give him over the next 6days.

thankfully he seems to have done well overnight and is alot better today!

amz x

[Greentchr]

...its just really confirmed my decision to go on DIY,...when it comes to a horses health then i cant take that risk. i mean what would of happened if he had come down with colic - would they of noticed??

...i did ask for them to look in the haybars and sure enough they havent so i will have to!:
...so i get there at 7pm and low and behold he was covered in diarrhea and gues what...he had signs of colic!oh and nobody had called the vet as they "had been checking all day and he was fine".
...

I think DIY is a great idea if this is the way the poor horses are cared for! I think that sometimes stable staff get a bit 'blase' about the horses in their care- because they do not own them, they do not have a vested interest in them as individuals, and for the most part the horses are fine and don't need much extra care so the staff just goes about their business and do not use that little extra bit of concern that horses need occasionally- like your poor boy.

I am sure this has been very stressful for you! {{{hug}}}!

[LMS]

I'm so sorry to hear about your horse. Besides whatis happening to him physically, how is he mentally? Is he coping alright?

Just a note on the wasps that live in the ground: you'll hear a hissing noise where their nest is.

I had no clue that they could live in the ground & last summer, I was raking grass that I had cut for my mares, when I heard hissing, I then thought I saw huge flies (like deer flies or almost as big as horse flies) & they just kept stinging my hand. They were very difficult to get away from, they are very aggressive! And it really burned! I thought someone was pricking me with a hot sharp knitting needle.

I really hope your horse gets better soon.

[bevy]

They will nest in the ground, as we found out last year! Had set up a SJ course and then when checking distances( on foot), saw a few coming in and out of a hole near 1 of the jumps. I legged it back to the car and left the girls to move the jumps, as I react badly to their stings( I have to carry an epipen). It might help the stings if you bath them in vinegar as wasp stings are alkeline and that neutralises it a bit. For bee stings which are acid based you cover them with bicarbonate of soda. Its easy to remember B for bee and bicarb, V for vinegar and its half a W!!!!
Hope he gets well soon, if he still got the runs why not put some vaseline around his bottom and leg area to prevent scour.

[Greentchr]

It might help the stings if you bath them in vinegar as wasp stings are alkeline and that neutralises it a bit. For bee stings which are acid based you cover them with bicarbonate of soda. Its easy to remember B for bee and bicarb, V for vinegar and its half a W!!!!


Thank you for that information!! I was just in a discussion with a vet wondering why it was vinegar for wasps and soda for Bees- and neither of us could figure it out! Duh- if we had thought chemistry, it would have made sense!

Thanks for explaining that:) It also makes sense now why putting soda on the stings doesn't help the pain!! You have taught me something very valuable.

[bevy]

"Thank you for that information!! I was just in a discussion with a vet wondering why it was vinegar for wasps and soda for Bees- and neither of us could figure it out! Duh- if we had thought chemistry, it would have made sense!

Thanks for explaining that It also makes sense now why putting soda on the stings doesn't help the pain!! You have taught me something very valuable."
You are very welcome. I just wish it was that simple when I get stung!!!! Instead of spending time in A&E!!!!!

[Palomino Mare]

:eek: in the ground??! so in theory you could be mucking out one day and come accross a wasps nest??!!

thanks for the kind advice, he was alot happier yesterday and i was able to turn him into the roundpen for a while. the probiotic seems to be working on the diarrea. i asked if they could turn him out today if he had no evidence of being ill during the night so lets see if they listened to my wishes....:rolleyes:

amz x

[Lucyad]

Oh dear! Hope he is on the mend!

DIY will be a bit of a nightmare commute won't it?

Capalldubh's horse has funny bumps that she put down to an allergy to fly spray - I wonder if it is the same thing and you have a swarm of bees?

[Palomino Mare]

Hi, so i managed to ride yesterday (yes, in the rain and the hail) needless to say it didnt last long and on my way back to my stable he started to nap - he's started this with his hacking. so, off i went on a small hack (again, in the rain and the hail) at every junction and driveway he spun and through in some mini rears. he normally pursues this idea until i jump off but fortunately i met my RI/YO on his bike the last time and he chased me down through the village:o . since then he tries a couple of turns and goes immediately into trot/canter like he knows i'm going to make him anyway - very strange. needless to say i returned to the yard with wet pants;) :o

Anyways i was very keen to try him out again tonight so i arrived at the yard and took his stable rug off - "oh s**t" i shouted and almost had a nervous breakdown....he'd been attacked by a field mate that had taken chunks of skin off where his saddle lies. appears to be that he was t/o rugless (even though they were witness to the vet saying "prob best that he's rugged in the field if he's so sensitive":mad: are they trying to make me wrapp him in cotton wool???so....no riding for me anytime soon!

Lucy, yep the commute isnt great atm with the M8 roadworks, on a normal day though without the works i can make it in 10mins (i dont speed, honest..). if the roadworks are quiet i.e. 11am-3pm then i can make it in 20-30. if i go any time between 4.30pm-7pm then i can expect up to 2hrs. tbh i dont mind as i know that he's fine in my care. still bugging my parents to buy the land behind our house though:D

amz x

[*Grey Gelding*]

getting the land behind your house is a great idea!! haha! :) keep bugging your rents!
and omg! i should have tried to get a job there - and you would have a lovely CLEAN bed every night, instead of what it was like the other day :rolleyes:
u spoke 2 YO bout diy yet??
xx

[Palomino Mare]

getting the land behind your house is a great idea!! haha! :) keep bugging your rents!
and omg! i should have tried to get a job there - and you would have a lovely CLEAN bed every night, instead of what it was like the other day :rolleyes:
u spoke 2 YO bout diy yet??
xx

i'm doing the deed tomorrow!!oh holly has handed her notice in so he definately needs help now if you are still looking!!