Tuesday 28 September 2010

Seems like winter is on its way

Its been much colder the past few days,wet and windy with more to come apparently :~

Im a bit undecided what to do with Polo at the minute,I rode out last week with a Vic and a couple of girls from the yard and he was really stressy,rushed and unsettled. As im pretty certain he's classic ulcer,but not had him scoped,I think the move has obviously caused a flare up which hasnt settled down. He seems pretty sound so I dont think he's sore. I had both him and Ali on a ulcer supplement during the move and for a good while afterwards but ran out. He was totally chilled out when we moved to the previous yard. The main difference I can think of is Ali was with him the whole time for that move where as this time Ali was on box rest initially so Polo didnt have Ali to help him through it?
Im going to ride again this week and if he's still the same,get him on some ulcer meds leave him for a while and if he's still the same retire him completely. Not that he's been in regular work for a good while but at 18 if he's no better then I think thats fair enough ,the last thing I want is for him to be unhappy in his latter years.


Bit about shockwave for Danni(ive cheated and copied some info)


WHAT IS SHOCKWAVE?
A shockwave is a pressure wave – any action that displaces its surrounding medium is a shockwave.The ripple created when a stone is thrown into a pond is a shockwave.The
shockwaves used in equine medicine are generated in a fluid medium inside a
transducer head and are then transmitted readily through skin, fat, and muscle. The high energy waves are focused within the transducer head so that the shockwave can be
directed to the precise area of the injury. When shockwaves hit an area of higher
acoustic impedance, such as bone, the waves slow dramatically and a large amount of
energy is released into the surrounding tissue.
WHAT CAN SHOCKWAVE THERAPY DO?
Shockwave therapy has been shown to:
• Stimulate new bone growth
• Increase cell permeability and
stimulate the release of a cascade of
healing and growth factors that
contribute
to the healing process
• Stimulate stem cells in the animal’s body
to be directed to the treated area
• Cause neovascularization
(ingrowth of new blood vessels)
• Possibly stimulate fibroblasts, the cells
that generate new connective tissue
Shockwave therapy has been successfully used to treat many soft tissue and bony
problems, both acute and chronic.

These include, but are not limited to:
• Suspensory ligament tears and strains
• Suspensory injuries with avulsion fractures
• Tendon tears and strains
• Osteoarthritis
• Collateral ligament injuries
• Navicular syndrome
• Ringbone
• Joint inflammation and pain
• Back pain
• Neck pain
• Muscle tears and strains
• Repair ligament injuries
• Infected or large wounds
• Burns

4 comments:

Claire said...

good plan for polo...

Danni said...

Thanks for the info, that's really interesting stuff, will pick my physio friend's brain about that when I see her next! There are loads of really effective therapies we can utilise now, and they're not invasive which is a huge plus :) Of course, I'd rather not need them at all!

Like the plan, poor Polo :( I'm sure you could put good money on him having had ulcers, although no-one except a vet with a scope could ever be certain. Can I be super-nosey again and ask what the active ingredient of the ulcer meds is? They can take up to a month to have a full effect I think, although at the same time you don't want to keep plugging away if he'd be happier with early retirement. Moving house is so stressful all round, not having Ali for company may have been a factor. Like starting at a new school without your buddy!

It's a wonder we're not all neurotic with all the different considerations we have to make for our horses *lol* I hope Polo feels more at home soon.

Muriel said...

Danni might be right, Polo just needs to be retired. I hope he settles down soon. It is always steressful to have an unhappy horse.

Shcokwave therapy sounds very interesting. What kind of machine produces it? how much does it cost?

Muriel said...

Here is the link to my blog. Sorry I cannot spell today
http://muriel-spaghettiwestern.blogspot.com/