Saturday, June 21, 2014

Harvey: Worse before it's better

I think Harv is worse -- that is, more wobbly -- since he started treatment. He had 4-5 days on the ReBalance, then I switched to Oroquin two days ago.

I take him to the outdoor ring regularly to let him trot and play, so I see him moving out. Tonight he was a different horse. He was grunting when he trotted and cantered, and his hind swayed more.  He had a troubled look in his eye -- he knows he is not right, I think.

This is not unexpected -- in fact this is commonly reported in horses under this treatment. It could be a good thing, as it could mean that the parasites are dying and I guess the dying process causes inflammation and a temporary worsening of symptoms.   Less likely, I think,  is that he is just declining more rapidly. I am not dwelling in the "bad place," but have to allow that it's possible.

The other odd thing is that he is leaving some of his feed in his dish. Granted, he is getting a LOT of senior feed and 12 hours on grss, but... unusual for Harv.

On the bright side, he is enjoying the rich grass, his dutch door, and the attention of the folks at the barn. All I can do is sit tight...



2 comments:

  1. My horses symptoms were very severe to begin with so I can't remember if it got worse. I think that they probably did though. I do remember that it took 2-3 weeks to see improvement and then it was pretty rapid. She went from falling over at a walk to lunging wtc normally in a month.

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  2. Wishing Harvey well. It's always so hard seeing your horse uncomfortable, no matter what his age. Hope he is on the road to recovery.

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