Interesting development on Gavins sourness issues. After a long consultation with our vet, Dr. Kevin Smith, we came to the conclusion that the problem is not entirely behavioral. Its relatively sudden onset (about a month ago) after a period of inactivity (we did not work during the government shutdown) a couple of months after a carbohydrate increase in his diet ( added a couple of pounds of oats per day) probably brought on an attack of his shivers. His reluctance to go up or down hill and his general pokiness and not wanting to move (which is not typical, although he is a pretty laid back guy) indicate some sort of muscular problem rather than a behavioral problem. The prescription: moderate exercise with a conditioning program, a higher fat intake, cut out the oats and substitute Timothy pellets, a good vitamin supplement with Vitamin E and Selenium (10,000 IU Vit. E/day), and if he doesnt maintain his weight with a good grass hay, its OK to give him a small amount of Alfalfa to supplement. Wow. Complicated horse. Id like to see those PETA freaks tell me my horse would be better off in the wild.
Posted on: Wed, 06 Nov 2013 12:16:39 +0000
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