Liz Howell

Well Revy left and now I already have my next horse project.  He is a little Paso Fino about 10 years old that is skin and bones. He has a long shaggy coat, a runny nose and eye and cribs (which I did not know about until I brought him home). I was so excited to get him and give him a new home just to be shattered that he was a cribber. I contacted the previous owner to see if he would take him back (which I really did not want to do) but of course he denied knowing anything about the horse being a cribber so now I am stuck.

I considered putting him down but instead went ahead and purchased one of the Miracle Collars for him. It seems to control the problem although it kills me to have to put it on him as they have to be extremely tight to actually work.  If I am going to be able to get any weight on him though he is just going to have to wear it.  The problem with some cribbers is they will spend so much time hitting the wood and sucking air that they don't eat well and their food does not digest properly resulting in colic and weight loss.  Also they tend to develop a crusty neck, wear their teeth down and have multiples of other problems.  I don't care what the experts or my friends that own cribbers say, I do believe it is a vice that CAN be learned from other horses just like wood chewing and I certainly don't want Sudden to start doing it.

Here is my plan of attack with him:

1. Control the cribbing - Done with a Miracle Collar
2. Start him on Probios - Started yesterday will continue for the next couple of months. I am also considering Ulcer meds in the event there are any problems.
3. Worm him - Will do that today with Ivermectin to follow up in 2 weeks with another dose of  Zimectrin Gold.
4. Start him on Antibiotics - Will start that tomorrow if no problems are seen from the worming. Two weeks SMZ two times a day should fix the runny nose and eye. If not will have tested for allergies. Cleaned out eye with Clear Eyes.
5. Start Sand Prevention Treatment - Started yesterday will continue for 7 days as per instructions.
6. Turn out as much as possible during the day without the collar, unfortunately he will have to come up at night to the barn as I live in the Forest and am too afraid to leave them out at night.
7. Feed a good quality feed and hay - I am not so concerned about the feed but feel he needs the roughage so I have started him on alfalfa and coastal hay with only about 1 pound of Seminole Perform Safe two times daily.

Here are a few pics, his back bone and hip bones are protruding. He has what I imagine is a wormy stomach as you can see his ribs but his belly is big and his coat is long and shaggy. He has no muscle mass and even the fat that should be over his eyes is absent.  Poor guy has a lot wrong with him, crossing my fingers he pulls out of this ok.

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