The words and thoughts from Vicki.
Whether you are a believer in intuitives or not (and God knows, I am still on the fence about it) I think that just speaking with Vicki has helped me to focus on things that I already may have known and may not have been putting together.
And here is where I am today.
The parasite. The problems associated with parasites. The idea that it was NOT an ingested parasite. A fly? A gnat?
My most hated parasite? The tick. The nasty blood-sucking vermin that I loathe above all others.
Parlay has always been allergic to tick bites. The reactions get worse each year, as appears to be customary with most allergies. The result of a tick bite on Parlay leaves an itchy, oozing, painful sore that will eventually turn to a large area of missing hair.
Back in 2006 Parlay had a really bad reaction to multiple tick bites in one area of his chest (Cursed blankets!) After a few weeks of conventional treatment with cold hosing and dressing the wounds, something else came about-- weird lameness issues, a very cranky attitude, highly sensitive skin, and finally, a bout of laminitis. It was so weird and uncharacteristic!
A blood test confirmed what I suspected immediately. Parlay was diagnosed with Lyme's Disease with Elisa value of 413 and Western Blot listed as HIGH. We aggressively treated with 6 weeks of Doxycycline. A huge difference was seen almost immediately.
Parlay has had two recurrences that we have treated with Doxy since then. Each new bout of Lyme's being "announced," by different symptoms. The first reinfection seemed to bring on another round of odd lameness---one leg off, then another, back to being touchy about being handled and girthed. The second relapse found Parlay post-legged lame in all four legs--it was a HORRIBLE sight!
This morning, after a difficult 12 hours of VERY HIGH P&R (60/40 and above), an agitated and cranky horse and a relatively unsteady walk off from a standstill, I made the association. I ran in to my computer and did a Google search for Lymes related congestive heart failure. My screen filled up with articles and medical papers.
Of course there could be a correlation. Lyme's is one of the nastiest diseases around and there is really so little known about the symptoms. I texted the vet. There is no harm in trying a course of Doxycycline, so off we go.
You can hope and you can pray, but in the end you need to THINK and LISTEN to what the universe is saying in answer to your prayers. Maybe this is a breakthrough?
That is MY prayer today.
Sunday, August 2, 2009
Friday, July 31, 2009
Sometimes you have to go beyond what is logical
So, through a friend, I contacted an *equine intuitive*.
Yup, a good old fashioned animal communicator. Naturally, when conventional methods don't seem to be so hopeful, you go ahead and look elsewhere for help and support.
Enter "Vicki" from Colorado.
Now, for the record, I am not a firm believer in this kind of thing. However, I have also not had any previous success with it either. Mostly, I have been told that Parlay is "not social," and "very stubborn about communicating." Why not? He is so difficult about other stuff, why should THIS be any different?!? LOL!
Anyway, I had heard at a seminar recently that it will work better if the horse's person gives the animal *permission* to speak to a stranger. I went ahead and did that this morning over breakfast. I would like to say that I gave permission, but honestly, I think I really just DEMANDED that he comply with this effort!!
After 89 minutes on the phone, I think I came away with some really interesting ideas about my old man and other avenues of treatment and additional diagnosis theories. I learned a bit about Vicki, I became more aware of some things that I had observed with Parlay, and I even learned a little bit about myself.
I have a huge page of notes that I took while she was speaking to me. We bantered back and forth about what has transpired up until this point and what course of action I am currently following. We talked a bit about Parlay's past and about the professionals that I have chosen to work with. We chatted about the diet and the supplements and the environment that Parlay lives in.
Vicki was sweet and thoughtful and kind. She is a horsewoman and an animal lover and it was very evident in the way that she tackled my request. She "read" Parlay and pinpointed some areas in which to focus. She suggested some things to check and recheck and encouraged me to continue plugging along.
Most noteable was her thoughts on Parlay's digestive tract and more specifically, his intestines. She seemed to think that perhaps he is having trouble with parasites. Interestingly, Vicki thought was this was NOT an ingested parasite, but perhaps one that had gotten "in" through a bug or fly bite.
Belly aching. Hmmm... I will say that it IS weird that Parlay has 1) gone off of his beloved Senior feed cold turkey, 2) is looking at his sides immediately following each meal, 3) has minimized gut sounds since this all went down, 4) and now totally abhors molasses after a life long love affair with the sticky, sweet stuff!
As for the vector? A bug or fly? It brought to mind a recent incident. About a month or so ago, Parlay developed a very odd looking mark on his eye, just outside of the iris. It looks as if a small circle had lost some of the pigmentation. I sent a picture of it to my Vet via cell phone for her to think about(thank goodness for modern technology!) Initially concerned about it, we both kind of shrugged it off as it never really amounted to anything.
During this time, I did quite a bit of research on the potential causes of depigmentation of the eye and found only one thing that seemed plausible--- a parasite carried by a fly of some sort. I mentioned this to the vet, but we both kind of wrote it off. Pish posh... what kind of weirdness is THAT!
Naturally, because I really want to find that article again, I can't, but I do remember that the treatment was Ivermectin. The horses were due for a wormer anyway, so what could it hurt? They all got Zimectrin Gold in the first week of June. Weird? Coincidence??
Next, Vicki mentioned Parlay's sinuses. Since I just had them scoped mid May and found nothing I am not sure about that, but Parlay DOES have some allergy issues, is still having nose bleeds (the reason for the scoping back then), and he HATES to have them tapped on, so maybe there IS something there. I also did have to stop the antihistimine treatment due to his lack of eating and have not re-established it yet. Something to think about.
She also thought that another physical factor could be found in Parlay's back (2 places) his left hip and his poll. She asked if we had mud (and do we EVER) and thought that he may have slipped and hurt himself recently. She advised a chiropractor and perhaps an accupuncture/accupressure specialist.
From here, we began to explore Parlay's mental and emotional state. Notice what is missing? There was no mention of his heart issues or his trouble with breathing! Does this mean that what I am looking at is just a symptom of something else? It is a question that I have been asking myself for days/weeks! How does a very fit and healthy horse decline in such a rapid fashion?? But I digress...
Back to Vicki's analysis of Parlay's extrinsic nature. I KNOW that Par is stressed, anxious and agitated. I can see it every day. Vicki picked up on it and told me something that I probably already knew--Parlay is mirroring me. Guess what? I AM STRESSED, ANXIOUS AND AGITATED!! Darn it!
But, what am I to do? I am trying desperately to hold on to my best friend---I want to prolong his life, to make him more comfortable, to play with and ride him again... And these negative feelings and emotions that I am harboring are carrying over to my guy according to Vicki. Curses!!
The prescription? Take a pill and chill. Yup, that is the prescription for ME.
Vicki feels that Parlay is not ready to leave me. He is a strong willed and stoic creature, to be sure. He has something left to teach me, she says. I hope it's not a lesson about death, but ultimately, isn't that the lesson learned from every long term relationship? I am THANKFUL for the character that this horse posesses. Honestly? Without these qualities I think Parlay would have left me way back before this blog got started...on that fateful Saturday---when he had his internal, heart racing, lung pounding race and won.
So I better save my energy for more writing---I think that this final journey may be of epic proportions!
One can hope!
Stay tuned....
Yup, a good old fashioned animal communicator. Naturally, when conventional methods don't seem to be so hopeful, you go ahead and look elsewhere for help and support.
Enter "Vicki" from Colorado.
Now, for the record, I am not a firm believer in this kind of thing. However, I have also not had any previous success with it either. Mostly, I have been told that Parlay is "not social," and "very stubborn about communicating." Why not? He is so difficult about other stuff, why should THIS be any different?!? LOL!
Anyway, I had heard at a seminar recently that it will work better if the horse's person gives the animal *permission* to speak to a stranger. I went ahead and did that this morning over breakfast. I would like to say that I gave permission, but honestly, I think I really just DEMANDED that he comply with this effort!!
After 89 minutes on the phone, I think I came away with some really interesting ideas about my old man and other avenues of treatment and additional diagnosis theories. I learned a bit about Vicki, I became more aware of some things that I had observed with Parlay, and I even learned a little bit about myself.
I have a huge page of notes that I took while she was speaking to me. We bantered back and forth about what has transpired up until this point and what course of action I am currently following. We talked a bit about Parlay's past and about the professionals that I have chosen to work with. We chatted about the diet and the supplements and the environment that Parlay lives in.
Vicki was sweet and thoughtful and kind. She is a horsewoman and an animal lover and it was very evident in the way that she tackled my request. She "read" Parlay and pinpointed some areas in which to focus. She suggested some things to check and recheck and encouraged me to continue plugging along.
Most noteable was her thoughts on Parlay's digestive tract and more specifically, his intestines. She seemed to think that perhaps he is having trouble with parasites. Interestingly, Vicki thought was this was NOT an ingested parasite, but perhaps one that had gotten "in" through a bug or fly bite.
Belly aching. Hmmm... I will say that it IS weird that Parlay has 1) gone off of his beloved Senior feed cold turkey, 2) is looking at his sides immediately following each meal, 3) has minimized gut sounds since this all went down, 4) and now totally abhors molasses after a life long love affair with the sticky, sweet stuff!
As for the vector? A bug or fly? It brought to mind a recent incident. About a month or so ago, Parlay developed a very odd looking mark on his eye, just outside of the iris. It looks as if a small circle had lost some of the pigmentation. I sent a picture of it to my Vet via cell phone for her to think about(thank goodness for modern technology!) Initially concerned about it, we both kind of shrugged it off as it never really amounted to anything.
During this time, I did quite a bit of research on the potential causes of depigmentation of the eye and found only one thing that seemed plausible--- a parasite carried by a fly of some sort. I mentioned this to the vet, but we both kind of wrote it off. Pish posh... what kind of weirdness is THAT!
Naturally, because I really want to find that article again, I can't, but I do remember that the treatment was Ivermectin. The horses were due for a wormer anyway, so what could it hurt? They all got Zimectrin Gold in the first week of June. Weird? Coincidence??
Next, Vicki mentioned Parlay's sinuses. Since I just had them scoped mid May and found nothing I am not sure about that, but Parlay DOES have some allergy issues, is still having nose bleeds (the reason for the scoping back then), and he HATES to have them tapped on, so maybe there IS something there. I also did have to stop the antihistimine treatment due to his lack of eating and have not re-established it yet. Something to think about.
She also thought that another physical factor could be found in Parlay's back (2 places) his left hip and his poll. She asked if we had mud (and do we EVER) and thought that he may have slipped and hurt himself recently. She advised a chiropractor and perhaps an accupuncture/accupressure specialist.
From here, we began to explore Parlay's mental and emotional state. Notice what is missing? There was no mention of his heart issues or his trouble with breathing! Does this mean that what I am looking at is just a symptom of something else? It is a question that I have been asking myself for days/weeks! How does a very fit and healthy horse decline in such a rapid fashion?? But I digress...
Back to Vicki's analysis of Parlay's extrinsic nature. I KNOW that Par is stressed, anxious and agitated. I can see it every day. Vicki picked up on it and told me something that I probably already knew--Parlay is mirroring me. Guess what? I AM STRESSED, ANXIOUS AND AGITATED!! Darn it!
But, what am I to do? I am trying desperately to hold on to my best friend---I want to prolong his life, to make him more comfortable, to play with and ride him again... And these negative feelings and emotions that I am harboring are carrying over to my guy according to Vicki. Curses!!
The prescription? Take a pill and chill. Yup, that is the prescription for ME.
Vicki feels that Parlay is not ready to leave me. He is a strong willed and stoic creature, to be sure. He has something left to teach me, she says. I hope it's not a lesson about death, but ultimately, isn't that the lesson learned from every long term relationship? I am THANKFUL for the character that this horse posesses. Honestly? Without these qualities I think Parlay would have left me way back before this blog got started...on that fateful Saturday---when he had his internal, heart racing, lung pounding race and won.
So I better save my energy for more writing---I think that this final journey may be of epic proportions!
One can hope!
Stay tuned....
One day up? The next day, down.
Well, it has been a couple of up and down days for me and Parlay.
On the positive side, Parlay is eating better. Wow, it is such a relief to see him eat. I guess it's the Mom in me that makes me so damned anxious when he would just stand and stare at me or the food like I was starving him. That, and the fact that I was pretty sure that Animal Control was going to be banging on my door any day... =-(
He is now eating 3-4 times a day (thank GOD for horse loving neighbors! I have a wonderful relationship with a woman down the street... she loves Parlay!!). Parlay is getting about 3-3.5 lbs per feeding of Superior by Agway 12% pellets and Strategy Ovals. I am mixing into that about 1/2 cup of corn oil, 2x a day. He also gets FatCat (when he doesn't blow it out) Platform Electrolyte pellets (that, more often than not, end up as the last thing at the bottom of the bucket--how does he DO that?!?) and Omega Horseshine, which he had been getting before this whole mess (and, like some of the other stuff, sometimes gets left behind--*sigh*) Today, I am going to start adding back in the Nutrena Empower.
More good news... my vet has come up with a paste form of Lasix. What a relief honestly, because my poor horse was looking so dejected about getting injections from me 2x a day. That does NOTHING for either of our morales! Yeah, I have been almost in tears over the "yes! Got the vein!--- um, no, lost the vein." Some goes in IV, some IM, usually more than one prick at a shot... CURSES, I hate the shots.
So we have the paste. Now, does it work? Well, I started with the max dose on the syringe--3 CCs. Seemed okay and even better? PARLAY ATE IT OFF OF A TREAT. What are the odds of THAT?? I tasted it (and peed for hours---just kidding) and it is pretty innocuous. Par made a face, but he ate it and looked for something else--to me that is a good sign!
BUT, last night I found a problem. Pulse, 54, Respiration 34. Yup, he was breaking through. Of course, I hem and haw about what to do until I text my vet at midnight (and that crazy woman is STILL working!!) Even before she replied, I prepared a syringe of Lasix to give internally. Parlay was scaring me--he looked anxious and agitated again and he was breathing so shallowly.
I tried to give the stuff IV with no luck. Just didn't appear to be enough blood volume to puff up the vein for me to get it. 3 tries and in it went--IM. 45 minutes later, the respiration was only down to 30, but he looked better. Calmer. Didn't do much for me, because I didn't sleep well AT ALL.
So, this am I ran out to see how he was doing. Better. 25 respiration and seems a bit less stressed. However, the coughing returns... not good.
I will have to write more later. There is just too much going on and my work phone is ringing off the hook...
On the positive side, Parlay is eating better. Wow, it is such a relief to see him eat. I guess it's the Mom in me that makes me so damned anxious when he would just stand and stare at me or the food like I was starving him. That, and the fact that I was pretty sure that Animal Control was going to be banging on my door any day... =-(
He is now eating 3-4 times a day (thank GOD for horse loving neighbors! I have a wonderful relationship with a woman down the street... she loves Parlay!!). Parlay is getting about 3-3.5 lbs per feeding of Superior by Agway 12% pellets and Strategy Ovals. I am mixing into that about 1/2 cup of corn oil, 2x a day. He also gets FatCat (when he doesn't blow it out) Platform Electrolyte pellets (that, more often than not, end up as the last thing at the bottom of the bucket--how does he DO that?!?) and Omega Horseshine, which he had been getting before this whole mess (and, like some of the other stuff, sometimes gets left behind--*sigh*) Today, I am going to start adding back in the Nutrena Empower.
More good news... my vet has come up with a paste form of Lasix. What a relief honestly, because my poor horse was looking so dejected about getting injections from me 2x a day. That does NOTHING for either of our morales! Yeah, I have been almost in tears over the "yes! Got the vein!--- um, no, lost the vein." Some goes in IV, some IM, usually more than one prick at a shot... CURSES, I hate the shots.
So we have the paste. Now, does it work? Well, I started with the max dose on the syringe--3 CCs. Seemed okay and even better? PARLAY ATE IT OFF OF A TREAT. What are the odds of THAT?? I tasted it (and peed for hours---just kidding) and it is pretty innocuous. Par made a face, but he ate it and looked for something else--to me that is a good sign!
BUT, last night I found a problem. Pulse, 54, Respiration 34. Yup, he was breaking through. Of course, I hem and haw about what to do until I text my vet at midnight (and that crazy woman is STILL working!!) Even before she replied, I prepared a syringe of Lasix to give internally. Parlay was scaring me--he looked anxious and agitated again and he was breathing so shallowly.
I tried to give the stuff IV with no luck. Just didn't appear to be enough blood volume to puff up the vein for me to get it. 3 tries and in it went--IM. 45 minutes later, the respiration was only down to 30, but he looked better. Calmer. Didn't do much for me, because I didn't sleep well AT ALL.
So, this am I ran out to see how he was doing. Better. 25 respiration and seems a bit less stressed. However, the coughing returns... not good.
I will have to write more later. There is just too much going on and my work phone is ringing off the hook...
Monday, July 27, 2009
Working on "THE PLAN"
Today was a weird day for Parlay. His P&R were on the high side (58/22) and he had the bloody nose trickle. (which is TOTALLY perplexing because honestly, it's only the right nostril (and always has been) and I never know when he will have one--I can't seem to find the trigger!)
I gave 4 cc's of Lasix IV and then had to resort to IM because I could not seem to keep the needle in the vein. =-( Parlay was pretty agitated in general, so having him bounce around makes him a bit of a moving target!
He has gotten 3 meals today so far and I plan to give him one more before I go to bed. Interestingly, he already appears to be a bit less ribby from just 3 days on this plan of "molasses-free-many-meals." I am trying to work him up to about 10 lbs a day of the 12% pellet, along with hay, grass, and a multitude of treats. This is actually DOWN from what he USED to eat, which was as much as 12 lbs of Senior over the course of a day (I told you he was a hard keeper!!)
I decided to start to add corn oil tonight. It's a bit risky, I know, but he really needs those calories! A friend sent me an interesting article on picky eaters and I may try a couple of the ideas listed, such as using teas for flavoring (masking), adding some different herbs for variety and to stop trying so hard.
The other part of my *plan* is in full swing... that is the supplementation of the CoQ10. I have yet to find the appropriate dosage for a horse online or from a vet, but I am going to go with what my own doctor prescribed for me, and that would be about 1.5 mg per lb. I am going to continue upping the dosage until I hit about 1200 mg per day. So far, so good with the Entenmann's Bars. Highly recommend!
I also decided to hold off on the hawthorn supplement for the moment---I want to see how one thing works at a time and the CoQ10 is my main focus. At this point, it appears that God is giving me a little leeway to play with my treatment plan, so I am going to take advantage of it and space things out.
One thing that has been working like a charm is Horse Quencher. Thank Heaven for that stuff (Heaven and HARRY that is, who donated about 4 tubs of it to the cause--THANK YOU!!) I have been giving about 4 gallons of the mix and have taken to adding "Apple a Day," electrolyte and FatCat supplement to it. Parlay loves his afternoon tea. I get such a feeling of satisfaction when he slurps it down. I am probably going to keep on adding stuff to it as long as he keeps on drinking it! My next additive will probably be some additional rice bran. I am also toying with the idea of adding beet pulp shreds and eventually turning it into a mash of sorts.
The extra fluid and calories along with the replacement electrolytes can't be anything but good, so I am pleased with how that is working out.
I am hoping that the humidity dies down a bit. I am sure that it is making breathing a bit more of a challenge for my boy. I inquired about better dosages of albuterol to nebulize, but of course, I am not sure that the nebulizing does very much for him anyway. I would really have to do it consistently to assess that---right now, I am doing it when he appears to be struggling for breath (like heaving) but that has been pretty infrequent. More often I see him breathing rapidly in short, shallow breaths when he is distressed.
Of course, PARLAY doesn't think he is distressed. He is LOVING all of the attention, that is for sure!!
I gave 4 cc's of Lasix IV and then had to resort to IM because I could not seem to keep the needle in the vein. =-( Parlay was pretty agitated in general, so having him bounce around makes him a bit of a moving target!
He has gotten 3 meals today so far and I plan to give him one more before I go to bed. Interestingly, he already appears to be a bit less ribby from just 3 days on this plan of "molasses-free-many-meals." I am trying to work him up to about 10 lbs a day of the 12% pellet, along with hay, grass, and a multitude of treats. This is actually DOWN from what he USED to eat, which was as much as 12 lbs of Senior over the course of a day (I told you he was a hard keeper!!)
I decided to start to add corn oil tonight. It's a bit risky, I know, but he really needs those calories! A friend sent me an interesting article on picky eaters and I may try a couple of the ideas listed, such as using teas for flavoring (masking), adding some different herbs for variety and to stop trying so hard.
The other part of my *plan* is in full swing... that is the supplementation of the CoQ10. I have yet to find the appropriate dosage for a horse online or from a vet, but I am going to go with what my own doctor prescribed for me, and that would be about 1.5 mg per lb. I am going to continue upping the dosage until I hit about 1200 mg per day. So far, so good with the Entenmann's Bars. Highly recommend!
I also decided to hold off on the hawthorn supplement for the moment---I want to see how one thing works at a time and the CoQ10 is my main focus. At this point, it appears that God is giving me a little leeway to play with my treatment plan, so I am going to take advantage of it and space things out.
One thing that has been working like a charm is Horse Quencher. Thank Heaven for that stuff (Heaven and HARRY that is, who donated about 4 tubs of it to the cause--THANK YOU!!) I have been giving about 4 gallons of the mix and have taken to adding "Apple a Day," electrolyte and FatCat supplement to it. Parlay loves his afternoon tea. I get such a feeling of satisfaction when he slurps it down. I am probably going to keep on adding stuff to it as long as he keeps on drinking it! My next additive will probably be some additional rice bran. I am also toying with the idea of adding beet pulp shreds and eventually turning it into a mash of sorts.
The extra fluid and calories along with the replacement electrolytes can't be anything but good, so I am pleased with how that is working out.
I am hoping that the humidity dies down a bit. I am sure that it is making breathing a bit more of a challenge for my boy. I inquired about better dosages of albuterol to nebulize, but of course, I am not sure that the nebulizing does very much for him anyway. I would really have to do it consistently to assess that---right now, I am doing it when he appears to be struggling for breath (like heaving) but that has been pretty infrequent. More often I see him breathing rapidly in short, shallow breaths when he is distressed.
Of course, PARLAY doesn't think he is distressed. He is LOVING all of the attention, that is for sure!!
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