Hello, after the one Vet was pushing me to have my horse put down, you guys said correctly that he has an abscess. And it finally came out his coronet band.  I left the one Vet and went with another.  She’s nice but still wanted him on lots of Bute.  So he’s currently on Bute, but doing better.  

     He does need to gain weight and I’m having trouble with trying to figure out how to feed him.  He currently get a total of around 15 to 20 pounds of the Timothy cubes (which he won’t always eat all of it) and several flakes of soaked Hay, he also gets 2 pounds of Timothy pellets and Flax and loose salt.  He’s a picky eater.  I’m not sure what else I should feed to make him gain weight, but not push him over the limit.  

       Thanks!
        Mary
Mary E in Wi 2021
https://ecir.groups.io/g/CaseHistory/files/Mary%20and%20Eli/

Hi, Mary.
I want to point out the possibility that Eli may be picky because of long term bute usage. Long term NSAIDs  can cause changes in the hind gut that  result of ulceration. https://www.merckvetmanual.com/digestive-system/miscellaneous-intestinal-diseases-in-horses/nsaid-toxicosis-and-right-dorsal-colitis-rdc-in-horses  If you read the label on your tube of bute, you'll notice that the dosage is not recommended for longer than 5 days. The changes in the right dorsal colon aren't always obvious, but they result in thickening of the wall with more or less pain. This is my way of saying that if Eli were mine, I'd taper Eli off bute sooner than later. Some horses can experience a pain rebound if NSAIDS are removed cold turkey, so it's recommended to taper off the dose gradually. https://ecir.groups.io/g/main/message/241454

That doesn't mean you have no pain relief options. Jiaogulan and its vasodilation effect is the first. Using bute and Jiaogulan at the same time is like having your foot on the brake and accelerator at the same time. Do Eli a favor and make the switch to safer pain control. If Jiaogulan is not enough, you can combine it with Uckele's PhytoQuench Pellets that have Devils Claw as an ingredient. Don't buy Devil's Claw Plus pellets because they contain Yucca which isn't safe for our EMS equines.

More soaked hay is probably your safest course to add calories if Eli won't eat more Timothy Balance Cubes. It would be a good idea to start a photo album and add current pictures of Eli's current body condition. Details are in the Wiki toward the bottom of this page:
https://ecir.groups.io/g/main/wiki/1472

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