OK I finally installed x-ray disc from hospital, so here we go.
These 2 are x-rays that led to Badgers admission. OK I don't know how to do that fancy drawing on top of pic that DD does so......This is the large colon: the bright white sort of banana shape at the bottom of x-ray (bottom of large colon) is the large sand accumulation, approx 3"x7"
Different contrast on x-ray. You can see the kind of nipple shape here at the bottom just like in above image. There are wispy areas off to the right, that is sand in the intestines. In the center there is a white blob just off to the right that is sand as well
This is his x-ray upon discharge 9 days later. Large colon; look at bottom and you can see just a small thin section on sand.
Remember the nice Doc said he would give a 2fer, x-ray Pistol and Pedro for the price of one.
So this is Pedro's large colon x-ray. You can see at the bottom even thinner line of sand. I was so freaked by Badgers huge accumulation that I had run up to the Pasadena area and bought 80 pounds of the same psyllium powder they use at the Equine Hosp and immediately started Pistol, Pedro and Carb on it. So this was 5 days on that product, who knows what it was before I started.
These are Pistols x-rays. The 2nd one is a slightly higher contrast so you can see the thin line of sand leading up the leaf-shaped area of sand.
In case you are interested I finally found a no sugar and actually no carb pancake syrup. It's pretty runny and the psyllium really doesn't stick as well as it does to the banana slurry I was making but the banana slurry was high in starch/carbs. http://www.waldenfarms.com/products/syrup_pancake.html I had found several no sugar varieties but they still had high carbs. Now of course they all have artificial sweeteners like Splenda. I am still researching effects of that on equine. Because there really isn't any other circumstance I can find that a donkey or horse would be given any artificial sweetener!
Ooh I love xrays!
ReplyDeleteThat is a whole lot of sand! Glad that everything is getting better.
Glad to hear Badger and your other donkeys and horse are doing well.
ReplyDeleteWhat is the name/brand of the psyllium powder that you purchased? And how do the donkeys and horses seem to feel when they are on the psyllium.
Thank you. Sue S., Arroyo Grande, CA
Hi Sue, Well..... The psyllium powder the Chino Valley Equine Hospital uses is made by Traileze, I'll post a pic of the label. its truly a powder and has mineral oil in it too. I couldn't get it to stick to anything. They use a sticky sweet feed and then added cheap pancake syrup thats all high fructose corn syrup. I went to our high end feed store, and high end I mean its owned by an equine nutritionist who really knows her stuff, not just hired hands. Any way she actually tests all the products she sells and offers recommendations based on that, and also doesn't sell inferior stuff. She recommends, uses herself, NaturVet Sand-Free (I'll take pic too). Its psyllium husk with apple flavor. Its like a flake, small flake and sticks better to a pellet. I was using a thick banana slurry but too much starch for a mini donkey so I found Walden Farms pancake syrup no sugar no carbs! My guys loved the flavor of the pellets I used to use, flavored with Anise Oil. I have ordered some to see if I can flavor with it. many directions say top-dress but I find they use their muzzles and get to the pellets. Badger has learned to snort the psyllium off. Well I am going to copy and paste this in a post with the pics. But you asked me how they felt, meaning does it make fell sick, or sluggish etc? Honestly I have never noticed any difference. About the 2nd day I occasionally noticed looser manure but that can be from the sand coming out. Psyllium for humans is a laxative. OH AND vet says the labels list the dosage as way tooooooo little for any size. He recommended my horse get 4 cups a day for the 7 days once a month.
ReplyDeleteThank you for the helpful information. Our local ag store has Naturvet Sand Free. The vet is coming out in two weeks for vaccinations and I want to talk to him about a treatment plan with the psyllium powder when he is here. Our donkeys feed in nets and and I have stall mats where they eat. But we have sandy soil similar to your area and they graze the acreage so I know it is a concern. I was curious if they felt bloated or lethargic while on the psyllium but you answered my question. Thanks again!
DeleteVery interesting blog, please keep up the good work. I KNOW it is very time consuming. Please blog about whether you have to do this FOREVER, or is there a light at the end of the tunnel.
ReplyDelete