This is Badger on Saturday 4-13-13.  We walked and waited for the sun to come out but alas it was hours later before it did.

Badger has some how made a friend on the other side of hospital, a Paint that he keeps walking me back to see.  We have no Paints at home or even for neighbors so there is obviously something special about him. Behind the hospital are several sports fields and there were at least 3 kids baseball games going on.  Lots of commotion, screaming and yelling and Badg wouldn't even go near the back.  The photo is him stopping in his tracks and trying to make sense of this new noise in an area that had been devoid of any activity on all the other walks.

He isn't eating the psyllium as well as the vet, or I, would like.  They were going to x-ray him later in day or Sunday morning to check on the amount of sand and location.  They were considering the tubing of psyllium again.  There was some sand in the fingers of OB glove but not a lot.  Oh I should probably explain that  method for some of you.

There are a couple of ways to perform a sand check.  The process in most of the them is the same: collect some fecal balls (from the top of pile of manure so you are not getting the sand or dirt from the ground), place it in a ziploc bag, mason jar or one the large animal obstetric exam glove.  The add water, a lot of water, make sure you break up the fecal balls completely.  If there is sand and since sand is heavy it will sink faster than the digested food.  So look hold the bag up to look for the sand and rub the bottom between your fingers to feel for sand.  In the jar version you obviously can't feel it.  In the OB glove the sand falls into the fingers and its easier to see and feel.  And besides you can make a knot in top of the bag, like making a water ballon( I can just see a teenager considering this for a water balloon fight-yuck).  That way you can save the bag to be examined later with out the worry the ziploc feature will fail, which believe has happened twice to me-again yuck.  Another method I kinda like is the white bucket method.  Take a bucket like what one of your supplements come in, add the fecal balls and water, stir.  Let settle for about 5 minutes and slowly tip and pour the water off.  You will probably have to do it several times to clear the water.  The sand should be settled and visible at the bottom of the bucket.

I spent the rest of the day on the road first getting 80 pounds of the same psyllium they are using at he hospital.  Its pretty far past the vets and I didn't want to run out in the first week.  I also wanted to start every one at home on it right away.  As much as I liked the licorice flavored, no sweetener added, psyllium I had been using for 2+ years because they LOVED the flavor and it didnt need to mixed with feed, it is a pellet and we now know pellets just don't work.  I picked up a Low Starch feed for home.  Then Costco, ugh on Saturday, to get the generic zantac-ranitidine- that Badger will have to be on for a month at 4 tabs three times a day.  its reallllly cheap there, 190 tabs for 5.49 !!!!!  I couldn't believe it. And then get stuck again on the infamous 91.  

Now the trick was to get Pistol and Pedro to eat the psyllium.  I dampened about 1/4 cup of the  LS feed and added 1/2 cup of the psyllium, stirred not shaken.  Then for Carb I used his regular Safe Choice that I already have flax and MSM in and added 2 cups of the psyllium.  The vet said a good trick is to give it to them when they are expecting their hay.  They will be hungry, see you don't the hay and eat this up.  Well......that sort of worked.  The little boys ate theirs, btw I started with a small amount to see if they would it first.  SO I went back and made them more.  Carb pretty much picked the Safe Choice out and left the psyllium so I will have to find a stickier method for him.  I am not overly concerned about a little sugar for him as he is not IR and never had laminitis but I certainly don't want him too.  A little sticky senior feed for a few days a month hopefully won't hurt him.

Before I left the hospital they were just starting to scope an Arabian.  Since I had not been there for any of Badger's 5 scopes I asked if I could observe.  I had seen plenty of human colonoscopys but never an endoscopy.  It was pretty cool.   I learned the stomach lining should be white on the top and red on the bottom.  The red looks raw and my first thought was that was irritation and bad but its normal.  if there is a yellowish color that is Grade 1 ulceration, kind of pre-ulcer.  They are not actually formed yet but that's where they will be.  Grade 2 is actual ulcers which is what Badger has.  Vet said that I would be bringing Badger back after 4 weeks to get scoped to make sure ulcers had resolved, to the tune of 279.00!!!  Of course I immediately did the math of the 5 scopes he had already, that is more than the low end of the estimate alone. 

As a note I added a PayPal button for family and friends.

I am off in a bit for my Sunday visit.  I thought I would post two of my favorite photos from back on Ohio. 

 Pistol

Pistol sniffing Willow the Great Danes' butt with Pedro in the background.  Something about the configuration always catches my eye.