The Geldings Get Dewormed!

In all it has been a pretty uneventful week for our two grumpy, old geldings. They have been dealing with the ice well and with the cooler temps Buddy and JD have been getting some extra hay. Remember that when the temperature drops below the critical temperature, 15 degrees for horses, the animal will require up to 15 to 20% more calories per day. However, the critical temperature can be increased if conditions such as rain, snow, ice, wind, ect are present. But critical temperature and the ice are not our focus this week...instead we are talking about WORMS!

Worms are considered a parasite which is an organism that grows and feeds off of another organism, called the host, and the parasite provides no benefit to the host. In our case today the host is the horse! There are many, actually over 150, different internal parasites (worms) that can affect the horse but the major ones that we will concentrate on include:

• Roundworms (ascarids, Parascaris equorum)

• Pinworms (Oxyuris equi)

• Large Strongyles (Strongylus spp)

• Small Strongyles (cyathostomes)

• Tapeworms (Anoplocephala spp)

• Bots (Gasterophilus intestinalis)

• Threadworms (Strongyloides westeri)

Below is a graph from North Dakota State University Extension (http://www.ag.ndsu.edu/pubs/ansci/horse/v543.pdf) that shows where and how these parasites affect horses:

Worms can cause various problems in the horse which can range from a poor, dull hair coat, diarrhea, perforation (holes and tearing) in the intestinal tract, and even colic. This is why its very important that horse owners maintain a regular deworming program. There are many different "programs" that horse owners use and at the "Kotz Hotel" we maintain a two - three month rotation of oral (paste) dewormers.

What is a "dewormer"
A dewormer is a drug that is able to kill and/or evacuate the internal parasites. These drugs are also known as anthelmintics. Common anthelmintics include:

• Ivermectin - targets all parasites except tapeworms and is effective against some migrating strongyle larvae.

• Moxidectin - targets all parasites except tapeworms and is effective against encysted small strongyles.

• Fenbendazole - targets large and small strongyles, pinworms, and roundworms and it is effective against migrating strongyle larvae and encysted small strongyles when used at double the normal dose for five consecutive days.

• Oxibendazole - targets large and small strongyles, pinworms, roundworms, and threadworms.

• Pyrantel pamoate - targets large and small strongyles, pinworms, roundworms, and when used at a double dose it will also kill tapeworms.

• Praziquantel - targets tapeworms.

(Source for types of dewormers: "Deworming." Fact Sheet. The Horse.com, January 22, 2010. .)

Part of the deworming program needs to include rotation on the different drug classes of dewormer otherwise the parasites can begin to build a resistance to it. For example, one time it would be of benefit to use an ivermectin and then at the next deworming use a fenbendazole. The last time our horses were dewormed they were given Ivercare (ivermectin), thus yesterday they were administered StrongyleCare (pyrantel pamoate). FYI: These dewormers can be purchased at Three Rivers Town & Country in Epworth!

I'm sure you are ready to hear about the deworming story of our grumpy old geldings and I can assure you it is an interesting one! I had some good chuckles out of it when I heard it!

On Thursday, Danyn contacted me and told me that she was going to be taking her daughter, Macey, out to see the horses and she also wanted to remind me to bring home the dewormer for the horses. I told her no problem and that I was actually running into Dubuque as it was and I could drop off the dewormer if she would like to administer it to them. Danyn, in her usual delighted voice said, "Sure, no problem!" I grabbed the dewormer from the shelf in Epworth and before I dropped them off I wrote the names of the horses and their weights on the box. Both Buddy and JD weigh about 1,200 lbs. (Knowing the weight is important when deworming because the weight tells you how much paste the animal should get.) So I wrote down all the horses name's and their weights and when I got to Danyn's horse, Dixie, I thought I'd have a lil' fun....

"Dixie....Weight: OFF THE CHARTS"

So I dropped off the product and later on that night Danyn stopped in to see me. She told me that everything went well except...and this is where you know the story is going to get good. First Danyn and Macey went down to the barn to get some stuff out, well Hank was not being a good boy and since she didn't latch the barn door behind her, guess who just got in...Hank and behind him came the other horses!! Danyn turned around and yelled at all the horses....really I don't know if they took her seriously, I'm sure they just looked at her and said, "Yea right, bring it on Lady." Well, the tone of her voice must have gotten more stern and they all turned and ran right back out. Next it was time to start deworming. She went into the pen with Buddy and JD. Usually our horses are pretty good with deworming and she knew that so Danyn didn't take out a halter with her. This "horse whisper" technique worked real well with Buddy. He was a good boy and stood still and took the paste like a champ. Well, JD was obviously watching what was going on and when Danyn started to walk over to JD he took one look at her and though..."Oh NO WAY!" He got outta dodge real quick. Danyn said she tried going after him and the ice was not making the situation much better. She finally gave in and went and got the halter because she knew that he would not stand for her. Finally JD caved and he let Danyn grab him. However, just because he isn't running away from her doesn't mean that the fun and games are over! Oh, no the battle has just begun! JD is a tall horse and well Danyn is not so tall. This makes it slightly difficult when a horse is throwing his head and refusing to take the paste. Eventually Danyn, small yet mighty, won the war and JD was dewormed.

Thanks for your persistence with deworming difficult horses and all your hard work that you do out at the "Kotz Hotel" Danyn!

The Tale of Two Grumpy, Old Geldings: Buddy & JD

Our "Tale of Two Grumpy, Old Geldings" begins just a few short weeks ago when JD said good bye to Lola as she was hauled away in Connolly's trailer. When the sad news came that Lola would not be returning to the "Kotz Hotel" it was important that we found JD a new pasture mate. My first thought was to put in Daisy, a four year old paint mare owned by Danyn Maroney. I discussed this with Danyn and we were both on the same wave length that she would be a good fit for a few reasons:

1. She is already low horse on the totem pole with the other horses.
2. She is not a very aggressive horse and would not push JD out of his feed.
3. She would benefit from being fed individually rather than in a group.
4. She is a very easy going horse and would make switching a breeze.

Well, we were wrong. When we put Daisy in with JD she seemed to always be looking over the fence, wanting to be with the other horses. Plus, JD stood his ground once with her and after that she was almost too scared to go near him...this made feeding time difficult with the side by side feeding stalls. To top it off we also noticed that she wasn't drinking! The water that she was drinking from was exactly the same because our trough is split but the side of the fence that she was now on had a smaller opening that came up at an angle rather than straight on. We moved her back within two days.

That brings us to the beginning of our tale....As I was thinking who our next best option would be I scanned our horses....

• Hank - No way! No one gets in the way of him and his Purina horse feed. This is a good thing that he likes his Purina so much but bad because he is an easy keeper and the amount of feed he receives daily compared to JD is much less. He would probably push JD out of the way and then JD wouldn't get the necessary amount of Equine Senior!

• Radar - Umm...he has seem to take a strong liking to Daisy and Dixie, especially when the two come in heat. Plus he kind of a push over and JD would be too aggressive for him.

• Dixie - Negative, Danyn tells me she can be a little "moody" towards geldings and it wouldn't be a good fit with just her and JD. So scratch that idea. Plus don't you see that her and Radar obviously have a "connection".

• Mickey- Could be a good idea but again he is too much of a push over. We need a horse that will stand some ground! We could run into the same situation that we did with Daisy

• Buddy - DING DING, I think we have a winner. First off, Buddy will stand his ground. He loves his Purina too but I know that if he tries to take JD's feed, JD will push him out and Buddy will obey. Plus, we have been having some occasional stool issues with Buddy and I've been wanting to feed him special anyways...PERFECT!
  

JD was alone for less than 24 hours before his new roommate was introduced. Really it wasn't a big issue putting the two geldings together because they have been pasture mates for at least 10 years; expect for the few months that JD spent at the Moore "Green Acres Retirement Pasture". When I opened the gate and let Buddy into JD's pen there were no fireworks...the two stiffed each other by touching noises and that was that. It was like they said, "Oh, it's you....ok." We fed them that night and Buddy tried going into JD's feeding station but JD kicked him out real quick, so he tried the next one and eureka....we have found our place!!

Before we continue on in our story I'd like to give you all a little background on our two geldings. Let's start with JD....

JD came to us when my family was looking for a new horse for me to upgrade to. One that had a little more get up and go but was still docile enough that I could continue to build my confidence and riding skills. We found JD in Sherrill, Iowa and purchased him from Ron Herbst. To be honest I can't remember the year we purchased him or at what age but what I can tell you is that his teeth age him around 30 years old. We brought JD home and I fell in love with him! I rode him on trail rides and in horse shows; we attempted western pleasure but if you know JD his head likes to stay up and in a western pleasure class that is not the most desired look. We also attempted barrels and poles at the shows but trust me, we were by no means the fastest team. However, there was one event that we excelled at...Egg N' Spoon. That's right, you are reading about the Dubuque County 4H Champion Egg N' Spoon horse three years running...then I graduated so that was the end of our streak! We have three trophy's sitting at home for that event and have also done extremely well at local fun shows. I used JD as my main horse for many years but soon it was time to upgrade...Now JD is used as a "merri-go-round" for when people want to come over and ride. Mainly we just let children ride him and he treats them pretty well...sometimes he can get a lil' grumpy and may make a beeline to the fence to get unsaddled but all in all he is pretty easy going.

Buddy is a 1989 (so he is 21 this year) quarter horse that came to us in the summer of 1997 when another one of our horses had passed away and my best friend Kelsey (her and I rode constantly together) needed another horse to ride. Well, our good friend Kenny Bergfeld (who you may remember as our 'John Wayne' from the Lola Construction Story) told us that he had the perfect horse for us to use until we found another horse for Kelsey. Well, there was a small fact I left out, Buddy was also for sale and if we liked him we could just buy him from Kenny. As you guessed it, Buddy came to our house and never left. Now, at first I was not a fan of Buddy, I always told my parents we should just sell him but I am very thankful they never listened to me! One summer Kelsey and I decided to trade horses at a horse show, she would ride Rocky in barrels and I would ride Buddy....When I entered the ring with Buddy my mother, who was announcing, asked "What are you doing on Kelsey's horse!" Here are the famous last words..."Don't worry Mom it will be fine!" I broke my arm....that's right, I ran my pattern, the saddle broke, the fence post and I had a conversation and that was that...You'd think I'd dislike Buddy even more after that accident but I almost grew a stronger bond with him. The next summer I began competing more on Buddy. We went team penning on Friday nights and ran speed events at local shows on the weekends. We also went in a few parades while I was in highschool and I also used him as a flag horse at a couple rodeo's while I was Miss ISU Rodeo. He has been a fantastic horse for our family and now he has the honor of teaching other people how to ride. Like JD he is used as a "merri-go-ground" but he is also now teaching my cousin Lauren barrels and poles as well as my friend Danyn and her daughters! Oh, I should also let you know that Buddy has another name that he goes by...Fabio...because of his long, flowing flaxen mane and because of his debonair personality...every girl seems to fall in love with him!

After reading the description of these two horses you are probably wondering why the blog is titled "The Tale of Two GRUMPY, Old Geldings." To put it simple...as these two horses have aged I can assure you that their patience has diminished and trust me, they have become pretty grumpy in their old age....

And that is where we will end today, stay tuned as you take a journey in the life of these two Grumpy Old Geldings....both are senior horses but you will see that both are very different in their lifestyles!

She will be missed...

It was Tuesday, January 5 at 4:45 pm and I was on my way to deliver some dog food and shavings to June in Durango. I decided to take the long way to Durango so I could pass the house and quickly check on the horses. Coming down Old Hwy Road and turning onto Siepple I noticed that Lola was rolling. At first thought this was not unusual. Lola and JD tend to roll a lot, for example when it was feeding time each one of them would roll twice by the time they were fed their Purina feed and hay...However, as I watched Lola when I drove by and kept an eye on her in my rear view mirror I noticed that she put her feet out in front of her like she was going to get up but then laid back down on her side and kicked. Plus, Lola had a lot of snow on her and as most of you from the area know it is darn cold out and snow really isn't sticking to anything unless its wet. With all of that combined I knew something wasn't right. I turned the truck around and pulled in...she was still rolling. I ran into the garage, grabbed a halter and lead rope, put it on her and got her up and walking around. For those of you with horses you can probably already guess what the culprit is...for those of you that don't own horses the signs/symptoms that Lola was exhibiting is an indication of colic. (Source of image to right: "Equine Colic". TheHorse.com. January 7, 2010. .

As I was walking her around I first called Dr. Robert Beecher, Lola's vet. I informed Dr. Beecher of what was happening and he said he would be out immediately. Next I called Jane McCall with the Humane Society to keep her up to date on Lola's situation. Jane told me that she would be out as soon as she could to check on Lola and talk to Dr. Beecher. Next, I began to call for 'reinforcements'. First call was made to my friend Danyn who was out at the house around noon checking on her horses. I asked Danyn and Lola had gotten any of the new hay that was brought in, any feed, and what Lola's demeanor was like. Danyn said that Lola was her normal perky self, Lola was even eating some hay that was left over from her morning feeding and she did not receive any of the new hay nor did she give her any grain or treats. I told Danyn 'thanks' and told her I'd call her later with more details on Lola. The next call was made to my friend and neighbor Julie Kunde who has a training barn (Kunde Performance Horses) just down the road from us. I called Julie because I needed an extra set of hands for a short time. Julie came up immediately and luckily was not picked up by the cop that passed her as she sped up to the house! We actually watched the cop drive by the place a couple times but I think he quickly figured out why Julie was in such a hurry...thank you Mr. Sheriff! Julie helped walk Lola around while I outfitted myself in warmer attire because a long sleeve shirt, a puffy vest, and some gloves were just not going to cut it...I was going to be out there for awhile. Next, Julie and I put a blanket on Lola to help warm her up because she was shivering. Lola did try to lay down and roll a couple times but Julie did a great job keeping her up. After about 20 minutes I told Julie that I should be fine and she could be on her way....thank for your help Jules! As I continued to walk Lola around the pen my next reinforcement calls were made to my parents. I called Dad and asked him to come home as soon as he could...I knew that at some point I may need some extra hands....and muscle that I don't have...to keep Lola up and walking around. I then called my Mom, who was at Wal-Mart at the time, and informed her of the situation...I can only imagine what it looked like when my Mother probably dropped everything out and hurried out of the store. Mom was the first one to arrive with Dad and Jane McCall right behind her.

Dr. Beecher arrived at the house and assessed Lola and her vitals. Her heart rate and respiration rate was up and there were absolutely no gut sounds. Dr. Beecher agreed that we were dealing with a case of colic. Dr. Beecher felt that the case of colic was brought on by the severe temperature changes and the very cold temperatures. He mentioned that since Sunday alone he has dealt with four other colic cases. Plus, in the cold weather horses have a tendency not to drink enough water and become dehydrated, even with a water heater being installed like it is at our house. Treatment began with an intravenous shot of banamine and phenylbutazone (aka: bute). Both drugs are pain killers. The banamine is "shorter lived" pain medication where as the bute is a longer lasting medication. After the medications were administered Dr. Beecher instructed me to walk Lola around some more then after a while he wanted us to offer her some hay. She put her nose down into it and acted like she wanted to eat but just couldn't. We continued to walk her around and observe her actions. Soon we noticed that she began to shiver, we were loosing ground being out in the cold temperatures. The bad news is that our barn is not heated but the good news is that we are blessed with good friends. I contacted Jim Connolly who owns Connolly Saddle Shed and a barn where his son, Joe, trains horses in Bernard, Iowa. Their barn is heated and Jim told us that he has an empty stall and we are welcome to use it. Well, the kicker is that our family trailer was being lent out so we had no transportation...Jim offered to drive over and pick Lola up. With in 25 minutes Jim, Joe, and Katie Connolly were at our house with trailer in tow. We loaded Lola up and Katie and I hopped in my truck and followed behind and Dr. Beecher would be bringing up the rear in his van.

We arrived at Connolly's barn and took Lola out of the trailer and lead her into the stall. She seemed to be doing OK and wasn't not attempting to lay down and roll. We let her relax in her stall as we waited for Dr. Beecher...who we thought was right behind us as we made the trip out to Connolly's. Since Lola was stabilized for the moment Dr.Beecher ran to Wal-Mart and picked up a chicken and some cola! After spending close to two hours out in the cold I can tell you that the warm chicken looked absolutely delicious. Thank you Dr. Beecher! Plus to go with the chicken Tammy Connolly, Jim's wife, brought us out some amazing cookies...thanks Tammy! When Dr. Beecher arrived at the barn he checked on Lola's vitals and her heart rate and respiratory rate had come down but she still didn't want to eat. Dr. Beecher administered some more medication and we walked her around the arena. When things did not improve it was decided that Lola would be tubed and two gallons of water would be flushed into her. After about two minutes it seemed as though the flushing worked...Dr. Beecher checked Lola's gut with the stethoscope and in his words..."The gut is humming! She is humming away!" This was a good sign. We walked her around the arena some more and offered her some hay...she took a few nibbles. Dr. Beecher stayed with us to keep an eye on her for a short time. As we waited we listened to the end of the Hawkeye game on the radio and had a few more bites of chicken and a few cookies. When Dr. Beecher felt comfortable about Lola's current status he left her in the hands of Joe, Hannah Bergfeld, and myself. We kept an eye on her and she remained content in her stall occasionally laying down to rest...but she was not rolling. Hannah stayed for awhile and left shortly before I did at 11:30 pm. Joe told me it would be fine and that he would even consider donating two weeks of training when Lola fully recovered so we could make her more adoptable. Through out the night Jim and Joe periodically checked on Lola and she was ok.
Before work on Wednesday morning I stopped at the barn around 6:30 am to check on her. Though Lola seemed content in her warm, cozy stall I did observe something that was not right...she had not yet pooped. This sent up a red flag, by this time we would have hoped that she would have passed something. I got Lola up and put my ear to her side to listen for gut sounds...there was a very slight gurgle and when I let her go she tried to lay back down and roll. I stopped her from rolling and as she laid their, up like a dog would, she kept putting her nose to her barrel (stomach area). She still was not feeling well. I immediately called Jim and him and Joe came to the barn. It was decided that Dr. Beecher would have to come back out sooner that what he had expected the previous night. I called Dr. Beecher and told him about the situation, he said he would be there shortly. Joe told me that it was OK to go to work and that he would take care of it. I left the barn around 6:45 am. At 8:00 am Joe called my phone and asked for Jane's number. I asked him if everything was ok and he said it wasn't the best and he would keep me in formed. By 8:15 am I had a call from Dr. Beecher...Lola would have to be put down, she had a twisted gut and unfortunately surgery was not an option.

Lola will be missed. She was a great horse and our family, friends, and even people that we don't know have grown very fond of her. It's amazing how one can get so attached to an animal in such a short period of time. I'd like to say that I really enjoyed the experience of fostering a horse and helping it recover. But I'd caution folks that taking one on is not for the light hearted. Remember that things can go really good or bad. Not knowing an animals health history and the complications that can come from abuse and neglect can bring with it hidden problems. For example, in Lola's case her starvation complicates the digestive system and can make her prone to colic.

I am very grateful though that we were able to provide Lola with a loving home in the last few months. I'd also like to take a moment to thank many of the people who helped Lola through out her journey...

• The Dubuque Regional Humane Society for helping to rescue Lola and placing her in a better home where she could recover.
• Dr. Robert Beecher for aiding in Lola's rescue and providing her veterinary care. I really appreciate the passion you have for horses and ensuring their health.
• My parents, Kevin and Janell Kotz for willingly taking Lola into our home and helping me in her care from feeding, grooming, and even construction!
  
• Three Rivers and Purina Mills (Fran Minnaert) for providing feed to Lola.
  
• Aimee Dix for donating her farrier services.
• Tim "Trapper" McDermott for donating his farrier services and helping Lola recover from the nasty abscess that she had.
• The numerous amount of family and friend that helped feed Lola. Your help, especially at the beginning on her recovery was extremely helpful when she was being fed four times a day. Thank you to: Jodi Chapman, Madeline "Grandma" Kotz, Danyn Maroney, Lauren and Karl Kotz, and Julie Kunde.
• Danyn Maroney and Lauren Kotz for not only feeding Lola but also grooming her and making her feel loved.
• The Connolly Family for their help over the last two days in providing a warm barn, transportation, and help in watching over Lola when I couldn't.
• Julie Kunde for not only feeding but also coming in Lola's time of need.
• Kenny and Hannah Bergfeld for their construction skills while building the shelter for Lola.
• Dr. Christine Woodford with Integrative Performance Services for donating her services to float Lola's teeth.

"Lot's Of Love Always"

If you'd like to post a memory or note about Lola you may do so on our Facebook Fan Page. Under the discussion tab their is a topic named "Lola".