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  Discussion on Roping horse sore in the kidney area
Author Message
New Member:
lds536

Posted on Sunday, Apr 8, 2007 - 12:59 am:

Dear Dr. Oglesby,
I am writing this for a friend. He has an 8 year QH gelding he uses for roping. The horse gets a sore back over the kidneys. This does not happen every time they go to a roping. If they are gone for a short period, like 3 to 4 hours the horse may not urinate. But will do so when he comes back to his stall, in the shavings. But if they go early in the morning and come back in the evening, more than likely the horse will have a sore back the next day. My friend does not sit on his horse all day, he will get off after his run, loosen his cinch and offer him a drink. The horse will never urinate if he is tied next to the trailer. I suggested he put deep shavings in the trailer when he travels and after a run, he might put him in the trailer to see if he would go then. Today I noticed the urine was a dark orange or deep yellow color. The horse did not extend his penis way out and the stream was not as full as I would think for a horse that had not peed all day long. He has bought every fancy pad and gel pads that money can buy to help his horse's back. He has had acupressure and chiropractic help. Nothing really seems to help. Is there any advice you can give me for him. Our vet is coming for Spring shots soon and I suggested he have our vet clean his sheath. The horse normally will not DrOp so we can get our hands on his penis, I suspect there may be a need for a good cleaning.
Does anyone have any ideas? What do you suggest Dr Oglesby?
Thanks a million...$$$$
Linda
New Member:
lds536

Posted on Tuesday, Apr 17, 2007 - 3:24 pm:

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dear Dr. Oglesby,
I am writing this for a friend. He has an 8 year QH gelding he uses for roping. The horse gets a sore back over the kidneys. This does not happen every time they go to a roping. If they are gone for a short period, like 3 to 4 hours the horse may not urinate. But will do so when he comes back to his stall, in the shavings. But if they go early in the morning and come back in the evening, more than likely the horse will have a sore back the next day. My friend does not sit on his horse all day, he will get off after his run, loosen his cinch and offer him a drink. The horse will never urinate if he is tied next to the trailer. I suggested he put deep shavings in the trailer when he travels and after a run, he might put him in the trailer to see if he would go then. Today I noticed the urine was a dark orange or deep yellow color. The horse did not extend his penis way out and the stream was not as full as I would think for a horse that had not peed all day long. He has bought every fancy pad and gel pads that money can buy to help his horse's back. He has had acupressure and chiropractic help. Nothing really seems to help. Is there any advice you can give me for him. Our vet is coming for Spring shots soon and I suggested he have our vet clean his sheath. The horse normally will not DrOp so we can get our hands on his penis, I suspect there may be a need for a good cleaning.
Does anyone have any ideas? What do you think Dr Oglesby?
Thanks a million...$$$$
Linda
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Wednesday, Apr 18, 2007 - 11:28 am:

Hello Linda,
Do to limitations of time and problems with second hand information we avoid doing such second hand consultations (first hand is hard enough). I can point out there is no relation between the urine and the back and you are welcome to print out the articles on normal and abnormal urine, sore backs, and cleaning sheaths to help him with his problems.
DrO
Member:
lds536

Posted on Wednesday, Apr 18, 2007 - 2:19 pm:

Thank you Dr O, for at least this information. As a member, I did not realize I could not ask a question for a friend. But I certainly do understand. Maybe my friend needs to join your website as I did. Tee hee.
Thanks again, Linda
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Thursday, Apr 19, 2007 - 8:49 am:

We recommend joining. We don't mind answering any general questions but when asked to review a specific case for diagnosis and treatment it becomes a much more involved event as you can see by some of the case reviews on the site.
DrO
Member:
cspanhel

Posted on Friday, Apr 20, 2007 - 9:53 am:

My stallion has gotten sore in over the kidneys, and the diagnosis was saddle fit problems. Pads can't really fix this...so i would recommend getting the saddle fit evaluated.

An osteopath recommended an herbal remedy and/or DARK BEER to help with kidney pain. I can't vouch for the effectiveness of either, though i've used both, but beer is cheap and might be worth a try. The herbs were uva ursii. My horse is better now, but I also had the saddle restuffed, so can't say what helped him...
Member:
lds536

Posted on Friday, Apr 20, 2007 - 7:19 pm:

Thank you Cynthia,
The horse has three saddles, two of which were won roping and all three fit him perfectly. They were evaluated by a professional. That was the first thought. The horse never gets a sore back if he is on a short roping day because he gets backs to his stall so he can pee sooner. But he refuses to pee out of his stall and on a day where they rope early until late evening this is when he gets sore to the touch. You can run your fingers down his back and he is fine until you touch over his kidney area.
He has even had accupucture which seemed to help his back. But did nothing to get him to urinate.
This is a mystery. I will try to locate some of that herb you mentioned, the uva ursii. Did you mix the herb with the dark beer or would we just pour the beer in his grain?
I do so appreciate hearing what others have to say about this issue.
Thanks so much.
Linda
Member:
cspanhel

Posted on Saturday, Apr 21, 2007 - 12:08 am:

i think you can find uva ursii online..it's some type of grape related leaf. i think the dose was 2 big handfuls a.m. and p.m....and yes, can just pour the beer over the feed...i don't remember how much they said to use...it seems insane, but maybe it works...? Wish I could offer more than these little ideas... cynthia
Member:
lds536

Posted on Saturday, Apr 21, 2007 - 12:46 am:

Thanks again Cynthia, I just got home and will check online, this herb. I bet the horse would really like the beer also.
Linda
Member:
shirl

Posted on Saturday, Apr 21, 2007 - 1:33 am:

Linda,
Ursa Leaves can be purchased in most health food stores. Some carry them in bulk supply.
Shirl
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Saturday, Apr 21, 2007 - 10:22 am:

First let's clear up the misconception the kidneys are getting sore. They are not saddle related problems effect the skin and superficial musculature but does in no way reach the kidneys. Two the urination habits of this horse are not that uncommon for some horses: they want to pee in there pee spot and will wait until they can wait no longer to pee there.
DrO
Member:
lds536

Posted on Saturday, Apr 21, 2007 - 2:52 pm:

Thank you Dr O,
I know you said you did not want to answer second hand questions and I do respect that. I will not beat this "dead horse to death" and will take what you said in your last post as advice enough. It just seems crazy to me that a horse who scrunches down when you run a finger or two over that area one day will be fine and another day not.
Maybe when our vet comes Monday we will get some answers.
Thank you so much Dr O.
Linda
Member:
cspanhel

Posted on Sunday, Apr 22, 2007 - 10:28 am:

just a couple of more thoughts on this situation--how about putting shavings on the ground when he is tied to the trailer to encourage him to urinate? also, you could try teaching him to pee on command like they do with race horses...also make sure he drinks enough water... after rereading the original post, it sort of sounds stress related...
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