just had a phone call from the yard. copper had a lesson on monday, and was puffing and heavy breathing towards the end. it wasn't a strenuous lesson, and he wasn't sweating, (he is unclipped) just puffing. he did this a couple of times (wheezing a bit as well - don't think he was doing the wheezing on monday) in the summer when it was at its hottest, so we are thinking it's overheating.
he also went into his fatter (mw) rug on saturday as the weather was so foul.
so they've put him back into his lw rug, listened to his chest, nothing untoward seems to be going on. YO asked louise to ring me to see what i thought about clipping.
i am not keen - he needs a triple dose of sedation (£80 i haven't got while i am not working), last time he was sedated he got an abcess in his throat at the injection site (£300 bill to sort that out, stomach tubing, 6 weeks on a liquid diet) and when he was clipped in previous winters he dropped weight to the point he had to come in every day and have 2 big feeds. since we stopped clipping after the abcess, he's kept weight on no trouble, only having a small feed when he works. this was only a bib clip, so can't take any less off.
so i don't want to clip him, but on the other hand i don't want him puffing all winter and possibly doing damage to his lungs.
any suggestions? lou was going to tell YO my concerns and YO is going to ring me back if she wants to discuss options. i've said they can see what he's like without sedation if YO feels he will be best clipped - he has mellowed a lot in the last few years, but frankly i don't fancy their chances. i doubt sedazine or a paste will touch him (and he doesn't do syringes anyway) and when he is scared he gets dangerous.
if it were just the money then i'd find it from somewhere - but clipping is so stressful for him and he loses so much weight that i would really prefer not to.
he also went into his fatter (mw) rug on saturday as the weather was so foul.
so they've put him back into his lw rug, listened to his chest, nothing untoward seems to be going on. YO asked louise to ring me to see what i thought about clipping.
i am not keen - he needs a triple dose of sedation (£80 i haven't got while i am not working), last time he was sedated he got an abcess in his throat at the injection site (£300 bill to sort that out, stomach tubing, 6 weeks on a liquid diet) and when he was clipped in previous winters he dropped weight to the point he had to come in every day and have 2 big feeds. since we stopped clipping after the abcess, he's kept weight on no trouble, only having a small feed when he works. this was only a bib clip, so can't take any less off.
so i don't want to clip him, but on the other hand i don't want him puffing all winter and possibly doing damage to his lungs.
any suggestions? lou was going to tell YO my concerns and YO is going to ring me back if she wants to discuss options. i've said they can see what he's like without sedation if YO feels he will be best clipped - he has mellowed a lot in the last few years, but frankly i don't fancy their chances. i doubt sedazine or a paste will touch him (and he doesn't do syringes anyway) and when he is scared he gets dangerous.
if it were just the money then i'd find it from somewhere - but clipping is so stressful for him and he loses so much weight that i would really prefer not to.
Except--could he be clipped just on the underside of his neck, maybe? Not even a bib clip, but just the neck part? It might then be slightly doable without sedation (not too much to do), might give some heat relief, and wouldn't be as cold...