Anyone feel a little twitchy and fragile and exhausted (and penniless!) after dealing with their horse’s ulcer? I feel like I need to start a Post Ulcer Paranoia Syndrome support group.
I’m thrilled that my horse is Finally a happy, fat, shiny, perky little thing with a voracious appetite and great-looking poop. However, now that the ordeal is over, I am exhausted and terrified that it will start again. For a couple of months (at least) I pretty much devoted all my time, energy and intellect (and a lot of money) into figuring the ulcer thing out and then carrying out my plan.
Every time I go to the barn I obsessively feel my horse’s chest, belly and flanks to check for sensitivity, look at his feed bucket to make sure he ate everything, check his poop, and constantly run calculations on feed times, gastric emptying rate, hay flake weight, etc. I don’t read novels anymore - I search for new ulcer studies.
I know I’m not alone in this! I know those blasted things can re-cur, despite best efforts to prevent them. I need to just find a way to let go and enjoy these ulcer-free moments while they last…
