Symptoms of postpartum depression are similar to what happens normally following childbirth. They include difficulty sleeping, appetite changes, excessive fatigue, decreased libido, and frequent mood changes.
If your horse needs a topical medication along with a pain reliever, your veterinarian may have you apply a dimethyl sulfoxide, or DMSO, solution. DMSO is quickly absorbed through the skin and is especially good at relieving swelling, as it pulls moisture from tissues.
H2 receptor antagonists and proton pump inhibitors are thought to be more appropriate in the older foal. Sucralfate is used to treat gastric ulcers and ulcers of the right dorsal colon in adult horses. It usually is used with an H2 receptor antagonist or a proton pump inhibitor such as omeprazole. Sucralfate appears to provide significant pain relief in horses that show abdominal pain due to ulcers.