Vet Visit

' Dusty modeling her grazing muzzle '

Our vet was out Friday to reevaluate Dusty. He seems to think her founder is doing well enough to allow her out, with grazing muzzle, for one or two hours a day.  If she looks like she’s starting to feel sore, then she’ll be back in solitary for a while longer.  Her suspensories are feeling tighter too, so that’s a good sign.  We’re continuing with her supplements and laser boot treatments also.  In two weeks he will come back for x-rays of her feet and do ultrasounds of her suspensories.  So that’s about it for Dusty for the next two weeks until we can see inside those hooves and legs and get an idea what’s really going on.  Fingers crossed that it will all be on the upswing and healing.

 

'Blue waiting for his dinner'

I’ve been riding Blue and we seem to have come to an understanding.  He will work for treats and so every time he does what I ask he gets a treat at the end of the exercise.  Works for him and works for me.  I’m not opposed to a little bribery once in a while to get what I want and he’s not above taking one.

We’ve decided to work on his steering—which is similar to a drunken sailor on shore leave—at the beginning of the lesson.  While walking he just wants to meander all over the place on a loose rein and basically this zig-zag-weaving will lead us back to the gate with a look back that says, “okay, that’s it for the day, I’m done.”  Once he’s given his opinion (and it’s rejected) we actually start working; when he tries to outsmart me and finds out it didn’t work to his advantage, he basically gives up with a huge sigh.  We’ll work for a while, until he thinks he’s done enough.  Blue will never fight but he does have his own tactical strategies: leaning on your hands, using his nose as a sand plow, slowing down etc.  He’s got a lot of behaviors in his wily arsenal of evasions. I’ve got to hand it to him because a few weeks ago he had me looking pretty silly; I think he does this for his own amusement because he’s bored and way too smart for his own good and mine.

Now that we’ve come to know each other’s faults/weaknesses things are running a little more smoothly. Blue and I will keep plugging away and taking it slow for now.  He’s out of shape, it’s hot and we’re not in a hurry to get anywhere fast.  All good things come with time and patience.

Until next time

Quote for Today
The horse you get off is not the same as the horse you got on; it is your job as a rider to ensure that as often as possible the change is for the better.

The Results Are In

" I'm feeling better and think I can go back out now, you know "

" Hey, where do you think you're  going, come back here, right now !"

" That did it, I'm not speaking to you anymore"

I’ve been waiting for the results to come back from Dusty’s many tests performed by our vet.  Yesterday I got the call: there is absolutely nothing wrong with her.  She had a slew of blood tests and all her chemistries are good, just a little underlying Lyme, but that’s to be expected since they are constantly exposed and, as many believe, once you have Lyme it never completely leaves your system. Dusty is not insulin resistant and doesn’t have HYPP, which were the two big ones I was worried about.  When she first injured herself her muscles were so tight she looked as if she might be tying up.  She may have been tying up, but it was most likely due to the stress and pain of compensating for the pain in her feet.

She is still on stall rest until next Friday when the vet will come out and evaluate her progress.  I’m hoping for an ultra-sound of her hind suspensories to give me a clue as to how they are healing.  Dusty is not getting any grain or grass but I do take her out for short walks on soft ground and grooming.  I’ve even let her in the small paddock with a grazing muzzle on for a few minutes just so she can roll; it seems to make her feel better. 

Even though the vet wants her to have no grain or grass, I’m not totally convinced that the reason for her founder is the grass and grain. I know it’s the pat answer for any horse with this affliction in the spring, but I’ve read in studies done that they can’t reproduce founder/laminitis in a controlled setting with spring grass or grain.  Personally, I suspect it could be due to the multiple vaccinations she gets in the spring.  Some of our horses have bad reactions to them.  Blue is one of the ones who swells up terribly (and not just at the injection sites), Nate often gets lymphangitis, Mellon gets colicky and once had a bout of laminitis after his vaccines, etc., and Dusty often runs a fever after her shots despite giving her bute.  This year in particular they all seemed especially miserable for a few days after their vaccinations….

I’ve been to some message boards concerning a certain company, which shall remain nameless because I don’t want to open a can of worms here; I’ve found horse people with the same problem of founder and colic after the vaccinations are administered.  This happened to her last year after the vaccinations so I am suspect and wary and will most likely change companies for future vaccinations. I should mention too that my horse Erik colicked and died two days after his spring vaccinations.  We have always tried to limit the number of vaccines we give and space them out over several weeks, but the reactions are still an issue.  Our previous vet wouldn’t use this particular company’s vaccines because of just these reasons.  Makes me wonder…

In the meantime we’ll try to make Dusty as comfortable as possible. Being locked in her stall, she is going stir crazy and is making her annoyance known: there’s a lot of door slamming and ear pinning, of course, she’s in a raging heat again which isn’t helping.

Until next time

Quote for Today

The essential joy of being with horses is that it brings us in contact with the rare elements of grace, beauty, spirit, and fire.
    - Sharon Ralls Lemon-

Dusty Developments

" Dusty "

We’ve had some new developments with Dusty.  Not only are the both branches of her suspensories practically shredded (and I hope on the mend), she now has laminitis/founder in the same front foot as last year.  The general theory last year was that it was a mechanical founder, but this time we think it’s metabolic.  But I guess you never know for sure. Unfortunately, she has a little more rotation than the 5 degrees she had last year.

She is on stall rest for the time being.  Our farrier and vet have conferred and she has new shoes and pour-in pads that seem to be helping her stay comfortable and giving her sole the support it needs.  During the week Dusty was very tight through her back and her muscles were also tense.  Our vet recommends administering a small quantity of ace three times a day to help to dilate her blood vessels and hopefully improve circulation in her feet, with the added bonus that it will also keep her quiet while she’s stuck in her stall.  She’s had many blood tests and we are waiting for the results to see if there is something going on metabolically. 

Saturday I gave her a complete grooming and a Reiki treatment and it did seem to help her relax her stiff muscles. I feel so sorry for her; she’s in a lot of pain but she’s such a good sport about it all, except for being confined to her stall. She’s not enjoying her time indoors by herself and spends most of the day looking out her window or nickering for the herd.

Hopefully, she’ll pull through her injuries in time with proper care.

Until next time

Quote for Today

The horse through all its trials has preserved the sweetness of paradise in its blood.
    - Johannes Jensen