Dusty’s Final Treatment

"Glad that's over with, how about a treat"

Our vet was here this morning and Dusty had her third and final shock wave treatment.  She’s out in the side paddock by herself today so she can recuperate without being annoyed by the boys.  She doesn’t mind; she’s got a hay net all to herself.  The paddock where the boys are congregating to keep an eye on her is frozen into hoof cups of mud. I felt that putting her there to navigate the moon craters wouldn’t be helpful after her treatment.

The diagnosis is good.  The vet palpated her suspensories and with just two treatments he seems to think that she’s doing really well.  After this treatment she should be good to go.  Color me surprised that this worked in such a short time.  I remarked that I should have done it months ago, but he said that it wouldn’t have worked then.  Apparently, a fresh injury doesn’t respond to shock wave therapy, it’s better to wait until the injury has calmed down, and seems best suited to chronic conditions rather than acute ones.

He suggested starting her back slow, but she’s ready to start back!  He said we could begin right away under tack, but I’m going to begin in hand.  I’ll be hand walking her for ten minutes and increasing each day gradually.  Once she’s used to being in a routine again we’ll start to add a little walking under tack.  When the time is right and she has built up her muscle and endurance through regular walking, she can do a little trot interspersed with walking but nothing too strenuous—about five minutes per session to begin with.  And we’ll just have to take it from there.  Her progression in getting back to her old self is going to take as long as it takes; we’re in no hurry.  There’s no way I’m going to risk a re-injury of those suspensories.

Dusty’s laminitis is also doing really well and growing out perfectly.  I owe my farrier and our vet a big thank you for working together to make her well. When all is said and done and her hoof grows out the coffin bone rotation should be a thing of the past.  Fingers crossed.

So right about now I’m feeling really good about this diagnosis.  Truthfully, I wasn’t sure she’d ever be able to be ridden again.  And that would have been okay too, but this is so much better for her.

I’ll keep you posted on her progress.  I’m going to give her the weekend to heal a little from her last treatment and we’ll start her exercises soon after that.

Until next time
Quote for Today
I love my horse from hoof to head
From head to hoof and tail and mane
I love my horse as I have said
From head to hoof and back again
    - James Whitcomb Riley