I think some of you can tell, that I never want to jinx anything...but the positive side of me always loves to siiiiing good news! So (chirp chirp) here we go!
Lazarus had good..er, great xray results!!! Meaning no more rotation! The custom shoes with wedges and Equi-pak are creating the support he needs to keep his coffin bone stable in his hind legs. He front feet looked great and actually he grew (in 5 weeks) a lot of foot which shows good signs of the blood pumping properly from heart to hoof and back up.
Yes, yes, yes!!!!
I have to say, walking into the vet's to review the xrays last night, I had a surge of panic and fear. It helps to have the best support of not only my husband, but of the barn owners, C & J where we board at.
Exhale...
This was a great idea of C and the Vet, placing Laz's feed tub in front of him to keep him happy and occupied while the farrier worked on his two back hooves. He was nerve blocked but still those two hurt the most, and we want to do everything to keep his G.I. from flaring up with anxiety and ulcers. He was happy to munch along. Sorry about the awful quality of pictures...it was at night, fluorescent lighting and my blackberry phone. (yada yada)
Laz only has a few welts remaining. Something quite interesting I learned from Vet is that welts/allergic reactions are caused by something the horse has been exposed to before. They can't have an allergic reaction to something entirely new to their bodies (go figure?!) AND that it takes about 4 months for an allergic reaction to completely cycle through and leave their bodies. For now, we are holding off on the supplement G.U.T which seemed to cause the reaction. Perhaps an ingredient in it, etc. Totally sucks because I am a HUGE fan of Uckele's products and not to mention I spent the money. Oh well!
My Champion, Lazarus!
It was a tough day for him but he truly handled it the best he could.
Question for all of you; if you have a horse like Lazarus, that chews, head bobs, and weaves when nervous/anxious...how have you broke that habit? I've tried to talk soothingly, distract with carrots (that works for as long as he's eating a carrot), rub him and shout "Quit!" (which I hate because if I were nervous, someone shouting at me wouldn't help!)
Any suggestions?! I'm assuming it's time and that some habits may never stop.
Above is a picture taken from Oct 2008, the day I decided...'yup, I'm buying a horse. My first horse, this sweet little everyday looking Bay."
I've enjoyed so many moments with him and have learned a lot about this long battle with laminitis. So, from here, the vet still can't assure me that I can ride him 100% BUT we are moving in the right direction. Laz will have 3-4 more shoeings done (6 week spread in between) and with each shoeing/xrays, will tell us more.
However, I am SO thankful (inspired by this blog 'From the Horse's Back') to mention this. Ringing in the New Year, still having Lazarus living and wanting to fight makes me incredibly thankful!
Thank you Lazarus! I love you my sweet brown boy!
That is great news! He's a brave horse to put up with everything. I don't worry too much about annoying habits - distraction sometimes works, but some of it is probably because he's bored because he can't move around as much as he'd like, and they may go away as he improves and can move around more.
ReplyDeleteI'm SO very happy for you and Laz! That is great news and a fantastic way to start off the new year! I hope this trend of positive news continues. And thanks for plugging Thankful Thursday!
ReplyDeleteI'm happy to hear the good news about Lazarus. I'd be optimistic too, I hope he continues to heal and is feeling his old self soon. He's a pretty boy.
ReplyDeleteAs for the weaving, bobbing etc... We have a horse Mellon who is like that, he's now around 21-22 and there is really no cure in my opinion. When he gets bored or upset he weaves or paws or screams, he just has a neurotic personality. Someone once suggested Prozac, but we never did it. We just try to keep him calm and happy. Don't worry about it, I'm sure he'll do this less once he's able to go out and do things to occupy his mind.
Alright Laz!! I hope everything keeps going well for you two.
ReplyDeleteHooray for the good news. Laz is a sweetheart and deserves all the happiness he can get!!! I wouldn't worry too much about the nervous habits. As he is allowed to get out more and move more, they should lessen, but they might just be him. My husband is the quietest, calmest man and runs miles each day, yet at dinner, he nervously pumps his one leg under the table! It drives me nuts! It is just a habit that is part of his personality. Laz might have "Laz habits" that calm him. As long as he isn't hurting!
ReplyDeleteHey!
ReplyDeleteI just found your blog, and I'm glad that your horse is recovering so well.
There's a website www.hoofrehab.com that has a lot of articles about horse hooves. The guy is a barefoot trimmer, but of course the information applies to all hooves, shod or unshod. Just thought it might be a good place to read up about laminitis. And keep the faith -- on that site, there are X-rays of horses with 20 degree rotations that were fully rehabbed!
Hi everyone!
ReplyDeleteThanks for all the positive support and the great insight of Laz's chewing/weaving..I never thought of it as maybe his way of self soothing. That makes me feel better!
Juliette-your comparison to your husband totally makes sense in that perspective!:)
GHM-keeping Laz calm and happy is totally the reason I adopted him, so thanks for that reassurance! :)
Kate-you are so right, he loves loves loves being outside pretty much 24/7 so I'm so happy we were able to build him his own personal attached paddock. He is so much happier to come in and out at his own free will. Spoiled!
Frizzle-thanks for reading and I'll 'trot' over to your blog soon! :)
Oh that is such good news!!! You never know when it comes to prognosis. I was told Gen would not survive to see 2008. He is still going strong in 2010. Not only that, but if I could get over my fear of him getting hurt again I could even ride him at the walk! As for being a nervous wreck around the vet and farrier. I hate to say this...but I found it helpful not to be the one holding Gen during those appointments. My anxiety would feed into his nerves making things worse. I would hang out just around the corner so I could still talk and hear everything but I wasn't able to Gen any body language cues. The vet and other commented right away that Gen was much better without me close by during exams. I also found that time helps. Gen will still weave now and then from boredom, but he never paws or anything like that anymore. In fact, you would never know how nervous he used to be if you met him now. I think the best thing you can do is just do exactly what you are doing with loving him and being consistent. He is so lucky to have you.
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