About this Blog

Meet my very 1st horse, Lazarus.
I couldn't wait for Santa anymore or ask one more time for a pony for my bday (after age 30 it got embarrassing). I took matters in my own hands and I finally decided to pick a pony that needed a new home. Laz found me as I contemplated with this idea. He was sweet yet very sassy, fresh off the track, Thoroughbred (OTTB).
Join us for our re-training, rehabbing from laminitis and testing all parts of mixed up horsemanship and partnership, and luck...

Tuesday, November 15, 2011

Xray/Vet appt-Part 1

Upon my arrival at the barn, this morning.
What a happy site to see. Hay stuffed ponies sunbathing...

 I've seen this scene a few times now. Laz and Justin (the WB/Paint x) napping with Red, the other OTTB watching over.


 "Ohhh cookie Laydee is here! Time to Roll and get ektra durty"
 Eesh, neck muscles not looking good.  I made a mental note to ask my new Vet about it.
Laz impersonating a snorting Elk
So, our Vet arrived and we got talking (as she's only met us now twice) about where we are at, what we are concerned with and what we want to accomplish.
As I was explaining Laz's past....... I started to cry. 
EEesh.
 I felt so embarrassed but when I talk about what he's been through, it just gets me. 
EVERY TIME.
Any way, she was there for 2 hours and gave us a VERY thorough exam.  She writes down her thoughts, recommendations, etc so I can review after our appt too, which is so great.
We took xrays of the RH only (she agreed I didn't need them on his Club foot and she thought his Club wasn't as bad as I thought..whew).  
These are non digital xrays so I don't have results yet.
We will talk results, review images and formulate our plan in the next day or so.
I love a good plan...so I'm hopeful there is one that is doable.

Hoof tester on his RH was almost a joke. His sole is so soft that she barely had to squeeze with one hand.  She was very concerned about that, as both my trimmer and I are-hence why I brought the Vet in.  
I don't know what our next steps are yet, she didn't want to tell me our path BEFORE reading our Rads.  She smiled and said "I know you are a nervous Nellie so I don't want to tell you anything until I know for sure" 
Is it that obvious? 
I kid...I know it is.
I hope whatever the plan is, it sits comfortable with me.
I'm anti-shoeing him although she assured me NO SHOES and in his soft foot case, she said, no shoe would help anyway.
I'm anti-stalling him to dry out his feet...
I'd rather boot him in a duct taped boot than stall him....I don't know if that will be discussed so I'm jumping the gun here.
Ultimately I decide what is best for him, after collecting my information.

Before our xrays, she did a general lameness analysis on him.
Walk-strides evenly, left shoulder inward towards me.  She had me switch side leading him to see.  She thought shoulder was still wonky.
Trot-Very lame. :(   But I know this
RH rolls hip and hock, both hinds paddle out, left shoulder out. RH stifle weak
LH stifle over working, LH hoof good shape, stronger but overall all hooves too moist.
Not great news...but nothing I didn't know.
Neck flexation-stiff. 
This I know. 
I do a ton of Masterson Massage on him and he really struggles with the neck bends. She said his whole body is off due to compensating for his RH.
That's obvious...so she recommended a Chiro whom I will contact to help him out as we resolved his hoof problem.
Recommended putting him on MSM immediately to help with overall joint health. 
(already ordered)  actually need to talk to Vet about MSM and it's issues with effecting mineral balancing and selenium.
Recommended using a daily cleaner on his hooves of 1:1 ratio alcohol and 7-10% iodine to help dry out hoof and keep clean.
She blocked his RH (right hind in case you don't know what I'm referring too) for the xray and to test his lameness again once he was blocked. 
Not a huge difference, but she was able to tell what parts of him are sore due to his RH being compromised.
She thought his weight looked good. He has a hay/fiber belly but he needs more rib coverage and she thought his neck did look thin. She told me to up his Triple Crown L/S to see if that helps.
As we get to the bottom of fixing him (hopeful still) his muscle and balance should work itself out, slowly.
She commented on how shiny and soft his fur was..BONUS!
I asked "For a 10 yr old OTTB in post laminitic phase, does he look good??" 
She laughed and said yes.
Regarding Laz during the exam;
Angle boy.
A.N.G.E.L.B.O.Y.
Stood stoically still during blocking, for xrays, for general exam, was perfect for the 2 hours we fussed with him.  Trotted when he asked and even gave a few bucks and playful "I'm not lame" performances. 
Nice try pal but it's too obvious.
After Vet left, he seemed to just want some cuddle rub time, so he got plenty of it.  
No more road walking for a while...Vet said his RH is just too soft and that will continue to bruise the hoof and set us back.  No problem, it's now off our to do list.
I hope we get decent results with the xrays and a plan of "To Do's" that we are all happy with to get this boy back to sound.
He deserves it.

In non related Vet news; I hung Laz (and the others) our new Busy Horse hay net
It's a GREAT product and seems really durable
This is the large size that fits about 4-6 flakes of hay in it.
Perfect for colder days/nights. 
The BO's are cool with me stuffing it full in addition to his daily hay. Sweet!!!!
Here's how I hung it..pretty good for $6 and free labor via Husband
I hung one spot here, under stable lean to, so horses could nibble in wet conditions and I have a second hanging out in the field, in the open for nice days or to just switch it up location wise.

Just a BIG general thank you, to my readers...which many of you have become my friends.  Without your constant support, encouragement and knowledge, Laz and I surely wouldn't be here today.  
Thanks to Kate  for her 'how to hang' suggestions for the hay bag.
Thanks to J9 and Frizzle for their constant emails, phone calls of support, exchanging ideas, hoof thoughts, diet plans, on sale items, general listening with words of encouragement and compassion.
It's SO appreciated!!!

13 comments:

  1. Would he benefit from a hoof boot for the RH? Until it strengthens up. Just to protect the sole from bruising. It makes sense the RH stifle would be weak as he hasn't been using it fully.

    Sending good thoughts and wishes to you both.

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  2. @Kate-I hope that is an alternative. I'm not sure it will help keep the hoof as dry as she wants...BUT I have two sets of Easy Boots AND an Equine slipper ready for this if that is the case. I'd prefer that to any locked time in the stall, 10000%. Thanks for the good thoughts :)

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  3. There is nothing wrong at all with letting a little sob or two slip out when talking about such a lovely creature who you love so much. Some beings are worth the tears we shed for them.

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  4. Awwww, sweets, I wish I could give you a hug:) I can feel your love and concern for him just radiating off the screen. What a good, good boy he is!

    Have you thought anymore about switching feeds to help his muscle development/ribs? I know hay makes more of a difference with rib coverage than anything, but the right grain (whether it's Tribute or something else) I think will really help his neck/topline. I know you have all kinds of other considerations to worry about, and you are doing the very best for him. He's still a gorgeous specimen no matter what, for serious.

    Keep it up girl. This is still a horse that went on an hours long trail ride with you with no problems at all...in fact, he was stellar, right? Believe me, I know what it's like to worry about your baby, though. Take care-give Laz a big kiss from me and his cousin Miles:)

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  5. Sounds like you have a plan. Laz loves you so and all that love you have for him will heal him up. I do believe that. All your attention will not be lost on him or his feet. Try to keep positive and feel good about the good stuff - how healthy his coat looks, etc. Most of all, Laz seems happy to me. That is the greatest gift of all!

    Hugs to you and hugs and carrots to the sweet boy.

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  6. Very interesting about those soft soles, I'd like to know why that happened too. Looking forward to the diagnosis!

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  7. PS- My client has found that No Thrush in boots does a really good job of keeping the hooves dry.

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  8. Yes, Plan "Love on Laz" is always in full effect ;)
    @Sarah-I'll ask about changing feeds although I think she was happy with the T/C L/S- just a bit more I guess. I know, it's crazy that here we had this great trail ride, but with my stoic boy..that isn't surprising. Plus I had him booted AND padded up for that.
    @Sma-you and me BOTH! Why? Michelle and I have theories, etc so we'll compare notes after we review xrays, etc. NO Thrush is great, I've used it on him for a couple of years now. :)

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  9. Aw, sorry that Laz is struggling with that RH still. I hope you get some answers soon and come up with a good plan for him.

    It might be worth running another fecal on him to look for internal parasites, especially since you have switched farms and one of his new pasture mates might be a high shedding horse. If that's the case, deworming him might help him out just as much as increasing his food.

    I'll be crossing my fingers that you have a good report from his radiographs!

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  10. @Jessica-I was totally thinking the same thing but I did a fecal on him, about 2 weeks ago and it came back negative. His last fecal prior to that was about 4-6 mths ago. It's definitely a good idea to probably run another fecal in a few mths again.

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  11. Man, you're the best horse mommie ever!! I am always sending prayers for you both! You both deserve it soooo much!!! I love your hay nets!!! Too cool!!! I have the nibble nets. But I think I like yours more. Maybe next time! Ok, love us!! XOOXOO!

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  12. Hey Kristen, have you heard of these folks for feed/supplements/minerals?
    http://www.admani.com/Horse/Horse%20Index.htm
    My barefoot trimmer and close friend turned me to them and its what I had my boy on towards the tail end of our time together and it made a HUGE difference for him. It helped him heal from the inside out, put on weight, grow strong hoof, and balance his poor body out better. All of her clients and friends use it too and are having phenomenal results. She feeds her horses a mixture of alfalfa pellets, horse shine, grostrong, staystrong, and garlic powder; and while Orion was healing we had him on healthy glo.

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  13. I hope the xrays aren't bad and that it's something easy to fix. Ask your vet about the salt water. It made a huge difference in how soft Chrome's hooves were and it prevents/kills thrush. It's cheap, easy and can't hurt them at all. I just put salt in a spray bottle, add water, shake it up and spray it on. It cleans out the crevices and mud while applying the salt which hardens the hooves. I bet it will help. Obviously you will have to let it dry somewhere clean before putting the boot or duct tape on, if those are necessary. Good luck!!

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