Scared, sad, etc...

[KitchenKitten99]

FYI--I have minor surgery coming up on the 12th. Nothing concerning, just something that will have me on the couch for about a week, and out of saddle for about 8 weeks after.

Without getting into too many details, I discovered my little mare to be lame (again) on Sunday. She has had various issues with the one leg/hoof since I started leasing her (I finally purchased her last summer).

This time... it isn't obvious what source of the problem is. Previous issues were due to a severe abscess that took a long time to heal and for the cavity to grow out of her hoof. That has since resolved itself and she has been fine for over 8 months now.

I did a pressure test on her hoof and she didn't object to any of it. But she shows obvious pain while walking and pivoting/turning, especially clockwise which would force her to put half her weight on it.

At this point... she may or may not be treatable based on her symptoms. She's not old, only about 14 or so. Plenty of spunk and spirit (half Arab, and all redhead).

Her last issue that required the vet to come out ended up with him taking x-rays (with a cool portable x-ray machine that put the image right on an HD monitor). No previous injuries or damage so it couldn't be that.

So tomorrow I have her vet coming out again. I know and have known that when you own a horse, you need to be prepared (at least somewhat) to say goodbye at any time because they come with 1,000 ways to hurt themselves or have health issues requiring euthanasia. Doesn't make it any easier with the prospect of having to do it for real.

I keep telling myself that it is probably minor and will just need minor treatment. Then I keep getting the feeling I may need to make the choice to say goodbye to my little mutt of a mare. All this two weeks before surgery.

While I won't reschedule my surgery because of this (my last day to be able to voluntarily reschedule is tomorrow as well), it will make my recovery a bit harder emotionally. I planned to take a couple mornings after about a week post-op and go out and just groom her and feed her treats, etc. She's cheaper (and smarter) than most therapists.

:(

[Kathianne]

Kitten you are all in my prayers. Get feeling better, quickly.

[Abbey Marie]

I so hope all goes well.

[KitchenKitten99]

Tink's appointment went ok... but not good either. The vet could not determine what was exactly causing the problem. He was concerned about TWO areas of her leg/hoof. But cannot pinpoint it without x-rays. Their portable machines were not available today due to one being serviced and the other booked up all week. Since I don't have a truck or trailer to get her over to their clinic about 2 miles from the barn, I have to wait until the portable machines are free.

So... rescheduled appointment for Monday 2/4.

He sees issues with her hock (the joint of her back leg that is what we would equate to our knees) when he did pressure tests. That could mean a multitude of things. Too many things that could be the problem to list them all.

Then he feels a pulse with heat in the spot just above her coronet band on her hoof... that usually indicates infection of some kind (best case scenario is abscess, which I am a pro at treating). Worst case scenario for that... potential laminitis or founder, which depending on severity, may or may not be treatable.

On the plus side those machines immediately put the x-ray image up on an HD monitor, and my horse's vet is the #1 equine vet in the west metro area. She's in good hands for an accurate diagnosis. Just hurry up and wait I guess... :(

[KitchenKitten99]

Well, xrays were completely clean. Very good joints and whatnot for her age. No real conclusion other than it may be muscular or a pinched nerve, or she may have been kicked by another horse in the paddock.

So, he recommends giving her about 6-8 weeks time off so when the ground is of better conditions (icy and rugged right now) we can lunge her and see her continued movement as well as under-saddle.

This is just as well as I will be unable to ride at minimum 6 weeks anyway. So she and I will be doing lots of bonding through deep grooming and once the temps hit over 50, a nice bath or two.

My thoughts on this is that if the xrays are showing no joint or other bone issues, then there is a good possibility she needs a chiropractor. I will be researching some of them and I may have one who would do a trade for cigars...

:::sigh:::

[mundame]

I figured it was navicular disease, so you lucked out. 14 isn't old, so you may well have years left with her.

[KitchenKitten99]

I figured it was navicular disease, so you lucked out. 14 isn't old, so you may well have years left with her.

She showed more soreness with the hock flex/bend/pressure tests than any of the other spots he tried at the first visit. I thought for sure I would see a fracture or something more awful, which is why I mentally prepared to say goodbye. She's never shown this level of soreness with little improvement over a month's time. The abscess issues she had were usually 10 days downtime and then back at it like normal.

Happy for the technology that allows for instant feedback on things like x-rays. No more wait times etc.

But this is still a waiting game. The entire area has crappy footing for horses. If it isn't icy, it's uneven and very bumpy from thaw and refreeze. No where at the barn, even on the flats of pasture, have good enough footing to lunge her right now and be able to effectively assess her lame leg movement. Plus she's not very graceful (despite her name being Tinkerbell) and she may trip and injure herself more.

[KitchenKitten99]

I finally got a chiropractor out to see Tink today. He also does acupuncture. His experience with this is 25+ years and 15,000 horses adjusted.

Just with his assessment, adjustment, and a couple points of acupuncture... she is moving easier and better! Even the look on her face changed and she LOOKED like she felt relief. She'll need a couple days for her muscles to relax and reset, but she'll be good to ride by Monday. Best part is the visit was only $150, which is totally doable and way less than I was expecting.

:dance: