update on Donte/@ 3 months

[heidi sowards <ribbitttreefrog@yahoo.com>]

Well, 3 months into treatment I have some optomistic
(good!) news. As you may or may not remember, Donte had
some swelling in the rear fetlock, (looked like a windpuff)
turned out to "probably" be scar tissue and was keeping the
tendons from sliding correctly. The vet gave me a very
guarded prognosis and told me I "maybe" had a chance at
having an ok trail horse next spring. Anyway, his recheck
yest. (ultrasound) revealed the lesion has shrunk about in
half, the fluid surrounding it is almost gone, he is sound
at a trot, but after flexing the joint, he is "slightly"
off. Not bad from  3 months ago when he was off at a walk.
I can now ride him, only 3 days per week and 5 minutes each
ride, but can up it each week another 5 min. until 6 weeks
when I will have hopefully accumulated 30 min. of walking
at which time, if I've seen no sign of overdoing it, can
add 5 min. of trotting over another 6 week period, getting
up to 30 min. of trotting. Then another recheck. My vet
(Dr. Mike Foss) is very pleased! (So was Tom Ivers, who was
there and who started me on the MicroTENS therapy!)
Needless to say, I am too! Our therapy now is 3-4 hours of
the microTENS (electrotherapy) at least 5 days per week,
followed by 30 min. of icing, then massage. He's on
glucosamine/chondroitin, and also about 1/4 cup of MSM per
day. He's also fairly confined, so he can't race around and
screw up what we've accomplished so far!! 
Woooohoooo! (I didn't ask about endurance, I'll wait til
the next recheck! My day was going too good to ask the vet
to start predicting!)

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Heidi-aerc#M20935  /\_/\~
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