Re: Fw: [RC] FYI: Get to know your horse's heart - SandyDSA
uh well not exactly. A benign murmur might now have an effect, but the
EFFECT on exercise is generally considered to be a result of the root cause of
the murmur. In the case of our now old stallion, he suffered from yet another
freaky deaky problem when he was in his early teens... endocarditis. It
expressed itself in a right hind swelling and slight lameness, and we THOUGHT he
might have kicked a rail, though he had NEVER been a kicker of any kind.
Well, within about 24 hours, we had one vet, then two, then half the vet
staff of the SFV - shoulda bought pizzas - to listen to the "profound murmur"...
and the course of treatment was a round of chemo level antibiotics. I felt like
a voodoo princess with all the needles I put in that sweet horse for WEEKS. In
the end, after weeks of this, we were told to rehab him slowly, but that we may
as well get on and tack walk him since he could just as easily drop dead in his
stall. That did NOT mean he could - or EVER could - go back to endurance,
because the EC had settled on the cusp of the aortic valve, and so could prove
to be fatal at any time. Well, happy to say he did NOT drop dead, which speaks
more of his unreal constitution than anything else - and he DID go on to
complete a few more LDs. But the bacterium that originally CAUSED the condition
was not anything to fool with, and the murmur itself, while not the threat, was
an indication of threat. A murmur is an indication of irregular heart behavior
and should ALWAYS be checked out - just as with people - "by your doctor before
beginning any exercise regime". lol!
Sandy Adams Deep Sands
Arabians www.deepsands.com
Need a new ride? Check out the largest site for U.S. used car listings at AOL Autos.
