Update on fetlock injury, postvet exam.

["Sarah Roxanne Zawacki" <zawackis@pilot.msu.edu>]

    I drove semi-frantically home from my class in an attempt to beat the
vet to my house.  My mom was going to be there to meet him, and I caught
him as he was writing up the bill.  The big bill.  Things are much more
expensive in this area.
    According to my mom, the vet spent a long time looking at Elliot.  He
palpated, he watched Elliot trot straight to and from, and he had my poor
mother trot him (Elliot, not the vet) in circles.  He said he didn't really
know what it was, but that there was definitely something there.  He figured
it was either a muscle thing or a tendon thing, and that it wasn't too
serious, since even the bowed portion of Elliot's leg did not respond to
palpation at all.  I stared at him and failed to believe what he was saying,
but I was polite and nodded a lot, asking questions ("He's not *lame*?!" for
example).  So he said that Elliot probably twisted something funny while he
spooked and we should keep him confined to a smallish paddock for three or
four days, bute him to reduce inflammation, and he should be back to normal
in a few weeks.  I thought he was nuts, so as soon as he was out of sight,
I watched Elliot trot, palpated the bowed part of his leg, and just gave
him a real thorough look and feel.  But the vet was right--Elliot looks
pretty good, and he's not sore with the leg at all when you squeeze the
tendons.  He's still resting it, and he's still off (Grade Two Lameness maybe?)
but he looks much better than he did yesterday.  I don't think such a dramatic
recovery would occur with a bowed tendon.  I'm inclined to get an ultrasound
anyway, just to know what was going on.  This might be a great warning to
prevent tearing something important.  The vet seemed largely unconcerned,
so I'm not sure what to think.  The swelling has gone down a lot as well.
The other thing that concerns me, which I failed to mention in my previous
posts, is that I think this all started when I was out riding with Trish and
Elliot tripped, and went down on his right knee.  He walked normally enough
afterwards that I didn't check his legs (which I *really* should have done)
right away.  When we went to trot, though, he was waaay off, and I dismounted
immediately and we led the ponies home.  He had scraped a knee, and it looked
like he might have given himself a small splint, but the lameness felt like
it was coming from his hindquarters, because it was sort of like his back end
was falling out from under me during the three strides of trot we got in.
After that, he was sound walking and trotting within days, but I gave him a
week off and then started up again by practicing slow bareback riding, and
then the ride with Trish.  But I got kind of nervous about that right hock,
because you could sort of tell that there was something weird going on by
the way he was resting it.  Because with navicular and foundered horses, you
can tell they're front feet hurt by the way they're pointing their front
feet away from their bodies, and when horses hurt their fetlocks in back,
you can see it in the way they are resting (not because they're resting, but
how they're resting--it's like the fetlock looks too pointy to be normal or
something) it.  Anyway, I've never noticed a horse with a sore hock, but I
remember spending a few nervous days watching Elliot because I could tell that
something wasn't quite right.  I had thought about giving him another two
weeks off, but I went for this ride with Trish, and then he hurt himself
and I thought it was terribly bad, but it looks like I've got another chance,
thank God.  Soo...I want to have Elliot ultrasounded.  I'm planning to
make an appointment at State (MI) tomorrow for sometime later next week.
So, once again, comments and suggestions?  Is a week too long for him?  I
think he'll be okay waiting, so long as he doesn't get ridden or stressed.
Besides that, the first appointment I can get will be Tuesday, and I've got
a final on Wednesday.  If it won't kill Elliot to wait, I'd like to do so.
The vet said that wrapping probably wouldn't help or hurt, so I'm not going
to.  Which leads to another question.  Because Elliot has early arthritis
in his left hind fetlock (on the non-injured leg), I use Pro Choice Sport
Boots in back when we're doing longish training rides with lots of trotting
and some cantering.  My theory is that it will possibly prevent injury and
at the very least absorb some energy so that fetlock won't have to.  I leave
the boots off for shorter, less intense rides since I don't want to cause
him to get dependant on them or weaken his hind legs at all by giving them
supplemental support.  He never wears them in the pasture, either.  But I'm
wondering if his legs weren't somehow compromised by wearing the boots as
often as he did.  Maybe I should have just let him adjust to increased work
without using the boots.  Maybe I'm just beating myself up right now.  Oops.
At any rate, if anyone has experience with working a horse in support boots,
and when and how to use them to the horse's greatest advantage, I would
appreciate all comments.  Thanks again, all.  :)




                            Sarah & Elliot, who also got his shots today.
                                               --[||]-|  And he stood still!





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