Update on fetlock injury

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

    We went to the Michigan State large animal clinic on Tuesday with
Elliot.  The vet, Dr. Nickles, took one look at Elliot's leg and said,
"It's a curb.  It will take time, but he should be fine."  And I thought,
"Hm..should have listened to Ridecampers!"  But I asked for an ultrasound
regardless, because this was my big chance to ease my fears.  It was a
small tear in the plantar something tendon, and the vet told me that it
would take about sixty days off, in a confined area (he said that my
100 by 40 foot paddock would work fine) and that I should get Elliot
ultrasounded again when he was travelling soundly, which would probably be in
45 days or so.  Elliot will always have the bow, but he probably won't
be affected by this after it heals totally.  So that's good.  Of course, this
means that I don't get to ride Elliot for the rest of the summer, because
he'll be really to start riding when I start classes.  But that's a very,
very small price to pay for a sound horse, and I'm glad that's all it's
going to take.  The vet gave (well, had us pay an exorbant amount of money
for) me a poultice to put on Elliot's leg for the next five days.  And
Elliot is to be buted one gram twice a day for five days and then one gram
once a day for seven.  I can hand walk and hand graze him until he's ready
to ride again.
    Dr. Nickles tranquilized Elliot for the ultrasound, and he used
a drug called something like Zilocane.  Apparently some horses have a weird
reaction and will automatically kick out while tranquilized when touched,
though it happens very rarely.  Elliot is, unfortunately, one of these
horses.  He nailed the vet assistant in the calf.  Thankfully, she was walking
without a limp within ten minutes and said she was fine.  It was so
weird, though.  I never saw his leg move, he was so fast.  He was asleep,
and all of a sudden, he jumped forward, and the assistant had been kicked.
The vet said he'd only seen this happen a few times, but that it was only
with this tranquilizer.  It scared Elliot to death, because he didn't even
know what he'd done.  He stood there, shaking, for about five minutes.  Very
strange, and extraordinarily fast.  But that's about it for us.
    Any ideas for creative, non-stressing hand walking?  I'm not going to
start for at least two weeks, but eventually, Elliot's going to need to
get out and the vet said that he'd be fine if it was just walking.






                            Sarah



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