Re: RC: Possible Tie-Up/Muscle Pull: Help!

[Teddy Lancaster <Teddy@runningbear.com>]

What a bummer!!!! Sounds to me like she got cast and pulled something.  Like
Lani Newcomb would say..."give two bute...."  All the vet will probably do is
give her muscle relaxants....

The bute will reduce the pain and inflammation.  I very much doubt you have a
tie-up.  But I am sure she will need time off....

Good luck and keep us posted!!!

teddy

Roberta Jo Lieberman wrote:

> Need your input, campers.
> My friend Kathy and her horse Dan headed for Death Valley yesterday,
> leaving me and little April and her buddy Cheyenne behind. I came out to
> the barn today to check on the horses and go for an easy ride around the
> neighborhood. Horses seemed fine, hadn't been out of their pens (this is
> California-style horsekeeping). I brought April out, checked her over,
> groomed, picked out feet, did leg circles, tacked up. Nothing unusual.
> Decided to longe her a bit in the arena before riding. She strode out
> fine, long nice walk. Picked up a trot, calm and still moving freely.
> She moved into a canter, still fine. Then she began to back off, varying
> her speeds, wanted to stop...I approached her and her left stifle began
> to spasm. Aborted workout, brought her up to investigate. Did some
> TTouch, lifts, but by the time I got her untacked she was breaking out
> in clammy sweat and now was having trouble moving left fore AND left
> hind. Unsteady on her feet. Got her back into her pen, thinking a tie-up
> was coming. Back was getting hard. She was distressed...went to back of
> pen, pawing (she does this when she is worried), putting foreleg over
> low pipe, then retracting. Not eating. Not a happy camper -- eyes told
> the story. Sweating all over... I was afraid to leave her alone but
> grabbed a stethoscope...heard tons of gut sounds, could barely pick up
> heart beat, it sounded somewhat elevated and swooshy. She pooped -- did
> that rule out colic? She wasn't acting colicky...still thinking tie-up.
> I spent the next 30 minutes trying to reach a veterinarian (it was 4:30
> p.m. and "after hours"). No luck -- and by then she had stabilized...had
> settled down, now eating hay, eyes looked better.
> I called the woman who fed in the morning to see how much grain she had
> been given. April is a very easy keeper and ravenous eater -- we give
> her half ration when she is not worked. She does not get tons of
> concentrate. She'd had what she was supposed to have...but the woman
> noticed that when she took off the blanket, one of the metal thingies
> had been severely twisted. This mare tends to cast herself a lot, and we
> speculated that she may have gone down in the night and pulled something.
> After that I finally was patched through to the vet on call. After
> sharing the  story, she thought it could wait until morning...I went
> back out to check her...she was eating quietly, left inner thigh very
> tight and she does not want to bring left hind forward. She will pivot
> 360 degrees in her stall without moving that foot. I finally was able to
> coax her forward a step or two for a carrot...she kind of drags the
> foot. Her back muscles are softer than earlier -- not rigid. She will
> let me pick up all four legs and stretch and circle them, although left
> hind is still spasmy. Gave Rescue Remedy, did TTouch extensively over
> entire body, and worked in some holistic salve.
> I am having a vet out first thing tomorrow morning.
> What do you think is going on?
> What blood work should be done?
> What conventional/complementary therapies should be given?
> Thanks for your input!
> Bobbie and April -- we shoulda gone to Death Valley, mom!
>
> =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
> Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net.
> Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/RideCamp
> =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

--
Teddy Lancaster
American Endurance Ride Conference # 139422
- Member since 1974
6000+ career miles

================================================
Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak;
Courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen.

-- Winston Churchill
================================================

Running Bear Farm, Inc.
Your Trail Riding Equipment Headquarters - Celebrating our 20th
Anniversary!!!!
Teddy Lancaster, President
1348 Township Road 256
Kitts Hill, Ohio, 45645 USA  -  http://runningbear.com/
Webmaster for USA East website: http://runningbear.com/ETZ
Moderator for the USA EAST mailing list:
http://www.onelist.com/community/USAEAST
1-800-533-2327, FAX: 740-533-0337
Home of Khalarado+/ 1990 IAHA National Endurance Champion
- (1982 Chestnut CMK Stallion)
Supplying the WORLD with quality endurance equipment since 1980



=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net.    
Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/RideCamp   
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=