Very good follow up vet vist

Today the vet was out to see everyone, it was time for TWH's recheck on his suspensory.  The App was included because he suddenly came up lame on Sunday and had been almost non-weight bearing until this morning and I had been alternating between giving him bute and banamine to keep him comfortable.  Mia was being seen as a general overview to see if he agreed that she appeared capable of doing eventing.  Fingers were crossed as I started pulling horses out of their stalls.

The App went first and while he is now walking, he is still very lame on his left front.  Sunday had been filled with lots of icing and panic, the day started out with him being a little off during a lesson.  He was walking around fine though so I kicked him back outside.  When I went to get him for dinner, however, I found him laying down and he was almost non-weight bearing.  His foot was very warm and he had a strong digital pulse, I immediately threw every ice cube we had in a bucket with some salt water and left him standing in it for 45 minutes. I gave him some banamine to help settle him, he was obviously extremely uncomfortable and at the end of our soaking the App was trembling.  In the morning he was much, much better (gotta love drugs) and though both feet were now pretty warm, his left wasn't as hot and his digital pulse wasn't *as* strong.  More soaking and some poultice applied, last night he was pretty uncomfortable again as the bute had worn off.  I gave him banamine, more poultice and this morning he looked remarkably more alert.  He was even gimping around on his left front instead of hopping.  Progress!

Dr A looked the App over pretty well and hoof testers show he is most sensitive on the left, front section of his hoof.  Dr A thinks that he has a pretty good sole bruise (which makes sense as there were a lot of rocks in the arena during our lesson due to the addition of some sand(y dirt)) and possibly a small abscess but an abscess shouldn't have gotten better so quickly.  He said to keep doing what I am doing as I am doing a great job and start him on limited turnout for several days and then he should be fine.  Phew!  When I had talked to him Sunday night and again on Monday, Dr A said he was pretty confident it wasn't laminitis or a fracture and that it was likely an abscess so it makes me happy for the App to be getting better to support Dr A's conclusion.  I am leaving him stalled again today and will turn him out in the arena tomorrow.

The TWH was next and after a quick flexion test and some trotting on the lunge, Dr A said the TWH is 80% better which means the treatment we did is working.  YAY!!!!!!  He recommending giving him another couple of weeks off and we will recheck him again in 2 weeks but that the TWH should make a full recovery.  That really made my day, it is what I was hoping for and am so glad it happened :)

Last was Mia and I warned him that she doesn't have many manners and I don't know if she kicks, just that she hadn't kicked *yet* lol.  He looked her over pretty thoroughly and his findings are that she has an upside down neck, her feet are bad, she looks slightly clubby in her front feet and she is slightly back sore.  The neck is a non-issue as it will resolve some with muscling and she doesn't need a great neck for jumping, farrier work will fix her feet and we think the clubbiness will disappear with farrier work as will the back soreness.  He liked Mia and was happy to see I got such a large horse to train.  He likes having bigger horses train for the higher jumps vs the shorter horses and I have succeeded in that area lol.  His only suggestion was to not work her hard until we can get her feet under control, something I am already doing anyway.  That's another win for me!

All in all it was a very good, and rather inexpensive, vet visit.  He will be out again in 2 weeks, hoping to have 3 sound horses at that time.