Advise needed urgently - horse been in ditch

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davisn

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Hi. I've been down with my horse all day. She fell into a ditch sometime during the night & got her hind leg stuck between 2 trees. We finally got her out, after the firemen winched her up. It took her another 5 hours before she could manage to get up & stand. After 20 minutes of standing & flexing her legs she was able to walk around quite well, although obviously stiff & sore. We managed to get her into a barn & she has been eating & drinking. The vet has been out 3 times today & she has had 2 antibiotics & a painkiller. When I left her about 2 hours ago she was still standing & walking about.

What I'm worried about is that I have just gone to check on her again & she's led back down on her side. She seems to be breathing normally & is bright in herself. Just phoned the vet & was told that she's been through alot today & she probably just needs her rest. Should I be worried or should I let her get some sleep? What would you do if she were yours?
 
Had loads of horses in ditches - make sure they are warm and comfortable and make sure you check over for thorns/scratches.
 
Scary!
If the vet isnt worried, then id take their word for it, but i know id go and check again in night if i woke up.
But she probably just needs her rest. Stressful day for all concerned by the sounds of it.
x
 
I would listen to my vet!!! She is bound to be knackered, let her sleep (you probably need some too), but I do understand why you are worried, you have been through a lot today too.
 
How awful. Im a born worrier and would feel exactly like you do but I bet she is exhausted, sore and just resting. Why dont you pop back again and see her and put your mind at rest, then have an early night as you must be tired too.
Good luck I hope she makes a full recovery.
 
oh dear sounds like youve had one hell of a day, personaly i think id just listen to your vet let her rest, see how she is in the morning, you'll probably find that she will be a bit stiff then.
If your at all worried just call th vet even if its just to put your mind at rest, She may benefit from abit of gentle exercise tomorow just to help with the stiffness.
Hope she's ok
smile.gif

Debs x
 
Thanks. It's probably just because I'm exhausted now that the adrelaline has worn off & so my brain isn't capable of rational thought! I would never forgive myself if I got it wrong now after all we have both been through today. I'll let her sleep & check her again in a few hours.
 
Update on Cloud's condition (& mine). What a couple of days, I would wish this on any one or any horse.

I left her to sleep for a few hours last night, however she started going down hill again. By 4 o'clock this morning she was so weak & breathing so badly that we decided that enough time had been spent with her on her side (been down for something like 7 or 8 hours, bearing in mind that she had been on the same side in the ditch & for the the majority of the 5 or so hours after she was hauled out before she managed to get up). Took us an age to get her up onto her chest again, propped up with hay bales. Finally got her back onto her feet at about half past six, using a hobble again.

She's been up since then. She's eating well, but to be fair she was eating the straw I took down into the ditch to wedge under her head so that she could keep her nostrils above the water & let her neck rest. In fact it was food that got her into this mess in the first place. She was browsing the hedgerow looking for tasty morsels when she slipped into the ditch. She's been through so much, poor baby.

BTW she is dehydrated (wee is dark brown). The vet wasn't too worried about this yesterday, but it hasn't improved. She is taking in water frequently, but not in big quantities. She's on antibiotics & bute. Can I give her anything to help?
 
I wouldn't be happy about this. If it was just stiffness and bruising, I'd expect her to be getting better. Think you should drag the vet out again.
 
I forgot to mention, probably due to having had no sleep for 2 days, I've been with her all day & she has been walking around quite happily for most of it. She took a long time to steady her legs & feet this morning, but that's to be expected. Her muscles has been spasming quite badly, but now just twitching when she stands still for a any longer than about half an hour, so we have been doing plenty of short, flat walks to find thistles (her favourite).

Blood test results came back, she has some muscle damage. She is covered in cuts & grazes, both hind legs are swollen, she has a fluid filled lump under her girth area were we had to strap her to get her out of the ditch & her far-side eye is still swollen closed & hairless. We won't know if there is any permanent damage to her eye until it opens.

These injuries slook quite bad, they even sound bad when I read them back, but she's been really lucky. If we'd had rain recently She wouldn't have bee able to hold her head above the water, & her leg was twisted at a scarey angle & trapped, so this could have been some much worse.

We've fenced off part of the grass area at the side of the livery yard's drive & turned her out with the old boy at the stables. This way she can be checked on from their house & we can get to her with the tractor if we need to.

Let's hope she stays up tonight, or has enough energy to get herself upright again. My body aches as if I'd been lifting her on my own, I can bearly walk now. But I guess it's nothing compared to what she's feeling & I don't begrudge it at all.
 
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