Box rest advice needed urgently!!!

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hrhmika

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As of next week i will have a fit ex-racehorse on box rest for 3 weeks (brilliant) following a knee operation, any advice on diet, any calmers i could use, anything to occupy him anyway i can make his bed as comfy as possible please help, any hints or tips, and anyhting to help him heal, i though aloe vera??? ANY HELP so appreciated!
 
Don't panic just yet.

We've had a fit racehorse just come off 4 months box rest at my yard - after having broken his neck in a fall.

He was as quiet as a lamb. Fed 3 times a day on pony cubes, and of course adlib hay. The bed was rubber matting and shavings and his occupation was company in the day and night on one side of him.

Relax Me by HorseFirst is an excellent calmer should you need it.
 
I cant be of much help with feed/bedding etc, but I would advise you get a stable mirror if you think he will be stressy. I bought one for my horse and it worked wonders to calm him down (the effect was instantaneous!) whilst on box rest. I got mine from the stable mirrors company but they can be quite slow at delivering it.

Hope he gets heals quickly!
 
My 2yo WBXTB had to be box rested for 6 weeks following surgery after having 4cm of bone removed from his radius after being kicked in the paddock

I gave him lots of toys to play with, especially a snack ball as this seemed to passify him a little when he was getting stressed. I did however under vets instructions give him 2ml of Sedalin in the morning to help him when other horses were being turned out etc. He was 16.3hh as a 2yo and could be very sharp and powerful.

I also tried him on Nupafeed calmer (made no difference at all ) he had a stable mirror, radio playing classical relaxing music, lots of groomin/interaction and a big comfy straw bed. Thankfully he was able to do some of his inhand walking after his boxrest on our horsewalker as there was no way I could walk him safely in hand.

Best of luck and grit your teeth, they do generally sucumb to their fate after 5 days or so.
 
I would try and make sure he has a friend to keep him company - borrow one if you have to.
Snack balls are great and the radio can help. I would keep him on a really deep bed up to the door if poss as you don't want him rolling and damaging the operation site. I would ask your vet about what to put on the wound - fresh air is generally best. I have found that some horses have a bad reaction to Aloe Vera so I would be wary of trying that. If there is any grass around I would hand pick some for him a couple of times a day. Be careful what you feed - personally I would feed Spillers Lay Off cubes and ad lib hay/haylage. Good luck!
 
As an ex-racer he'll be used to spending a lot of time in so this might not be as bad as you think.

If you can make sure he has company that will help, particularly if the stable set up allows them to touch.

Feed ad-lib hay so he always has something to pick at, if you're worried about his weight then double net &/or soak. Keep hard feed to a minimum, I'd meet is vit & min needs with a balancer if he was mine & only give hard feed if he needed it to keep condition on.

If he starts getting stressed then talk to your vet about Sedalin, it's far more effective than anything you buy in shops.
 
Hey, I know how annoying it can be having horses on box rest, I have 2 on box rest myself at the moment, one with laminitis and one with a foot injury. I would suggest having a good thick bed of shavings, with goos banks and bring it forward to the door, because you will want to have him standing on a cushioned surface so he isn't straining his knee.
As for entertainment, I have heard that letting him listen to the radio is actually very beneficial, they find classical music very soothing :) you could also try giving him licks and things, also I hear that having a mirror in their stable can amuse them a lot, though make sure its not a breakable one and get him used to it first so he doesn't wake up and think there is another intruder horse in their stable, as mine thought there was the first time he saw himself :p also try and spend some time with him, if you were locked up in your room for a long time, im sure you'd be glad of some company ;)
As for Aloe Vera gel, it does work, but I find it doesn't really stick to the skin, I actually find Sudocrem [the human cream] is very good, even my vet reccomended it, as it creates a good barrier and it helps to heal it.

Hope he is okay! x :)
 
You might be able to borrow a sheep or a goat or a Shetland pony to put in with him and keep him company if he is bad on his own? Three weeks is not long. Good luck.
 
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