Box rest blues, help needed

tabithakat64

tabithakat64

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My horse has been on box rest for three weeks, x-rays, scans etc found nothing so my vet has diagnosed a sprain like injury of the soft tissue in the fetlock area.

Last week she advised another three weeks of box rest then light ridden work before turning out as I cannot limit his turnout area or group during the winter months.

He's a very chunky 14.3hh cob and is box is 11 x12 (I don't have the option of swapping to a bigger box atm as they all all in use).

The swelling has gone right down but he is becoming less sound as he is stuck in, in the cold and is prone to getting stiff in kept in. (He's 12).

He is allowed to graze in-hand for 20 minutes a day but isn't settled enough to do more than snatch at the odd mouthful.

He's gone from eating 6/7 sections of hay (adlib) to eating two a day over the last two days and is visably distressed, lots of eye-rolling and neighing and box walking which is completely out of character (even when he was on box rest previously), consequently I'm concerned about him getting thrush as his bed is such a mess or injuring himself further.

He is fed a handful of Happy Hoof when the others are fed and has a scoop of high fibre cubes split over three feeds in his treat ball to keep him occupied whilst the others are being caught in and turned out (he vet said it was fine for him to have the ball).

I cannot stand to see him so miserable and cannot spend any more time grazing him even if my vet would allow it as it would mean I'd have to brave the football club carpark or busy bridleway in the dark on my own as I work full-time, which would be dangerous. The yard currently doesn't have a job service and I feel like I can't ask anyone else to help me as he's being really bargy due to being unsettled, also out of character.

I'm completely at a loss of what I can do, so any help gratefully received.

(He smashes licks and takes all of a minute to eat swedes hung on rope as I've tried this).
 
i would speak to your vet and ask if it is a necessity that he stays in as he isn’t eating properly and is very stressed so is probably causing stress to the fetlock by marching round his stable.

She might say he can go out or she might say to lightly sedate him, it is worth caller her if you are worried about him.

My vet only recommends box rest as an absolute last resort because my lad doesn’t take to it too well.

Hope he settles soon, it sounds like you are doing all you can to help him.
 
I have spoken to my vet and she says I can't turn him out until he's completely sound in all paces and been back in ridden work (which is likely to be never as he's stiff and box walking).
She says he will learn to cope with box rest (he was on box rest for a couple of months last spring due to undiagnosed lameness issues with no problems).
I have left her a message today but have not had a reply.
 
When we've had horses unhappy at being stabled on box rest. We fence off a tiny area in the field with electric. Put plenty of hay in there, and he can see all his mates, with out the space to do any harm to himself.
 
I should ask to speak to a more experienced vet!

However I would also speak to YO and ask if there is any way at all that a small paddock could be made for him to be turned out into.
 
She's a one man band unfortuantely and I can't change now as I'm having to claim on my insurance as my bill is over £1000, the only treatment he's had was two days of poulticing and metacam, the rest was on diagnosis for a simple strain!

He doesn't respect electric fencing so that's a no go as I don't want him injuring himself further. He has horses he can see all the time whilst he is stabled and he's been allowed to groom others over the door.
 
There is no way my vet would advocate such un-necessary stress! I have had exactly the same thing happen to my horse when he was on box rest for laminitis...he was box walkng constantly, trashing his bed every day to a wet pulp, started eating his stable walls and weaving. He too is a cob and eats whatever you give him but he stopped eating altogether at times and then he would pick at his hay...to the point where he was perhaps eating 1 pad of small bale hay a day!! He was very ill as his medication went straight through him and the vet said I had to get fibre down him or he was at risk of hyperglycemia. In the end I managed to get him to eat increasing amounts of dengie healthy hooves and the vet said to fence off an area outside his stable so that he could at least get out in the fresh air...this helped him no end and he started to eat better again...not enough but at least to get fibre in him again and stop his stomach upsets.
As someone suggested, can you not fence off an area for an hour a day...even in the dark of an evening or do you have a school he could be turned out in?
You will get through it, but the horse needs to be listened to by your vet...box rest is all good and well but when it is affecting the horse mentally and physically the vet should be looking for some sort of compromise. Mine did as she recognised things were getting bad in other ways for my boy and despite him having laminitis she realised he needed some limited turn out to prevent other complications and health problems. Good luck, I hope you find a way. VIBES
 
i do feel for you, my horse has only been on box rest 9 days but already his hay consumption is down and hes loosing muscle. His leg keeps swelling then going down etc never know what to do for the best. I think I'd ask YO to maybe fence somewhere off or can he go in a menage for some respite? that much box rest on a sprain seems silly to me
 
Our mare is on six months box rest, and our vet suggested BETAMAG which is a supplement,. I wasn't too sure, but over the last weekend we were away and she didn't get any - she was agitated and not settled at all (she's half way through the six months) - back on it on Tuesday morning, and she's so much better tonight. We got it from the vet and the insurance company is forking out for it - about £36 a tub! Worth a try, other things are toys - we bought a ball from www.nagsproducts.co.uk - as long as the rope isn't too long and she can wedge the ball against the wall its brilliant. Good luck.
 
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