Twiglet
Well-Known Member
Some of you may recall I turned Buzz away a couple of months ago, to give him a chance to put on weight and hopefully release the jaw spasm that has been a result of his cancer/surgery/radiotherapy.
The good news is that it appears to be doing the job. He is positively fat
His face looks nearly normal, the atrophy which caused one side of his face to sink dramatically and the lump caused by the spasm and the tumour have all but disappeared. Whether this is a result of time or the turnout or a combination of the two is hard to tell. The vet is thrilled with the progress.
He has unsurprisingly become slightly feral, and now spends quite a lot of time being a bit obnoxious, very playful and if it's raining, a downright s0d. He's got an incredibly sweet pair bond who screams blue murder if Buzz leaves to go hacking.
He's back in work and seeming to love it. Have been taking him back over the downs (in a headcollar - legend!!) and he's very keen.
This is with the start of the Derby course in the background....really never thought we'd get back to this stage
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yBC1bxei-ec
He is due for a CT scan on 6th August, which will tell us if the cancer is responding to the treatment. The hair on his face has definitely responded to the treatment....you can see the lines of the radiation beams where it's turned the hair white:
In the meantime I'd love to bring him back to proper work, which isn't really possible from the field. There is a grass school but the ground is weather dependant, and 20x40m has always been a bit small for schooling him when he's not particularly fit or balanced. I can't jump there, or do much hacking (he'll need back shoes on which isn't possible while living out).
I've kept my stable at livery, and have the option of bringing him back whenever, which will give me access to schools, lessons, hacking, and transport, which will enable me to ride him frequently.
But - and the inevitable compromise - the turnout will be massively limited. I could probably arrange for him to go out overnight, but it would be on much much less grass than he's on now, or for two slots of three hours during the day. He'd be fed plenty (and is able to eat without too much trouble at all now)but without the benefit of the constant grazing.
It will still be more than he's had in the past but it won't be a question of the constant eating and moving. Coming into summer it may make more sense as it gets hotter to have him stabled during the day, as he's not a fan of flies, and gets sunburnt very easily.
With regards to finding other yards....I could, but having done lots of research on yards in the area, there is a distinct lack of yards that offer the full package. And whilst the grazing is limited at mine, I am forever indebted to them for the care they took of him while he was sick, and I don't think I would want him with people who didn't know about his management and condition from the start.
But generally, it's very much a head vs heart debate.....or more to the point a me vs Buzz. If I leave him turned out I know he'll be happy and keep getting fatter, and generally live a very relaxed and happy life.....but potentially I'll never ride him properly again. Or I bring him back, he'll be fine - maybe not as fat, and a diet based more on feed than grass, but we'll have a few months of doing the stuff we enjoy again, before finding out the results in August.
If it's not good news, I won't work him again, and will turn him away until such time as he tells me it's not working anymore.
Have been going round and round in circles about it for weeks, and it's getting to the stage where I'll need to make a decision (won't be able to hold my stable open forever), but I'm no closer to what to do.
I think I'll feel incredibly guilty about bringing him back to livery, but at the same time, I really do feel like I've done everything I possibly can by this horse to get him better, and I would really really love just to have a few months of normality with him.
Any thoughts or suggestions welcome....bravo for getting this far!
The good news is that it appears to be doing the job. He is positively fat
His face looks nearly normal, the atrophy which caused one side of his face to sink dramatically and the lump caused by the spasm and the tumour have all but disappeared. Whether this is a result of time or the turnout or a combination of the two is hard to tell. The vet is thrilled with the progress. He has unsurprisingly become slightly feral, and now spends quite a lot of time being a bit obnoxious, very playful and if it's raining, a downright s0d. He's got an incredibly sweet pair bond who screams blue murder if Buzz leaves to go hacking.
He's back in work and seeming to love it. Have been taking him back over the downs (in a headcollar - legend!!) and he's very keen.
This is with the start of the Derby course in the background....really never thought we'd get back to this stage
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yBC1bxei-ec
He is due for a CT scan on 6th August, which will tell us if the cancer is responding to the treatment. The hair on his face has definitely responded to the treatment....you can see the lines of the radiation beams where it's turned the hair white:
In the meantime I'd love to bring him back to proper work, which isn't really possible from the field. There is a grass school but the ground is weather dependant, and 20x40m has always been a bit small for schooling him when he's not particularly fit or balanced. I can't jump there, or do much hacking (he'll need back shoes on which isn't possible while living out).
I've kept my stable at livery, and have the option of bringing him back whenever, which will give me access to schools, lessons, hacking, and transport, which will enable me to ride him frequently.
But - and the inevitable compromise - the turnout will be massively limited. I could probably arrange for him to go out overnight, but it would be on much much less grass than he's on now, or for two slots of three hours during the day. He'd be fed plenty (and is able to eat without too much trouble at all now)but without the benefit of the constant grazing.
It will still be more than he's had in the past but it won't be a question of the constant eating and moving. Coming into summer it may make more sense as it gets hotter to have him stabled during the day, as he's not a fan of flies, and gets sunburnt very easily.
With regards to finding other yards....I could, but having done lots of research on yards in the area, there is a distinct lack of yards that offer the full package. And whilst the grazing is limited at mine, I am forever indebted to them for the care they took of him while he was sick, and I don't think I would want him with people who didn't know about his management and condition from the start.
But generally, it's very much a head vs heart debate.....or more to the point a me vs Buzz. If I leave him turned out I know he'll be happy and keep getting fatter, and generally live a very relaxed and happy life.....but potentially I'll never ride him properly again. Or I bring him back, he'll be fine - maybe not as fat, and a diet based more on feed than grass, but we'll have a few months of doing the stuff we enjoy again, before finding out the results in August.
If it's not good news, I won't work him again, and will turn him away until such time as he tells me it's not working anymore.
Have been going round and round in circles about it for weeks, and it's getting to the stage where I'll need to make a decision (won't be able to hold my stable open forever), but I'm no closer to what to do.
I think I'll feel incredibly guilty about bringing him back to livery, but at the same time, I really do feel like I've done everything I possibly can by this horse to get him better, and I would really really love just to have a few months of normality with him.
Any thoughts or suggestions welcome....bravo for getting this far!
It's a 45 minute hack each way to my yard, which is doable, but not without back shoes (he doesn't cope on the stony tracks or roads without backs). 
