Day 3 of box rest and I want to pull my hair out

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HollyhedgePippa

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Seriously, how do you cope when your horse is on box rest? I just want to cry:(

Pip is not one for box rest, she box walks when I'm not there, box trots when I am there and pushes me around in the stable (tack room in back so I have no choice to be in there). She's just generally rude. She has 10 days to go until the vet comes back out to assess her (which her bandage is supposed to last but it's already ripped at the toe - tried re-duct taping today she wasn't having any of it, pushed me up the wall, scratched my new ariat bootiess :mad: and then scared herself because the roll of duct tape was hanging on her hoof so cue maniac box walking again). So I'm hoping that she gets the all clear before any snow comes so she can at least have a couple of days freedom.

All of this for a corn by her heel. Can I just leave a massive round bale of hay in her stable and go back when the vet is due?

P.s she has a net of haylage and a uncle jimmys licky thing which she isn't touching
 
Nearly two weeks box rest for a corn?

I've never box rested a corn and I wouldn't. Mud is a natural poultice. If she was mine she'd be out in the day and poulticed at night, four days max.

Why on earth has your vet said two weeks in the box, do you know?????
 
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I tend to find that the vast majority of horses do adapt to box rest and the first few days are the worst when they have been taken out of their routine and are struggling to adapt.

I don't know how long yours has been advised but in my experience they do invariably get better at coping so don't despair just yet.
 
cptrayes said:
Nearly two weeks box rest for a corn?

I've never box rested a corn and I wouldn't. Mud is a natural poultice. If she was mine she's be out in the day and poulticed at night, four days max.

Why on earth has your vet said two weeks in the box, do you know?????
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Wednesday was when the vet first came. She found bruising as well, and she was reacting to the hoof testers(I think thats what she called them?) in places. Vet then came back yesterday for a check up and hopefully take bandage off and put shoe back on, but there was no improvement so she's coming back out on the 10th december.

Edit: forgot to add vet wrote down she was 3/10th lame in trot as well

minesadouble said:
I tend to find that the vast majority of horses do adapt to box rest and the first few days are the worst when they have been taken out of their routine and are struggling to adapt.

I don't know how long yours has been advised but in my experience they do invariably get better at coping so don't despair just yet.
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Ah hopefully! But the first couple of days she was fine :confused:.
 
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I can't see anything in what you have posted that would justify box rest. If her foot is bruised it will heal better if she is moving around pumping blood through it instead of standing in a box.
 
HollyhedgePippa said:
I'm just going by what my vet has told me to do to help her get better:confused:
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If I were you I would phone the vet and say that the horse is very unhappy being confined to her box and ask if she wouldn't be better off turned out during the day and poulticed overnight.

From the information you have given, your vet is being exceptionally cautious over a corn and some bruising.
 
cptrayes said:
If I were you I would phone the vet and say that the horse is very unhappy being confined to her box and ask if she wouldn't be better off turned out during the day and poulticed overnight
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I'll call them and have a chat. She is allowed to be walked out on hard ground but it does nothing, just stresses her even more.
 
Lami pony had 9 months box rest and I could of shot him!!!!

He box walked and when that wasn't getting him enough attention he would box trot with the odd box canter and box rear! So cue acp injections for six weeks twice a day to calm him down as with a 15 degree rotation he really didnt need to be doing the box rest tango!
 
slightlyconfused said:
Lami pony had 9 months box rest and I could of shot him!!!!

He box walked and when that wasn't getting him enough attention he would box trot with the odd box canter and box rear! So cue acp injections for six weeks twice a day to calm him down as with a 15 degree rotation he really didnt need to be doing the box rest tango!
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Uh oh! Hope everything was ok in the end x
 
I would be ringing the vet, as I have never box rested for a corn or bruised foot, and wouldn't. That said, if you have to continue with it, try some sedelin, we use it on one at work who has been box rested post fracturing something.
 
cptrayes said:
I can't see anything in what you have posted that would justify box rest. If her foot is bruised it will heal better if she is moving around pumping blood through it instead of standing in a box.
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I agree! In fact I am pretty sure the box walking will aggravate her hooves much more than sauntering in a paddock and the odd hoon. :confused:

Time box rest was banned. lol. Ok, I know it is essential sometimes but for stuff like this I do think brain should be put in gear first. The untold stress caused to some horses and their owners is huge. Also sedating horses for weeks/months on end cannot be good for them. Gets down off soap box.


Good luck with the vet chat. x
 
Eeek. I feel like an absolute muppit now :( I'm not good with broken horses, always in two minds with what to do and always go with what vet says. I need to question why more!

Thank you all for your advice/input :)
 
HHP, you want to do the best for your horse and so you listened to your Vet's advice. Some Vets are a bit too keen on boxrest for even minor problems that don't really justify it. It's not a problem if the horse doesn't mind being in his/her stable for a couple of weeks, but awful (and potentially dangerous) if the horse hates it and is wound up and boxwalking etc...

I have a mare who wont stable. Ok she just about copes with a few mins while waiting for the farrier, but that's it. She hurt her tendon and I said to the Vet that it would be impossible to boxrest her. She was turned out in a small paddock (electric fenced off the flattest part of the paddock) and recovered brilliantly.
 
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Don't feel a muppet, we've all been there, following orders without question. :D When you're stressed/worried it's hard to think clearly.


I believe in general managing horses stressed on box rest should be discussed and an alternative plan devised if the box rest is causing high levels of stress. It's called risk assessment. It's also kinder for the horse imo. The rationale for prescribing box rest should always be discussed. :cool:
 
OP I feel your pain - my horse has just had two days box rest for bruised foot (although vet did say it could possibly be a fracture if it doesn't start to improve in the next couple of weeks, but as no reaction to the hoof testers, it's unlikely ). She asked me to do three days of box rest - today being the third. I put her in the small paddock today with my little one as she was bucking, pawing and spinning in the stable this morning. Apparently two days was fine, three days wasn't. She's come in tonight no worse than she went out, but a damn sight happier.
 
I feel your pain, mine has been in 2 weeks, suspected tendon injury but cellulitis, so was told to walk him after a week to get swelling down. He is being lovely on his bit of yard, polite and cheerful, but try to lead him anywhere and you might as well try to less a wild mustang. I'm getting the full works of airs above the ground! Sadly as my field is a bog and I know he will rip round it, I don't dare turn out til I have had it scanned. He does at least have a small bit of yard as well as his stable to mooch on, so gets to feel like he is outside.
 
I did not cope and neither did he, jumped out of stable on first morning of box rest even with huge bandage on, so I sent him to some professionals who deal with box rest horses and rehabs every day.

He settled in really well on the box rest there but it was very structured and he has company with other horses on box rest all around him and people checking on him regularly and he can watch what is going on in the school as well and as the staff have seen it all they remain very calm and I think that helped loads. Everything is set up there to try and keep the box rest horse as calm and content as possible.

Does your horse have company? Is she seeing all her friends get turned out and is that causing her stress?
 
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SO1 said:
Does your horse have company? Is she seeing all her friends get turned out and is that causing her stress?
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No and yes :( Unfortunatley there is no way where any ones horse would stay in just for her, which is totally understandable. A couple of the horses come in at 2pm so from then on she is fine. Just need to stick it out as much as I can until she starts to become a danger to herself then I will have to take action, however I will still be calling my vet on monday to have a chat about whether the box rest is necessary.

Horses ay! Why do we have them?!
 
Update:

Vet re-assesed her and is happy how she is improving. She is either being shod (vet suggested heart bar, however haven't discussed with farrier yet) or having other treatment on thursday as other problems have arisen.

Thank you all for your advice.
 
omg Im so lucky now on day 15 with my 5 yr old and hes been a saint.He had his staples out last night so he was allowed few mins of in hand grazing just followed me about like lamb.The only thing I have done different is to section stable size area outside his stable I feed him there when I muck out and he has hay I swear this has kept him sane, he has hour morning and night and hes been so content. :):)
 
cellie said:
omg Im so lucky now on day 15 with my 5 yr old and hes been a saint.He had his staples out last night so he was allowed few mins of in hand grazing just followed me about like lamb.The only thing I have done different is to section stable size area outside his stable I feed him there when I muck out and he has hay I swear this has kept him sane, he has hour morning and night and hes been so content. :):)
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Fancy swapping horses :D?
 
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