Feeling down about box rest...

[fathorse]

I'm feeling really down at the mo about my baby being on box rest. She has been in 7 weeks & the vet has just advised another month & that's just till her next review, she may need longer in, although she is healing nicely.
I've filled her stable with things to fiddle wtih, she always has hay to munch on, she has mum in with her alot of the time, I spend as much time as I can with her when i'm down there fussing her & grooming her & i've even become sad enough to cut her grass! She is becoming a real handful to handle - moving her next door so I can muck out is a nightmare, she is just full of it, not all the time, mornings are ok, it's evenings she is worse & just climbs the walls.
The vet has subscribed her some ACP but i'm reluclent to use it unless she is really stressy & it's affecting her healing. I'm just feeling abit down about it all at the mo, box rest is not nice, just want her to be able to go out and enjoy life like a baby should be doing and hate to think how long this will drag on for

Boo to box rest!

 

[Oldred]

Know the feeling. I'm 3 months in with my mare although I can now ride her for 45 mins per day. Hang in there and don't get too down - it does go quite quickly when you look back! If your youngster is stressy why not feed a calmer? Or even Sedalin or ACP. Experiement with the absolute minimum dose and work up as necessary. As you say, if she throws herself around it might cause a healing problem and waste all that you are doing.

 

[fathorse]

Thanks oldred, is there a calmer you would reccommend that would be safe for a 9 month old? Global Herbs do one called 'boxrest' it looks quite good. When would you give the ACP, as it only lasts 4 hours & I can't give it to her all the time!

 

[Oldred]

Its a bit late and my brain has gone to sleep. I can't remember what brand I am using! Thinks its Hilton Herbs but I'll check in the morning. I would check with vet re young age and use of calmers/sedatives but you are only wanting to take the edge of the her not have her deeply dopey. Could you not just try one a.m. and one p.m.? People use them regularly when turning out after box rest just to take the edge off and I would be slightly worried that, being so young, she might develop sterotypies, i.e. box walking, cribbing due to stress so experimenting for a few days would be worth it.

 

[SO1]

I think Acp lasts for 6 hours and sedalin 8 hours. If your horse is getting stressed it might be kinder to sedate.

My vet told me you can give ACP all the time some horses are on it for 6 months if they have fractures and need to be on box rest.

 

[Eaglestone]

Oh dear, it is so hard for a horse being on box rest, but much more so, if they do not cope too well and get over excited

My old chap was on box rest for 5 months with Laminitis, however, I suppose due to the pain, he did not give me any trouble, which is not much use to you really is it

I always feel that when the Vet says 'Box Rest' they really do not know what stress/tears/worry/ups and downs the owner is going through .... as they are walking off and leaving you behind ..... saying 'I will see how things are next week/month'

I hope that you get through this without getting too much more fed up and unhappy

(whoops sorry that is not grammatically correct, but you know what I mean

)

 

[imafluffybunny]

My horse was on box rest for 6 months and I fed equifeast cool calm and collected, I already fed it to my stressy mare and it really kept my gelding calm throughout his box rest.
Check out their website, it is better for the horse than giving ACP and works much better than herbal supplements.

 

[Oldred]

Just checked - its Wendals calmer I use. Think it works but with a mare.... some days she def hormonal, sometimes its the weather, some days she's lovely!