Mr Merlin retired today

CarolineJ

CarolineJ

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Long story short, after a month of intermittent lameness (see the blog link in sig for all the details if you're interested), Merlin went spectacularly lame overnight and has been diagnosed this morning with a badly swollen tendon on the right fore. He's been prescribed two months complete rest (the vet has agreed we can try keeping him turned out on a tiny, tiny fenced off section of flat field rather than box rest because he weaves and box walks, but if he starts bouncing he has to go in) followed by six months of doing hardly anything and then he might be OK to have a long and happy retirement pottering around our fields.

Poor boy, he's only about 16 :( The vet's given me some extremely strong anti-inflammatories for him and once we've got the swelling and soreness under control they'll see about doing x-rays or a scan to see if there's anything else, like arthritis, going on in there.

TBH, I don't care if I can never ride him again, he's been here a year and I've only sat on him a handful of times as it is - I get my pleasure from just watching him grazing, grooming him and generally being soppy with him, but watching him hobble around this morning before the first AIs took effect, if resting him doesn't work then there'll be a quality of life decision to make :( Please cross your fingers for him.
 
Tendon's can be fixed. X-ray's won't show you anything much with soft tissue damage, a scan will reveal all.

Good luck with everything from keeping him sane to fixing him as much as possible. I do hope things aren't as bad as they look at the moment so fingers are very much crossed for you!
 
tendons can be fixed lots of cold hosing 30mins x 2 daily and if you can ice bubble booting (the cold therapy aids the healing and refuces the inflamation which causes damage) and stable bandages 24/7 and 2 bute, box rest no movement, so try a calmer for a month to 6 weeks then lead out in hand with calmer until sound on bute, then lead out in hand on no bute and when sound with no bute then out in small field, do not turn horse out as is because the tendon will possibly rupture then you wont be making any life long decisions. Racehorses go back racing after doing their tendons. Good luck!! Interesting if you dont ride him much how has he done a tendon and if it was done in the field all the more reason you do not turn him out!!!!!
 
have a look at these - not cheap but seriously good - my eventer friend has a pair for the day after....www.equomed.fr it starts off in French, but the content is English. Might save your water bill a bit:)
 
Yup, preferably in a stable with a big 3 layer stookie on doing sfa for a while. With £3.5k insurance to play with you can keep your wee beastie zoned on ACP for a while so box rest is easier. I wouldn't give up on him, I would give him all the time in the world to fix and see what you end up with in a years time. Realistically he won't be doing nowt for a year anywho!

I would be interested to see what the scans show up. If it is SDFT then that can be fixed to an extent. If it's DDFT then that is trickier to fix but it can be done, it depends on the extent.

Give him a year-year and a half and you may well bring him out of retirement!
 
Thanks all, will look into all your recommendations :) Just back from evening cold hosing and hard drugs and he's so much more comfortable on it than he was this morning :) We may be able to get the scans done sooner rather than later. Hopefully time, rest and patience will see him right one day.
 
I was told I would nt ride mine ever again he was 19 and I couldnt believe it. Off for a year and then we decided to ride him again gently(still short canters on soft ground etc) and he has not long retired rising 24years. I absolutely agree that I enjoy just watching him in the field and having a pet paddock pony. Does make me feel nostalgic and end of an era etc but he deserves to be cared for(and not passed around or on etc). He is still the same just not ridden.

Good luck time is a healer see how it goes.
 
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