My horse is improving

[Kokopelli]

Some people may remember a post I posted quite a while ago about my horse trying to kill the vet when he tried to take his heart rate!

I have been dreading having the vet out for ages as I knew it would end in disaster, but I get a call yesterday from the person who was looking after him whilst I was in France saying he has cut his lip open and needs stiches!

Were still about two hours away so as soon as I got home I went to see him and thought he probably needed the vet, great! I rang up my instructor and asked if she could hold him whilst the vet was there as I couldn't manage him last time.

When the vet came Koko let him look at the cut without kicking up a fuss, luckily he didn't need stiches but the vet had to give him some antibiotics. A lot of people gave me advice on how to help solve this problem and we have done a lot of work with him such as pinching the skin on his neck all the time and working with a stephoscope.

When the vet went to give the injection he pinched his neck (not a problem) and actually got the needle in for a bout 2secs! I know it doesn't sound like much but this is a horse who previously went crazy for a stephoscope! And when he did act up he didn't kick as much as he did previously he was just rearing and kicked occasionaly! He didn't get all the drugs in before he went crazy so we have been given packets to feed him them.

I am so proud he is improving and I feel slightly better for when the vet may have to come out next.

My only worry is that he is due his flu jab next month and I'm not sure how we are going to do this, has anybody had success with sedalin?

 

[Rachellouise1]

One of mine is dangerous to inject, we twitch her now and it's is sooo much safer for all concerned. She had to go to the vets last week for an operation and apparently she behaved very well. She had to stay in overnight too (she has lived out for nearly 2 years). Another thing we used to do with her was inject her chest becasue she even objects to the neck pinch as she knows whats coming!!!
Good luck x

 

[Kokopelli]

One of mine is dangerous to inject, we twitch her now and it's is sooo much safer for all concerned. She had to go to the vets last week for an operation and apparently she behaved very well. She had to stay in overnight too (she has lived out for nearly 2 years). Another thing we used to do with her was inject her chest becasue she even objects to the neck pinch as she knows whats coming!!!
Good luck x

Normally I would twitch but the cut is right in the wrong place! Does your mare object to other vet things or is it just injections?

 

[martlin]

I've got 2 that don't like injections, one is just a bit of a wuss and easily contained, the other... isn't.
Flu jabs are fairly easy, I do them myself ''on the run'' Basically, I take the horse out of the stable, have the jab in my right hand, hold the end of the leadrope and walk around in left hand circles, I give the horse a little kick/nudge on the coronet band and at the same time bang the jab in. I don't pinch the skin, go straight into the neck muscles, it only takes seconds and is fairly safe for all concerned.
Often horses object as badly to being restricted in movement as they do to the jab itself.

 

[Kokopelli]

This sounds like a good idea, I couldn't do it myself though as I'm very squimish and can't even look at him having a jab, I could recommend this to the vet though, we now do all his vet work in a smallish field as he won't slip and we could walk him round. I don't think the jab bothers him much he just doesn't like the vet or anyone who could be a vet.