OMG how do you all cope with box rest?

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Kezzabell2

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how do you cope with the stress of box rest?

My boy came back from the vets on Thursday and I've never felt so stressed in my life! my chest literally hurts where I'm so worried the whole time!

I have a small vets practice so he was stabled on his own whilst he was there! I picked him up and he was totally relaxed, apparently he'd been really relaxed the whole 3 days he was there!

My yard, I'm the only person there! I have this horse, who is 4. he's been stabled on and off, not constantly but has always been fine. I have my 29yr old mare who HATES being stabled with a passion. and a mini Shetland who I can't catch so doesn't get stabled.

So I thought he'd be fine on his own still? nope, an hour of pacing around the stable and calling to my mare, I gave up and brought her in! she was so unhappy, that I have her some sedalin to calm her down (vets advice) she seemed out the next morning, so I left her in, then let her out at lunch time, he got really upset again, so I had to bring her back in!

So I've borrowed a pony from my friend! he's great, really calm, happy to be stabled! but my boy is only happy when my mare is in! so I've been alternating my mare and pony! and giving him sedalin whilst the pony is in! the pony is also great with my mini, who doesn't really get too close to my 2! it was like an instant attraction!

but I'm so worried what he will be pacing about whilst she is out! which is defeating the object of box rest, surely?

Luckily the vet is coming back tomorrow, as he's having remedial shoes and then more xrays! so hopefully she will let me know what to do for the best!
 
What a nightmare :( Could he go out on a stable sized patch?

My gelding got injured 5 weeks ago so had to go on box rest. Luckily I have stables at home which where empty so rather than leave him at the yard with the others I brought him home. He's far more settled on his own then he would be if he had others around him!
 
Are you on a private yard? If so is there anyway you could leave the mare on the yard rather than stabled? Alternatively, move the mare out of sight and don't use her as company if he is getting to clingy to her? It is such a pain if they aren't calm on box rest. Why is he on box rest is it possible to do pen turnout?
 
well my vet says now! he's had to have injections, on just above his hoof and they don't want him to get dirty as it could cause an injection! The annoying thing is I have a massive barn in the field with an nice sized area out the front that him and my mare could happily go into together! but where its been raining there is a patch of mud to the entrance!

I will show the vet it tomorrow and see what she thinks!

I did speak to another vet who was on callout on Thursday and he said that when he does the same treatment to race horses he doesn't make them stay on box rest so long, after a few days they get walks in hand but I'm told no walking in hand for 7 days! :(
 
I feel your pain. We resorted to whacking great doses of ACP (on vet advice) and eventually when he got really bad just gave up and turned him out, on the basis that constant box walking was doing more damage than anything in a straight line, and the fields were pretty firm so he wouldn't be hooning on mud.

Tiny paddocks were no good - he would just charge a stride then spin and plunge. Company was no good because he wasn't with the rest of the herd. Keeping him in he got horribly, horribly stressed - I gave up trying when he had switched off and was box walking and weaving on auto-pilot. Horrid to see.

We ended up on a system where he'd get tied up for an hour or so after breakfast while the ACP kicked in (there was one tie ring - and one only! - where he would stand like a rock) while the rest got their high jinks out of their systems, then lead him up to the herd and release him there to minimise hooning. Wasn't infallible but couldn't have carried on with the box rest and the drugs just weren't having the desired effect. It's a very quiet yard during the day - on a busy yard with things happening all day he might have coped better - but TBH in the same situation again I'd think very seriously about whether rest was the right option, or whether a longer period in the field would be better.

I hope the vet can come up with some bright ideas for you. Good luck! x
 
LadyRascasse said:
Are you on a private yard? If so is there anyway you could leave the mare on the yard rather than stabled? Alternatively, move the mare out of sight and don't use her as company if he is getting to clingy to her? It is such a pain if they aren't calm on box rest. Why is he on box rest is it possible to do pen turnout?
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It is a private yard but the stables are in a barn, so I can't leave her out! so she is out of sight when she goes out!

I think having them both in my field shelter would be the best option! so hopefully the vet will agree with that tomorrow!
 
Theocat said:
Could you lay old carpet over the muddy patch?
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This is a really blimmin good idea!! I might just suggest that! I know he will be happier if he has my mare with him and she loves the barn, so wouldn't get stressed out being in there!

You situation sounds horrible too, not fun! I'm just hoping he will calm down soon! or wish my mare would calm down so I didn't feel guilty having her in! The things we do for our horses ay!
 
Some will shoot me for this, but I'll say it anyway. I think that, for some horses, if they aren't happy on box rest then it's better to come to an arrangement where they can move around a bit than sacrifice their mental health. In order to do this I've had horses in field shelters with a mate in a small pen outside so they can always be seen. Or put a horse in a shelter with a pen outside. And I've even just turned a horse out, knowing that it would be calmer and move about less while quietly grazing with friends than stressing in a stable. Hooves can be wrapped up in nappies, protected with old feed sacks and duck tape, there are options.
Luckily it sounds as if this won't be for too long Op, see what compromises the vet will accept, but know your horse and do the best for him is what I say. Vets will order box rest a lot, but if you explain that an alternative must be found they will sometimes be open to alternatives.
 
I can genuinely say that the times my lot have been on box rest have been the most stressful of my life, I feel for you....to the extent ive invested in professional rehab livery but that brought its own issues as they couldn't stand to be apart....

Best advice I can give you is take that Sedalin, drop a bit in your own mouth and go lie down in a cool dark room until it's all over ��
 
Frumpoon said:
Best advice I can give you is take that Sedalin, drop a bit in your own mouth and go lie down in a cool dark room until it's all over ��
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hahahaha that is the best advice yet!

I'm so blimmin tired too! All I've done today, is muck out the stables, mucked out the field, mucked out the stables again! think im going to sleep now, ready for the 6am mucking out before work :(
 
I do feel for you. My boy has have to had 2 periods of box rest and he's a 24/7 chap. The first time he was supposed to be in for at least 4 weeks, strained both foreleg tendons. I gave up after 2 weeks, he was getting stressed and colickly. I turned him back out, he's in a field on his own anyway and if it took longer for him to come sound then so be it! The second time he stood on a nail and spent 10 days in horsespital. He came out with a plate fitted to a special shoe which needed attention daily. I was extremely lucky that a very good friend offered to help me out and have him at their yard for a while. He lived in luxury and had horsey neighbours, on this occasion all worked out well. Poor chap was in for months though. He wasn't allowed out in muddy conditions and typically the injury was sustained at the end of October. I did move him to a friends house as i didn't want to outstay the lovely hospitality given at the yard. The stables were right by her house and being a nosey pony he got constant attention. It is a nightmare though.

When he sood on the nail, I'd got a 13 month old toddler to keep amused too. Not easy time.

What's he done? How long is the box rest supposed to be for?
 
They do get use to it :( my baby has been on box rest for 4 months now, went back to the vets recently and they said another 2 months box rest. She has coped so well considering she is 4, sometimes needs a bit of sedlin. Lots of hay, treat ball, salt and mineral lick and likits keep of resonably happy (:
 
Can you somehow corral at least one of the others just outside so he can see them - mine are stressheads when no other horses are in sight but settle really well when they can see them. Create a "yard" outside his door and feed them hay etc at the same times as him. BTW, I found it really helped mine to have 2 adjoining boxes available - one for day and one for night so the floor had chance to air and the bed didn't get too horrendous.
 
He's been diagnosed with bone spurs. One in his front coffin joint the other in his rear hock. He's only 4 so really gutted for him

About having 2 stables he's a big horse and they are small stables. His is 2 made into 1. I'd be worried he'd get stuck in the small stables bless him. Tho it would stop him moving about so much, hehe.

Jill my stables are in a barn so can't have an area out the front. When the others are in he can sniff over to top. He's happy when pony is sniffing back but not when he's not getting the attention he wants
 
Ahh, yes, I remember your thread now. At such a tender age too.

I hope you manage to find a solution. Have you tried a radio for company for him? Classic FM?
 
Kezzabell2 said:
Jill my stables are in a barn so can't have an area out the front. When the others are in he can sniff over to top. He's happy when pony is sniffing back but not when he's not getting the attention he wants
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No wonder he is stressing, being on their own is really bad news for an animal that relies on a herd for safety, that is the disadvantage of American barn stabling. Mine don't like being in on their own in mine even for an hour or two, I kept a few "conventional" outdoor stables for that reason. A mirror can help, or leaving a radio on as an illusion of company. Can you get the pony to live in the aisle and one stable for a while?
 
Oh the relief. Arrived at 6.15 to a snoozing boy. He got straight up and greeted me totally relaxed. Mare was pleased to come in from the wet. She was a bit cold so is warning up nicely now. While the 2 ponies are out enjoying the rain. Rather than standing in the shelter. Bless them
 
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