Possible soft tissue foot injury

[Annagain]

An update - Wig had his MRI on Friday and I spoke to the vet from the hospital today. It's not the worst news but not the best either. He has damage to the medial collateral ligament in the left fore but with lesser damage to the same in the right fore and associated swelling in the coffin joints of both feet. The vet thinks he's injured the left and favouring the right has since caused issues in that leg too. The vet has recommended arthramid injections in both coffin joints. The good news is that there's no sign of arthritic changes. He should make a full recovery but it will be a long, hard, slow slog of box rest and rehab. We have 8 weeks of box/small pen rest with 10 minutes walking, then a further 8 weeks of increasing the walking up to 40 mins a day, then another 8 weeks of turnout in a small paddock on his own and finally another 8 weeks of introducing ridden work again.

In some ways it's good we're going into winter as he'll have company in overnight and he'd be in then anyway but I think a small pen will be very difficult as it's likely to get get very churned up and slippery in the autumn weather so he' going to be stuck in a lot, bless him. His stable's in a barn so he can't even look out at anything interesting. It's also hand walking through the cold and wet that will be September - December. I've just worked out that we'll be hitting 40 mins in the week of the shortest day so it's not ideal. Hopefully if all goes to plan and my YO is accommodating, he'll be able to go back out a few hours a day by the new year and I'll be back on board by the beginning of March.

He's going to be barefoot for at least the first 8 weeks and then we'll reassess. Any tips or success stories on that would be greatly appreciated.

I'm also considering rehab livery for the second 16 weeks - again, any advice on this would be very welcome. We have a rehab livery fairly close to home which offers things like a water treadmill. Or would the first 16 weeks of box rest make more sense? They have turnout pens of all sizes and could probably manage his box rest in a way that's better for him as there'll be people around all day? I'm happy to pay or do the work myself, I just want the best for him. Then when he's back, he could go straight onto a small paddock and I could pick up the ridden work when he's ready. The more I think about it, the more I think this makes sense. My vet has to order in the arthramid which takes 10-14 days so he won't be going anywhere until that's done anyway.

 

[Lucky Snowball]

Wishing you all the best. Just think about the Spring.

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

I think sounds promising could have been alot worse.

I think if he will box rest OK I would be inclined to stay put for now and try and put him in a small pen for part of the day while it's still quite dry.

Then see how it goes and maybe send him somewhere towards the end because then at least he will have the stable with a pen if the weather is vile and ground is muddy.

 

[Annagain]

I think sounds promising could have been alot worse.

I think if he will box rest OK I would be inclined to stay put for now and try and put him in a small pen for part of the day while it's still quite dry.

Then see how it goes and maybe send him somewhere towards the end because then at least he will have the stable with a pen if the weather is vile and ground is muddy.

He's already been on box rest for 3 weeks (but have to count last Friday as day 1 as that's when the scan was) and has been a total star so far. He's eating me out of house and home but he's behaving like a dream. He has a small area for turnout when it's dry and I can move it about within reason but it's not going to stand up to being used in the rain. There is an area with road planings that would be perfect but it's the kids' play area. I think Wig would be fine working round the swings and trampolines (with fencing!) and can't imagine the kids would use it much in winter but not sure the YO would want to do that (and would totally understand why if she doesn't).

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

He's already been on box rest for 3 weeks (but have to count last Friday as day 1 as that's when the scan was) and has been a total star so far. He's eating me out of house and home but he's behaving like a dream. He has a small area for turnout when it's dry and I can move it about within reason but it's not going to stand up to being used in the rain. There is an area with road planings that would be perfect but it's the kids' play area. I think Wig would be fine working round the swings and trampolines (with fencing!) and can't imagine the kids would use it much in winter but not sure the YO would want to do that (and would totally understand why if she doesn't).

Some cope with the restrictions quite well but the play area sounds like an idea you could just tape off the toys.

It's nice if they will be happy in a small pen Arabi hated it and would just buck and rear, so he was better in his stable and I let him walk about the yard area when I was there.

 

[Annagain]

Some cope with the restrictions quite well but the play area sounds like an idea you could just tape off the toys.

It's nice if they will be happy in a small pen Arabi hated it and would just buck and rear, so he was better in his stable and I let him walk about the yard area when I was there.

It's a change of scenery if nothing else. I just hate that his stable's in a barn and he can't see out at all. I want to take a tin opener to the barn wall to cut him a window!

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

It's a change of scenery if nothing else. I just hate that his stable's in a barn and he can't see out at all. I want to take a tin opener to the barn wall to cut him a window!

I think as long as he can get out for part of the day he should be OK by the sound of it.

 

[w1bbler]

Rehab & box rest can be sole destroying. If you can afford it I'd be tempted to send away for the whole time.
If you are a anywhere near Devon I can recommend a fab rehab yard, with water treadmill, all weather turnout pens & amazing lady running it.

 

[Annagain]

Rehab & box rest can be sole destroying. If you can afford it I'd be tempted to send away for the whole time.
If you are a anywhere near Devon I can recommend a fab rehab yard, with water treadmill, all weather turnout pens & amazing lady running it.

Thanks, I'm not but we have a similar place about 20 minutes away from us. I can't afford the whole time but maybe could for a chunk of it. I'm trying to work out when would be the best time to do it. In some ways, now is the right time as I'm having to buy hay in (we get haylage provided in winter) and he's in all on his own as the others are all out 24/7 but it also feels a bit extravagant when he's only being walked in hand for 10 mins a day. He's also less likely to get time out at home in the depths of winter because he'll churn up any small pen he's in so going for the all weather when everything will be mud and he needs to be walked for up to 40 mins a day makes sense in every way other than a financial one.

I've got the added complication of Archie, my other horse. He's 30 and I decided last winter I wasn't putting him or me through it again as he (and therefore I) had a really rough winter. That time is getting closer and I'm torn between wanting to spend as much time with Arch and needing to do everything with Wig. Due to factors, they're in 2 different places (although I have to drive past Archie to get to Wig so it's not awful) but I also think I'll need Wig around when Arch goes. On top of that my MiL died 6 weeks ago so we're back and forth to my FiL, 3 hours away from us, at least one day of the weekend (he's got nobody else) so everything's a bit manic at the moment.

 

[HelenBack]

I'm sorry everything is so complicated at the moment. I think you'll definitely need the help in the winter when it's dark and he's walking more but I can see why you could really do with it now too.

I presume the place you have in mind is the obvious one that I would think of? I don't know how much she charges there but there might be a cheaper option for you at my yard. It obviously doesn't have all the facilities of where you have in mind but there are rehab paddocks for when the time comes to turn him out and there are stables with front and back windows. At the moment the horses are in by day and they'll probably turn round in early November-ish so he'd have company some of the time all the way through.

The only thing is the rehab paddocks probably would get trashed if it's another wet winter so he might have to have shorter hours in proper winter but she'd get him out every day and for longer if he was quiet. I don't really know if she'd offer the walking either but she might do or you might rather do that yourself anyway.

It's definitely not a set up like the one you have in mind but if the costs are favourable it might just allow you to cover much more of his rehab time.

Give me a shout if you might be interested and I can chat to you a bit more off line.

Happy to support with the barefoot bit too if that would be helpful. Having made such a big song and dance about it when I did it though my main advice would be not to worry too much and just get him some boots if you think he's getting a bit sore when you increase his walking

 

[Annagain]

Thanks HB - yes we're thinking of the same place. I did wonder about just a full livery setup and doing the rehab bits myself, so I can take him out on the roads. I can do that closer to home though (and helpfully at the yard where my vet is based) which would make the walking side of it easier, especially as it's much flatter round there than at my yard (despite only being a couple of miles away) and would save me a fair bit on fuel - I think you'd be about a 25 minute drive from me on a good day, the other place would be abut 4 minutes! I'm just not sure how much they'd get him out as they have small paddocks but the whole yard seems to take turns going out in winter. At least he'd have company though. The other thing is I'm reading that the water treadmill is excellent for rehabbing this sort of injury so that would be another factor to consider, although I could just take him there for that once a week I suppose.

He's out in his little pen today and it feels so much better knowing his stable is ready for him to come into so all I have to do tonight is walk him. It's also nice to know he's seeing a bit of the world, even if the other horses are a distance away (he's next to the gym so some of those coming there make a fuss of him). It feels very manageable today but I know days like this are going to be fewer and farther in between as winter sets in.