Tendon injury and box rest - help please?

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GT_02

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My 20 yo WB came in from the field at the weekend hopping lame. An ultrasound scan has confirmed he has damaged his DDFT. The vet has advised he has 2 months box rest, a scan and then probably a further 2 months (minimum) box rest. He had a similar injury in his other forelimb 4 years ago and coped well with stopping in, but I want to make it a comfortable as possible for him. Does anyone have any advise on how to keep him occupied during this time? Also, can anyone think of any health problems that could arise from being on box rest that I need to keep an eye out for? Otherwise, he's perfectly fit and healthy and despite his injury, he's bright as a button.

Thanks in advance
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Feed him as often as possible. I went to the yard every few hours if I was able, and gave my horse enough hay to last her until I next visited, and a handful of chaff. Hide-the-carrot was always her favourite game
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as she had little places round her box that I could hide a slice of carrot. I also hung swedes from the rafters in the middle of the box but she became the world champion at getting them down (her record was under a minute!) so that became expensive. Apple bobbing in her water bucket was also expensive, but in bedding - she drank the entire 20l bucket of water so she could get the apple
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then peed like the Niagra Falls for 24 hours!!
I also took her for lots of walks, as although she was on box rest for a 2cm tear in the DDFT below the navicular bone and also degeneration of the cartilage attaching the DDFT to the pedal bone, she wasn't on "strict" box rest and was allowed to walk the 10 seconds to the nearest patch of grass. I did this at least twice a day. If ever I wasn't around I'd beg/pay someone else to feed her or skip her out or take her for some grass, or just to generally give her some attention so she didn't get too bored and lonely! It seemed to work; we lasted four and a half months before she was allowed to be turned away
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This was all last year... she tore her tendon February 3rd 2007 and had about 18 months off work in total. She's been walking out in-hand for two months now and although I've had the odd sneaky sit on recently, today is the first time I shall officially be allowed to take her out for a 30 minute hack
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It's a long road to recovery but I'm glad we survived (so far!)
 
That's great - thanks. Glad to hear your girl's almost there!

Love the idea of the apple bobbing! He pees like a race horse (!) anyway so will give it a go. He's on quite a busy yard so I'll ask the yo if she'll pop him a couple of extra feeds in. I'll split the 2 he currently has into 4 so that should keep him a bit happier.

The vet says I can start walking him in-hand in 4 weeks so hopefully that will brighten his day up too.

Thanks again!
 
If you can bear them the likit toys are good - my mare is on box rest and has one, she gets through them quite quickly though so it can be expensive.

I also got her a nut ball and she loves that!! I also hide carrots in her haynet (which is small holed to try and make her eat it a bit slower) so she has something succulent to come across.

I want to try and get a stable mirror as well though.
 
My sympathies go out to you as I am also contending with a tendon injury at the moment, although sounds like your horse is better behaved than mine
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Anyway, my boy absolutely loves his snack-a-ball - I put his hard feed (ie the lay off nuts he is on) all in the ball 2 x daily and that keeps him busy for ages. He just gets some chaff and supplements in his bucket feed. Would definiately recommend
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Good luck anyway x
 
I too have a horse recuperating from a DDFT injury. We started off with 7 weeks' paddock rest but that didn't help so I had to give in and put him on 8 weeks' box rest (I resisted it initially because temperamentally the horse was unsuited to box rest and sure enough he dropped a lot of weight, box walked, started cribbing and was generally depressed in the final two weeks).

While he was incarcerated I found the most absorbing thing for him was a swede on a Likit holder hanging from the rafters. He occasionally got a Likit as a change but could demolish them in a couple of hours so it became expensive. The swede would last overnight.

He got small-holed haylage nets every few hours and two small feeds to break up the day, plus I would do carrot-stretches, and he was led out inhand every day for an hour's grazing.

After 20 weeks since the injury I've been advised to bring him back very slowly into work - we're on six weeks' walk work at the moment.

Good luck with your boy.
 
You have my sympathies,My old boy (17) has just been finaly retired after a YEAR on box rest for a tendon injury.

I was very lucky that he didnt seem to mind box rest,and even kept a reasonable condition but his feed was adjusted.I didnt need to do too much extra for him,although i did borrow a stable mirror and buy him a lick-it toy thing.

The best thing i did for him was to persuede yard owner to move him up to the end stable overlooking the whole yard and Menage,and the one everyone who came to the yard had to walk past.That way he always had something to watch and everyone stopped to talk to him.

If you have understanding staff/other owners at your yard just ask them nicely if they'll give your horse a bit of fuss whenever they are around and that should do wonders to his happiness.
 
My boy had a suspected DDFT injury 18 months ago and was on box rest for just over 2 months. He used to kick the snack ball so much it had to be conviscated (!) ate lickits and swedes in less than a minute once he'd mastered how to get hold of them and I feel hiding anything for him to find who have involved him ransacking his stable! I used to give him 3 small high fibre feeds a day and lots of hay and graze him in hand 2-3 times a day or as often as possible. I used to ask the other liveries if they were up there when I wasn;t if they could give him a pat and skip him out as he is quite a messer. This meant his bed stayed cleaner and he got visitors too and no-one seemed to mind as we all help each other. Good luck and be positive and patient, 2 months of box rest, 2 months of pen rest and 3 months gradually back into work and we started to carry on where we left off. We have our first ever hunter trial booked for next weekend and am trying to just carry on as normal though is sometimes hard as you always have that worry at the back of your mind. Keep us posted on how you get on.
 
How about a stable mirror? Twigs from suitable trees hanging around to be nibbled on, and a biggish log that can be moved by hosses foot. Rubber matting if you don't already have it can make your life eaiser, and will be gentler on his legs. Hope all goes well
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Thanks for all your ideas guys - he seems to be coping quite well so far. I've been giving him as much hay as he can possibly eat and he's got carrots coming out of his ears. He's been following me round the stable begging for cuddles while I skip him out, so as long as I can get people to give him loads of attention I think he'll cope.

Thanks again!
 
My boy injured his DDFT in the hock, he had arthroscopic surgery on it 5 weeks ago and I have to take him back to the vets next Tuesday for a scan and assessment. I try and take him out for some grass for an hour a day, I work full time so trying to do this in daylight at the moment is hard. He has a snack-a-ball which he absolutely loves, but is so skilled with it now he empties it in seconds! I also bought him a stable mirror because he does suffer from separation anxiety in total it cost me about £60.00 but is worth every penny, he thinks the horse he sees is gorgeous, which of course
he is! (",) and spends hours gazing at himself and standing beside his "friend". Consequently he is very chilled out and I only give him a little sedalin when he goes out to graze to stop any spooks.
 
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