Update from Gingerwitch

That is good news. You may have a long road to recovery but it sounds like you, big lad and OH are ready for it.

I think you also need to buy your vet a bottle of something too.
 
Sending vibes ur way I hope I can finally start to treat the problem now xx keep us updated over weekend and when u can post some pics would love to know what he Los like xx
 
I have been following this post with my heart in my mouth from day one.

I take my hat off to you and your OH with your unstinting kindness and the fantastic way you will do everything and beyond for your horse.

I have everything crossed for you all xx
 
OMG, :eek:

I'm so glad you finally have a supportive team round you while all this is going with your lad - how rare is that to happen - I can't imagine !

Sending him lots of vibes still, and lots to you too. sm xx
 
Just back from late night check and yes I know he is full of bute from the injection but suddenly we have a very naughty pony in the stable...! he is very very bright, appears to be bearing full weight on his poorly leg when standing - it now looks like a sore hoof rather than the cripling pain he has so obviously been in.

I am just experiancing my first bute high - as I ended up with most of the paste in my mouth (his top up medi for the night), gosh it burns on the way down - no wonder he does not like it. !

Tucking into his hay net now (2kg) he is still on his diet - only another 27kg to get off him

Prepared for a dissapointment in the morning.... I have had so many.... but i do have a very good feeling now - I am worn out, shattered but I now know I have done my best and I could not do anymore - until today I could not rest - I felt as if i had let him down.

GW
x
 
Last edited:
So glad to hear that you now know what the problem is. If you still didn't know you would not have let him down, just not known what was wrong. Sounds as if current vet and farrier make a damn good team. Have you had any thoughts about how you are going to let the first vet know how things have gone with the big lad? (Other than written on paper wrapped round a brick and close contact with the back of his head! :D)
 
Thanks for all of your good wishes - it does help

Treatment - no idea ! I will leave that to become clear over the next few days - We did not really discuss it - the only thing that was said was that the horse was the priority and we (hubby and me) would not allow the big lad to suffer unnecessarily - he is 23 and if he is going to have a good life then fine, but if he was going to have weeks of pain or never have any type of quality of life then we were not prepared to carry on with the treatment.

First Vet - complete arrogant arse ! - I do not know what to do about the idiot yet (I think a wack with a snow shovel or maybe I will have some flyers printed.... :) - he is not a priority - the big lad is

Current Vet and Farrier - awesome is all i can say
 
Last edited:
Gw, firstly sorry for not reading all the posts last night before I posted congratulations... I feel awful for that :( emotionally, I know exactly what you are going through and I'm so sorry, I know that nothing can describe how you feel. :( I sincerely hope this is the start of the road to recovery for your boy, I am keeping everything crossed for you and him. Xxxx
 
Queenbee - your post was the least of my worries - so dont stress about that - I know exactly how these post things can happen - hell I can't keep up with the situation - so lord alone knows how anyone else is !

GW
x
 
Absolutely the big lad is priority :) I just know that when the dust settles, hopefully when BL is fully recovered it is hard to get the motivation to do anything about arrogant ars@s. One nearly lost us our 'common' coloured cob mare and did loose us her foal, nearly twenty years ago, two great vets from that practice got her through the myriad 'itisis she ended up with because of his arrogance and other than never having him on our yard, we did nothing else. I often think now that we should have done, but were so exhausted by the whole experience and so glad that we still had the mare, that we did nothing.

So so glad to hear that he is so much better this evening.
 
Sounds like youve a diagnosis and a plan, the big lads on his pain relief, and from your description of him tonight it sounds like its working, keeping it all crossed things are going to keep going in the right direction.
 
So glad you now have a diagnosis, it is good that your vet and farrier are working so well together, it really Does make all the difference. My OH is now convinced I am mad as I have been following this whilst on holiday in Mexico. Thank god for Wi-Fi. Still sending you long distance vibes.
 
He looks like a horse with a poorly foot today - rather than a very ill horse.

Will update you guys more in a while, but i am back to bed for an hour, and will go back to the yard at 8, wonderful vet will give me a call to check on progress - that man deserves a medal for kindness to animals, patience with hysterical women, and his wife - well I will arrange a boquet of flowers for her on Monday - to thank her for supporting an obvious family man whom is dedicated to his job

He is being very naughty and if we can manage his pain at this level I am happy to continue, so keeping everything crossed
 
I've been following this and am so pleased to hear this. I really hope the lad has turned a corner now. He's lucky to have you doing everything possible for him, and a great team too, you deserve a break so let's hope it's better news now on x
 
I`ve been following this post with baited breath (and thought I had posted early on?) and am so pleased to read that things seem so much more positive following the vet`s visit yesterday. What a hero he sounds to be! The strength and fortitude you have shown have been amazing and inspirational.

Hope things continue to improve - very pleased to know that he feels well enough to be naughty!
 
So glad you have finally answers. When the appy had imprints on he went badly lame so we thought that was it.....his pedal bone had rotated more and we were hoong to lose him. Vet had to sedate hom to get the shoe off and even then he was in so much pain it was heartbreaking. When the imprint cane off we had never before been so pleased to smell an abcess!

Hugs to you and Big Lad.
Xxxx
 
GW, I've only just caught up with your update. So pleased to hear you have a veritable army of good guys now helping Big Lad. He's very lucky to have such a determined owner in you too.
 
I never thought I would ever be happy to see the big lad with a limp ! - but i am jumping over the moon that the really swing out action has stopped.

We have a very very long road ahead, and this is a work in progress - but I hope i am not wrong in saying we now have a light bulb in the light fitting at the end of the tunnel!

We are cutting his bute down to 3 today.... so this is the first step forward we hope - and not one of those crippling backward steps...

The routine seams well established in our house:- (he only gets 6kg of food all day - so we spread it out loads ! )
5am - up peer through barn door - ears - relief - no ears - panic
7am leave yard for either work or bed - (going back now for a nap!) -
9am - morning hay
1pm- dinner and hay
5pm - High Tea and hay
8pm - hay
10pm - dinner and hay

Hubby comes back for the 10pm with me.... and he is a good measure of the improvement.... me I am still the hysterical mum and if he twitches from a fly landing I am nearly on speed dial to the vet as i think he is about to colic

GW
x
 
Glad to hear that there appears to be a light at the end of the tunnel. Fingers crossed that light gets brighter and brighter. Make sure you take care of yourself as well GW, you must be absolutely exhausted! Sending more hugs and vibes x
 
Well what an eventful last few days....

Sunday night at the 10pm check - I am not happy with the way he is... starting to do wheelies and moving on his back end.... looks a very unhappy bunny....

Monday morn - I get to the yard at half 5 - I am in floods... he cant move on his front end... he is on 3 legs - I bute as best i can and just watch. Text the vet at an appropriate hour (7am), phone the office at 8am and tell them its just gone horribly wrong and I really really need the vet.

Vet sends another Vet out for a 2nd opinion and my farrier and the back lady meet me at 12... they make me make him walk, he cant, I am distraught - they start to look at the hoof and they use the hoof testers on him and he goes up - I shout at them for hurting him and ask them whats going on - they have a weird chat and I am literally making the call to hubby to tell them that I am letting him go. I go back for one last hug, and I ask them what has gone wrong and why is he now walking on the poorly side of the poorly hoof - they look puzzled and tell me I am wrong - I say no - he is trying to walk on the toe, or the side thats supposed to be collapsed. They check the x rays and tell me i am wrong - I shout at them and tell them to look at him... they make me walk him again... I am in tears the poor vet and farrier think i am loopy... and lo and behold he is trying his best to walk for me, but is scooping himself forward with the toe, or trying to place the poorly side to the floor.

They ask me to get him back to his box, I ask them whats the point, I wont see him in this much pain anymore. Vet starts with the hoof tester and i Tell him - you dont need those and my poor poor brave lad is trying to rear away - but he is so poliet he will only do a mini rear, and he was shutting his eyes with the pain, and to this day i swear he had tears running from his eyes... I was holding him as best i could, i was angry with the vet, i was angry with the farrier, and tbh I just wanted them to put him out of his pain.

Suddenly the vet said - pus - weve got pus and load of it ! - my tears turned to joy and i text the hubby to say PUS - they dug for a while and revealed a huge track of pus in the sole.

Today the vet has been and is delighted with the progress - it would appear that the cast drew the pus... a side effect of the cast, and my big brave boy is now banging the door with his hoof - i even let him get away with it yesterday as i was so pleased he was being naughty- and stomping round the stable - we still have a long long way to go - but I have not wanted to post anything as each time we make a break through it has seamed to have gone wrong.

I feel positive now - shattered but positive
 
Top