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Post by Jenni on Mar 27, 2015 9:06:03 GMT -5
That hoof injury he got when he had his big wreck back in 2013 never healed back together so when I had him in to get his teeth done at the beginning of March the vet suggested removing the separated back section of the hoof and some of the heel bulb. The way it is now when he steps on hard/uneven ground the back of the hoof pulls apart and causes pain. Chances are good he would eventually catch it on something and rip it off and cause a lot more damage.
Vet said we could try getting it to grow back together but that would involve reopening the old wound and sutures and wiring the hoof and several weeks in a cast and he doubted it would work. We could also leave it and try to "float it" and put on special shoes but he would probably still catch it and rip it off. So I just scheduled him for surgery on Monday. He'll need to be laid down for surgery so I'll drop him off Sunday evening, he'll have surgery during the day on Monday and pick him up Monday evening. A couple weeks of stall rest and bandaging and he should be just about good as new.
The good news is the vet doesn't think the hoof or the ugly scarring on that back leg will affect his soundness. The 2 tendons/ligaments that are in the back of the leg are fused together instead of moving separately but they are healed and not painful or causing him to be lame. The vet said he will move a little differently, may not have as much flexibility and could be more stiff after competition but he thinks he'll probably be fine.
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Post by Mary Ann on Mar 27, 2015 9:24:50 GMT -5
I had a young horse in for training years ago that belonged to a very skilled barrel racer. She was just looking for miles and manners on her horse while she was getting ready to have her first child. This gelding would do a weird bucky-kickout thing during upward transitions. It'd frustrate him and make him antsy. After making precious little headway with this horse, I sent him home with the information about the kicking. Owner hauled him to a well-known horsepital here who said after an injury the tendons had fused, and nothing could be done; he would always be like that.
She'd gotten him from a breeder in Georgia who was willing to keep her happy so the breeder exchanged horses for her.
Breeder took the gelding to a horsepital down there. They went in and surgically split the tendons. He had PT and went on to a successful barrel racing career.
First step first. But the door might not be closed on Twister's tendons. In the meantime, good luck with the foot! I think you'll like the results.
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Post by Jenni on Mar 27, 2015 10:30:27 GMT -5
I like the sounds of that MaryAnn. I haven't noticed him having problems with transitions but he also hasn't been put back into regular work, just a ride here and there. I will keep it in mind. When I took him on a trail ride a couple weeks ago he did kind of a kick out buck as we were going down a hill and then looked back like something poked him but we were in a group of strange horses on one of the first off the farm rides of the year so I didn't think much about it. I had him out on Sunday and loped some circles and had a horrible time getting him to pick up the lead where that foot would be the driving foot BUT I had trouble with that back before he got hurt too. Once I did get him to pick it up he seemed fine. I do notice him "flinching" when he steps wrong and makes that hoof split.
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Post by ride4fun on Mar 27, 2015 10:46:49 GMT -5
Sending vibes for the hoof surgery to be very successful.
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Post by Idaho Linda on Mar 27, 2015 11:01:27 GMT -5
Sending Twister best wishes to finally get over this owie once and for all.
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Post by DorothyB on Mar 30, 2015 16:23:55 GMT -5
I hope all went well today and stall rest doesn't drive you both crazy  |
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Post by Idaho Linda on Mar 30, 2015 19:45:23 GMT -5
Report?
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Post by Mary Ann on Mar 31, 2015 9:17:39 GMT -5
Yeah, report?
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Post by Jenni on Mar 31, 2015 13:34:12 GMT -5
Vet reported everything went well. He actually left less of a wound than he expected. I have not seen the wound yet but the vet said it's only about the size of a quarter, which is smaller than he expected. Vet had wanted to keep him one more night so he could rewrap him and check it out today but I left my trailer there, with Kelsey's saddle in it and it is GORGEOUS today and we are supposed to go riding with a friend so I opted to pick him up last night. He walked and even took a couple trot steps with no apparent pain. He is to get a couple grams of Bute for 4-5 days. I am to rewrap tonight and then every other day for 8-10 days with stall rest during that time. By then he should be pretty much healed. Any remaining healing can take place in the open air with Underwoods applied to it and he should be ready to return to work.
Twister was very irritated by not being released "into the wild" when we got home. I had planned to leave him inside in the stall but he was totally freaking out - of course it didn't help that the other idiots were running around snorting. So I had to quick set up my outside stall under the lean to like I had back when he first got hurt. In that short amount of time he managed to almost get his bandage worm through. His toe was exposed but it still seemed pretty intact back where the surgery happened so I opted to just slap a diaper and some duct tape on it and called it good - it was still in place this morning. It's not ideal out there because if it rains and blows from the south or east he's going to get wet but I guess with the dict tape and diaper his foot should still stay dry.
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Post by Idaho Linda on Mar 31, 2015 17:51:00 GMT -5
Big smile here!
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Post by DorothyB on Mar 31, 2015 21:29:01 GMT -5
Another big smile here! Might be good to keep a diaper on over the bandage after changes in case it rains or he gets excited.
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Post by Jenni on Apr 1, 2015 9:05:20 GMT -5
Yes Dorothy - I have to go buy some more diapers though. I happened to have a couple left overs from my kids but I think I am out now so I'll have to go get a package.
I unwrapped and rewrapped him this AM. It looked a lot better than I had imagined it would. A bit bigger than a quarter - maybe a quarter with a nickel beside it. It doesn't look like it really needs to fill in any tissue at all just grow new skin and close up. My wrapping job doesn't look nearly as good as the vets, I guess that's why he gets paid $17 to do it, lol.
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Post by colorless on Apr 1, 2015 9:26:24 GMT -5
Hoping for a good recovery.. We had a colt who did pretty much the same thing .. At that time opted to cast it and healed without any problem.. Don't you wish you could reason with him and say just be good for a little while and things will be fine.. Horses always finding ways to hurt themselves over and over..
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Post by Jenni nli on Apr 1, 2015 18:48:39 GMT -5
Colorless had I taken him there to begin with I probably would have casted but nearly 2 years later that probably wasn't going to work. It actually looks like his foot was trying to "heal" this junk off and that's why it was a smaller wound than expected.
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Post by colorless on Apr 1, 2015 19:20:12 GMT -5
Glad it was not as bad as they were thinking. I know you look at a wound like that and think if you just keep it wrapped and slow and sure it will heal.. But that keeps on breaking open.. Ours was a yearling and wish I would have had pictures as it looked alot like Twisters original injury.. Good Luck and heres to a good summer
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