I hurried home for an in-house vet call. I had a blown trailer tire, and couldn't get it changed quickly enough to meet their schedule, so they came to me.
Dr. Sam arrived, and, in his quiet inquisitive way, immediately starting watching Ransom, even as I walked him out of his pasture. His tech assistant, Bubba, took the lead rope from me. He walked Ransom up and down the side yard, and trotted him up and down the side yard. Bubba also lunged Ransom left and right, changing directions multiple times, maintaining a steady trot. He also performed flex tests on the left hind, where I have seen some of Ransom's stiffness. He hoof tested both front hooves.
And the verdict? It was almost gasping funny, folks. Dr. Sam's words were much like, "It's very obscure, it's very hard to see the lameness at all. He is shorter strided on the left hind, but not by much, and not all the time. He is a little sore on his right front frog today, and hoof-tested, it's either mild navicular pain, or just a tender spot today. I am having a hard time seeing what they are seeing, and it's frustrating." Dr. Sam prescribed a course of action for Ransom, and said he'd review the x-rays, and let me know if there's something obvious happening.
The vet diagnosis? Arthritis. The remedy? Mild pain management, and suggest a shoe change to my farrier for next week. Dr. Sam suggested I just go easy, work light, and short, and participate in this Saturday's show anyways.
I watched Dr. Sam and Bubba drive away, flabbergasted, and utterly confused. The judge 10-10, along with a few others, have mentioned him "lame, sore, too old to continue", and my vet whom I trust sees almost nothing. While I recognize dressage is a sport of perfection, and the test of the ultimate horse's movement, I'm starting to question the sport. These are schooling shows I haul to, guys and gals! NOT USDF rated competitions, and I'm sure not out there even trying to qualify for USDF competitions.
Furthermore, Ransom has never refused work. Now, he's been crabby some days, not wanting to collect, not wanting to stop lightly, and running through my little tender fingers, but he hasn't ever refused to go forward, nor has he ever run away with me. Ransom loves to work, he loves to show - seriously! This is one of the few horses, even watching other show participants, that doesn't fight his warmup, doesn't spook at the moon, doesn't act up when other horses cut him off or near run him over in the warmup ring. He doesn't pin his ears at me, or anyone else, for that matter. When Romeo gets the day of work, and Ransom doesn't work, it's a disaster. Ransom runs fence line, nickering, calling out, pivoting hard on front or rear feet, and works himself into a sweaty frothy mess. He panics, and even if Romeo stays in sight, just the visual of Romeo working, and Ransom not working, and Ransom needs more cooldown efforts than Romeo does. That to me displays a horse that loves to work, loves his job, and hates standing still. Ransom doesn't seem to me to be a horse that wants to retire.
So, yes, he isn't a bunch of 10's gracefully capturing the judge's hearts. He isn't a WEG-dressage potential. He isn't even a USDF rated competitor - I know that. I'm not trying to force him above Training Level!
All that being said, later in the evening, I tossed Ransom out at the end of the lunge line. I saw some improvements in his way of going after the vet's visit. Still, as the vet said, the "problems" are so very minor, it's also hard to see improvements.
Showing posts with label Vet. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Vet. Show all posts
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Friday, May 7, 2010
05/06/10 Vet Update & Mo’s Turn
I checked Ransom’s hocks straightaway when I got home, and found them warm on the inside – expected.
Grabbed Romeo, got him dressed Western saddle, French link bit. His rear pasterns looked a little swollen, but sometimes this eases when he works.
Walking out to the arena, Ransom followed along quietly. I turned my back to them to walk in the arena, grab the gate tape, and when I looked up, whoosh! Romeo was pinning his ears, Ransom had turned a 180, and lifted up to threaten-kick Mo. What the heck?! I don’t know who angered who, and that has NEVER happened before with these two. They’ve bickered over fence line with ears, but never kicked out at each other. Goodness Gracious!
I got Romeo in the arena, Ransom settled on the rail, walked up & down a little, then proceeded to graze calmly. Romeo and I enjoyed about 35 minutes, warmed up on all three gaits, argued a little about leads, and then settled down for some trot bending work. I bent him solidly one way or the other on a tight circle, and, when he gave & bent nicely, I’d let him travel straight a while. This went on for about ten minutes, with a few solid stops and backups.
We did a few rollbacks, some ugly, some nice. Side passing was beautiful, turns on forehand were nice, too.
I found Ransom’s inside hocks still a little toasty this morning. I’m avoiding giving him anything for pain, because I’d like to monitor symptoms to know how to best treat and deal with him. As long as he’s still out, walking around, and grazing, the pain must be minimal.
Grabbed Romeo, got him dressed Western saddle, French link bit. His rear pasterns looked a little swollen, but sometimes this eases when he works.
Walking out to the arena, Ransom followed along quietly. I turned my back to them to walk in the arena, grab the gate tape, and when I looked up, whoosh! Romeo was pinning his ears, Ransom had turned a 180, and lifted up to threaten-kick Mo. What the heck?! I don’t know who angered who, and that has NEVER happened before with these two. They’ve bickered over fence line with ears, but never kicked out at each other. Goodness Gracious!
I got Romeo in the arena, Ransom settled on the rail, walked up & down a little, then proceeded to graze calmly. Romeo and I enjoyed about 35 minutes, warmed up on all three gaits, argued a little about leads, and then settled down for some trot bending work. I bent him solidly one way or the other on a tight circle, and, when he gave & bent nicely, I’d let him travel straight a while. This went on for about ten minutes, with a few solid stops and backups.
We did a few rollbacks, some ugly, some nice. Side passing was beautiful, turns on forehand were nice, too.
I found Ransom’s inside hocks still a little toasty this morning. I’m avoiding giving him anything for pain, because I’d like to monitor symptoms to know how to best treat and deal with him. As long as he’s still out, walking around, and grazing, the pain must be minimal.
Thursday, May 6, 2010
05/06/10 Patient Update
UPDATED INFORMATION!!
Dr.Sam got busy with an emergency colic call in the afternoon and got started on Ransom late. Deanna called around 6:30, “Your Little boy is ready to pick up.” “Little?! You mean my big monster?” I arrived about fifteen minutes later, and found him standing in the tie stocks, hocks wrapped neatly. Dr. Sam rattled off the drugs & quantities, and I tried to pay attention. Ended up having to call the vet this morning for the details again.
He received
40mg Hyaluronate Sodium (HA)
6mg Triamcinalone (Corticosteroid)
125mg Amikacin Sulfate (Antibiotic)
Ransom cheerfully loaded in the trailer, I stopped off for some quick groceries, and headed on our way home. That was the slowest drive down the dirt road to my house, EVER. I snailed along down the road, paranoid I’d injure his freshly injected joints.
When we got home, I clipped on the lead rope, and left the trailer, holding the lead rope, encouraging Ransom to exit the trailer. He bent his head back towards me, with a worried face. “You can come out any way you want to, today, Mister Man. I leave it entirely up to you.” He moved his front end just a little, still staring at me with a worried face. “It’s okay, Buddy. If you’re too sore to back out, back legs first stepping down, come out head-first. I’m okay with it. Aren’t you hungry? Don’t you want out of there?” I tugged ever so gently on the lead rope. He came out, head first, and very delicately stepped down off the trailer on his back legs.
We carefully walked to the paddock, and I let him stay there for his supper. Remembering what Dr. Sam said, “You can take those wraps off in a little while, and he can have turnout for his rest”, I opened the paddock and took the bandages off. Ransom walked very slowly out of his paddock, drank water from the big tank, and began grazing.
I found him this morning cheerfully walking his fence line towards the barn, looking for breakfast. I didn’t feel any heat in his hocks, and when I applied a little pressure, he looked back at me, but didn’t pin ears, and didn’t stomp, swish tail, or fuss. I will be watching with great intent for the days to come. Dr. Sam told me I may see some swelling, but that’s a normal part of healing and adjusting to the meds. If it lasts more than 4 days, give him a call.
Dr.Sam got busy with an emergency colic call in the afternoon and got started on Ransom late. Deanna called around 6:30, “Your Little boy is ready to pick up.” “Little?! You mean my big monster?” I arrived about fifteen minutes later, and found him standing in the tie stocks, hocks wrapped neatly. Dr. Sam rattled off the drugs & quantities, and I tried to pay attention. Ended up having to call the vet this morning for the details again.
He received
40mg Hyaluronate Sodium (HA)
6mg Triamcinalone (Corticosteroid)
125mg Amikacin Sulfate (Antibiotic)
Ransom cheerfully loaded in the trailer, I stopped off for some quick groceries, and headed on our way home. That was the slowest drive down the dirt road to my house, EVER. I snailed along down the road, paranoid I’d injure his freshly injected joints.
When we got home, I clipped on the lead rope, and left the trailer, holding the lead rope, encouraging Ransom to exit the trailer. He bent his head back towards me, with a worried face. “You can come out any way you want to, today, Mister Man. I leave it entirely up to you.” He moved his front end just a little, still staring at me with a worried face. “It’s okay, Buddy. If you’re too sore to back out, back legs first stepping down, come out head-first. I’m okay with it. Aren’t you hungry? Don’t you want out of there?” I tugged ever so gently on the lead rope. He came out, head first, and very delicately stepped down off the trailer on his back legs.
We carefully walked to the paddock, and I let him stay there for his supper. Remembering what Dr. Sam said, “You can take those wraps off in a little while, and he can have turnout for his rest”, I opened the paddock and took the bandages off. Ransom walked very slowly out of his paddock, drank water from the big tank, and began grazing.
I found him this morning cheerfully walking his fence line towards the barn, looking for breakfast. I didn’t feel any heat in his hocks, and when I applied a little pressure, he looked back at me, but didn’t pin ears, and didn’t stomp, swish tail, or fuss. I will be watching with great intent for the days to come. Dr. Sam told me I may see some swelling, but that’s a normal part of healing and adjusting to the meds. If it lasts more than 4 days, give him a call.
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
05-05-10 Vet Call
Ransom and I arrived at the vet’s office promptly, and the work began.
Dr Sam watched him trot down & back, then performed flexion tests on all four legs. Here’s what he found:
Slight head bobble when flexed on the pasterns up front – both legs. It is only visible for the first 3-4 strides away.
Stiff and uncomfortable when flexed on the hocks – both legs.
So I agreed to a bunch of xrays.
Front pasterns
Front left knee (there’s a “bump” on the inside of his knee, either from whacking something, or otherwise)
Back hocks
And here’s what he found…
Front pasterns look good for his age – a little wear & tear, but nothing dramatic. Some “rough edges” on the bones, but away from the joints enough to not be causing a problem.
Front left knee – has one spot on it, just on the outside front of the joint. It’s either calcification or a bone chip buried in soft tissue, or a floater. He’s thinking buried in soft tissue, as Ransom didn’t fight flexion or the trot-offs enough for it to be a floater.
Back hocks – Congenitive Bone Disease in the joints. Left moreso than right. There’s very little space in the joint on the left, and a little more space on the right, but still not pretty. “Much better than Dr Sam expected, for his age and use.”
The treatment? Inject the hocks with medicines (cortico steriods and HA). We could inject from top & bottom, but Dr Sam suggested we inject from top only, and pray it seeps down into the joint. After the injection, he asks that Ransom have three full days off work, and “then he can go back to full work.” I may go easy to start. “Full Work”, also includes he’s allowed to go back to jumping. *whew* Glad to hear that!
He’s getting done this afternoon, and I can pick him up later today. He was a good patient for all the exam work, stood steady, and generally cooperated with Dr Sam and Deanna. I’m grateful they did such a thorough job, and explained everything to me so I understood.
Dr Sam watched him trot down & back, then performed flexion tests on all four legs. Here’s what he found:
Slight head bobble when flexed on the pasterns up front – both legs. It is only visible for the first 3-4 strides away.
Stiff and uncomfortable when flexed on the hocks – both legs.
So I agreed to a bunch of xrays.
Front pasterns
Front left knee (there’s a “bump” on the inside of his knee, either from whacking something, or otherwise)
Back hocks
And here’s what he found…
Front pasterns look good for his age – a little wear & tear, but nothing dramatic. Some “rough edges” on the bones, but away from the joints enough to not be causing a problem.
Front left knee – has one spot on it, just on the outside front of the joint. It’s either calcification or a bone chip buried in soft tissue, or a floater. He’s thinking buried in soft tissue, as Ransom didn’t fight flexion or the trot-offs enough for it to be a floater.
Back hocks – Congenitive Bone Disease in the joints. Left moreso than right. There’s very little space in the joint on the left, and a little more space on the right, but still not pretty. “Much better than Dr Sam expected, for his age and use.”
The treatment? Inject the hocks with medicines (cortico steriods and HA). We could inject from top & bottom, but Dr Sam suggested we inject from top only, and pray it seeps down into the joint. After the injection, he asks that Ransom have three full days off work, and “then he can go back to full work.” I may go easy to start. “Full Work”, also includes he’s allowed to go back to jumping. *whew* Glad to hear that!
He’s getting done this afternoon, and I can pick him up later today. He was a good patient for all the exam work, stood steady, and generally cooperated with Dr Sam and Deanna. I’m grateful they did such a thorough job, and explained everything to me so I understood.
Saturday, January 23, 2010
1/22/10 CVC Victoria Vet Assessment
I arrived at 7:40, five minutes early. It was super foggy, so I was pretty proud of my early-ness. Nobody else, however, was quite that sunny, or ready. We, in fact, were about ten minutes late getting started for our appointment. A bit of a frustration point, since I'd been called & asked the night before if I could back the appointment up from the 8:00 appointment to 7:45 to better accommodate their schedules. Hmm.... Ask me to get there early, be ready, huh?
Romeo was tied to the trailer, and Ransom went first into the stocks. Dr Sam is very quiet when he works. A pleasure, actually. He quickly gave Ransom a look over, checked heart rate, respiration, gut sounds, temp, all checked OK. Dr Sam pried Ransom's mouth open with the float-contraption, and pointed out at least two top molars that were about an inch too long, one on each side. He strongly recommended a float, and I agreed. Doc sedated Ransom with a multi drug concoction. Ransom was quick to relax, but as the mechanical float began, he argued just a bit. More drugs it is! With an extra dose of two of the drugs, Ransom was in fa la la land, and the float continued.
A full batch of vaccines, and Romeo was next. Romeo's visit went much like Ransom's, only with less drugs, and less float work. Romeo had better teeth. But I figured Ransom's would be bad, since he hadn't been floated in my care. Romeo had been, about a year ago. Romeo took the sedate drugs real good! He was Out Of It for nearly 45 minutes. Vaccines for Mo, and off we go.
There's a new coggins out , by the way , if anyone else didn't know . It's digital. Instead of horse sketch drawings, they take pictures. I will know more when my copy arrives. Neat deal from what was described.
My overall impression is Dr Sam gets down to business, and focuses solely on the horse. That's a good thing. He told me what I needed to know, and his opinion, and he didn't mince words. He was to the point, and decisive. So from working with him and Deanna, I was satisfied.
I checked out. OI VEY! Um, at first impact, the cost for the two floats and full shots (& one coggins) about blew me over. I paid, but with a general thought of , "Holy crap!! I can't do that once a year! They're going to Kill My bank account!" When I got home, however, I checked the fees of CVC against my previous vet. Yeah, it's about the same. I suppose "sticker shock" set in when I had both boys there at once rather than one at a time.
Overall decision? Keepers! I like that they're closer, everyone is young & recent from school, so supporters of newer technology, including mechanical floats & sedating for floats. Even in the midst of construction, they were still working together as a good team. And did I mention it's closer to home? CVC is about 20 minutes from the house, whereas my old vet was 45 minutes away. I like 20 minutes away! Even in the fog!!
Sometime next week, I'll stuff in a final update about the rest of my day with the boys after we got back from the vet. I'll let Ransom & Romeo give you their point of view on the ickie nasty things I did to them after we pulled in the driveway.
Romeo was tied to the trailer, and Ransom went first into the stocks. Dr Sam is very quiet when he works. A pleasure, actually. He quickly gave Ransom a look over, checked heart rate, respiration, gut sounds, temp, all checked OK. Dr Sam pried Ransom's mouth open with the float-contraption, and pointed out at least two top molars that were about an inch too long, one on each side. He strongly recommended a float, and I agreed. Doc sedated Ransom with a multi drug concoction. Ransom was quick to relax, but as the mechanical float began, he argued just a bit. More drugs it is! With an extra dose of two of the drugs, Ransom was in fa la la land, and the float continued.
A full batch of vaccines, and Romeo was next. Romeo's visit went much like Ransom's, only with less drugs, and less float work. Romeo had better teeth. But I figured Ransom's would be bad, since he hadn't been floated in my care. Romeo had been, about a year ago. Romeo took the sedate drugs real good! He was Out Of It for nearly 45 minutes. Vaccines for Mo, and off we go.
There's a new coggins out , by the way , if anyone else didn't know . It's digital. Instead of horse sketch drawings, they take pictures. I will know more when my copy arrives. Neat deal from what was described.
My overall impression is Dr Sam gets down to business, and focuses solely on the horse. That's a good thing. He told me what I needed to know, and his opinion, and he didn't mince words. He was to the point, and decisive. So from working with him and Deanna, I was satisfied.
I checked out. OI VEY! Um, at first impact, the cost for the two floats and full shots (& one coggins) about blew me over. I paid, but with a general thought of , "Holy crap!! I can't do that once a year! They're going to Kill My bank account!" When I got home, however, I checked the fees of CVC against my previous vet. Yeah, it's about the same. I suppose "sticker shock" set in when I had both boys there at once rather than one at a time.
Overall decision? Keepers! I like that they're closer, everyone is young & recent from school, so supporters of newer technology, including mechanical floats & sedating for floats. Even in the midst of construction, they were still working together as a good team. And did I mention it's closer to home? CVC is about 20 minutes from the house, whereas my old vet was 45 minutes away. I like 20 minutes away! Even in the fog!!
Sometime next week, I'll stuff in a final update about the rest of my day with the boys after we got back from the vet. I'll let Ransom & Romeo give you their point of view on the ickie nasty things I did to them after we pulled in the driveway.
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
1/19/2010 I'm All For Good News
I called my horse vet yesterday afternoon, hoping to make annual vaccine appointments for both boys for Friday. No such luck. The doc has a meeting. That'd be all well & fine, but I need to get Ransom in before the HorseMaster taping, and I sure would like to do it sooner rather than later.
I'd had a curiosity to stop in and check out a new vet in town, and this was the best opportunity I had. So I made a phone call, stopped in for a visit, and was pleasantly surprised.
Here's their website - Crossroads Veterinary Clinic Victoria
http://cvcvictoria.com/
When I showed up, I was immediately remembered from the phone call. I was also almost instantly introduced to the Large Animal Vet himself - Dr Sam Williams.
Dr Sam was pretty darn cool! He walked me through the office, showed me construction zone central inside, and then walked me outside to two finished stocks, and even more covered stall construction. When completed, this is going to be the mega-horse facility. Sure looks that way, at least. Dr Sam seems very educated on current methods, and I was satisfied with this informal interview.
Better even, was the large-animal tech, Deanna. See, Deanna and I met at another vet's office in San Marcos. However, that office is entirely too far away, and I'm not a big fan of some of their homeopathic medicine. Deanna is super qualified, and is a very calm mild-mannered lady working with the ponies.
Our appointment is scheduled for Friday morning. I'll be sure to recap after, and give my reviews of the entire trip.
The clinic tour shortened my daylight at home, so I skipped a ride. Tonight I have a dentist appointment, so if I get home in time, I'll try to fiddle around with one or the other horse. Otherwise, a peaceful night at home is in order.
I'd had a curiosity to stop in and check out a new vet in town, and this was the best opportunity I had. So I made a phone call, stopped in for a visit, and was pleasantly surprised.
Here's their website - Crossroads Veterinary Clinic Victoria
http://cvcvictoria.com/
When I showed up, I was immediately remembered from the phone call. I was also almost instantly introduced to the Large Animal Vet himself - Dr Sam Williams.
Dr Sam was pretty darn cool! He walked me through the office, showed me construction zone central inside, and then walked me outside to two finished stocks, and even more covered stall construction. When completed, this is going to be the mega-horse facility. Sure looks that way, at least. Dr Sam seems very educated on current methods, and I was satisfied with this informal interview.
Better even, was the large-animal tech, Deanna. See, Deanna and I met at another vet's office in San Marcos. However, that office is entirely too far away, and I'm not a big fan of some of their homeopathic medicine. Deanna is super qualified, and is a very calm mild-mannered lady working with the ponies.
Our appointment is scheduled for Friday morning. I'll be sure to recap after, and give my reviews of the entire trip.
The clinic tour shortened my daylight at home, so I skipped a ride. Tonight I have a dentist appointment, so if I get home in time, I'll try to fiddle around with one or the other horse. Otherwise, a peaceful night at home is in order.
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
06/09/09 Doctor Says
Infections for all! Well, for the boys, at least. Took Ransom to the vet yesterday late afternoon. Temperature was about 101, lungs were clear, but stickie runny yellow nose, occasional cough during work, so the vet offered up a penicillin shot, sodium iodide iv expectorant shot, and smz pills at 15crushed twice a day. We also picked up pills & penicillin for Romeo, and headed home.
I have entirely no clue how they got sick - vet thinks it's airborne. So, as a just-in-case, I've got individual water buckets filled up, and have full intentions on cleaning out the big trough this evening. It's gonna be a yuckie job, but it needs doing.
Still ironing out BRM plans for Friday. It was scheduled to be a Ransom lesson, but he'll be staying at home. I've got some tack to pick up, and I'm hoping to snag a lesson while there. It still shouldn't be a solo trip, as plans so far indicate I'll have pleasant company for my journey. (We're combining work & pleasure - pretty cool lucky situation to be in.)
Until the boys are well, it'll be water trough cleaning, wrap & pad washing, and tack cleaning. Once they're off the meds, it'll be high time to get back to work. I'll be searching for non-riding updates and useful information to entertain ya'll with until then.
I have entirely no clue how they got sick - vet thinks it's airborne. So, as a just-in-case, I've got individual water buckets filled up, and have full intentions on cleaning out the big trough this evening. It's gonna be a yuckie job, but it needs doing.
Still ironing out BRM plans for Friday. It was scheduled to be a Ransom lesson, but he'll be staying at home. I've got some tack to pick up, and I'm hoping to snag a lesson while there. It still shouldn't be a solo trip, as plans so far indicate I'll have pleasant company for my journey. (We're combining work & pleasure - pretty cool lucky situation to be in.)
Until the boys are well, it'll be water trough cleaning, wrap & pad washing, and tack cleaning. Once they're off the meds, it'll be high time to get back to work. I'll be searching for non-riding updates and useful information to entertain ya'll with until then.
Thursday, April 9, 2009
4/8/09 Drugging the Pony
Oooh! Best way to get Romeo mad? Stick a needle in his hiney. Best way to get him more-madder? Stick the needle in the other side of his hiney!!!
Went to the vet's office after work, picked up a penicillin shot & sulfa-antibiotics for 5 days' worth. When I arrived at home, I fed both boys, then gave Romeo his shot. Those darn drug needles for horses are thick buggers! He didn't enjoy receiving it, but I didn't enjoy sticking him either.
Five more days of crushed pills, maybe a day or more off after that to recoup, and I ought to have him back 100%. He looked a bit better this morning, not as warm to the touch on his chest.
Keep getting better, Little Pony! Momma needs ya in a couple weeks for show!
Went to the vet's office after work, picked up a penicillin shot & sulfa-antibiotics for 5 days' worth. When I arrived at home, I fed both boys, then gave Romeo his shot. Those darn drug needles for horses are thick buggers! He didn't enjoy receiving it, but I didn't enjoy sticking him either.
Five more days of crushed pills, maybe a day or more off after that to recoup, and I ought to have him back 100%. He looked a bit better this morning, not as warm to the touch on his chest.
Keep getting better, Little Pony! Momma needs ya in a couple weeks for show!
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