Jingles please for Tiger Bay

[msj]

My retired ottb has done something to his left front fetlock. :( He came in last evening from playing in the indoor with it a bit swollen and the swelling went down into his pastern region. He wasn't lame at the time. I can't cold hose as there is no place for the water to go that won't cause a nasty ice patch so I tried bandaging his leg with some freezer pack gels - the ones that vaccine's come with. Well, the cold packs lasted all of 10 minutes. By the next morning the swelling had gone 1/2 way up his cannon bone and he was lame on it so I called the vet after trying the freezer pack wrap again that lasted the same 10 minutes. :sigh:

Vet comes out and says there's too much swelling to diagnose but she doesn't think he re-bowed that tendon. It's an old bow from his racing days and didn't bother him doing training level eventing and hasn't bothered him in the 10 yrs I've had him thank heavens.

Anyway, he's currently on stall rest and hand walking and hopefully by Monday the swelling will be down to where they can do an ultrasound on him. I'm doing a Furicin sweat right now and hoping I see some improvement when I unwrap later today. So far I'm trying to NOT use any bute as I want him to be a bit ouchy so he doesn't raise all kinds of hell. :sigh: I know the bute will help decrease the swelling but I don't want him feeling too good either. It's kind of a catch 22 situation. :sigh:I'm hoping to get him out about 4-6 times/day for ~ 10 minutes each time. Thank god I've got an indoor as the temps are in the low teens and heaven only knows what the windchill is.

He's been out twice this AM and been a complete gentleman. He can look out and see his buddy and the neighbor horses munching on hay but hasn't tried to tear the stall door down (yet). Well, I'm headed out now for handwalk session #3.

[FlashGordon]

Jingling hard for Tiger. Hopefully he just tweaked something and the sweat will do its job.

It is so tough this time of year. The footing outside is so horrible and icy, it is scary sometimes putting them out there... Turn them out indoors and they yahoo around like idiots. It is like a no win situation! WNY winters can really be brutal.

Anyway sending good vibes your way...

[msj]

Thanks Flash, :) you are so right about them yahooing it when they do get on good footing! I put them in the indoor every evening so they are used to it but sometimes they still do go overboard. :sigh:

I'll be glad when this winter is over. It's been a REAL winter for sure - long and hard and cold and snowy!!!! :eek:

[JB]

Not T-Bay!

maybe/hopefully it's just an abcess - they can put swelling way up the leg - and it's just coinciding with the farting around.

Or, he's just tweaked something, will give you heart palpations for a few days, then come out one morning just fine :)

[msj]

Thanks JB. :) We are pretty sure it's not an abscess as he was fine with the hoof testers. Actually, in this cold weather I sure wouldn't want to have to soak him.. :( While the hand walking is a bit of a pain, it's really good exercise for me. Only problem is that I'm also supposed to be walking his companion, twice a day for 10 minutes as well. I think I'm going to try turning his buddy loose and then walking T at the same time. Normally his buddy will just stand there but maybe with T in the arena 'chasing' him, he might just keep walking on his own. It's worth a try. :)

I'm heading out to take the sweat off and see how the leg looks. But yes, heart palpatations for sure. Probably because for the 10 yrs I've had him, he's never taken a lame step, even when I had my trainer jumping him 4'+ courses when I considered selling him as hunter and one that actually could do the Regular Working Hunters.

Fortunately he's not 3-legged lame but off enough that it's noticable, and when you combine that with the swelling, it's heart attack time!!! :eek:

When he does his sillys in the indoor, I keep telling him to please act his age as he's actually 17 yrs old now! He was more sensible and quieter when I bought him as a 7 yr old than he is now.

[FlashGordon]

Thanks Flash, :) you are so right about them yahooing it when they do get on good footing! I put them in the indoor every evening so they are used to it but sometimes they still do go overboard. :sigh:

I'll be glad when this winter is over. It's been a REAL winter for sure - long and hard and cold and snowy!!!! :eek:

Yeah we do the same... out during the day but at night I go and turn him and a few buddies out indoors. Sometimes I think they actually ENJOY finding something to spook at so they can run and buck and act like idiots. My old guy is pretty sedate but every once in awhile he gets going and I just hold my breath!

Hope Mr. T is improving as the day goes on.

Stay warm!!!

[ThoroughbredFancy]

I hope your boy gets better soon.


My TB did something similar with a hind leg this Summer and all it took was a few days and the swelling subsided. He must have just tweaked something. Hopefully that's all it is with your guy.

Keep us updated.

[msj]

I hope your boy gets better soon.


My TB did something similar with a hind leg this Summer and all it took was a few days and the swelling subsided. He must have just tweaked something. Hopefully that's all it is with your guy.

Keep us updated.

Thanks ThoroughbredFancy. :) And many thanks to Flash Gordon and JB. All of your jingles worked really well. :) :) :)

The good news is that I took off his Furicin sweat around 3-4 PM and his fetlock, pastern and up his cannon bone looked fantastic! I would say at least a 90-95% improvement over yesterday for sure. To be honest, if I didn't know he had a lot of swelling there yesterday, I'd have thought it looked just hunky dorry! :D I did him back up in another Furicin sweat, walked him another 12 minutes and put him back up for dinner. I'll take him for one more walk around 7:30 tonight. I didn't want to push it so I didn't ask him to jog. I figured if it looked as good tomorrow, I might put him on the lunge line to see how he goes at a trot.

Of course I couldn't tell if there was any heat as the leg was warm from the sweat and the cottons but I'm hoping for the best.

Thanks loads to all! :yes: :yes:

[JB]

:D:D:D

Don't worry, T-Bay will be around a looooong time to bother you :winkgrin:

[msj]

:D:D:D

Don't worry, T-Bay will be around a looooong time to bother you :winkgrin:

JB, I think you're right. :yes: I KNOW you're right as I was counting on him to be my last horse and then I'd sell the farm. With my luck he'll live well into his 30's! :eek:

[JB]

Well, you sure did screw up your retirement from retirement! :lol: :lol:

[FlashGordon]

Whew MSJ that is good news. Was thinking of you and Tiger tonight as I was out tending to my guy.

Sounds like he's on the road to recovery. Lucky boy to have such a dedicated mom. :) Hope he continues to improve.

[msj]

Well, you sure did screw up your retirement from retirement! :lol: :lol:

Well considering the real estate market sucks right now, I'd be foolish to put my place on the market and try to really retire. A friend has had her place on the market for over 4 yrs. She started at over $500K and really thought it would sell immediately so she and hubby went down to western NC and bought a farm. After 2 yrs when the farm up here didn't sell after several significant price drops, and the assessor threatening them with this place being a 2nd residence and therefore would be taxed EVEN higher, they sold the farm in NC and moved back. Well, finally, after 4+ yrs and finally getting the assessed value lowered which lowered their taxes from 17K to 10K it finally sold. Now granted they were desperate to get out of the snowy, cold, taxed to death in NY area, but they gave the place away for $295,500. :( Actually I think it was the only offer they ever had on the place. :(

I KNOW I'm not that desperate for sure.... :sigh:

Fortunately, I don't mind the cold that much and can afford the taxes but we're getting a real old fashioned winter. I think the snow total is into the 80+ inches so far and we still have at least 8 more weeks of winter! :eek: So much for Al Gore's global warming!!!! :no:

[msj]

Whew MSJ that is good news. Was thinking of you and Tiger tonight as I was out tending to my guy.

Sounds like he's on the road to recovery. Lucky boy to have such a dedicated mom. :) Hope he continues to improve.

Thanks FlashGordon, he is being a good patient which makes life for me a lot easier too! :)

I think I'll pull his 2nd Furicin sweat a little early tomorrow and jog him. If he looks good and seems sound, I'll call the vet to schedule an ultrasound, just to make sure there isn't any damage and he was just being a wimp. I'm not too sure how dedicated I am, but he sure is spoiled. :yes:

PS. You should see how spoiled his companion is and I don't even own him! :lol: