Ahhhh Colt...whatcha been up to?
"Nothin' at all since the last time we moved cows
for the Rose's way back in November.
I've just been a horse...eatin', playin'...
ya should be able to see that by my grown out bridle
path and whither cut. I like bein' on vacation!"
"I kinda like the ungroomed look myself! But mom, maybe
ya should look at my left front leg...I
think I gots an owie."
Oh, Colt...you were fine day before yesterday...what did you do to yourself?!?
I saw this late last night when it was too late
to doctor. He's strained or pulled something in
his lower left inside just above the fetlock.
There's enough swelling to make it quite
obvious and there's heat on the inside
of the leg.
Colt's definitely lame. My round pen is just dry enough to start working in again and yesterday was my last day for ag reports (I sent in my last overnight package to Portland). My plan was to start legging Colt up to get him ready for the season...but, it seems that that whole plan is on hold. When I put Colt in the round pen to see how lame he was...it wasn't very promising.
So today he got the cold water therapy and an ice pack. My Man picked up some Numotizine poultice at the vet office, and I'll apply that this evening when he gets home from work.
Does anyone want to share their opinion whether they think Colt should get some Bute or not?I'm leaning toward the "not" because he's in too small of an area to damage himself any worse, and I read somewhere that sometimes it's best to let the cold therapy do the work.
Colt's on stall rest for now (12x12 stall w/ 12x12 run)
If he doesn't improve in a week or so, I'll
have to haul him to Idaho Equine
to have radiographs done.
"I didn't mean to do it Mom..."
Well, this also means there are no excuses for me not to get that Kiger back under saddle and down the road...anyone looking for a range bred Kiger?
Please send some healing thoughts to Colt...we appreciate it~~
Horses sure manage to hurt themselves! I don't have good advice on the bute - can a vet advise you by phone? I tend not to use bute or any other meds if a vet is about to see the horse, but if not, I'd follow the vet's advice.
ReplyDeleteHope he heals well!
Hope he mends quickly!
ReplyDeleteAh Colt why did you have to hurt yourself, silly bugger :0)
ReplyDeleteUnless he is extremly lame I wouldnt bute him, or the swelling gets worse. NSaids will relieve the pain and help with the swelling, but mask any other symptoms.
You dont think he hit a splint do you? I cant tell from the pic.
I hope he gets better quick! At least its wintertime, when is your first show?
Personally, I don't bute unless a horse is 3-legged lame. But if you don't have anything else that you use as an anti-inflammatory aid, it wouldn't hurt to give him a dose or two.
ReplyDeleteI use MSM and an external rub, which is why I don't use bute unless something needs immediate relief.
Darn ice! Hope he heals fast for ya.
Well everyone keeps telling me that, 'when one door closes, another opens' in regards to my hubby's job situation. Sounds like a good time to train that Kiger for sure. And Colt's situation will only be temporary. He's a strong boy and will heal up quickly, so don't worry. I know that's hard not to, though.
ReplyDelete~Lisa
Is that a inflamed tendon? If it is, I have sucessfully treated them with essential oils- lemongrass, wintergreen, and elemi to be exact- heals them up with no tendon scarring. Stay away from bute if you can. If you need an anti inflammatory and painkiller, you can use peppermint oil. Email me; I can send you some if you'd like.
ReplyDeletePoor guy!! I hope it isn't too serious.
ReplyDeleteI don't bute my horses unless absolutely necessary. But I have been pretty darn lucky and haven't had to deal with injuries like that yet. Thank goodness.
Hope he gets better real quick!!
Ugh...the anxiety of dealing with an injured horse plus the disappointment for you. Hang in there. I hope Colt heals quickly and that you can pick up right where you left off with him real soon.
ReplyDeleteHaving a horse that injures herself on everything possible I will tell you for swellings getting a tube/bottle of arnica gel is the best thing you can do. I always have it on me when I do an equine massage therapy session. I have never seen anything work on swellings as well as Arnica. You can get it at the drug store and I think theres some equine brands but they are far more expensive and the same thing as the human kind.
ReplyDeleteI forgot to add, plus it's natural and you can use it on your own bumps and bruises too.
ReplyDeleteI am sure he will be fine in a few days. the ice and rest is good, and Sydney, and Shirley's advice is who I would go with! Good Luck!
ReplyDeleteI think my horses stay injured. Then I sent them to my dad and he hadn't had one problem. WHATEVER!
ReplyDeleteI'll send healing thoughts your way!
Of course we'll send some good thoughts his way, no problem!
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't give him Bute though, the pain is a "helper" for him to know what he's able to do and what not, and for you to see what is really going on.
I always think of it that way, when I have a sore back, I don't take any pain medication as long as I can walk. Otherwise I'll just do something stupid and hurt my back even more...
I hope he's better soon!
:)
My mare just did that too. She decided to take a nosedive after letting out an enormous buck and strained something in her shoulder. I blogged about it a couple of days ago.
ReplyDeleteShe's back to sound, but I only buted her once with 2 grams. I just kicked her back into the pasture though, I didn't keep her up.
I usually bute just a little when there's heat to get some of that inflammation out of there, because that can cause some damage too. Cold therapy does work well, but when the cold is gone, so is the help.
Good luck, I hope it's nothing a little time and TLC can't take care of!
Hey if you think a Kiger could be a great barrel horse I'll one! LOL I love the Kiger horses.
ReplyDeleteI hope Colt mends up quickly, it's such a bummer when one comes up lame.
I bet he was having some fun when he did that. Could have simply mis-stepped. I am certainly not a horse expert, but if he's standing on it, able to move around, I wouldn't Bute him either. Hope he heals quickly!
ReplyDeleteI'm so sorry to hear that the Coltster is injured. I will keep those very positive and healing thoughts coming his way. Nothing worse than a young, ready for exercise horse with a swollen leg. I hope it turns out to be just a little sprain and that he's up to his old self very soon! Take care!!!
ReplyDeleteNO bute, cold hose, I'd even be hesitant to wrap it much, hand walking and let him be, looks like just a strain. He's young and will heal quick.
ReplyDeleteHubbys horse Cricket suffered some injury to her left hind fetlock/tendons, she literally hopped on 3 legs for 2 months, slowly improved now over a year later she only shows a slightly thickened tendon/sesmoid area, no lameness and she healed very well. She was 3 at the time. Bute releieved her pain and inflammation to the point she wanted to run around, making and re-injuring the area.
Inflammation isnt always bad.
I wouldnt worry.
Don'cha love it?
ReplyDeleteI always am cautious with bute. I want the horse to know he's hurting so he doesn't get stupid.
I want to keep the swelling down....so I'll give 1 or 2 grams 2x a day for a couple of days right after an injury, but only id ice and cold water aren't helping. After that I call the vet.
Get well soon Colt. :)
ReplyDeleteAWWWWW! Heal up bud, ya got work to do you slacker..:-))
ReplyDeleteThank you all for the great support and suggestions. It's good to have a sounding board!
ReplyDeleteRedunappy~I don't think it's a splint. Our first cutting show is probably end of March or first part of April. We have our first local "clinic" next weekend. So, I'll take Rohan...he needs the work too!
Sorry to hear that Colt has been set back a bit. If this ends up a long term healing, I suggest getting a good set of equine magnets to wrap his leg with. I have had good success with them in speeding up the healing process of a bowed tendon on one mare and a fetlock problem on another. Sometime on tendon issues, if you get to it in the first 24 hours, their are some medications the vet can give (Baptin shots..very expensive) that also can help. But they only work if administered right away.
ReplyDeleteI don't think a couple of doses of Bute hurt right away, to help bring down the immediate swelling. I wouldn't do it long term without a vet consult, but with a muscle-achy horse like mine, I do keep it handy for things like this. If it's not a tendon issue, then it'll resolve pretty quickly.
ReplyDeleteAnother thing is to look up some of the massage/stretching techniques. Meigher's work is really good, helpful, and it's designed for working, athletic horses. I've been using some foreleg massage and stretching with my girl, and she's responding well to that. It won't hurt him and it helps.