Wow - it has been far too long since I last wrote on here! Vacations, busy schedules, have kept me away.
I rode Sweetie briefly last weekend - she was very good - we just walked around in the field a bit. And I rode Rocky this morning - lots of trot circles/figure 8's. He was also very good. Sammie has ridden Arthur a handful of times - our new favorite thing is to walk him down to the pond/"tank" and back up to the barn.
The good news is that Penny has been on her treatment, "Marquis", for EPM for about 2 weeks and I can already see the difference in her demeanor! She is much perkier and happier in general. Her hind end seems to be moving more naturally - not such a hesitation when we go in/out of her stall. I played with her a bit this morning. Only about 10 minutes of "work" if you can call it that - I played some Parelli games with her, and then asked her to go both ways on a circle, first at the walk and then at the trot. To the left seemed a bit harder on her. (Her "lame" leg is her LH). You could also tell when moving her hindquarters around that she would not cross over her back legs to move that way like she would to the right - a clear sign of lameness. But she finally did cross just barely one time and we quit there.
I also need to get Penny ready for Sammie to ride, and so I practiced mounting/dismounting a few times with Penny. She was so good, let me lean over her on my belly and scratch her everywhere before swinging my leg over.
And then the good news about Arthur's facial paralysis - over the last two weeks, I have started to see some improvement! His ear is now moving with the other ear at about 85% capacity it seems, and his nostrils are now about even instead of the right one drooping down lower, and his lower lip on the right is only drooping the smallest amount now in comparison. I'm so glad I didn't attempt to put him through an expensive treatment/surgery to correct this and that things are improving so well! It really is amazing to see. I was so worried about him for a while.
The other thing that has happened is that about a week ago, we finally got some rain here in TX. So the drought grass full of sugar has started to come up, and I have had to keep Arthur & Penny up in a dirt paddock so that their laminitis issues don't flare up. Thank goodness they keep each other company so well! They are enjoying all the hay and their feet are not aching, so I know I'm doing the right thing. In a week or two, I will start letting them out for a few hours in the morning, and work up to being out at night again. All for now!
Showing posts with label facial nerve paralysis. Show all posts
Showing posts with label facial nerve paralysis. Show all posts
Saturday, August 1, 2009
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Horse Tails...
I had hoped to ride Rocky Sunday morning, but as I started grooming him, I noticed a 2' long mesquite branch wrapped up in his tail. For those of you that don't know, mesquite might make your burgers taste good, but it is covered with sharp 2" spikes all over. So imagine that... wrapped up in horse tail, with the top poking at the horse's ... well, private areas... So after 30-40 minutes of tail detangling (amazing what can happen overnight!) I finally freed the mesquite branch and Rocky was thankful. I know he probably would have been fine to ride, but I value my life and didn't want to take any chances. Especially not when my safe, dependable 22yo TB mare was there batting her eyes at me. (Okay, not literally, but she definitely was watching me groom Rocky, hoping for some treats and attention).
So I ended up riding Sweetie. It was a short ride, but a very relaxing one. We trotted (more than Sweetie really wanted to) and cantered around the ring once each direction. It just felt so GOOD to be riding her. I know she's not in show shape, so we took it easy.
Afterwards, I gave Arwen a good grooming. She really loved it. Was a little nervous about the fly spray, but still stood well for it. My favorite thing is that she's learned to accept treats from me. She had no idea what they were when she first got here. I need to take some more pictures to show how much she has filled out! I'd say she's just about up to weight!
The vet was out on Tues. and gave everybody their annual vaccines and coggins tests, and looked at Arthur and Penny. Penny has been moving a little strange in her hind end - for a month or so. She looks very deliberate in the way she "places" her hind feet, and it almost looks like she doesn't know where they are going to land. It's not a specific lameness, per say, and she looks normal out in the field. The only time I obviously see it is when she has to lift her feet up to get in/out of the barn and her stall. So, at my request, we are doing a blood test to see if the EPM organism is in her bloodstream. The antibody titer will tell us if she has been exposed to EPM - and if it's on the high end, combined with her symptoms, we can assume that she has it and treat her. On the other hand, if it is negative or low, it might just mean she has been exposed to it and built antibodies.
For Arthur, about 2 weeks ago, he suddenly had a facial paralysis in the right side of his face. His lip is drooping on that side, his blinking response is diminished (although somewhat there) and it goes all the way up to his ear that is now limp and really only moves in response to gravity. He is eating fine, but I noticed that he is drooling a little (saw that today when the farrier was here). The vet's diagnosis was a possible stroke. But after he left, I received a newsletter that described "temporohyooid osteoarthropathy" which has the exact symptoms that Arthur is experiencing. Apparently, there is a surgery that can correct it, but it's not yet clear to me whether it would require general anesthesia or could be done while standing. I don't feel comfortable putting a 25yo pony under anesthesia, not to mention the expense. But, we don't know for sure what it is, although diagnosis is relatively cheap in comparison (use an endoscope to look in the gutteral pouch on that side). So, more investigation is in order. I just thought that article was mighty timely.
So I ended up riding Sweetie. It was a short ride, but a very relaxing one. We trotted (more than Sweetie really wanted to) and cantered around the ring once each direction. It just felt so GOOD to be riding her. I know she's not in show shape, so we took it easy.
Afterwards, I gave Arwen a good grooming. She really loved it. Was a little nervous about the fly spray, but still stood well for it. My favorite thing is that she's learned to accept treats from me. She had no idea what they were when she first got here. I need to take some more pictures to show how much she has filled out! I'd say she's just about up to weight!
The vet was out on Tues. and gave everybody their annual vaccines and coggins tests, and looked at Arthur and Penny. Penny has been moving a little strange in her hind end - for a month or so. She looks very deliberate in the way she "places" her hind feet, and it almost looks like she doesn't know where they are going to land. It's not a specific lameness, per say, and she looks normal out in the field. The only time I obviously see it is when she has to lift her feet up to get in/out of the barn and her stall. So, at my request, we are doing a blood test to see if the EPM organism is in her bloodstream. The antibody titer will tell us if she has been exposed to EPM - and if it's on the high end, combined with her symptoms, we can assume that she has it and treat her. On the other hand, if it is negative or low, it might just mean she has been exposed to it and built antibodies.
For Arthur, about 2 weeks ago, he suddenly had a facial paralysis in the right side of his face. His lip is drooping on that side, his blinking response is diminished (although somewhat there) and it goes all the way up to his ear that is now limp and really only moves in response to gravity. He is eating fine, but I noticed that he is drooling a little (saw that today when the farrier was here). The vet's diagnosis was a possible stroke. But after he left, I received a newsletter that described "temporohyooid osteoarthropathy" which has the exact symptoms that Arthur is experiencing. Apparently, there is a surgery that can correct it, but it's not yet clear to me whether it would require general anesthesia or could be done while standing. I don't feel comfortable putting a 25yo pony under anesthesia, not to mention the expense. But, we don't know for sure what it is, although diagnosis is relatively cheap in comparison (use an endoscope to look in the gutteral pouch on that side). So, more investigation is in order. I just thought that article was mighty timely.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)