Mason, the Athlete

(Mild warning, this post is all about Mason-no horsie stuff)

Oh Masie...

Well, we thought Mason only 'hurt' or sprained his knee but indeed he had a full blown out ACL.

Last Thursday (April 19th) he ran out to the backyard and came back on three legs. I felt around and could feel the instability.

It was a bit of a process, but after calling some trusted friends/professionals, etc we had our consultation at a top referral clinic with an orthopedic surgeon for Wednesday (April 25th, Laz's bday)

On our way to our appointment...Mason was thrilled to be in the car!

He really hates being a couch potato and we had to restrict his activity

On our way in...you can see Mason's RH, toe down. He won't put weight on it because it feels unstable to him. In three days he became quite the three legged athlete despite us trying to slow him down. But, obviously, we can't leave him that way...

In the waiting room, Mason was VERY social

We tried to just LOVE LOVE LOVE up on him (easy) and tell him he was going to a fun sleepover camp (not easy)

"Yea Daycare!!!!" (ahem, surgery too but YAY tooooys!!)

In the waiting room, waiting for our consult to go over options and pricing

The hospital was insanely immaculate, high tech, beautiful and better than any human hospital I've been to.  24/7 care and you can call in on your pet 24/7. For us, that felt great

They even had beds and toys in the waiting rooms

Mason preferred to just STARE at the closed door anticipating his next 'visitor'

 I just LOVED this print in the waiting room.

Any Lab owners can attest to how great this photo is!

LOL!

The Vet came in and we talked about options of surgery. The fishing line band vs the TPLO (tibial plateau osteotomy) where they actually change the degree of the tibia and then it's immediately stablized by a metal plate and screws.  The success rate (after 8 week rehab) is for dogs over 40 lbs (Mason is a svelte 90..oops!) to return to normal active activity.  She felt he could return to the barn (slowly) to enjoy his time out there again! YAY!!

Then came the interesting part.

That surgery is expensive.

Like OUCH.

She mentioned we also had a choice. To participate in a double blind study. Where the secret European Pharma pain medicine company would pay for Mason's surgery. 

I immediately was like "YES!!" Save thousands!? SIGN ME UP! A great new European drug..YES YES YES, I love Europe!

However, thankfully my super smart and level headed Husband was there. He asked, some amazing questions, which lead us to actually turn it down.

A couple reasons we turned it down. One, being Mason was on Rimadyl, he would have to wait 2 weeks for the Study surgery to purge that out of his system. 

Two, and the MAIN reason we said "Oh hellls no!!" was it's a double blind study MEANING, 50% of the trial dogs GET the pain medicine out of surgery, and 50% get a placebo.

Say what?! 

So, I could elect to have my sweet Mason have BONE surgery and there would be a 50% chance he wouldn't have ANY pain meds after surgery???

Um, no. 

Now, I can see how it would be OK for some people. It's a HUGE cost savings to help your animal out. There is a 50% change they do get this amazing medicine and the staff was in love with the medicine because it had no kidney, liver or ulcer issues and went directly to pained source. And, out of surgery, your pet is checked and at 90 minutes after, if they feel your pet was in pain, they 'rescue' it from study and put them immediately on pain meds.  

The Vet was very honest and said, it does take 6-12 hours for pain meds to kick in at that point and our goal is always to keep pain at bay or level and never to peak, but in that situation, it would have peaked. The surgeons don't know which animal got which medicine or placebo inf your pet is participating in the study.  

In the end, we just decided to not risk it, and to pay outright so he would be pain free as much as possible, before, during and after surgery.

His surgery was Thursday (April 26th) and obviously had to stay the night again. 

The Vet was pleased at his surgery-everything she wanted to do, was done, said he showed very little osteoarthritis in the leg she operated on, and commented she thought at almost 9 yrs old, he was quite the strong athlete.

I picked him up Friday

The Vet told me she couldn't release him until he peed.

He was holding it so I offered to walk him out and see if he would with me.

THANKFULLY, he did...so he got to come home with a catheter added to our bill

Good boy

My sheared lamb!

Back home, he was T.I.R.E.D and a bit confused.

I brought him in my home office, kept it quiet and hoped he slept.

He fell asleep almost instantly, and a few times jolted awake crying and confused for a few seconds. I would just crawl down with him and love on him, and he would whimper, sigh and fall back asleep. I 'felt' like he would wake up thinking he was still at the hospital.

 Pudgie did a great job keeping his brother warm and company

 Surgery leg, you can see some of his fatty non cancerous tumors.

 Fast asleep...

He wanted the floor vs his bed much to my dislike, but I wanted him to SLEEP so I just allowed it.

 Later on, sleeping while I made dinner...if I didn't drag his bed near me, he would just plop on floor, so this was a win/win.

 Later that night...He slept SO great that first day/night only to wake to eat, take pain meds and  for me to walk him out to go to the bathroom.

Pudgie of course, would sleep 23.58 hours of the day by choice.

 Here you can see where Mason had his epidural, and where his 1 of 3 pain medications are, patch in between shoulders that comes off in a few days.

 Feeling more like himself by day #2..growling at the mail man.

It's a long rehab for him, about 4 months before he'll get approved to do all things at a normal activity, but he's being a great patient and should be feeling better each day.

Lots of icing, love and pampering will get our little Chocolate athlete back in action when he's ready.

It'z mahs burd dais twodai

I is 11 todai!

Last FryDai I took Mom on a ridez

We jus walks n walks cuz she sai I needs more time for my hoofs to grows

I tell herz Green grass seesun is here so my feets will grow

 I hatez buugz in my earz, they zip zapz and make me crazee. I shake my listsoners around to gets them out. My mom putz smellies goo on my listsoners and it sorta helps.

But todai is my real burd dais and I is 11 horse old.

Mom givez me currots..and Justin too...

But then I getz mad. 

I only want currots for me. 

This is onlee for race hurs currots!!

 I gotz brushed and rubbed and looks good like a yearling.

Mom sahs we have a trainurr coming for my present.

 I just want more currots only

 Mom told me she has been sleepin with May son becukz he has ouch legs too. Same legs as my ouch legs.  He's going to have surgoree and he cant come playz with me for a cuple of months but it'z ok becukz I tells Mom I is retired now, but she says No you areRont.

I mizz May son but she says he will be OK and will be fixed soon.

We are going to an Eventing Show!

Well, 'we' aren't ...I am.

I'm bursting with excitement! 

I've been asked to sell my "OTTB.Tee's" at an Eventing CANTER benefit show coming up, Sunday, May 13th!

So cool! 

I've personally have never been to an Eventing show, so I'm all sorts of excited!

If any of you bloggers/readers are in the Michigan area, the show is located at

Copper Creek Farm in Williamston

For my fellow EventerLovers, here is the course:

http://www.coppercreekfarm.com/Course%20Photos.html

I hope to see lots of this, by the end of the day

Kate and Lucy

Carly and Bobby

Michelle and Gen

**None of the above awesomeness peeps live in MI, but I'm giving a visual reference!

So, if you live in MI, come visit me and stay to watch a cool show, OR volunteer to help at the show!

I think if Laz were a sound boy, he'd be a beast at XC, in the right hands.
I'm too much a chicken little rider, but this boy has heart and would be killer at it.
He loves water, is pretty curious about a LOT, and I one witnessed him jump (on accident last summer) a bank that had a least a 6 foot spread, from a stand still..with a lame hoof.

Boom! ;)

Oh well. Backyard Pony status remains! :)

Summer coat at shoulders...only.

Tired pony=good grooming session.

Too cold to do another rain rot bath, so I dabbed ointment on some scabs instead

We, then worked on walking and some games at the walk out in the big field

 "Iz tooo tyrd for gamez."

"WasssTHAT?!"

 Oh sweet boy!

Gunna wash that rot right out of his hair...

So, here is our 'wonder' shampoo to rid the rot

At $39 a bottle, it had better leave him GLISTENING!

I do have to say, so far our new Vet has not lead us astray..so I trust her.

She mentioned the Captan is what makes it so great.

The same stuff that is used for Roses, she mentioned, for those that are flower people. She also mentioned when she's out of this wonder 'poo, she may try to make her own (for any of those that are daring, unlike myself)

So, here is the Rot..

See, I'm not a terrible terrible horse Mom...they are little, we are not talking a head to toe rain rot..but alas, still there is rot upon my Pony. 

 Up close, see how it's like a scab?

I guess, that is textbook ROT.

Can you tell I hate the word rot?

 The superOTTB clearly is nervous about getting a bath.

See how I have to tie him up (I kid, he's loose because he rocks)

He really enjoyed his little sponge bath, it was 55 and sunny so perfect day to do it.

The directions say to work into the skin creating a sudsy lather and leave on for 10 min, then rinse.

Dry time=Photo opt by Pink tree!

Any bird people out there?
These two little cuties have moved into the barn and are chirping up a storm, oh and pooping, but they also eat bugs like crazy I was told...I just am curious as to what they are??

Welcome friends!

Just don't poop on my Pony!!!

 **side note; you may notice in the next couple weeks, Mason won't be in any photos at the barn. He sprained (we hope not tore) his ACL, and per Vet's recommendation, he needs to stay at home for 14 days and was put on Rimadyl to help with inflammation and pain. Day #2 on it, and Mason is bounding around our house pleading to go to the barn when I leave. We are hopeful he makes a quick recovery and we can avoid a surgery. If he's not better within the two weeks, xrays will have to happen but I'm hopeful he's going to pull out of it. 

Which leg? 

Oh, you know..the right hind. ;) 

Horse week; FAIL and some tiny WINS

 Oh Laz

What a teaching horse he is!

This week has been a bit of a doozy so far, with tiny...little..annoyances.

Sweet boy standing by his choice in one of the open stalls.

I think, since he is in a herd of two, sometimes he stands here to 'rest' and feel protected.

I could be wrong...just a feeling.

"Lemmez naps in my apartzmant"

Pretty boy is shedding out and of course, it's like 30 degrees out...he's still naked and is doing well.  Weight is great, and when I'm there I'm always able to toss out extra hay, in addition to his grazing time of 3 hours now.

Why must he always cut his face...?
Trust me, I've looked everywhere for possibly reasons, and I just can't find it.
He does like to rub his face on things so maybe that's why??...

Last Thursday, I took him on a road walk of 2 miles.

On our way back, about .5 mile left, I noticed he was telling me 

"Too much for my feetz Momma"

Nice Fail on my part.

I didn't bring his Equine padded slipper, so I tried tying my hoodie around his hoof for some padding.
Yea, stupid and stupider.

Obvi, that lasted for a millisecond and Laz gave me a look like "I'd rather BLEED from footz that allows that!!"

So, I took note, no more than a mile on road for now unless booted..

We did cover new ground and saw a new barn with horses and Laz barely behaved himself

Laz was all "MUST LIFT NECKz UP TO SEE ALL THINGS AND SNORT AWAY DANGERS!!!!!!!"

 Back home, I tossed him and his BFF some extra hay

Spoiled babes.. :)

 Then on Saturday, yep, a lame RH.

Laz would barely walk on it. No swelling, heat, or increased pulse so I was confident this wasn't a laminitic issue but a poorly shaped/structure/healing hoof issue

Awesome, I felt AWESOME about that 2 mile walk two days prior

It's so hard to gage, and in PT, it can be trial and error

Thankfully, my trimmer and some of YOU have armed me with some tools and knowledge that I felt, OK, I think I can do something with this....

and try to help alleviate any pain

I worked on heels, rolled the backs a bit, used my rasp to wear down (because I still don't have knives) the folded pooling bar on his medial side

Below is what I got when I set his hoof down..

Him choosing to stand on his RH and let out a big Siiiigh and licking/chewing.

Ok, VICTORY!

Not only was he SUPER patient with me strugging to rasp at him (oh, no hoof jack either), he would nuzzle into my hair and blow so gently like "Good jubs Mom"

So, for now, he's moving like 'his' normal again

Trust me, still questioning a lot when it comes to his hoof shape/balance/etc but I'm trying to be patient as well and allow for more growth

Oh, and another step forward in my vaccination baby steps.
I elected to give (er my Vet give) Laz his Tetanus and Encephalitis yesterday with my Vet backing it up with Equioxx to prevent any possible inflammation. 

So far, 24 hours later, he's totally fine and I'll still be watching him for the next few days.

It's so nice to have a vet who is patient about my questions and concerns.

Oh, but a HUGE horse mom FAIL...sweet Lazaroo has RAIN ROT.

Yea, rain ROT on my baby.

So annoying that I thought those little scabs on his rump were from his horse buddy's play bites. 

Nope...it's f'ing rain rot.

So, now I am armed with a special shampoo that my Vet loves and swears within two cleanings (when it's warm enough again-hopefully later this week) will rid the ROT.

GAG...

I was SO embarrassed that I missed that and with my EVERYday currying, brushing, etc...I missed it. I guess when you don't know, you don't know. I assumed incorrectly.

Horse Mom FAIL and my Vet chuckled at me because I think she knows how anal I am about Laz, that it was beyond ridiculous that I missed this.  She seemed to think, he's body just compromised enough that every.little.thing. triggers in him.

Oh..joy.

;)