Been back to the vet.

George had to go back to Ardene on wednesday to see Alice again.  I asked Elizabeth to come as Lee was on nights and I had to take Jess again.

He loaded pretty well. It took 5 mins and a handful of grass:)  Travelled much more quietly without the partition and arrived not sweaty!! Yay!

He was much better behaved this time. Walked quietly off the trailer and stood still for Alice to look at his foot while I fed him handfuls of nuts :)  Daffy was there and had a look too and since his foot was nice and soft from being wrapped up, it was obvious that the abscess is going to burst out of the left side of his heel. It's very tender and almost has a head on it.

So Alice was pleased. No more xrays needed and she commented how much better his behaviour was this time :) Clever boy! Said to get the shoe back on then basically just wait for the abscess to pop. Then poltice when it does and let her know incase she wants him to have antibiotics.

Took 10mins to load him to come home. Again he went in for grass :) Couldn't put the back bar up as lost the pin (found as we were leaving).  He was a little bit more unbalanced on the way home so he'd probably used the breech bar to rest his bum on on the way there. But overall, he was much better so I was chuffed to bits :)

Ron is coming today so cos I'm on tonight and need sleep, Lee is going to bring him in for his feet. I'll leave a note for Ron to let him know what Alice said.  Fingers crossed it'll burst soon. That'll be 4 weeks next tues since I've ridden!

We are also getting a new arrival on sunday. Toffee, a 22yr old welsh sec A for Jessica :) We tried him last weekend and he's just ideal. So quiet and calm. Can't wait to be able to hack out with my little girl :)

Nowt much happening.

Since the vet visit, all I've been doing is taking George in for a couple of hours to change his foot and let him chill and eat hay. Boring!

We decided to invest in full length breast and breech bars for the trailer in the hope that giving him a bit more room might make him travel and load better.  We practiced on saturday afternoon and it did take time but I was pleased as by the 3rd load, he stood really unconcerned, even when Lee opened the front ramp. He didn't barge to get out, I was able to halt him on the ramp etc Clever boy!!!  Just hope he does as well on wed when we go back to the vet for his re xray.

When I looked at his foot yesterday there was a split in his heel so I'm hoping if there's pus in there, it'll come out now. Think I might tub his foot this morning and poltice rather than put on a nappy and see what happens by evening.

Trip to Ardene.

Well the day after Hamish came last week, George was really lame again.  The swelling on his leg from the haynet incident had increased in size and was quite hot and I was terrified that he was lame cos he'd knackered a ligament.  Rang Hamish and left a message for him to refer us to Ardene for a lameness work up.

Had to have him there by 10.30 so I asked Elizabeth if she'd help load him as Lee was working.  He was a bit stubborn  about loading but went in in about 10 mins. He stamped and kicked all the way to the vet which was pretty disturbing as Jess and I were by ourselves.

George was pretty high when we got there.  Not surprising really.  Took him a few trot ups and some lunging to calm down.  The lameness was pretty obvious and Alice said it was about a 2/5.  She decided to start with a nerve block to the heel which he blocked sound to so they x-rayed his foot.  The results were good news.  There was evidence of an abscess tract which runs from the left side of his frog up into his heel. It was unclear if it still contained pus so the advice is to dry poltice it and leave him out with plenty of cover over it to keep it dry and bring him back next week for another x-ray.  I'm so relieved.  I really thought it was going to be bad news.

Then the big git took an hour to load.  He just planted and flat refused to go in.  I've got a huge blister on my finger from fighting with him.  Alice put the chifney on him and he wouldn't go in with that either. We reversed the trailer up to the loading chute.  Well Alice did at managed to smash the light covers on the fence post.  However, he went in after 5 mins then thank goodness.  He travelled quietly most of the way home but was really sweaty when we got back.  I think we're going to get full width bars and try without the partition next time.

I polticed his foot and turned him out and he's been grazing quietly since.  Fingers crossed for a quick recovery!

Lameness, cheeky behaviour and injured dog!

Well it's not looking like an abscess. Farrier came out on fri (vet had been thurs but couldn't find anything)and had a good look. He couldn't find anything either but did remark that his frog was quite spongey so possibly thrush might cause him to be so sore or it could have been a very deep seated abscess. I polticed it from thurs to sun with little evidence of anything coming out but he did get sounder. Then sun, mon and tues, I turned him out in a little pen during the day and scrubbed all his feet and sprayed with antibac when I took him in at night. Tues the farrier came back and put the shoe back on. He watched me trot him up and he was still lame but doesn't think it's anything to do with his foot.

Decided to get the vet back today to be on the safe side. Head vet came and had a really good feel of his leg. Couldn't find any lumps, swellings or heat. Flexioned his fetlock,knee and elbow joints which were all negative. He thinks he may have just tweaked something that just needs a bit of rest for recovery. He was happy with his progress as he's gone from 4/5 lame on thurs to 1/5 today which he said was a quick and significant improvement. But if I'm still worried after the weekend, he's happy to refer him for a scan.

I hope he's not off for too long as he has started to get a bit cheeky. I think he's bored with the time off and being in the little pen alone and his being awkward about being led in. He stops and plants and backs up coming in from the field and does the same trying to get him into his stable. Once he's in the stable he's fine though. Stands quietly and eats his hay so he really is just trying it on I think.

So while the vet was there and I was trying to get him back in his stable, Molly ran behind him. A few weeks ago she nipped his heels and he kicked her in the side of the face and put her teeth through her lip and split her gum. He's been wary of her since so I've been making sure she's shut away when I'm doing stuff with the horses. Today I'd forgotten to shut the back door and she ran out. Anyway, he kicked her again square in the face. How she's not dead after this happening twice I don't know! He just missed her eye and left her with a gaping hole in her face that you could see the white of her eye socket through! So vet had the extra job of stapling her back together. She's bloody lucky I can tell you.

So more rest for George at the mo and fingers crossed he's sound next week!

Going to see a pony for Jess tomorrow night. He's a 16yr old welsh sec A with years of pony club experience which would be great for my 5yr old. Fingers crossed he's as nice as he sounds.

                 

Cow Appocalypse!!!

If there were one and all the cows became extinct, I wouldn't mind! There is currently a bullock running around my garden mooing it's head off and the horses are going nuts! This is made worse by the fact that George is supposed to be in to keep his foot dry as has thrush/suspected abscess but I had to put him out before he hurt himself going mad in his stable!

It's even more annoying as this is a regular occurance as the farmer has THE worst fencing I have ever seen. Sometimes there will be a herd of 20 cows wandering round my land or standing in my drive way and the farmer has such a shitty attitude about it. I've lost count of the number of times I've had to ring him about loose animals, sheep as well and he's always an ignorant sod!

So poor George has been prancing round in a tiny pen like a circus horse tho he does look sound now. He had his last Danilon yesterday morning so hoping he'll still look sound tomorrow when it's fully worn off. Farrier is due back to put his shoe on if all is well and I've ordered some stuff from Red Horse Products to put on his feet before turn out to stop bacteria getting a hold and protect his frogs from the wet. Hoping it'll come tomorrow.

George is lame.

So I've been on nights this week and last rode on tues when G was awesome. Livery friend gets hold of hubby yesterday when I was asleep and tells him she thinks G looks lame. Husband wakes me up and I bring him in to check. Had fed him the day before in the field and he looked ok but now was hopping. Rang vet and said I thought perhaps abcess and they said they'd be right out.

Vet appears, looks at G and says "oh,I didn't realise he'd be shod!" Errrr wtf?! "I haven't brought anything to remove a shoe" So, had to use husbands screw driver, hammer and pliars to try to get the shoe off. G obviously very sore and hopping around, vet then rips his hand open on a clench! Fab. Blood everywhere! Me getting more and more and then husband does when vet snaps his Philips screwdriver! Finally get shoe off and vet spends ages paring sole and declares not an abcess all.

Says, "just put him back out, I wouldn't bother polticing as I can't see any evidence of an abcess. Ring if he's not better in a few days". So of course I disregarded this priceless advice, put down a bed, polticed his foot and rang farrier and left a message to come out.

This morning there is a ton of thick black smelly gunk on the poltice. Think it's coming from down the side of his frog and on digging about with my finger, there appears to be quite a deep hole there. Have scrubbed it clean and re polticed and am waiting for farrier to get in touch.

Don't think I'll be paying that call out charge.

Ron has now been out and couldn't find an abscess though said his frog is quite soft and spongey and he has a touch of thrush.  He has a deep crevice in his frog which was quite mucky and smelly. Told me to poltice over the weekend and he'll come back on monday for another look.

Ardmedden Again.

George had a few days off after our visit to Ardmedden as I was working.  Lunged him on thurs and yesterday Lee and Jess came with me to use the school again.

He was a bit awkward about loading. He planted a couple of times but eventually went in when Lee opened the front ramp.  Sweaty on arrival again but not too bad and went straight into the school for a look around.  Got on relatively quickly and he was quite distracted in his usual babyish way.  Took me 10mins or so to get his attention but once I did he was really good. 

Worked on rhythm and bend and trying to get the contact a little more consistent as his head is a bit up and down at the mo. But I was very pleased with him.

Andrew and Maureen appeared when I was finished and we had a chat and then they watched us load him.  He started off being stubborn again and Maureen gave me some pointers on pressure and release etc and he walked in of his own accord after 5 mins!  Definitely be trying that next time!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MI9hHlD04fM