Because Of %@*#! Course

It's two days until our second show at 4th level. So what is Mr. Big Bad Dressage Horse up to? Well... lots of things.

He's working on his social skills by meeting new neighbors...
"HAI FELLOW DEVIL CHESTNUT!"
And he's making sure to keep his energy up with plenty of snacks...
"Oh man! Alfalfa?! My favorite!"
And he's focusing on the days to come, with maybe a little worry...
"WTF have I gotten myself into?"
What's that you say? Your horse doesn't typically prep for a big dressage show with stall rest and a wrap from elbow to hoof?

Weird...

So what happened? Good question. My barn owner texted me this photo early this morning:
"HOLY JESUS CHRIST HIS KNEE IS PREGNANT... WITH TWINS" -- My actual initial reaction
It was quickly followed up by this...
#frankenknee
The cut is pretty superficial. It's a touch deep, but not really a big deal. The swelling, though? That indicated a much larger problem. My barn manager mentioned it looked like he'd spent the night in the shelter, not moving much. Then she sent me a video of him struggling to walk to the wash area, and suggested he may have a fracture.

Great.

She cold hosed him for a long while and gave him his regular morning equioxx. After standing awhile with cold water and ice on him, he walked better.
Define this "better" of which you speak.
The swelling went down some, too.
Oh god... what if it's filled with spiders?
#shityouthinkwhilewaitingforthevet
The vet showed up, also suggesting x-rays to eliminate the possibility of a fracture. We weren't sure if the scrape on the knee was due to blunt trauma from something like a kick or when the swelling kicked in. Those questions made the decision to x-ray very easy for me.
Let's take a look inside that knee, shall we? 
Thankfully the x-rays came out completely clean. In fact, that knee might be the prettiest joint in this horse's whole damn body. However, the rapidly developing cellulitis is a real concern.

The vet's plan consists of IV steroids today, possible oral steroids for the next three days, and a course of SMZs to begin immediately. She also suggested a good wrap would help bring the swelling down even faster. I agreed.
"I did not consent to this." -- Pig, probably
The wrap is lovely, but requires Pig to be stalled for 24 hours. I'm hoping the IV steroids from today do their trick and the swelling is much less by tomorrow. The vet is mildly optimistic about my chances of showing, basically indicating that he should be fine as long as the swelling goes down. With zero indication of damage to the joint or surrounding tissues, the cellulitis is really all we seem to be fighting.

If his knee is still confusing itself with a pregnant belly tomorrow, we obviously won't be shipping to the show grounds. At that point, he'd need to start on the oral steroids to keep knocking this down and our chances of showing would be blown even if the swelling magically resolved. After all, you can't show at a USEF show with dex in your horse's system. #funfact

We're going to need a lot of finger crossing and wishes to get him to Loch Moy this weekend, and even then it's the barest of chances. Clearing up his cellulitis is my top concern, the horse show is obviously secondary. Realistically we could be looking at weeks of recovery. It's all an big question mark at the moment.

At least one funny thing came out of this morning's whole catastrophe, this hilarious video of Pig attempting to walk in the stiff leg bandage. His whole confused yet hopeful expression just kills me, as does his ridiculous leg lift. I could literally watch this thing all day.

Oh wait. That's what gifs are for... enjoy!
I mean, I've been trying to train him to lift that shoulder for years. Now if he could just do it without the mummy wrapping and the expensive vet calls...
Feel better, buddy! I'd much rather complain about a crappy dressage test than watch you be so uncomfortable!

Comments

  1. Kids these days with their loose morals and pregnant knees

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  2. Oh em gee Pig 😂 that GIF is everything though​ hahaha. Hopefully his knee is back to its non-pregnant status soon 😋

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  3. Oh Pig. God save us from crazy chestnuts who try to cut off their legs.

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  4. OH man! I am having flashbacks to when my Arab fell on gravel and had his knee swell up. He ended up puncturing his joint and had to have a standing levage. Fingers crossed the wrap helps.

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  5. Oh Piiigggggg! 🙈 At least there was no fracture, but cellulitis is a b*tch! Hope he feels better soon and the steroids help! Poor little man xx

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  6. Glad he's gonna be ok!! That gif & all the comments had me giggling out loud :)

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  7. been waiting for the HOW after seeing the WHAT on instagram. Shudders spiders. I literally got cold chills when you said that but hey we know it is not spiders in there LOLLOL Power of suggestion, thanks.

    I hope he is better today. And if he doesnt get to show i hope he bounces back quickly not matter. He is never ever ever dull is he? Nope. Cute new neighbor pig too....

    So i think he was practicing his trapeze act and hurt his leg that way...Cause yes....Pig would totally do that :)

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    Replies
    1. bounces back quickly NO matter (Damn autocorrect and stupid user error LOL)

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  8. What a poor, cute creature. My TB always seems to swell dramatically more than any other horse ever. He's gotten minor scrapes like that and had huge issues with swelling. Luckily they go down really quickly with cold hosing and walking. Hopefully your boy's does too!

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  9. At least you got a hilarious GIF out of all of this... ugh. Sucks.

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  10. OMFG it better not be filled with spiders!!! But for real, prayers for a speedy recovery from the cellulitis!

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  11. That gif made me laugh out loud way too hard!

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