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Wednesday, August 24, 2011

Got a Glitch with My Horse ... or ... Poor Brunz

Pin firing on left hind, probably done years ago
Hives on left "cheek"
Hives on rib cage area, again on left
What a sweet eye!
Poor Bruno



My trainer, Rhonda,  was over on Sunday for a look-see at Bruno. Quite often, he feels like I'm steering a big boat, and he does some weird twists with his neck. So we put him on the lunge line, and took a careful look at how he tracked up. It was quite apparent that he was favoring his left hind, not that he was lame at all, just a bit off, putting it down in a position so as not to aggravate it. When we finished, and brought him to his shed, Rhonda checked his back muscles. When a horse is sore in a leg, he compromises his back muscles, behind the saddle area. Sure enough, he had some very sore spots to testing. Why he didn't dump me on my head when I rode, I don't know; he must have had a nagging pain.
To help him till the vet comes, I've been giving him phenylbutazone [anti-inflammatory/analgesic] I've also been giving a deep back massage at night. So now he's really sore. When I tried lunging today, I tried to get him to move out onto a larger circle [he has always tended to fall in]. I am pretty sure he went at me with his teeth; hard to be sure - it was so fast and unexpected. But he jumped back, and had that look horses get when they've done something bad, and they're expecting punishment. He must be so sore, and I feel so guilty. Anyway, I backed off a bit, did a tiny bit more on the other rein, and left it that. It looks like we'll be doing a lot of hand-walking to keep him moving and using that joint. Our diagnosis is arthritis, probably in the hock ["knee"]
Adding to that, he has hives on his left side. It is always difficult to determine the cause of this sort of thing. It could be that his hay recently has a bit of alfalfa [too rich for some horses]. It could be the lotion I've been using with his massage.  It could be something on the ground where he's been sleeping. My guess is that it's probably the hay. Thankfully, my hay man now has some good 2nd cut local hay available with NO alfalfa.
And so it goes ...

12 comments:

  1. oh, poor baby! i do hope he improves soon. it breaks my heart when animals are hurt. good luck and wishes for a speedy recovery. such a beautiful baby!

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  2. So sorry Bruno is having difficulties, Kathryn. He is such a magnificent horse. I hope things turn around for him real soon.

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  3. Kathryn, I can feel your anxiety at the experience you are having with Bruno. I know, because I had horses many years ago and my mare was a bay like Bruno. If one of them got hurt in some way, I hurt right along with them until they got better.

    I don't know if you have this problem where you live; but those hives look like the result of gnat bites my horses experienced at one point. My ex-father-in-law was a firm believer and user of Absorbine for the soreness in the lower legs and hock. Hope Bruno feels better soon.

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  4. Your post tugged at my heart strings. Felt for Bruno with his pain. He knows how well you treat him. :)

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  5. Awww.. Hang in there Kathryn! I will be praying for the best possible outcome for Bruno! Keep us updated!

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  6. I am so sorry Katheryn. Bruno looks like a beautiful horse. I hope he recovers soon.
    My best wishes

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  7. Poor Bruno. Hard to have something wrong and not be able to tell you. Hard for you too, as you try your best to help.
    Wish him better xx

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  8. Dear Bruno&Kath,
    Both, please take care of yourselves. Kath, take a rest well, too. Without you, he cannot go on.
    Kind regards,Sadami

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  9. praying for Bruno - I hope he is better soon... poor thing :( I hate it when anything hurts - but animals break my heart!

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  10. Rita had similar hives earlier this year. My vet called it "Sweet Itch" and recommended giving her Omega Fatty Acids 3 & 6 . What I found online was very expensive, so I ended up giving her 1/3 - 1/2 c. corn oil in her grain 3-4 times a day. It cleared up in a week or so. Also he said I could give her 12 Benadryl 1-2 X's a day if she was real itchy. Sorry to hear about the lameness issues. That's a tough one. It's obvious Bruno is getting the best of care. He's a handsome fellow and his coat is lustrous. Good luck Kathryn!

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  11. Aw, poor Bruno. I have never seen pin firing on the back of the hock like that, intersting. Hope he feels better soon. Also, you asked on my blog about doing something with the Zoe/calf photos. Have at 'em:)

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  12. hope you find a cure for bruno katharyn all the best on the job front too .

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