Well it's been a long hard slog with this horse. Now, almost 5 months later (See Blogs on same subject, Parts 1 & 2) his surgery wound has healed up until it's almost gone. The vet is pleased with the way it looks.
With his lump gone and months of recovery, you would think that's the end of it - but NO, we've been through an abscess in his surgery side hoof that erupted in his heel, an infection with a temp of 104.6, blood tests to check organ function, and for Lyme's disease and then three-legged lameness in his other leg that was diagnosed as an abscess, navicular syndrome and finally an injury to his flexor tendon. All that entailed 2 visits with our farrier, 2 nerve blocks, one to diagnose the navicular (which is wasn't) and one to x-ray for fractures and then a trip to an out-of-town vet where he was nerve blocked for an ultrasound. The ultrasound showed a slight inflammation and possible tear in his flexor tendon.
He stayed there a week and came home to stall rest which he did NOT tolerate very well, then out with a buddy in a dry lot and finally out with his buddy in a separate pasture. His feeding is done on a mounting block with his bucket shock-corded to one of the steps to elevate it. He had trouble dropping his head low enough to eat his grain and to graze. Finally he is eating on the ground and grazing with only 2 more pain pills to go.
It will be a few more months before he is turned out with all the horses. He will have to show us he can trot and canter without pain before that happens. Tendons take about 6 months to heal.
One funny thing did happen though...I was reading over one of the vet bills and noticed his name at the top. His registered quarter horse name is Rb's Secos Music. And so we call him RB. That was the name I gave the check-in lady at the vet's office. But when I read the bill later his name had been entered as ARBY. So now we call him Roast Beef !
We love him lots and you have to when they require so much time and effort, let alone bucks. He's now worth double what we paid for him...or more, but that's OK!
Here's a series of photos before, with stitches, and now. Amazing what the body can do to heal!
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