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Hoot

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A few nights ago I got a text from the stable hand who works at the barn where I board my horses. Her boyfriend saw my horse limping in the pasture. Nobody was home so I should go have a look. I was sunburned very badly at work a couple days prior, despite multiple applications of 50 SPF sunscreen, thought I might get sun poisoning, so being in pain and figuring it was just going to be a simple swollen leg I drove to the farm in my PJ's, flip flops, and didn't even put in my contacts.

Get to the farm and can instantly tell, from a distance and without my contacts, that it was bad. He was holding the afflicted leg up, not putting weight on it. Went out in the pasture and saw the leg was a bloody mess. Thought I saw a bone sticking out, my heart dropped. He was very skittish, tried to run away as I approached. He had blood splashed up on his belly and forelegs. Got my hands on him and as I was leading him from the pasture, another horse shoved past him and got out. The gate is near a very busy road and here I was by myself with a loose horse and a badly injured horse!

Tied my horse to the side of the indoor arena and went to catch the loose horse. Called the barn owner, the stable hand, nobody answered. Called the barn owner's boyfriend, he came right away. A few minutes later the barn owner returned. She helped me hose his leg. Once the coagulated blood was off it looked a lot less scary, but was still very serious. Thankfully, what I saw wasn't a bone. The bone, tendon, and tendon sheath were all intact! Just a very deep laceration laid wide open as if cut with a very sharp knife. Cleaned it, wrapped it, gave him painkillers and antibiotics. He had one capillary gushing and rather than dig around in the wound trying to find it we opted to do a pressure wrap since he bled through the original one. Once wrapped he started putting weight on the leg.

Appetite is excellent. Drinking. Good spirits. Standing very quietly to be cared for and accepting tons of needles. I just moved to this state, don't know the area or the stores. Decided to get a tetanus booster to be on the safe side. Go to the nearest store, tell the guy what I want, he says they don't have a plain old tetanus but they have a 4-way. So he gives it to me and I get home and give it to the horse. Afterwards I'm updating my record book and notice on the label that the vaccine wasn't what he told me!!! My heart sank. Fluvac Innovator EHV 4/1.... NOT Fluvac Innovator 4. Good grief. Luckily my horse had a tetanus shot in 2011 so technically doesn't need a booster.

I'm heartbroken. This is my heart horse. When I bought him I had given up jumping after ten years of grueling professional lessons because I lost my nerve. If it wasn't for him, I would have given up riding entirely. As a 3-year-old fresh from the trainer's, he had a better mind than any horse I had ever ridden and he helped me regain my confidence. He was to be my companion for many, many years. And I'm sure he will be. But it is just one thing after another... he survived EPM. He was in a freak accident while I was at college where he must have rolled in his stall and got his leg caught in the bars of the window. The people told me he was fine but I get there a month later to find the leg swollen, permanently scarred, and his eye damaged. He hadn't seen a vet!!! The eye injury caused permanent vision damage and led to recurring uveitis for months. Luckily, x-rays revealed the leg was ok, just ugly. Now this.

Looks like I will have to tell the lady that I may have to put my miniature horse purchase off, again. Depends on the vet bills from this injury. So far so good, but this first week is the most critical, then this first month we still have to be very vigilant. I'm thinking AT LEAST six months of healing, possibly longer. Injury is in a bad spot... on the pastern...
 
I am so sorry this happened to your beloved horse! Sounds as if you have the situation under control for now, but I am writing to say...I would STRONGLY urge you to FIND a tetanus toxoid and give it NOW(you should always be able to buy such a shot from an equine vet)! The information I've ALWAYS been given, whether by my vet or through reading, is that a horse should have a tetanus booster given if it has been more than three months since it was previously boosted, IF the horse receives ANY serious 'penetrating' injury.

I would never 'count on' an employee of some 'store' to have proper knowledge of vaccines(and for that matter, to have stored it properly). Sounds like he sold you a RHINO vaccine, for heaven's sake! I would go back and raise cain w/ whomever sold you that...however,I must add, it IS the owner's responsibility, too, to examine what they have BEFORE administering it...IOW, do NOT take someone else's word.THEY have no personal stake in your horse's wellbeing, as you do!Not trying to be harsh, just straightforward...

I hope your horse continues to do well and recovers quickly and completely...both you and he deserve a GOOD outcome, esp. after all you've been through! Good thoughts going out to you both....

Margo
 
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Yes it is my fault for not checking the package before administering. I was stressed and just assumed they'd given me the right one. Lesson learned. I was under the impression it was first tetanus, second boost two weeks later, then a boost every two years...? Better safe than sorry. Too bad the nearest store that carries it is forty minutes away.
 
Has a vet seen your horse yet or are you self treating everything? I had a horse that had a major leg injury and exposed tendon and he had to wear a padded cast on that leg to keep it from moving or bending and he had to be on major antibiotics and stall rest.

Best wishes, sounds like a rough time.
 
The vet was called but did not come out. The barn owner is extremely experienced and has an excellent relationship with the equine vet. Also the stable hand is a vet student. The vet trusts them to take care of the injury, so I do too, and having seen them in action I'm not concerned. They are doing exactly what the vet would have... without the massive farm call fee. Never heard of a vet as expensive as this one, but since there are only two to choose from here I guess she can command any price she wants. Injury looks great this morning!
 
Glad to hear your horse is looking better. I know what it feels like to see your horse covered in blood and it is not a feeling I would wish on anyone! I hope he continues to heal quickly.
 
Hope he is well on his way to healing. Glad you got the runaway horse back in without any mishaps as well. That could have been a bad situation and it sounds like you handled it wonderfully.

The only thing I would suggest is maybe not giving the painkillers. I know it sounds mean but animals need to feel the pain to know not to overdo it on an injury. If they feel no or very little pain they think they are okay and sometimes do more damage. Just my 2cents.
 
The only thing I would suggest is maybe not giving the painkillers. I know it sounds mean but animals need to feel the pain to know not to overdo it on an injury. If they feel no or very little pain they think they are okay and sometimes do more damage. Just my 2cents.
I agree with you, the painkillers were for the first few days to make sure he'd let us work on him. He is in a stall and well-wrapped, not much he can do to injure the leg further. It is looking wonderful.
 

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