Well... today did not go how I expected. Sigh... friggin' horses.
We started off our morning with some pillar work. I was hoping to actually ride but didn't quite have enough time. But that's fine... we've been slacking on the in hand pillar work, so maybe it was a good thing. We went up to the arena because then he's not trying to eat grass or so distracted. And we got some awesome work. It seemed like he was staying rocked back and not running onto his forehand. He was releasing and yawning. But then he went to turn and rolled his right hind fetlock. Which stressed his stifle. He held that hind leg up in the air for about 2 minutes before he put it down. And when he did, he toe touched for a minute or two. But then he walked off fine. Okay...no big deal. He's done that a few other times. We know that stifle is an issue so fair enough that he stressed it and was sore for a minute.
He was filthy so I gave him a bath before our vet visit. Kelli was bringing Marvin to my house and then we were going to take my trailer to Aiken for a Dr. Keelin recheck. I was honestly bringing Dan mostly for moral support for Kelli and Marvin, for my education regading Marvin's case, and a little bit because I was a tiny bit concerned about Dan's hind end recently. When we jumped he seemed a bit sticky but I really was thinking it was the deep spots in my arena (argh... gonna have to drag the tar out of it and smooth it all out). And he had been chewing at his shoulder a hair again, although the hopping and rein lameness hadn't shown back up. I was really hoping she didn't think he needed anything because Jacel was going XC schooling at Ashland on Saturday and I really wanted to do that before we went to Poplar next weekend. Anyways, Kelli was a little late so I turned him out with a flake of alfalfa while I was putting shavings in the trailer and so he didn't have to stand in the cross ties and then stand in the trailer and then stand at Dr. Keelins... especially if he had to be stall rested if we did injections. But that little turd rolled and was covered in caked on mud! UGH! So I hosed him off a second time and was just finishing as Kelli pulled up.
So off we went to Dr. Keelins. Kelli went first so I put Dan in a stall while we watched Marvin go. Luckily he got great news and looked good. They did inject his SI joints and x-rayed his neck, but she was pleased with his neuro status.
So then it was Dan's turn. She put him on the lunge and when he picked up the trot we were both like "Ugh... what is that"!? Wait... seriously Dan? You're lame now? I told her about him rolling his toe that morning but he was pretty legit lame. Sigh. She flexed him and it seemed to be stifle area. Plus he had effusion in the stifle. Plus he wasn't that reactive to his suspensory palpation. So we ultrasounded his stifle again. There was a lot of fluid... a lot of inflammatory debris (and maybe a glob of something.. not bone.. maybe noltrex?!) and possibly some thinning of the cartilage. Sigh. She pretty much said that instead of bandaiding him again... perhaps it was time to do an arthroscopic exploratory of the joint. That way we would know... rather than pouring a thousand here and there into him.. and maybe I could save that money and save up for a 6 year old. :( :( :( Ugh... that's a dramatic change from "we'll go down fighting". It was all I could do to not cry the whole way home. She suggested Rood and Riddle as they do that multiple times a day. I was torn because... UGA would be cheaper and more convenient, but... she had a point. I had joked about taking him to Rood and Riddle the next lameness work up because I was not really getting a diagnosis elsewhere. I called them on the way home and they said they could see him next week. Eeks! Well, since I had Friday off to go to Poplar.... I could move my Wednesday patients and take him. I also called UGA... they couldn't see him til the week after. Given that the last time I waited they couldn't make him lame on that stifle and the fact that Keelin had a point... I opted for Rood and Riddle.
Sigh...
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