Splint...ember?

Runkle can't do anything normal.


It took a week and a half for the splint to go sideways. He went from gimpy to abscess lame in record time and his whole leg was swollen. So I had the vet out, again.


I insisted on x-rays this time, and had no less than 5 vets look at 4 views with exactly 0 conclusions.

His cannon bone looked like it was demineralizing and no one could figure out why.


The word surgery (to clean out the 'dead' bone) was bandied about.


In the end he got put on Enroflaxacin, thinking that maybe it was an infection making the bone look less dark than it should, and prescribed a follow up for more x-rays in 10 days to see if more drastic measures needed to be taken.

There were a lot of tears that day. Sorry if you had to deal with me. Thank you if you gave me a hug and let me cry all over you.

Late last week I could tell that the antibiotics were working though. The heat and swelling was reducing drastically in the leg, and he was sound at the walk. I was VERY TENTATIVELY hopeful. But it's horses so...


I couldn't be there for the initial appointment but you can bet your butts I was there for the follow up on Wednesday. My real person job gets in the way of taking care of my child horse.

We zoomed in about 250% on the old x-rays and jacked the contrast way way way up so we could see the teeny

tiny

smaller than the edge of my pinky finger nail

fragment.

A little tiny fragment.

Caused an infection and all this drama.

We took the new x-rays and lo the little tiny sprinkle sized hell raiser has since been resorbed or took the hint and pissed off.




So now we just have, you know, the splint to heal. Which is ENORMOUS.



I think I might name it Godzilla.

But anyway he doesn't need surgery so that's all I care about.

He's definitely feeling better because his walks have become progressively shorter and shorter as he tries to invent new ways to entertain himself. Reserpine don't fail me now...

So that's why all's been quiet on the Runkle front. Because I didn't know what was happening and he was making me sick with anxiety and I couldn't talk about it.

Pretty status quo for horses. Little buggers.

Comments

  1. UGH RUNKLE STAHP. I don't understand how people go through this kind of thing with actual human children. It's bad enough when your horse-child maims himself or gets a disease. I have a friend who is going through something similar with a GIANT SWOLLEN WEIRD LUMP on her horse's shoulder. We're hoping/thinking it's a splinter or tiny bone chip or something causing it, but she's been in the same anxiety-ridden state as you. Hang in there!! <3

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    Replies
    1. I said the same thing to a friend of mine who's a parent. I was like I dont know how you do this. and he was like "....... honestly that seems worse than kids". so maybe I'll just be really super prepared for parenthood???

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  2. Horses love to freak us out and spend all our money! Glad surgery is off the table and that he's on the road to recovery ☺

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    1. ME TOO. altho it does provide some comfort knowing we are all in the same boat. especially when the schedule master at the vets did not mock me for bursting into tears on the phone. bless her.

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    2. I'm sure anyone who works at a horse vet because an experienced therapist through time.

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    3. for real. i said that to her i was like you should moonlight on a suicide hotline.

      oh how she laughed...

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  3. Oh Runkle!!! I know exactly how you feel. Fingers crossed that he gets the memo to stop making you crazy.

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    Replies
    1. The beauty (or terribleness?) of it is we've all been here.

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  4. Drama Queen of the year award goes to Runkle.

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  5. I would have lost my mind! I'm glad that it's on the mend.

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    Replies
    1. I kinda did. its amazing how quickly you go cuckoo when they threaten to put your precious under the knife...

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  6. Replies
    1. right?? thats what I kept saying. I was like what are you TALKING about he has a SPLINT. Where did surgery come from!?

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  7. Dear lord! That was dramatic. WHY are these horses such diva's?! I'm so glad that was a fairly quick fix after such angst. Ugh. I just angsty for you reading this.
    That is a big splint, and it definitely needs a name. I used to know a horse with one of those nasty ear growths. The growth's name was Pepe. We still speak of him.

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    Replies
    1. LOL we still speak of him, that made me laugh out loud.

      pepe.

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  8. I think all the bloggers with injured horses (OF WHICH THERE APPEAR TO BE FIVE THOUSAND OF THEM) should total how much money we spent this past month on vet bills. I'd be curious to see that astronomical number.

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    Replies
    1. oh god. i DONT want to know that number.

      yeah it does seem to be the season doesn't it? its making for riveting reading. everyone's fall season got cancelled lol.

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  9. Well, I'm glad it's healing and getting better now. Surgery is so scary.

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  10. Oh geez, sounds very stressful :( Glad things are on the right track now for healing!

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