Barbaro 'Comfortable' After Day of Surgery [Survival odds 50-50 after surgery]

AP on Yahoo ^ | 5/21/06 | Richard Rosenblatt - ap

[Wolfstar]

I hear ya , btw.

Thanks. Nice to know somebody does. :)

[JRios1968]

Now I can cry.

Hopefully, tears of joy. The splendid creature was saved, and now its biggest worry is how many females he has to service. The owners get a huge medical bill, but I am sure they can afford it, thanks to Barbaro's winnings and upcoming stud fees.

[connectthedots]

That's a lot of titanium/stainless steel.

[NormsRevenge]

23 screws were used along with the "plate".

--

excerpted

from update of article

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Barbaro sustained a broken cannon bone above the ankle, a broken sesamoid bone behind the ankle and a broken long pastern bone below the ankle. The fetlock joint — the ankle — was dislocated.

Richardson said the pastern bone was shattered in "20-plus pieces."

The bones were put in place to fuse the joint by inserting a plate and 23 screws to repair damage so severe that most horses would not be able to survive it.

When he came out of surgery, Barbaro was lifted by sling and placed on a raft in a pool so he could calmly awake from the anesthetic.

Richardson said the horse "practically jogged back to his stall" and was wearing a cast from just below the hock to the hoof.

"He's a real genuine athlete, there's no doubt about it," Richardson said. "Even the way he woke up from anesthesia, he was very much the athlete waking up from general anesthesia."

Richardson again stressed that Barbaro had many hurdles to clear.

"Horses with this type of injury are very, very susceptible to lots of other problems, including infection at the site," he said.

[Vision]

Great news

[NormsRevenge]

I grew up around all kinds of animals and kids too, I might add, sometimes bad things happened and there was nothing that could be done for them when injured (the animals not the kids). We have cats and fortunately have been 'lucky' altho a couple of local adoptees of ours have been hit and died as a result.

It's a rough call to make but sometimes the best thing for the animal is not always the easy thing for the owner to do.

[Rightfootforward]

Can't remember the last time I've been as impressed by a horse. He knocked me out before he ran/won the Derby.

All of this is tragic and heartbreaking but what a horse!
Such spirit. And it appears he's got one heck of a will to live. I realize his recovery will be the toughest 'race' of his life. Truly hope he makes it and that he'll enjoy many years at stud.

Horsie prayers going up for you, Barbaro. Tally Ho!

[Westlander]

Not really. Ever seen an Ortho surg?

[Prophet in the wilderness]

The Legion of Race Horses.

http://www.secretariat.com/

[Prophet in the wilderness]

http://www.secretariat.com/

[Prophet in the wilderness]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Secretariat_(racehorse)

[cjshapi]

New Bolton has the best and if Barbaro is able to recover this is the right place for him to be. My horse was there many years ago for a severe neck injury and everyone there was great. Doesn't matter to them if your horse is worth $3k or $30 million.

Barbaro does have plenty of hurdles to clear though. Possible infection, laminitis and all the other assorted maladies that can happen to a horse that is confined and unable to support weight on all legs evenly for long periods of time.

[squarebarb]

Holy hardware, Robin!

[AnAmericanMother]

Well, it's very encouraging to see him with his head in the feed bin.

And considering that he's got a full length cast, he's standing pretty squarely on that leg.

Prayers continue . . . he's such a good-natured colt, he deserves a happy retirement with lots of pretty young fillies.

[conservativebabe]

This beautiful and amazing horse will be fine. He has such wonderful personality and I really believe his spirit will pull him through this.

[Rightfootforward]

"New Bolton has the best and if Barbaro is able to recover this is the right place for him to be. My horse was there many years ago for a severe neck injury and everyone there was great. Doesn't matter to them if your horse is worth $3k or $30 million."

Understand that Barbaro couldn't be in a finer place. In addition to all that you know about New Bolton, the intensity and seemingly the heart of various staff interviews made me feel that as well. I honestly wish the best for Barbaro. I'm just glad they were able to give him a chance -- no matter what the eventual outcome may be. Wiser minds than mine will prevail and I'm sure they'll do what's best.

And if things do work out well, perhaps they may have learned a thing or two during Barbaro's surgery that will benefit other injured horses? Could be too much to hope for but we'll see. Only time will tell.

Can't say what it is about certain horses that speaks to me. Happens in an instant and it's incredibly strong. It's also permanent. Interesting that you sent me the links to Secretariat. Thank you. He was the last big fella that affected me as intensely as Barbaro. Comment on that if you like.

Good to know New Bolton's commitment to an animal doesn't revolve around their price tag. Only as it should be, though we all know that isn't always true. How did your horse do, if you don't mind my asking?

[cjshapi]

I can relate to pretty much everything you've written. If you look at my profile you'll see horses that I own and one that has passed. He was the one who was treated at New Bolton. There's no coincidence that I own chestnut horses. Big Red was and still is my hero. I don't know what there is about that horse but he still brings me to tears, just like he did in 73 when I was 10.

I can only hope and pray that Barbaro has a much better ultimate outcome than poor Ruffian did. You are correct about certain horses just speaking to you.

And I've always believed in going the extra mile to help a sick animal. Hapi, the horse who went to New Bolton at two, went down with a twisted intestine at age 20. We were at the barn when it happened and got him to a surgical hospital that is less than 10 miles away within a hour of diagnosis. I handed them my credit card and told them to do whatever they needed to do to save him. He lived four days after having 25 feet of small intestine removed but the damage was too extensive and he became toxic and it was time for him to cross the Rainbow Bridge. I went into debt to the tune of a 5 digit vet bill and took on a second job to pay it off but I wouldn't have had it any other way. Had to try to save him.

[TexanToTheCore]

"Can't say what it is about certain horses that speaks to me."

I have the same experience with certain horses. I still love and fondly remember a horse named Boston which I rode a quarter century ago. Love that horse. He loved to jump.
With or without a rider.

[Rightfootforward]

"I went into debt to the tune of a 5 digit vet bill and took on a second job to pay it off but I wouldn't have had it any other way. Had to try to save him."

What a beauty! Hapi was just gorgeous. All of your horses are. Very impressive. Also like that you emphasize temperament. More people should.

Have no problem relating to going into debt to try to save an animal. Or a person. If there's a reasonable shot that they might make it and have a decent quality of life, I'm all for giving them the opportunity. Anything else leaves me cold. Aaaaaaaaand, I don't care who doesn't agree with that.

Have you heard anything more about Barbaro? I've been out of the loop today. Thanks.

[cjshapi]

Here's the latest from bloodhorse.com. They're probably one of the best sources of info on this.

http://tcm.bloodhorse.com//viewstory.asp?id=33671

And thanks for the compliments on my guys. They're wonderful friends too. If I'm upset to the point of tears they don't seem to mind if I hug their necks and bawl my heart out. And they're great to share a relaxing ride with on a beautiful day.