Posted on 08/09/2006 7:20:55 PM PDT by neverdem
Barbaro’s fractured right hind leg is healing well, and veterinarians say they are encouraged by the progress the colt is showing in regrowing the hoof wall on his left hind leg.
Barbaro, the Kentucky Derby winner who took a catastrophic misstep that shattered his right hind leg in the Preakness Stakes on May 20, was said to be resting comfortably yesterday in the intensive care unit of the George D. Widener Hospital for Large Animals in Kennett Square, Pa. On Tuesday, his cast was changed.
“The leg looked good under the cast, especially considering the length of time that he has been in a cast,” Dean Richardson, the chief for surgery, said in a statement yesterday. “The radiographs also were encouraging. There is no sign of active infection. This is further supported by his markedly improving blood values over the last two weeks.”
Richardson said Barbaro had come out of the cast changing without problems and continued to be a good patient. “He is a very intelligent horse and has definitely figured out the whole process,” he said.
The cast, which encloses the foot and extends past the knee, will be changed regularly until the bones and joint are fused enough to sustain Barbaro’s weight.
His left hind foot, which developed a crippling and often-fatal condition known as laminitis, is also improving. After removing 80 percent of Barbaro’s left hoof wall last month, Richardson warned that the colt’s chances of recovery were poor. Still, Richardson and Barbaro’s owners, Roy and Gretchen Jackson, decided to continue aggressive treatment.
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
Not in Thoroughbred breeding.
I guess it's impossible to have a thread wherein his good progress is all that's discussed.
GOOD post on your part.
All you injected into this thread is misinformation.
Thanks for your ping, onyx. I meant to thank you earlier. I guess it's impossible to have a thread wherein someone insists that they are an expert when they clearly are not. Sigh.
Good news about our boy, though. It's been three months. A miracle he's made it this far, but the fact that he has just increases his odds of the best possible recovery.
Thank you Wolfstar. When I read the title I was so happy that he seems to be better. The other post sounded too sad and I am glad you cleared it up. I am a romantic too so I'm hanging onto the miracle of love for Barbaro!
YES! I think this is heartening news.
You're welcome. Besides, in these difficult times, we all can use a heartwarming story like Barbaro's so-far successful fight for survival.
You know, I had given up way back, as far as T-bred Barbaro babies. But I had my fantasy wish of a quarter horse or two from him.
Then I read this the other night, linked from TimW's blog - some may need tissues for this:
This one first ...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Your_Host_%28horse%29
And then this one ...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kelso_(horse)
Miracles do happen.
Miracles do, indeed, happen. And I'm glad to discover there are some other romantics out there like me. :)
The only thing I would point to as being different for Your Host vs. Barbaro is that the former's injury was to a front leg. If Barbaro finally makes it and is released from the hospital, the one thing about breeding him will be if he can put most of his own weight on his hind legs to mount a mare.
But like everyone pulling for this wonderful horse, I'm happy to take it a day at a time. Every day he makes it is a good day.
You betcha. Yeah, the other horse's was a front leg, but look how close he was to being put down, on more than one occasion!
And his sireling is considered 4th greatest t-bred racehorse, ever - behind Man O War, Secretariat and Citation!
Incredible odds, I'd say.
Yep, incredible odds. Kelso was a great horse in an old-fashioned mold. The iron gelding who raced a lot of years, carried a lot of weight in handicaps, and rolled up the big purses. We don't see his like very often any more, although the great John Henry was such a horse in the 1980's.
ping
ping
"Well, folks, I am a horeseman,"
If you are going to try to pass yourself off as a "horseman" you'd better make sure your information is accurate. You blew it on this one.
Exactly. And today is just a perfect day for good news from Barbaro's camp! An oasis in a sea of chaos.
LOL, a guess an "oasis" in a "sea" would be a silly mixed metaphor, huh? I left out what I meant to say: "an oasis of tranquility" in a sea of chaos - and might I add "hope" to tranquility.
Go Barbaro Go! Grow that Hoof, Knit that Bone!
Yippeeeeee! Barbaro got to go outside! Got to eat his own grass!!
Video was on GMA this morning of Doc R walking Bobby out and about in the grass!
If you missed it or miss GMA this morning, I think the video and perhaps some still photos are going to be on the New Bolton Center site on the Barbaro updates page!
http://www.vet.upenn.edu/newsandevents/news/Barbaro.htm
I'm so excited for him I can't stand it. There's no story yet to link to so I couldn't start a new thread - but I wanted to!
You know, if Barbaro beats this, in his own way, he'll be among the greats in the racing world even if he never sees another race. Just defying all odds to survive will put him in the history books, imho. Thanks for the update. :)
Thanking God for small favors in these most difficult times.
We're with you Barbaro!
Keep healing, big guy!
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