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 ...
"Yippeeeeee!"
Wooo Hooo!! I echo your excitement! I am sooo happy for the big guy. If Barbaro was a human patient, recovering from a devastating injury such as his, this would be such a moral building event. A wonderful day!
I CONTINUE to keep this beautiful, great, horse, in my thoughts and prayers. In spite of all the scary things going on in the world these days, Barbaro is a link back to the NORMAL things that should concern all of us.
I want him to recover and thrive for the remainder of a LONG life.
Thanks for the update.
pattyjo
I am thrilled and delighted to hear that Barbaro went outside and ate grass. He'll surely make a full recovery now that he knows he won't live in the barn forever.
Freedom!
More prayers for his continuing and swift progress. (And I did light a candle at the link you provided on some thread--a lovely web site--I spent an hour browsing over there.)
Don't worry, we got you right on. Bet you stopped pulling wings off flies just to come bother us. I'd say that riding the coin pony outside K-mart is as close as you've gotten to being a horseman. I'm sorry, horeseman.
Here we go ...
http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/ - GMA video is here
And here:
http://abcnews.go.com/Video/playerIndex?id=2310386
~~~~~~
http://www.vet.upenn.edu/newsandevents/news/Barbaro_Update8-14.htm
Barbaro well enough to hand-graze outside
August 14, 2006
KENNETT SQUARE, PA — After almost three months in the Intensive Care Unit of Penn’s George D. Widener Hospital, Kentucky Derby winner Barbaro has begun brief outings to some grassy areas adjacent to the ICU to hand-graze. “We felt he was ready for a change of scenery, so last week we took him outside to pick his own grass,” said Dr. Dean Richardson, Chief of Surgery. “He’s not outside for a long time, but it’s enough to let him enjoy the fresh air and sunshine. If he remains this comfortable, he will be hand-grazed daily.”
Photos on the Penn Vet Web site show Barbaro being walked to the ICU’s grazing area. “I’m very pleased with his progress,” said Dr. Richardson. “His appetite remains strong, he sleeps well, and we continue to monitor him closely. He is measurably gaining weight and his overall attitude is great.”
The photos show the cast on the right hind leg, which encloses the foot and extends up to just below the hock, the bandage on the left hind foot and support wraps on Barbaro’s front legs.
The next update will be posted on Tuesday, August 15 unless there is a significant change in Barbaro’s condition.
~~~~~
New additions to the photo album here:
http://www.vet.upenn.edu/newsandevents/news/BarbaroPhotos.htm
And here is the video on the NewBoltonCenter site:
http://www.vet.upenn.edu/newsandevents/news/BarbaroClip8-14.htm
This is a terrific update (above) worthy of it's own thread, but in the mean-time, I'll ping it here. It's very good for Barbaro to move, and be outside. It's vital to his recovery, emotionally and physically.
AUGUST 14, 2006
Barbaro hand-grazes at the New Bolton Center with Dr. Dean Richardson. (Higher-res photos if you click them.)
|
|
 |
||||
|
|
|
I'm glad he's getting out.
ping
Me too, I've been waiting for news that they are walking him.
Indeed... If they didn't have hope, they'd have gelded him already... he's certainly been under anesthesia often enough :~)
Prayer really does work. Thanks for the ping.
Hehe... I love his expression in that upper right photo. Looks like he's sticking his tongue out at the photographers.
Yes, he's pretty thin, but I thought too, the lighter he is on his feet the better right now.
Never thought I'd be so tickled to see a horse eating grass. Such an ordinary activity, such an extraordinary horse.
Prayers up for more happy mornings with the dew kissing his velvet nose.
(Nose? Snout? LOL, I don't even know. Horse lover from a distance, I.
Thanks! He's a real looker, even after all he's been through.
He's just amazing. He looks awfully thin, but at this point I would imagine that could be a good thing. Less weight on his legs.
*ping*
Barbaro update! He got to go outside today!
I hope everything turns how well with him. What a wonderful horse.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.
