The Hobbit Hole III - Journey to the Cross-roads!

[HairOfTheDog]

Welcome to The Hobbit Hole!

Journey to the Cross-roads
The Two Towers Edition

Come on! Come in! -if you would like to have some seedcakes and a pint and relax a while. (If it is a special occasion, we still have a few bottles of the old wineyards left!)

Our first thread ( New Zealander builds Hobbit hole ) reached 4,100 posts, and we thought that was big. Our second thread (The New Hobbit Hole ) held us for over 48,000 posts, and we loved it dearly. We talked about moving to a new thread for the last 38,000 posts, but we are really slow to muster! Finally, the time has come. Tomorrow (at 12:01 am, to be precise!) The Two Towers comes out, and we start a new chapter.

[Wneighbor]

We are all ANXIOUS for you to be able to make that pumpkin pie!!!!

[Wneighbor]

Well 2J, by my clock the hot vet should have been there an hour and a half. Do you think she's behavin'?

Should we have given her a curfew?

[HairOfTheDog]

He just left.

*THUD*

[HairOfTheDog]

He just left.

*THUD*

[2Jedismom]

Pictures?

;-)

[RosieCotton]

And...ummm.....how's Bay? *innocent gaze*

[Wneighbor]

Well. We're waiting...............

Either talk about the vet, or about the horse or about HOTD.

[Wneighbor]

*looking around*

*shaking head*

nothing

*checked chat*

bewildered

HOTD must still be out cold. or hot as the case may be.

[RosieCotton]

Cold shower?

[HairOfTheDog]

I wish I had pictures! - I just couldn't bring myself to say - "can I take a picture of you to show my friends?"

Post coming up on Bay's diagnosis! Trying to find a good page that explains it without going deeper than any of you care to know.

[2Jedismom]

I thought you might have been able to take a pic of "Bay getting examined"...you know? wink wink

[HairOfTheDog]

Mixed news on Bay.... The vet (and his wife who is very nice) stayed a full two hours watching him go, looking at all of his joints and tendons... doing flex tests on him... None of the flex tests or movement tests were showing anything definitive except that he seemed lame, but where?... It was not his knees. Then he numbed first one front heel and then the other (intending to move up the leg, numbing each section until the pain went away), But with nerve blocking to the heels, the pain went away and he moved sound and pain-free. Navicular syndrome. Serious, and will eventually cause his retirement. For now though, it should be treatable with special shoes he will have to get that support his heel, and drugs.

Navicular Syndrome

---

© Ray Miller

Navicular syndrome is so called because a number of conditions may cause the pathological changes and clinical signs, and many structures may be involved. The navicular bone lies on the back of the coffin bone, with the navicular bursa, a small fluid-filled sac, between them. The small boat-shaped bone serves as a pulley for the deep flexor tendon that glides along its underside. Navicular syndrome is a degenerative process that can affect the bone, bursa or tendon.

This condition occurs almost exclusively in the front feet, and usually affects both feet. The first signs of navicular are a shortening of the stride and slight unevenness on turns. Because both forefeet are affected simultaneously, obvious lameness is not commonly observed. Instead, the horse appears reluctant to go forward properly or lengthen his stride. [YES!] Pointing is another common sign; the horse will stand at rest with one leg extended, the weight resting on the toe. When the foot is pressure tested, the horse will usually indicate pain at the heels. X-rays do not always detect early signs of navicular since the soft tissues are usually the first problem areas. The cartilage on the underside of the navicular bone and the deep flexor tendon become inflamed first.

The causes of navicular, unfortunately, are usually manufactured. First, horses with small feet (too small for their weight) are predisposed to this condition. [this is not Bay's problem, he has big feet... His cause, besides just his age, is likely to be the hard work he has done, including the endurance racing] ...A second cause is using the horse in stressful athletic activities for which they are not suited. Circulation trouble is the first step in the breakdown. The reduced blood flow weakens the structure and leads to the deterioration. Horses that undergo a fair amount of percussion on the forefeet are inclined to experience navicular syndrome.

No single treatment is uniformly successful in treating navicular. These therapies treat the symptoms, but the syndrome is irreversible. The possibilities range from drugs to corrective farriery work and surgery to retirement. Bute and other anti-inflammatory drugs will alleviate pain. The administration of warfarin in the feed may help some horses. This drug prolongs the blood clotting time, but is potentially dangerous, and permanent medication is usually necessary. Why the drug works is not known. Occasionally successful is the administration of isoxuprine, also delivered through the feed or in a paste. The peripheral blood vessels are dilated, improving circulation. [This drug is what we are trying, and Bute as needed perhaps just on hard ride days] Isoxuprine is usually only successful in the early stages of the syndrome. The foot must be properly trimmed, with the toes kept short and the foot balanced. Therapeutic shoeing may include an egg bar shoe with wedge pads, or the newly developed Tennessee Navicular shoe. Neurectomy is a surgical option for the navicular horse. This procedure involves removing a small piece of the two nerves that innervate the area. The nerves may regenerate, however, and daily care of the foot must be observed to recognize any injuries to the foot. Finally, for the advanced navicular syndrome, retirement may be the only recourse. This should include daily turnout to maintain regular blood flow and promote healthy hoof growth.

[Wneighbor]

Cold shower?

Notice she didn't answer that?

[Wneighbor]

and his wife who is very nice

scuse me.... that stinks.

[RosieCotton]

Ha...short leash indeed!

Sorry to hear the diagnosis wasn't simple arthritis or something along those lines...but good to hear there are still things you can do to fix it for now!

[2Jedismom]

Bummer for Bay, Hair! Will you still be able to take him on rides and such?

Too bad the wife was there too...

[Wneighbor]

Aw man. That sounds really disgusting. Although, I am very glad that Bay has you and not someone else who would turn their back on him.

I sure can relate to some of that hurting when doing what you normally do. I feel for him. It ain't no fun when your parts don't work as good as they used to.

[AnAmericanMother]

Gosh - not good news but not unbearably bad news either.

I used to ride a 20-plus-year-old T'bred mare with navicular. We kept her going with bute and bar shoes until she died quietly in her stall when she was almost 30 (the post showed a heart attack). We hunted and showed her regularly, but after she was diagnosed we didn't jump her high (above 3' -- SHE was perfectly willing - she was a jumping fool.) She stayed in work with only occasional lameness for years -- she was a school horse and ridden 3-4 times a week plus weekend shows. A little stiff when you brought her out but would go perfectly sound after a little warmup. She was never sent down from a show ring for lameness either.

It's very common in T'breds, so I've dealt with varying degrees of it all my life. With good vet care and judicious work, you should have no problems, especially since it sounds like you caught it early.

I wouldn't nerve the horse except as a last resort, I only know one horse for whom that has worked out well.

[Wneighbor]

I'm fixin' to go heat me up some meat and tortillas. Maybe some frijole dip. The girls don't want my food. I'm starting to feel ostrasized.

[HairOfTheDog]

Hate to admit it, but the wife is nice, and very knowledgeable in her own right when we were diagnosing him. She fits him well. A cutie pie just like him.

He remembered me right off when I let them in the gate.... he said "I know you! You had that dog Zooo___?" "Yeah! - Zulu!" "And the other dog that ate the deer skin!" - "Yeah! Logan!" (Awww.... he remembers the enema and the long walk!)

The wife said "Oh - she did say she knew you from Deschutes, I didn't think you'd remember, that was a long time ago"....

He said, "no.... I remember, Logan was such a pretty dog." I told him that I had only very recently lost those two, at 16 and 17 years old. That they had had very good lives. Then we got on to business!