I don't even know how to begin. I was blindsided with this horrible condition and I didn't even know it was coming. As I think back, I can't really even come up with anything that may have indicated that she had anything wrong with her. I rode her on a Friday, and by Monday we were at San Luis Rey Equine Hospital in the midst of a disaster.
Truffles is a 16.3 hand appaloosa with no spots (unless you shave her to the skin and look at her mottled skin.) Although I knew her since she was a baby, I didn't buy her until she was 4, when my other horse passed away. She is a fabulous horse. She is such a people-horse and will spend time with you as more of a friend than a horse. I love how she side passes to me so that I can get on from a pipe stall or a log or anything. It's like an invitation to mount up and let's go for a ride.
On Friday, she seemed a little less excited about taking a ride and I mentioned to my husband that she seemed a little off. She had just gotten her new shoes (she loves new shoes and thinks they are from Nordstroms, shhh, don't tell her) and it was pretty hot out so I just dismissed is as environmental. By Saturday night, she seemed a bit off (she is NEVER sick) My wonderful friend, who keeps my horse at her house) contacted the vet and did all the proper things for a potential colic. But all her vital signs were normal. By early Sunday morning she was not really any better so we called out the vet. (yep, Sunday emergency vet calls are so expensive.) He examined her and noticed that her eye was a little droopy. Her vital signs were still normal but he noticed she had a corneal ulcer. She had torn off her shoe and we thought she might have gotten cast in her stall and scratched her eye. She had been mouthing her coronet band like it itched or hurt or something so the vet thought she might have an abscess. He tubed her and gave her some fluids and some oil. We got some ointment for her eye, wrapped her hoof and gave her a nice bran mash. I hand walked her three times a day from Sunday morning to Monday afternoon to get things moving. My Monday afternoon she seemed a little better. I put her on the cross-ties to change her hoof wrap and then I saw it. The entire side of the right side of her face was very swollen and her lips were weird. The top lip pointed oddly to the left, the right side of her lower lip was drooping about an inch and a half lower than normal and the top of her mouth was very swollen. It looked like she had a golf ball in her mouth.
We immediately called my usual vet and had him come out. He knew immediately what I was dealing with and loaded my horse in the trailer and we went off to San Luis Ray Equine Hospital. If it was good enough for Seattle Slew, it was a good enough place for me! I knew they would get to the bottom of this and we'd be home with some medicine by that night! Right?????????????
No comments:
Post a Comment