Medical Interventions

Good news!  The pony will live.

Here is the lameness vet visit tango: vet pulls up with plans A through G in mind based on symptoms as described.  Preliminary examination complete, which much admiration for Tuck's basic soundness and clean-legged-ness.  His range of motion is fantastic!  He flexes and palpates great!  Further discussion in which I assure vet that it's okay to tell me if I am a crazy person.  Exam continues into motion and I am not a crazy person; symptoms are present albeit mild.

We went ahead with injecting the stifles.  The hocks seem in good order, so that's a relief!  Got some reaction at the lumbar back but didn't merit an ultrasound at this point.  He'll stay in his stall for the rest of today, go back out tomorrow, light work only for five days but fine to jump him on Saturday.  About three weeks to see full effect.

I did my little joint-injection spiel the other day on Funder's post: I'm comfortable with injecting to maintain comfort and performance; I would not be comfortable with injecting to increase performance.  I suppose one could argue that trying to move a horse up to 50s is an increase in performance, but what I mean by that is work that puts more pressure on the joints in question.  When I had his hocks done in 2012, frex, it was with the private understanding that it meant I would not ask him to run Prelim.  Doing the same (basically horse-friendly!) work for more miles feels qualitatively different to me than asking for higher fences or significantly greater collect.  Yes, the risk of entering a joint with a needle is non-zero and I'll be keeping watch, but given a skilled and careful vet, I consider the risk:benefit ratio acceptable.

So here we are.  Either the injections will help, which is useful information, or they won't, which is information, too.

In the meantime, Tuck is a hilarious drunk!

PS Resting heart rate?  24.