Vaquero and I drove to Kentucky last night for an early morning vet exam to figure out what has been going on with him. I was glad to see that he unloaded from the trailer ride last night with the same level of discomfort he was experiencing at home-at least the ride had not aggravated anything. It also seemed like a good idea to break up the drive over two days for the same reason.
The staff was great even last night as I checked in around 10pm. When I arrived this morning Vaquero looked comfortable and I found Brent, who works with Dr. Reed, already gathering information on Vaquero. He told me that the exam would begin soon and shortly after that took me (and Vaquero) to meet Dr. Reed (what a nice guy!).
The exam went well, or whatever you want to call it when your horse doesn’t exactly look right… and soon Dr Reed had us headed to x-ray. He discovered in the first set of x-rays that there is some arthritis and is/was concerned that this is the source of the problem. He explained that Vaquero could have simply been playing or running and slipped in the pasture and aggravated and already existing condition. He said it is similar to a human who has back issues and then moves wrong or slips and instantly experiences sharp pain. I (Stacy) have arthritis in my neck and have had back issues my whole life so I know what he is talking about. For most of my 20’s it was normal for me to be walking along and then have such a pinching in my hips that it would almost drop me to my knees…then I would come up ‘lame’ and limp along. Anyway, back to Vaquero.
Dr Reed also wanted to test for EPM which required a spinal tap. His thought there was that it would be nice to rule it out as it would be unfortunate to decide it was all in his neck and leave something like EPM sneaking under the radar. I was happy to learn that the tests for EPM have improved over the years and are more accurate than they were. Those results will not be back until tonight.
In the end we talked about options and I have chosen a three part thought process. We will go home and wait on a few more test results and begin a month of rehab. Then depending on his progress it will be decided what to do next. Some options are injections in the neck, injecting dye for contrast to get even more specific answers to if his spinal cord is indeed being pinched, and even possible surgery.
I told Dr Reed that with Vaquero only being seven I wanted to take the route that had the highest likely hood of him reaching a happy, comfortable twenty seven. So that is the path we are on. Keep him in your prayers and I will keep you posted.
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[…] “Verdict from Vaqueros vet trip” […]
not number two,number one ! step with great care and tact. and remember life is a great balancing act. vaquero. heal soon, for roxy is never far behind
You, Vaquero, Jesse and the boys are still in our prayers. Isaiah 41;10 says ” fear not for I am with you;
be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” Love In Christ and in Friendship, Terri, Terri-June, Analise, Westie, and the rest of the Grangers. Love Ya’ll
Believe it & you’ll See it! Hang tough,Vacquero…Keep the Faith, Stacy! You are Loved!:)
You are both in my prayers Stacy. God Bless.
You’re in good hands at Rood & Riddle!
Keep praying! Because without the prayers of all our efforts wasted
You both will be in my prayers your in good hands
thanks for the detailed update! xray was a cool addition-
so glad to hear vacquero is in such good hands.
praying for good results-
all the best to you both-
Horses are so special. They mean alot to us. I don’t own any, but I have worked with them for 4 years and been riding for over 20. Keeping you both in my thoughts and prayers. Please keep us posted as to how things are going. God be with you.
Glad my hubby Brent and Dr Reed treated you so well 🙂 Brent definitely loves what he does and Dr Reed is the best. You were definitely in good hands! 🙂
Robin-They were GREAT! It made me want to grab a sleeping bag and camp out…following them around and learning. I miss spending time with the vets like I did in school, although it is my goal now to see them as little as possible beyond maintenance (if you get my meaning)! lol
Lol completely understand! As a former tech there myself I know how interesting it can be though. ( as long as its not one of your baby’s they are working on). They are a teaching hospital though and they love enthusiasm so I’m sure if you ever did want to just hang out for a day you would be more then welcome to do so with Brent and Dr Reed. Although all of the doctors there are awesome 🙂 — on a side note hope your new pet “slider” had a safe trip home 🙂
Stacy, Both you & your horse, Vaquero, are in my prayers! Hoping & praying for the best, & for a full recovery.
Lifting Vaquero and you and your family in our prayers! My childhood vet that I was privileged to have assisted on some vet calls when I grew up, was Dr. Riddle’s father! His son has done well in Kentucky and the practice is tops! Hopefully Dr. Reed will be able to lay out a course of action that will have Vaquero back on the road to good health and it will include your partnership in the arena, too! May God bless Vaquero and all that will be helping him to good health.
Dr. Reed is sooo great!!! I am so glad he was your vet!! 🙂
Still praying!!!
We are always with You and Vaquero dear Stacy, all will go better!!! A grat kiss to Vaquero from my Lark!”!!
nothing harder than waiting for answers and solutions when your best friend is in pain. hope he is feeling better soon.
So relieved that it wasn’t something more serious but also sad that he has arthritis trouble to have to deal with now. Thanks for sharing the x-ray image – very interesting! Continued prayers for one of the worlds best horse/rider pairs!! God Bless you both!!
Prayers for you and Vaquero. I’m sure you know about the injury the Larks Oneforthemoney sustained and recovered from. I hope Vaquero does well with his treatments.
Prayers for you and your boy…….love how you love them and are looking for what is best for the long haul (those next 20 or so years!) Thanks for keeping us posted! <3
Thank goodness they’re coming up with some answers! I have Rheumatoid Arthritis myself. Will send more prayers!
WOW will keep u both on my prayers glad u got some answers I too have neck and lower back issues just wait til u r 53 LOL my mate Skippie had fallen too and she already has arthritis in her hips and navicular in her right front hoof but with prayer and pain management along with joint supplements she’s good as new
Glad to hear you have some good options for treating him! I have to admit, I feared the worst when I saw your first post on his condition. I just had to euthanize the best horse I’ll probably ever own a week ago today due to severe wobbles (5 out of 7 vertebrae in his neck were malformed, which was causing the pinching of his spinal cord). He was only 2 and had all the makings of a top Western Pleasure competitor (admittedly biased, but I still believe it). We would have kept him as a pasture ornament for the next 20-something years if we could, but the neurologist said it was too dangerous, as he already had started falling down. It’s heartbreaking… My thoughts are with you and Vaquiero, and I hope he is able to live a long and comfortable life!
Hugs for you and Vaquero….just not TOO tight!
Thoughts and prayers for both you and Vaquero.
Praying for negative EPM! He’s in great hands! Thanks for keeping us posted, Stacy! A lot of prayers & love from a lot of folks for ya’ll!!
Praying negative on the EPM! So many folks praying & wishing all is well!! Thanks for taking the time to update us!!
will be keeping you both in my prayers!
Appreciate the update Stacy, I too can relate to your pain and Vaqueros. ~ prayers
Have you considered alternative therapies (acupuncture, body work, essential oils, whole food supplements, light therapy, etc.)? I know of a few vets who do work with essential oils and whole food supplements who have seen dramatic results with arthritis cases. The essential oils and supplements even work wonders on us humans as well. 😉
I have considered it. Wanted to make sure there was nothing fractured, etc that would be aggravated by it.
Stacy, First off I am so sorry to hear this news. I also live in Ohio and last June 21 my 6 yr old gelding was indirectly hit by lightning. We have had our ups and downs, but Dillon is thriving and most likely will make a complete recovery. This being said Dr. Anders from Coldwater Oh has made a difference in Dillon’s recovery. His practice is called County Animal Clinic and his phone is 419 678-3610. Over the last few months he has done chiro/acupunture which also included a supplement.. Dr Anders travels to the adjoining states and has done a seminar at Equine Af. in ohio, but also other states as well. Wishing good news for your boy and sending prayers your way! Patti
Way to go Stacey!!! I really liked how you wanted the best for the animal long term!
Glad to hear everything seems to be getting better so far! I hope his spinal tap comes back negative! Good luck to both of you!
Prayers being sent Stacy. Keep us posted.
Kentucky is the best place for seeking help I have always found….We went to Rood and Riddle with a foal just recently and she is recovering nicely…..well wishes for your furbaby Vaquero….
Thanks for updating us Stacy. The x-ray is interesting to see. I hope he is negative for EPM and that his rehab goes to plan.
Thanks for the update. You have thousands of eyes watching and waiting for updates. I was hoping you could say “they fixed it!” but maybe they are helping a lot and it’s just going to take a little time. Good luck to you and Vaquero.
Again, prayers for relieve for him (and YOU) as this is as tough on us as “parents/partners” of these beautiful creatures. I am glad that the EPM tests aren’t as brutal as before and hope for a negative outcome. Best wishes for a speedy recovery!