Friday, February 29, 2008

The Vet & Max

Yesterday I took the afternoon off from work so that I could be at the stables when the vet showed up to look at Max. As stated previously, Max appears to have sustained some minor injuries/muscle strain and he appeared to be stiff on his hind end so I decided it was time to have Max checked out and to get him his yearly vaccinations.

The vet exam consisted of trotting and cantering Max on a lunge line as well as testing each hoof with the hoof tester. The vet then would use flexion on each leg for about three minutes and I'd then trot Max after each instance.

The verdict was, no surprise, some stiffness most likely due to his arthritis. Also, the vet believes that Max has a bit of stiffness in the front right leg and that he should have his front shoes set back so there's not such a long toe and better support for the heels. The vet also injected Max with Adequan and left a second injection to be given in two weeks.

Hopefully, this will help Max. If not, then the next step are x-rays and nerve blocks to try and pinpoint if something more serious is going on. I hope not- I dread what the vet bill is going to be from this current round of treatment. But, the was optimistic and there's nothing obviously wrong with Max so there's hope.

Max has the next two days off so I'm looking at riding him this weekend. Also I'll have to restrict his riding to flat surfaces so mountains are out for awhile.

Ah, the joys of horse ownership!

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