Its Good News !

Well our team of vets were back on Thursday for the big trot assessment.  Mulligan stopped all painkillers on Saturday and to say he was feisty on Thursday was an understatement.  It didnt help that it was pouring with rain and luckily Lewis was there to hang on to him as I dont think I would have.  He took off down the stretch like he was training for the Grand National.  He even reared and bucked and I thought 'whoop whoop - he is sound!), hand brake turn at the top and another powerful trot back down however I could see on the return that he was not 100% and on the third take he was limping behind.  It is however good news in that he is MUCH better than before and is no longer dragging his leg or dipping his head and considered 3/10th lame down from 7/10th lame - bizarre scoring I know.



Mulligan - 21/04/2012 - first time out after 3 months



Our next course of action is four (one weekly) injections of Cartrophen which will help settle and smooth the cartilage and then in 6 weeks time, two weeks after final injection, he will be assessed again.  He is still on no / limited sugar intake but can now go in a pen for a bit each day. 

Well today the pen was made - after all the rain last night - honestly it has rained non stop for over a week now (well it feels like non stop) I was in two minds whether to do it but we were alone on the yard and I wanted to do it whilst it was quiet - I decided in the end not to drug him up and he walked out like a lamb and just stood and tried to graze (in his  limited grass edition paddock) - I couldnt believe it - it was quite a non event actually and his neighbours (whom he adores) came over to say hello.



I am ok :)

 I then went off to go and clean out his stable and kept checking on him but he would just look at me as if to say - its ok I am fine - he had a few rolls, dug the ground up a bit and tried to eat a few morsels of grass.




 

Unfortunately the return journey back to the stable half an hour later was not so un-eventful.  Thank goodness Lewis had him - he came out the gate - reared up - challenged Lewis - bounced on the spot and walked back to the stable like he was a race winner heading to the winners enclosure!  Fortunately stables are really close by and he was back safe and sound fairly quickly! He is extremely strong and obviously feeling on top of the world.  I just wish the sun would come out now so I can bath him and he can have the sun on his back when in his pen.



Muls having his bath



When we went back this afternoon it was lovely and sunny and luckily the yard area is like a sun trap and no wind and he LOVED being bathed.  I think he shed loads of coat and is nice and silky now too.

 





Drying off

 


 





Mulligan update

Gosh time flies by and I really must make more effort to update on here as its a great place to read back to remember details. 

After a few physio sessions (advised telephonically by my vet) she agreed she needed to come out and have a look.  As mentioned previously my lovely vet was in a horrible car accident and is still on crutches.  She has a locum vet (out from Italy) helping so Muls had the added advantage of two pairs of eyes.  He was still fine in walk and still lame in trot - after flexion tests he was actually crippled on his left hind - 7 /10th lame in fact!   A few days later he was sedated and xrayed - the stifle is showing mild arthritis but the big shock was the fracture to the hock!!!  The cartiledge has slipped back and the hock joint does show wear and tear and arthritis but nothing degenerative thank goodness.  There is a hairline crack to the bone and a few pieces missing off the side.  I have been told I can get copies of the xrays so will post them up at some point. 

Anyway it was decided that the best course of action was an injection into the joint which would be like a power blast of anti-inflammatory.  He had this done after we came off holiday and we had to stop all sugar, haylage and NO GRASS due to the steriods in his system which could set of laminitis.   He has now done a week of complete box rest and has started walking daily in hand around the yard.  I am so lucky that is such a sweet laid back horse and is so not bothered about living in his stable.  On Saturday we are to stop all his painkillers and the vets are back on Wednesday to re-assess.  Depending on how improved he his (everything crossed please) we may re-xray to see how bone is healed otherwise we just keep on with the box rest.  He can go out for a couple of hours a day in a pen from Monday which he will love as he loves a good roll and is moulting like crazy and could do with some sun on his back.

Will post again about him next week after our 'check up' visit.

One of my favourite pics of him from last year :