My beloved healer horse, Spring Thaw had a bit of an emergency last week/this weekend...

He started swelling on Thurs 12/17, local vet Dr. Fazio came out and found a puncture wound in the fatty pocket above the eye (don’t know name). He flushed it and gave iv antibiotics, ban-amine, and bute.

Dr. Fazio came Friday AM to check it and it was worse and pussing, he wasn’t willing to mess with it and said to get him to clinic for x-rays, etc.

Friday. 12.18.09 Spring was transported to the clinic, arriving at about 4pm.

They immediately did neurological exam and then sedated him for cranial radiographs.
Thankfully, the x-rays showed no sign of fracture (major - pfew!)

Address the swelling now! Found a 3 inch cylindrical hole in his fatty pocket, going straight down nearly to bone cavity above brain on the left side in the fatty tissue pocket above the eye socket. Less in diameter than a pencil. After 2 ultrasounds on consecutive days there is no sign of any foreign body within the area. (I thought maybe an icicle that then melted)… So turns out that is was a very badly infected (deep) puncture…

On IV antibiotics, no hay (trouble chewing) and small frequent mashes from Fri to Sun (since at the clinic)
Swelling dramatically reduced each day (head / wound is wrapped in a poultice pack to draw out fluid)
Dr. Romero is attending vet from MAE, and was very pleased with his response to the swelling.

He cleared him to come home this morning (Mon 12/21) until he started acting colicky – he is now staying at least until tomorrow. Been tubed twice with oil and electrolytes so far...

HUGE thank you for my friends and family who prayed all weekend and held Spring in such high regard for healing and recovery...its working!!!
and and even HUGER thank you to the amazing professional and caring staff at Mid Atlantic Equine Medical Cemnter (MAE): Dr. Romero, Chelsea, Ashely, and all!

Not really sure what direction our dream would take without our lead healer horse on board to help lead the way!!! www.springreinsofhope.com.

Much love and light,
this is our Christmas present this year!
Christianna

He was given dingie hay to eat which Spring really didn’t like, so has not had much to eat since Friday in way of roughage. (I think in preps for him going home today they started him on grass hay, ??? not sure)… His tongue, eye, nostril, and neck on left side (injured) were all having nerve issues during massive edema time, so he had trouble drinking, chewing, etc. When the swelling started going down he started regaining all use of his neuro nerves…





I noticed yesterday when I was with him he had been tubed – they said twice (once sat PM and once sun AM) b/c he was not making manure. I noticed him try to pee, and he kept going into stance and retracting it. Then he finally peed but it was just a tiny squirt…all that effort for a quirt.




When they tried to tube him he resisted convincingly (proof to me that he was feeling better) but he was sedated again for that. Sedated each day since Thurs essentially…








THANK YOU! So relieved he didn’t break his skull, I yelled at one point, “you don’t get me this far on the road and then leave, you are not leaving yet, we have work to do!”