I've been icing Tucker's hock with frozen diapers/epsom salts twice a day now for over a week.
There isn't much change in appearance.
I contacted my vet to see how long this tendon sheath injury may take to heal.
His answer? 6-8 months.
Tucker will need to be confined for the whole time.
Holy moley!
I am going to need to find a way to entertain him. He does have the run in shed in addition to his stall, so he gets "out," sort of. And I have to admit Toby and Chance do spend a lot of time visiting him, so that's good.
I've been picking grass 2-3 times a day to give him with his hay. But what I will do when the weather changes and the grass dies, I do not know.
In the meantime, after talking it over with my human chiropractor, I realized there is one option I haven't tried....kinesiology tape. I've used it with great success on my knees, and it is used on horses.
I found a website with some good directions for taping a hock to reduce inflammation, and I ordered the horse version of the tape from Amazon. It should be here by Thursday.
It is not a cure, but the support and stimulation the taping offers could speed healing.
I don't know if my vet is aware of taping, but I emailed him about it. It's a "no harm" treatment, so there should be no problem.
Now, do you think I need to get Tuck a TV?
Latest hock pictures:
Well, that looks awful. Maybe the tape will help, I hope so. It's nice that his buddies visit him and I'm sure he appreciates that.
ReplyDeleteIn the winter we hang hay nets that they all pick from when there is no grass. It's the only way to keep them busy and sort of grazing for the day. That might help. As for his boredom I don't know, maybe some stall toys like balls on the chains that you fill with treats? They must have something in the catalogs to keep stall bound horses busy. Hope he feels better sooner than expected.