Happy New Year

Jacks doing well he got a delivery of 3 bags of rounders treats today from his buddy Ron :-) Ron could be Jacks new favorite person lol as he just loves those Cinnamon Rounders I was being mean and making him eat the molasses ones before I bought more but I caved and opened the new bag of Cinnamon for him.  The wound is looking well still alot of bleeding from the one part but hopefully once that is removed the rest of the wound will be well on its way to healing.  Jacks not to happy with the snow gods right now but I shoveled him "stall" so he can once again go outside and watch whats going on while his stall is being cleaned ect.

Pictures :-)

The wound pictures didnt come out cause Jack was being super cranky but some of the candids came out cute so I figured Id post a few.

Go Away Im Sleeping!

Oh you have food? 

Leave Me Alone.... 

So Innocent :-) 

Are we done yet I could break these you know. 

More Treats? 

All bandaged back up and ready for bed. 

Brrrr

What a couple cold windy yucky days makes me wanna move south lol.  Jacks doing very well even being stalled but hes getting bored bored bored not sure what we are gonna do if hes stuck inside for the entire winter.  Currently working a couple creative solutions to get his outdoor stall cleaned back out enough that he could enjoy a few hours outside in the sunshine with his buddy.  His leg cant handle the snow and right now its so heavy and packed from drifting that a shovel just wont cut it :-(  I took him for alittle walk today so he could stretch his legs hes such a goof acting like some big tough stud threating to rear and act stupid.  I cant help but laugh and tell him to give it his best shot as theres no malice in him he just feels good and an actual rear would require way to much energy on his part his bark is way worse than his bite.

Snow Day

Jack normally loves snow he likes to kick up his heels, roll and just have a good time however this year it looks like snow is going to be a curse for us.  His outside stall is under a foot of hard packed snow drifted snow.  I let him out for about 5 minutes to see how he would do and he just cannot get around in that so I brought him back inside for the now.  Gonna see if I can get the snowblower threw it to give him some time outside as shoveling seems to be out after I broke the shovel lol.

Merry Christmas

Busy busy day :-)  Jacks doing well still alot of bleeding at bandage changing again but otherwise hes happy.

Merry Christmas Eve :-)

We had alot of bleeding today :-( not sure if Jack bumped his leg just right or what but it was bleeding all over the place when I got to the barn this morning.  I pulled him out of his stall and removed the bandaging I will admit I was pretty scared to see what was going on under there.  The peice thats going to be removed was bleeding like crazy the vet did say it would bleed alot alot when we removed it so Im kinda nervous about that now.  I put alot of pressure on and got the bleeding slow almost to a stop before rewrapping his leg.  I think he will be okay for now but I will be calling the vet Monday to discuss how long we should wait to remove that part if its going to bleed like this ect.  We are trying to chemically kill it back alittle to reduce the amount of bleeding when he does remove it so hopefully knock on wood that will work.

Merry Christmas from Jack & I

Were Back

Alright Im finally off my death bed :-)  I got a few new pictures nothing of the wound I will try to get those later with my new camera my cellphone just doesnt take good pics of that.  Jack is doing well really enjoying the new snow he even threw in a few bucks today after his roll. 

These pictures were taken yesterday during a quick break in the snowstorm.

These were taken this morning it was warm and the new snow looked so inviting that I took his blanket off so he could get a good roll.

Hand over the treats and noone will get hurt.



So Sorry

All is well with Jack the vet looked at his leg said it looked awesome considering but we will have to remove part of the flesh that didnt heal right.  Im very very sick so sorry about the lack of updates but I just dont have the energy to do much my day revolves around the barn and bed.

Day 25

Hard to believe its been that long already.  Jack is doing well again hes got his energy and friskiness back again maybe he just didnt like that bitterly cold snap who knows alot has changed about him since he got injured hes alot more delicate and things affect him more now than they ever did.  The leg is looking really good to my untrained eye the big empty hole has filled in and the whol wound looks like its healing great.  However the vet is going to come take a look at it again and discuss maybe removing the part of the tendon thats not healing right to get it to heal up faster so I will ask him what he thinks.  No new pictures today like promised I forgot I had so much to do to get ready for a party but I put my camera in my bandaging box so I will get pictures tommorrow.

Day 24

Jack seems to be coming back to normal Im not sure if he just had a couple days where he felt under the weather or what.  I talked with the vet breifly as he saw him the last time he coliced and we started an slew of just incase scenarios to keep a big colic at bay.  His leg is looking good I took some pictures but they did not come out so Ill get better ones tommorrow.

Day 23

Jack is still not right hes not so far wrong that Im worried but we are scheduling an appointment for the vet to come look at him in the very near future.  Hes alot more sore on his leg than he has been previously and hes not his happy go lucky self :-(  He is eating again but alot slower more fussier than normal so Im keeping a very close eye on him.  The wound looks good though so Im not sure if theres something going on there Im not vet or if there is something else going on with him entirely.

This picture was taken a few summers ago (my camera died so I figured Id add another before picture).

Day 21 & 22

Well I wish I could post and say all was well but we are once again back sliding.  Jack is going off his feed again :-( hes still drinking but hes not wanting to eat much of anything.  Hes also presenting as more lame/sore on his leg so I have a call into the vet to discuss options maybe an infection or is this just an upset tummy again.  I will update more once I learn more right now we just wait and see.

Day 19 & 20

Im starting to feel better again so hopefully we are back to daily updates :-)  Both my girls are sick seems we cannot shake this bug from our household.  Thankfully Jack is still feeling like himself though I fear we are going to have to remove the bottom chunk of the injury to allow it to heal that part is just not doing well and its very sore to him.  The vet agress with that but right now its a money issues I was really hoping he would wait until after the first of the year so I could pay off the first two bills first.  But where there is a will there is a way we just have to find it :-)

Here are some bad pictures taken with my cell phone as my camera batteries died.  You can kinda see the bottom part its the tendon flopped over thats the part that is really bothering him and causing such a problem with the healing process.

Day 17 & 18

Sorry I didnt get to post yesterday as I said before I am alittle okay alot under the weather and I just couldnt muster the energy to find the laptop powercoard.  Jack is doing great healing nicely alittle sensetive about the bottom part of his injury being touched but all in all hes doing good.  He would like me to thank Ron for the cookies he has learned that Cinnamon Rounders Treats are his new favorite thing in the world.  So far its the only treat he will take from me, he doesnt seem to like apple or peppermint for some reason. 

Day 16

Jack is still doing great but Im sick :-( so I may not post to much for the next couple days.  We have sunk into a nice routine that works to keep him both calm and happy and the barn intact which is always a plus.  Healing seems like its taking forver but I keep telling myself to be patient its goings to be a long time before I can look back on this.

Day 15

Jack is doing well, we have really gotten into a groove with the bandage changes seeming to get the routine down to a strict science.  Its actually a very relaxing process for us and we can hang out together and enjoy it.

Day 14

Jacks looking great bucked a few times on the lead rope when the wind kicked up and the other horse took off running.  Was kinda cute to see him feeling so good on our walk :-)

Day 13

Not to much going on today it was a snowy day so Jack stayed inside the barn much to his disgust but his leg look great still.  He lost alot of weight how much didnt really sink in until I put a blanket that fit him perfectly 2 days before he coliced on him today and it fit like it was a size to big :-(  But hes eating well now so hopefully he will put that weight back on again.

Day 12

Jacks feeling very good today :-) I was alittle to slow going back to let him in after his 10 minute turnout tonight and he let me know by trotting a couple seconds, shaking his head and striking out with his front leg.  His leg looked great today no more heavy bleeding nice and pink...

Day 11

Jacks doing really well all things consider his leg is really hurting him now that he has no pain meds on board but hes getting around reasonably well no lameness.  Todays bandage change didnt go to well Im not sure what happened but the wound was bleeding quiet a bit when I opened up the bandage :-(  I washed it out and rewrapped I will open it up again in the morning and see if its still bleeding or if that was just a fluke thing.

Day 10

Jacks doing great and is back to his old and usual self again.  His leg looks good I will get new pictures when I change his bandage later and put them up tommorrow hopefully.  Hes on a Triple Crown Senior strike Im not exactly sure why but since he got sick he wont even look at it.  I guess he just needs to give me something to worry about and because everything else is going so well this is going to be it.  Surprisingly considering the extent of the injury hes not actually lame hes very sore because we took him off bute but hes getting around amazingly well all things considered.  He has lost quite a bit of weight from this whole ordeal but hopefully now that hes once again back on the road to recovery that to should improve.


This was taken this summer but I figured Id add a Pre-Inury Picture in for good measure.


I would also like to thank everyone who has sent care packages for Jack every little thing helps at this point and I cannot being to express my appreciation.

Day 9

Well Jack is back to his ole pain in the butt bull headed self.  I guess he felt that I was not feeding him enough so he let himself outta his stall and helped himself to some hay and a little bit of grain I had in a bucket that I was trying to get him to eat.  He made a mess in the isle and was just generally a pain in the butt, I couldnt be mad thought it was nice to see him once again acting like his old self.

The wound is about the same I have to get some new pictures I have been alittle forgetful as Ive been so worried about him.  Hes alittle sore now that we took him off bute but hes moving around well and likes going outside to stand in the sun and watch whats going on around the farm.

Day 8 - Jack is Back :-)

Im still watching him like a hawk but hes back to normal. Peeing, pooping, eating, drinking alittle not as much as Id like but all his food is coming in mash form right now. Hes back to hanging his head over the door and hollering everytime I go near the feed room. Hes perked back up happy no more pawing or spinning circles ect. Hes really sore now that we have taken him off all his pain meds but even that isnt slowing him down to much. I still hand walk him alittle trying not to over do it as hes getting sore and put him out in his outside stall long enough to clean his inside stall as it seems to make him happier about being back inside.

Im going to buy him alfalfa cubes ect to supplement hay in his diet until hes drinking better ect but we didnt wanna start adding a bunch of new stuff until he was threw this colic episode. We will start weaning him off the bran now that hes eating again we just had to get something into him at the time.

Day 7 Part 3

We have poop (only a horse person could get excited about this lol) but honestly Ive never been so happy to pick a stall in my life. Hes resting quietly now after hours and hours of walking but it seems to have helped he ate a tiny bran mash and a little bit of hay so maybe hes finally gonna turn the corner. We are still keeping a very close eye on him for now but Im gonna take a quick nap.

Day 7 Part 2

Still no change I just stopped in to get food and more warm clothes and then back to the barn.

Day 7

Not alot to report right now hes still up and looking less painful but he still will not eat or drink so we know this cannot last.

Day 6 - Colic :-(

Jacks refusal to eat or drink anything has finally caught up to him.  Even though I tried everything under the sun to be inventive and get some food into him he was very uncooperative.  Today I arrived at the barn to find his stall totally destroyed wood everywhere Jack was down and refusing to get up.  Called a friend got the vet started on his way and waited.  Finally got him up before the vet arrived but he was very aggitated walking circles, pawing, trying to roll ect.  Gave him a tiny tiny bit of banamine and much to Jacks happiness took him outside.  He did almost a complete 180 getting outside in the sun he started eating, drinking and calming down.  So for now we built him a really small outdoor pen that he can go out in on nice days see if that keeps him happy and eating.  Still touch and go for awhile but his attitude has totally perked up with the warm sunshine so hopefully this is where we finally turn the corner to better days.

Day 5

Well I lack some serious skills when it comes to wrapping legs.  The plus side to this I should be an expert when this is all over :-)  Jack seemed much more himself today hes still very aggitated he wants to be turned out poor guy.  He wasnt really interested in his grain this morning though I think more because he was so fixated on banging the door to let me know he wasnt happy.  I let him stand on crossties for about an hour while I did this and that around that barn he seemed to enjoy the change of pace.  I had to rewrap his leg again because the bandage slipped down :-( everytime I open it I find myself feeling disappointed I have to remind myself to be patient this isnt going to heal over night.

Day 4 Part 2

I can honestly say I have never been so excited to see a horse eat in all my life.  Took Jack out for a walk up and down the barn isle a couple times then we hung out at the end of the isle watching it snow out the door.  He seemed really happy to get his head out into the fresh air and to stretch those legs.  I made him a nice warm soupy supper of a couple handfuls of hay stretcher and warm water it took him a few minutes but he finally ate and licked the bucket clean.  He was much calmer when I put him back in his stall it was nice to see him relaxed and happy after the aggitated beast I had this morning.

We think the meds may have been irritating his stomach because he wasnt eating leaving him feeling even worse so hopefully now that hes putting something in there before his meds he will start to feel alittle better.

Do you mind?

Day 4

Not a good day for us :-(  Jack is completely off his feed wont eat his grain, hay or drink any water.  Hes extremely aggitated walking circles and pawing the floor of his stall while making nasty faces at anyone who walks by.  The vet gave the okay for him to walk up and down the barn isle a few times to see if it makes him happy to get out and move alittle.  Also going to try making him a nice bran mash and see if that entices him to eat something and maybe get some water into him.  I also have to redo the bandage it seems in his aggitation he managed to get part of it off.  I will try to get some pictures of him other than his leg for future blog posts.

Day 3

Today we changes Jacks bandages for the first time.  He seemed really happy to have it taken off for a couple minutes so stood like a total gentleman threw the whole thing.  He liked walking the 5 feet to the barn isle and stretched a few times in his new freedom though he wasnt very happy when we went back to his stall all re-wrapped.  Again hes off his feed nibbling a few mouthfuls and slightly aggitated with the whole process.



Day 2

Not much to report Jack is still alittle painful making him fairly quiet.  Hes not happy that I tried to stick his medicine in his feed and is refusing to take anything I offer him.

Day 1

9:00 AM - The horror begins as I arrive at the barn for morning feeding and find my gelding standing on three legs with this horrific injury.  Somehow he has done this to himself while spending the night in his nice safe padded deeply bedded stall.

11:00 AM - Vet finally arrives... Jack has opened up a large gaping wound that exposes both the bone and his hock joint.  The long digital extensor tendon is completely severed and the wound cannot be closed.  The vet injects antibiotics into the joint to see what the communication with the wound is like and we wait holding out breath for the fluid to leak back out which would have resulted in immediate euthanazia.  Thankfully someone was watching out for Jack up above and his condition was upgraded from grave to poor when the fluid stayed in place.  All the dead or dieing tissue was cut away and the leg was bandages from hock to hoof to start the healing process.

Graphic Images to Follow.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.

The scene that awaited me at 9am:

After the vet cleaned it up: