Osa's Vet Visit

On September 3rd Osa had her first thorough exam by a Veterinarian. I took her to see Dr. Nightingale at Hill Country Veterinary Hospital. Sancho came along for moral support.

When scheduling the appointment I gave them a list of my concerns: hoof tenderness on rocks, difficulty picking up hind hooves, skin irritation on face & under arms, and swelling under her jaw. The day before I took her in she was extremely tender footed without boots on, so I decided I would probably need to get X-rays of all 4 hooves to see what was going on.

Dr. Nightingale started with some overall palpation. Then he picked up a back hoof to use the hoof testers on it, but she wouldn't stand still and was threatening to kick. That's when he noticed her patella locking up. He verified she has intermittent upward fixation of the patella in both hind legs. Which is why occasionally when she shifts her hind end you can hear an audible pop. This is likely the cause of her discomfort in the hind end.

He was able to hoof test the front hooves, but she had to be sedated. He found a thickened suspensory ligament in her right front.

Next, we went inside for X-rays of the hooves. We chatted about metabolic issues. I was planning to have her tested because I believed her symptoms may have been stemming from that. However, he said with her weight he wasn't concerned. She would also need to do a 12 hr fast before drawing the blood work so it wasn't going to happen that day.

I mentioned about her runny eyes and he did a test to determine she has glaucoma in both eyes, but worse on the right eye. He said it could be caused from a previous and untreated Leptospirosis infection. I did not opt to have a blood test to determine if the infection was current because she has always had runny eyes since I got her. We assume that the damage has been done and for now she will need eye drops 1-2 times a day to keep her comfortable.

X-rays of her hooves revealed minimal sole depth and flat palmar angle on all but her left front. Keeping the toes trimmed back and hoof supplements were recommended. I am taking Osa Tuesday the 9th to a trimmer I really admire to get some advice on how to adjust trimming her hooves with this new information.

The rash on her face may be caused by weeds she's eating that are causing photosensitization (reaction from the sun). I'm going to try keeping her in a fly mask during the day and see if that helps.

Osa was sedated and injected with Hyaluronate Sodium around both patellas to reduce inflammation, restore lubrication, and help the joint function better.

Lastly, we did a fecal egg count test to see how my worming schedule is affecting the horses. The report was good! They ran the test twice and only one egg in the whole sample. They also ran a complimentary succeed test and it was negative for gastric ulcers in the hind gut.

I'm really glad we went and happy with the thorough workup Dr. Nightingale and his team did for Osa. I'm most concerned about the intermittent locking patellas. I hope we can make Osa more comfortable. The Dr. said he was impressed with what I've accomplished with her in this condition. I hope the injections make it easier for her to lift her hooves. I'll be taking her to a trimmer next week to improve her hooves and I'm in the works to get advice from a trainer as well. I want to make sure I go about training her in ways that are mindful of her limitations.

Special thanks to a couple donors that made this trip possible sooner than later. Our bill totalled $1,179.90 for Osa's care. Donations are appreciated to replenish our bank account.

See a video of Osa's visit on our Instagram