Lots of Vet Visits

Well it's spring again, I can tell because my checkbook has been getting a work out. Luckily work bonuses happen around the same time as all the Spring vet visits. Cody and Axel had their usual rabies and coggins visit quite a while ago but we didn't have time for the dental work so we scheduled that for April. So now both boys have had their teeth all spiffed up as well as their boy parts. Even under heavy sedation Cody still protested the sheath cleaning, silly old man.

The nice part about appointments with sedation is that I think have horses very willing to stand still while I fiddle around and comb their tails through and clean up bridle paths and all sorts of good things that they usually don't stand still long enough for. Axel hadn't been groomed in quite some time so he had a nice carpet of hair that I was able to remove. Luckily the mud situation isn't too bad this year (yet) so I didn't have to do any more leg shaving (good thing since my clippers died while I was working on Cody's bridle path).

So the day after the dentist appointment the chiropractor came out. Some folks (Jeff) think I'm nuts for having the chiropractor work on the horses but that first time I had Cody worked on he was a changed horse. It may look like voodoo but you can argue with results. Cody had quite a bit "out" for this appointment including his left shoulder so now that he's straightened out maybe he'll pick up that left lead easier? We'll see. Axel only had a bit out and that's pretty normal for him but I figured since he's been limping around for so long getting an adjustment might be a good thing. He may be retired but I'd like to keep him as pain free and happy as possible, plus he'll still be able to take Daniel around for a while. So now all that's left is the rest of the spring shots which I pick up at the Horse Expo and administer myself.

Chiropractor and Farrier

Last week I waddled out to the barn to have the boys' chiropractor appointment. I foolishly decided to grab both horses at once which went okay until we got to the last gate and then both horses ended up in the yard wandering around and me with no lead ropes in my hand. Luckily Axel doesn't go any further than food and Cody was confused enough to stay put as well so I was able to catch them both without an issue. Then I figured I wasn't going to get them both through the little barn door so I tied Axel to the picnic table which he proceeded to drag into the driveway. *sigh*

Once I got both horses in the arena they goofed around for a while, Cody rolled and chased Axel around and they finally settled down. S was having both her boys tended to first so that gave us some time to wait. When she was done I put both boys in the cross ties and opted to start with Cody, figuring he hates waiting so maybe getting his adjustment first would calm him down. He wasn't horribly out of wack but had some low back issues. Axel also had some minor low back issues but that was about it for him. Of course Cody was not patient. He left two huge cow pies in the barn aisle and started to do his little cat stretch which freaks me out. I put Cody in a stall so I could clean up his mess and in case he peed. He proceeded to pace and sweat and just generally be a pain in the butt while Axel was finishing up.

I brought them back out to the pasture one at a time (hey I learned my lesson). Cody first, since he was the most likely to kill himself waiting. He proceeded to run around in circles while I went and grabbed Axel.

So then yesterday we had a farrier appointment. I was getting worried I might have to call and have someone else handle my horses if I was having this baby but the baby stayed where it belonged and I was able to waddle out to the pasture once again to get the boys. Cody was actually very calm and let me lead him slowly back to the barn. He stood well for the farrier while I grabbed Axel. Axel, the fat lazy lame horse, has found a new walking speed that I cannot keep up with so leading him is a bit harder these days. I'm glad he's feeling so good though. He was fine for the farrier and I put Cody back outside and left Axel in to do a bit of grooming since it had been so long. He still has a few remaining scabs but otherwise is looking good. I really should get out there one more time with the hose and try and get those last bits off and I still haven't ordered any Tea Tree spray which I'd like to use throughout the summer just to keep things at bay. It's rained probably 5 inches in the past week or two and there really is only one muddy spot in their new pasture so that's a good sign and it's not all that bad of a spot. So if I can get Axel cleared up maybe I can get ahead of the scratches this year, finally.

Cody's Appointment

Just got back from Cody's chiropractor appointment. He definitely had some issues brewing. His left side was uneven from his right quite a bit which could explain how going to the left doesn't go as well. He had quite a few ribs out, I think 3 on one side and 2 on the other. And he was a little out at the poll. His neck is really stiff so the chiropractor instructed me to do some massage and stretching of his neck. The TTouch clinic I'm going to in a couple weeks should be a good addition. We walked him out then after some of the adjustments and he walked much quicker and the chiro said he was tracking much more evenly with the left. So we'll see how he feels in a couple days and if he'll go down the road a little happier. He did ask about what kind of padding I used for Cody's saddle and thought maybe some additional padding would help and to make sure the saddle doesn't slide back. So I'll have to see if I can find a low back pad that doesn't cost me an arm and a leg.

S and her friend L thought Axel looked worse than the previous day so I brought him in to check hm out. He looked a tad worse since I rode him yesterday but nothing really of note. I groomed him up and checked for ticks and luckily didn't find any. His scabs are getting close to gone but there's still a few big ones that haven't loosened up yet. I fed him a double dose of MSM and put some DMSO on his knee before turning him out. He actually moved really well at that point so maybe the DMSO is starting to do something? I'll keep up the MSM and DMSO until I get his next Adequen injection and some Surpass to try.

Chiropractor Day

Got out to the barn about an hour early, I figured that should be enough time to groom both horses and not have to rush. Of course then I get a call that the chiropractor was running late so we spent quite a bit of time in the arena just hanging out. I figured putting them in stalls for too long would mean antsy horses.

Cody went first and as suspected had the most issues. Nothing glaring confined to one spot but lots of issues all over. His jaw, neck, poll, withers, back, ribs, and sacrum all had some issues. It'll be interesting to see if the jaw issues will make him yawn less.

Axel really had no issues to speak of. He had a couple ribs out but that was the extent of it and that is apparently pretty normal of every horse. He had so few issues that the chiropractor only charged me half for his adjustment. So he said I shouldn't expect any changes from Axel at all. This was the same as his first adjustment in 2007. So I don't think I'll get Axel adjusted from now on unless there's an issue. Cody on the other hand will get put on the 2x a year. I think there's couple other girls that have the same vet out so I'll try and get on their schedule so we can split the farm call charge.

He gave Axel the go-ahead to ride on Saturday and said to wait on Cody til Sunday but some in-hand work would be good, they shouldn't stand in a stall or anything after the adjustment.