# Just how deceptive can a wound be... *graphic*



## HowClever (Feb 16, 2010)

I wanted to share this as a "warning" of sorts. Warning isn't the right word, but it is late here and my brain is in shut down mode. Also for anyone who is interested in the progress of something like this.

On the 10th of April my wonderful old, retired standardbred, Kody, hobbled up to the fence and greeted me with this...










After some colourful language and cleaning I was left with this...










I breathed a sigh of relief, thinking "it could have been so much worse!" I bandaged him up and chucked him in to a yard. 

The next day, while doing morning chores, I stopped at the fence of his yard and called him over. He made his way to me, cautiously and obviously sore. As he got close I watched as he dragged the toe on that foot. And I watched as he struggled to flip the toe back up to step forward. And then he knuckled over. Shoot. 

So I called the vet. She came and confirmed what I had suspected when that foot went over underneath him. Severed lateral extensor tendon. With the added bonus of a decent amount of suspected nerve damage.

That little, what should have been minor wound was much, much deeper than it looked. There were also two "pockets" under the skin underneath the wound that were collecting fluid. 

He was obviously put on antibiotics and I began bandaging from hoof to hock to stabilise the fetlock joint and try to prevent the horrible knuckling over. He was locked up and our journey back to pasture soundness began. 

Now as if that wasn't enough, we had a setback when Kody developed a nasty allergic reaction to one of the antibiotics he was on. I went out in the evening to feed and rug and found him standing in a corner, looking completely miserable. Under normal circumstances he would have turned his head to greet me with a nicker. I could see him looking at me, the white of his eye was showing as he looked back at me. 

Shoot again! I haltered him, which is when I got a good look at his chest and saw how swollen one side of it was, and asked him to flex his neck. Nope, no deal, wasn't happening. I asked him to lower his head. Nope, no deal, not happening. Took his temperature. Elevated. Dialed the vet again. She came out and diagnosed an allergic reaction to the Neomycin. Each site that he had been given an injection in had swelled. The neck had done so internally, which is why he could not move his head more than a few inches in any direction. He had also collected some fluid on his lungs.

This was his chest while we waited for the vet...










I spent that night monitoring him very closely, checking his temperature every hour or so. I had his water bin up on a chair so it was at a height he could reach. His feed bucket was tied up high as well. He was interested in neither for the next 12 hours.

So obviously he was pulled off the Neomycin and we continued with the Penicillin.

At 7 days, we had this...










At 10, we had this...










So here we are at day 39, after 3 full courses of antibiotics, plus the discontinued neomycin. Daily bandage changes and having finally discovered an awesome, innovative way to stop him from knuckling over altogether thanks to a girl on another forum. He has a tennis ball strapped behind his pastern :lol::lol:

This is what we have now...










Our focus now, is getting that tendon healed. We still have a long way to go.

So there you have it. A wound that, honestly, when I saw it all cleaned up on that first day I thought "pffft, I've dealt with worse!" has turned out to be one of the most challenging things to deal with (and one of the most expensive too! Nearing a grand in vet bills, well over that if we factor in the cost of bandages, gauze, etc!). 

Bloody horses!!


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## themacpack (Jul 16, 2009)

Great post....glad you included pics. So happy he is.doing well. Thank you for sharing.


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## MHFoundation Quarters (Feb 23, 2011)

Thanks for sharing this, HC. Good educational tool. Goes to show that things aren't always what they seem. 

Poor Kody, great progress though. Sending jingles his way for a speedy & thorough recovery.


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## calicokatt (Mar 5, 2012)

WOW! That's pretty intense! Great job with the care, will be interested to see how he continues to progress.


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## CLaPorte432 (Jan 3, 2012)

Holy goodness gracious! :shock:


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## HowClever (Feb 16, 2010)

All thanks really are owed to Kody. He has been such a gentleman about the relentless poking and prodding and jabbing he has had over the last 5 and a half weeks. Would have preferred he hadn't done it at all, but at least he hasn't been too much of a pain in the butt about letting me doctor it!!



MHFoundation Quarters said:


> Thanks for sharing this, HC. Good educational tool. Goes to show that things aren't always what they seem.


That's it MHF! Never would I have guessed when I first saw that wound that I would still be treating it 39 days later, let alone only being part way in to recovery!


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## Lins (Nov 8, 2011)

Thanks for posting, I like reading about the steps people take to help heal a horse.
Do you have any pics of the tennis ball thing? I'd like to see how that worked 

So glad to see your old boy is doing better, and hats off to you for doing everything in your power and obviously taking lots of care to ensure the health of your horse.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## aldebono (Mar 15, 2012)

Poor Kody!

Any picture of the tennis ball brace?? I am curious to see it. 

Speedy recovery. The wound looks much better without all that granulated tissue.


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## kait18 (Oct 11, 2011)

oh my goodness that is a doozy... thanks for the pics and now i am curious as to how you used the tennis ball... do you mind taking a pic of that so i may see what exactly you did to keep him from knuckling over...  thank you

ps good job with the care ...it looks alot better


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## HowClever (Feb 16, 2010)

Just so you can see the rest of the handsome old man, before he damaged himself! 23 years young 










This isn't the best photo, but you can see the bulge of the tennis ball sitting back there. It's wrapped in there and effectively stops the foot from being able to flex far enough back to let him knuckle over.


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## aldebono (Mar 15, 2012)

What a cute, shiny, fit boy! 
Love that idea. I am definitely going to steal it if the situation ever occurs.


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## themacpack (Jul 16, 2009)

He looks like a gentleman - what a wonderful boy.


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## Hunter65 (Aug 19, 2009)

Wow he sure doesn't look 23. Oh dear our silly ponies the trouble they can get into. Thanks for sharing its good to see the progress and I am glad he is healing well.


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## Spirit Lifter (Apr 23, 2012)

Thanks for the post! Looks like it healed up nicely but what a yucky beginning!


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## Cacowgirl (Feb 19, 2011)

Thank you for sharing & adding to our knowledge here. Great idea w/the tennis ball & you are very good at bandaging. Does the vet think he will recover enough to ride again & not be lame? He is a handsome fellow!


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## HowClever (Feb 16, 2010)

Thanks guys.

Cacow, Kody was already a pasture puff due to arthritis, but if he hadn't already been retired this probably would have done it. Vet's prognosis is for a pasture sound horse who is a bit gimpy at times.


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## Skyseternalangel (Jul 23, 2011)

He's so handsome and yeah every time there's a wound I call the vet. And each time it's been terrible so I'm glad I did. Rather pay to get told it's no problem than blow it off to nothing lol. 

Not saying you did, just that's what goes through my head when something is up with my horse 

I'm glad you got it taken care of and that he heals nicely!


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## Meatos (Apr 30, 2012)

Ugh, that's brutal...I'm glad you've gotten ahead of it! He's a really handsome guy.


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## CLaPorte432 (Jan 3, 2012)

Wow, he is just drop dead gorgeous. The best 23 year old I have ever seen.


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## HowClever (Feb 16, 2010)

Thanks for the compliments on the old guy! He's a character, very full of himself!

Here we are at day 46! Wound is looking fantastic. I have had to remove the tennis ball because despite the padding underneath it, it caused a pressure sore. However, he is still bandage solidly from hoof to hock and it has been almost 2 weeks since I have seen him knuckle over!! YAY! Still a long road ahead of us, but he is definitely on the mend.


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## MHFoundation Quarters (Feb 23, 2011)

That's great news, HC! Glad to hear he is doing well.


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## BigGreyHorse (Sep 28, 2009)

Fantastic! Congratulations to you for all the obviously wonderful care you have given.


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## lauraetco (Sep 14, 2011)

Wow. Very interesting. Thanks for posting.


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## Paintlover1965 (May 22, 2009)

Nice to see the photo progression of the injury. It looks so much better now. Wounds can take a long, long time to heal especially when they become infected. Good work at bringing him to where he is today. Kody sure is a handsome devil!


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## New_image (Oct 27, 2007)

Thanks for posting this. Glad to see how well he is doing!

As a rule of thumb I've always figured if they bubble like in your first photo they are typically deeper than they "appear" and warrant a looking into.


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## Breella (May 26, 2012)

I'm dealing with a cut on my Char's leg that while not as bad as this one started out has finally got a good red scab over it finally. <3 glad you old man is feeling better.


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## HowClever (Feb 16, 2010)

Thanks guys. He's such a wonderful, old goober. He actually went for a trot yesterday (my heart was in my throat when he took off!!) and while he has an obvious gimp he had far more control over the leg then he has had anytime in the last 7 weeks!

For cute factor, here's a photo of him in his new pyjamas giving me the stink eye


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## tinyliny (Oct 31, 2009)

What a great thread! Thank you for educating us and I hope that beautiful Kody will heal soon.


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## Tejas (Jan 31, 2011)

Hows your boy doing? Im glad he is healing up well!


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## Wild Heart (Oct 4, 2010)

Wow, I'm sorry you have to go through this but I'm glad you made this post just to show fellow horse owners that a minor looking wound can be quite serious. 

I wish Kody a speedy recovery. His wound is already looking much better.


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## HowClever (Feb 16, 2010)

Never ending! Leg is progressing well. Went out this morning and he has some minor patchy swelling on his belly and a little swelling on one side of his sheath! Going to give his sheath a bit of a clean and see if that helps....oy vey!


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## MHFoundation Quarters (Feb 23, 2011)

Darn! Crossing my fingers for you that sheath cleaning takes care of it!


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## Poneigh (May 25, 2012)

wow, thanks for sharing this, i hope he is doing well (not going to lie, didnt read all 4 pages of responses). i had a similar situation with my horse where she got a little wound on a hind leg that i thought i could handle. got infected and got some antibiotics from the vet but it still wouldnt heal. turned out she had a bone sequestrum and needed surgery! ended up taking like 2+ months for her to heal. those injuries can really trick you so when in doubt i always have the vet out now


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## thesilverspear (Aug 20, 2009)

I had one of those many years ago. Not as bad, though. I saw that my horse had a smallish cut on her front canon bone, but as she has feathers and had her winter coat, I didn't get a great look at it. But she wasn't lame. I washed it, put some neosporin on it, and continued riding as normal (being 17 and a bit dumb). Several days later, I came out of school to hear a message from on my mobile phone from one of the barn workers, saying horse was lame when they brought her in from turn out and they had phoned the vet. I hurried to the stable and met the vet, who told me it was an infected puncture wound and if it hadn't been treated, "her leg could have fallen off."


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## HowClever (Feb 16, 2010)

It's amazing isn't it, how something minor can turn nasty quickly!!

I am still a little baffled by what occurred with his sheath. When I cleaned it up I discovered three small, but distinct puncture wounds as well as several smaller scrapes and scratches. I have ZERO idea what could have caused them. I walked his yard several times and can not find anything that could have caused injuries like that! 

Luckily though, with a good clean and fly spraying daily the swelling has subsided and the punctures are healing. Strangest thing!

Leg wound is doing great. He is definitely starting to get more use from that tendon too, so obviously that is healing well now. He is still bandaged from hoof to hock, but only with one roll of vet wrap now instead of the two we were using previously! His bandage changes are now also every second day instead of daily! WOOO!


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## enh817 (Jun 1, 2012)

What have you been using topically on the wound, just out of curiosity? 

Glad it's healing up well, he's a super handsome guy!


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## HowClever (Feb 16, 2010)

For the first 6 weeks we used natural honey and since then have been using just an antiseptic cream called Septicide.

Here's the boy this evening. I will try to remember to take another shot of the wound when I change his bandage tomorrow. As you can see he has decided it is good fun to pull the padding out from under the bandage! 

"It's hard work, this healing business, Mum. I think I need more carrots!"









"If I smile REAL big can I have more carrots!?"


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## enh817 (Jun 1, 2012)

interesting! Glad I asked 
I've never heard of local honey being used to treat wounds before. I've heard of people eating it to help with allergies (which I then read somewhere doesn't actually work, but who knows?), but never for wound treatment.
Does it have antibiotic/antiseptic properties? 
Tell me more 




What a ham he is! I love him so much!!


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## HowClever (Feb 16, 2010)

The honey was what the vet recommended to me. It has antimicrobial as well as antibacterial properties. It is also pretty fantastic at controlling proud flesh. The day 10 photo is the most granulation tissue we have had over the entire course of treating the wound. Not once have I applied anything for the purpose of decreasing proud flesh. It just hasn't grown. 

Obviously, its something you want to discuss with the vet if you are thinking of using it for a nasty wound, but it will definitely be something kept in my "vet kit" from now on!


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## Walkamile (Dec 29, 2008)

HowClever, thank you for posting this thread. Very educational and while so unfortunate for you and your very handsome and personality loaded boy, it is one of the main reasons I joined years ago. To learn and share with other horse people. 

Glad he is doing well. It is amazing how they can injure themselves even in a padded stall it seems. If I thought wrapping them in bubble wrap would work I would do so without hesitation. But, we all know it wouldn't.

Please keep us posted on his progress. Looking good!


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## HowClever (Feb 16, 2010)

I have considered bubble wrap more than once. I figured they'd probably just use it to suffocate themselves instead.


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## HowClever (Feb 16, 2010)

Day 58


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## Lopin N Paint (May 30, 2012)

HowClever said:


> Day 58


Holy cows! I just went back and reread the whole thread and boy does his leg look great now! You did a wonderful job! I can only imagine how happy your vet is also to have client as dedicated as you are! 

It doesn't even look like the leg is much bigger in that area of the leg where the wound is. But its hard to tell. 

Again, fantastic job to You, the horse, and the vet!


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## HowClever (Feb 16, 2010)

Wow, thanks! That was a heck of a lot of compliments! 

There is very little swelling at all now. He's a little fluid-y around the fetlock, but it is barely noticeable without laying hands on him. He's got a little bit of a bump just below the wound, which I assume is scar tissue, so it may or may not hang around. 

Overall, I'm really happy with it!


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## HowClever (Feb 16, 2010)

We have had a major setback. 

We've have had ridiculously wild weather here. Two storm fronts, both the equivalent of category 2 cyclones in 3 days. We've got trees down all over the property, even the old water tank that has been here for several decades is now shattered all over the ground.

Sometime in the chaos Kody has reinjured the leg. He's roughly a 4 out of 5 lame. His fetlock is hot and swollen. The vet visited him today and the prognosis is not particularly good. There is a chance that he has simply knocked it or wrenched it, however there is also a chance that he has fractured a sesamoid or had a piece of bone chip off. If he were a younger, sounder horse we would xray and treat accordingly. Being 23, arthritic and still healing from the tendon damage it would almost be cruel to put him through another massive recovery and there is no saying he would come through it.

For know he is being given bute twice daily as well as being cold hosed twice daily and continuing with bandaging for support. If he does not show significant improvement, or if he worsens, then we may have reached the end of the road.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## horseluver2435 (May 27, 2009)

): oh, I am so sorry to hear that, HC. Jingles are being sent your and Kody's way. I am so glad you have his wellbeing in mind- I know you will make the right decision, even if it is a hard one. Hugs.


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## Lakotababii (Nov 28, 2010)

Oh I am so sorry to hear that! Let's hope he did just bump himself and he feels better soon. <<HUGS>>

:hug:


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## Hunter65 (Aug 19, 2009)

Oh no after all you have gone through, I hope he recovers. Poor guy, he is quite a ham eh? Hugs to you both.


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## Micki O (Apr 22, 2008)

I really hope Kody's injury isn't serious. He is a really beautiful boy and has such a loving, caring owner. Prayers for the 2 of you!


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## MHFoundation Quarters (Feb 23, 2011)

I am so sorry to hear that HC. Sending well wishes your way.


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## Skyseternalangel (Jul 23, 2011)

Keeping you both in my thoughts.


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## HowClever (Feb 16, 2010)

Thanks for all of your thoughts and well wishes.

I am daring to be a little more optimistic at the moment. The swelling has drastically reduced, the heat is all but gone and he is walking much better. Having said that, he is confined to an area that is about 5 metres x 6 metres so he hasn't been doing an awful lot of moving.

He went off his food for a few days which had me really preparing for the worst, however his appetite is back with a vengeance now and he has polished off 2 feeds and about 15kg of hay today.

I am having to mix his bute up in honey and syringe it down his throat morning and night as he has grown wise to all my usual tricks though! Ratbag!

Here he is yesterday morning...










So keep the jingles coming! It seems that so far they just might be working!


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## horseluver2435 (May 27, 2009)

Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way...
 
He looks like a sweet old man! Get better Kody!


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## HowClever (Feb 16, 2010)

You can see a bit of the "tired" expression he picked up in the couple of days he wasn't eating much in that photo. Part of what had me really concerned. 

When I went out to him this morning he perked up and actually whinnied at me!


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## Micki O (Apr 22, 2008)

Hope he continues to improve. Prayers still coming!


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## Fringe (Feb 29, 2012)

I'm so sorry to hear about the setback after he was doing so well! I hope it does turn out to be something that he can recover from. He is very lucky to have an owner so dedicated to his well-being and happiness.

I'll be keeping you and Kody in my thoughts.
He really looks fantastic for a 23 year old!


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## HowClever (Feb 16, 2010)

We're at day 70 for the original injury...










He had some swelling again under his bandage today. Nothing like what it was 5 days ago, but enough to concern me. Will be keeping a very close eye on it.










The good news is that there is still very little heat and he is nowhere near as lame as he was.


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## BBBCrone (Jan 28, 2012)

Wow this is really educational. Thank you so much. I've always been really interested in wound care and the before and after pictures are awesome to see. He's done so well! Even with the set back.

He's gorgeous and I'll continue to give good thoughts for full recovery


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## CountryPosh (May 22, 2012)

What a big improvement! I hope he continues to improve.


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## horseluver2435 (May 27, 2009)

Just out of curiosity, what have you been doing for pain management? Is he on any medication, and if so, how much, how often? 
He looks much better in the recent video!


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## HowClever (Feb 16, 2010)

When the injury first happened he had 5 days of 2grams of bute twice a day, another 5 days of 1gram twice a day and then 5 of 1gram once a day. 

The penicillin he was on 20ml given IM once a day for a month. The trimidine was 1 and 3/4 scoops (not sure how many grams that was!) twice a day for 10 days. 

After the storms he was put back on bute. Another 5 days at 2grams twice a day. He's now been reduced to 1gram twice a day for the next 5 days.

He's being fed chia seeds to act as a buffer for his gut.


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## horseluver2435 (May 27, 2009)

Interesting- what are chia seeds/what do they do? 
Sorry for the questions


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## OurLizardsHope (Feb 19, 2012)

Eeeeew nasty wound! But beautiful horse!
Hope he heals well!


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## HowClever (Feb 16, 2010)

Chia seeds do a lot of different things! I've been using them for a little over 12 months now and have noticed a lot of different improvements in my horses. From hoof and coat health, to sand clearing and soothing the gut.

http://equinechia.com/about


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## horseluver2435 (May 27, 2009)

Wow, that is so cool! Thanks for sharing, I love learning from other owners


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## Palomine (Oct 30, 2010)

Amazing pics. Beautiful horse and hoping for full recovery. AND was great to learn about tennis ball. Brilliant.


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## HowClever (Feb 16, 2010)

One.thing.after.another.

Kody is in the midst of a colic. The vet has been and drugged him up. He's had a couple of mouthfuls of grass and half an apple. He hasn't had any water. He's very lethargic at the moment. Watching him closely for any sign that he is deteriorating.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## HowClever (Feb 16, 2010)

http://www.horseforum.com/horse-memorials/rest-easy-my-beautiful-sweet-old-128365/


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## Micki O (Apr 22, 2008)

HowClever - I am so sorry for your loss.


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## enh817 (Jun 1, 2012)

I'm so sorry for your loss. I was really rooting for him.
At least he lived a nice, long, good life.

*sending healing vibes*


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## palominolover (Apr 28, 2010)

I'm so sorry for your loss .


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