Take your pony to work day

Today I was scheduled to work with Dr. Brown so I asked him if I could bring Fleck. Fleck loved it!! He got to enjoy his big beautiful front pasture. It was so pretty I wish I had taken pictures. 

Anyways... Dr. Brown looked at him and thinks it's still trochanteric bursitis. Only worse than a month ago. He was much more reactive and sore and when we ultrasounded him, his muscles surrounding the area look inflamed and unhappy. He was worried that it may always bother him, like his does with him. He said to put him on bute for a week to help resolve inflammation, rest him, and laser the crap out of him. Once he seemed to not be sore, then I could bring him back and see how he does. We could try blistering the area (almond oil) and see if that helps. Or inject again. But... it doesn't sound good. 

Sigh.... It hasn't quite sunk in yet.... I just want my ol' man happy and comfy. And I still want him sound enough to be able to take him hacking and beach riding. :( :( 

When we got home I let him graze for a bit while I got dinner ready. Unfortunately Danny and Roany were wild and went running off when I let them out of the pasture. Fleck joined in but as he came up the hill he looked even more lame. What/!?! Maybe we stressed him and made him sore. But then he looked almost 3 legged lame. He came into the barn and was super lame even at the walk. ACKKK!!! I panicked... thought he had broken a leg... blown a tendon.... tore his muscles again.... He pawed his front foot like he does when he hurts badly. But I couldn't find anything. He took a few more steps and seemed okay, then lame again, then okay again. I finished getting dinner ready and fed him and the others and then went back in to see if I could figure out what happened. I noticed he had a little bit of blood on the foot he was waving in the air at me. Sure enough, the little crack in his heel that I thought was new but was dry when I first looked, now looked a little damp. And he had some blood specks at the heel bulb. It looked like he was either caught up in prickers and punctured/scraped the heel bulb, or like he had stepped on some debris (which could have been anything in our pasture.. it just comes up out of the ground randomly!). After he ate, I hosed him off and checked him closer. He wasn't sore anymore and was walking as sound as he had been prior and there was nothing more than a few scrapes and teeny punctures. 

Good grief!! My little heart can't handle this.

Oh, on our way home we had to stop and laser ponies. Gina got these pictures while Fleck was waiting on me. :) He's so freakin' cute!