A Good Report / Dylan Update

Another 6 weeks had come and gone and it was time to load up for a quick trip to visit our favorite vet and friends at Tufts. Being met with smiles when I say, ” I have Pickle Chip” at check-in gave me such a warm feeling. I did mention he was a little on the spicy side that day, but they couldn’t blame him for it. Of course he proved me wrong coming off the trailer and walking into the barn like a complete gentleman. I swear he would stay if he could.

Dad and I sat happily in our folding chairs to stay out of the downpour while he was being examined. Top Tip: Let the vet and their techs do their job. Stay out of the way if you can. They will very much appreciate your hands-off mentality and trust. I kept going through all of the outcomes as Dr. JD walked towards us with an update.

I had been keeping up with the cleaning and the gauze changes every 3-4 days. Kept it dry. Kept it clean. Kept him stalled most of the time because hey, why not take advantage of him being totally fine in confinement. No signs of lameness or infection. The only thing I found a little concerning was a growth that took up most of the surgical site in his toe. It just seemed to be growing really fast and obviously there’s always a chance of that ugly keratoma coming back.

A sigh of relief must have been visible when Dr. JD said everything was looking great and his lameness exam was close to perfect. He was also a little concerned with the excess tissue growth but after a couple other opinions and the fact Dylan was the most sound he’s been in almost a year, he said we could roll with it. It wasn’t painful or hindering the hoof wall defect that was leftover from surgery, so the likelihood of it being another keratoma was slim to none. Phew!

It’s been incredible to see the process and how quickly he’s been healing over the last few months. Like I said before, I have been taking full advantage of his willingness to be stalled to give a him and his body a full opportunity to focus on growing out that foot. The amount of growth he’s already had over the last few months since May is amazing. You can see where the plug is in the picture of above and can compare it to the picture from the surgery below. That being said, once that hole grows out down his toe, we should be home free and he can start to live his full Spicy Pickle Chip life again with ease.

I am obviously in no rush to get him back to work and when we are cleared to do so, I’m going to take as much time as he needs. But if you can imagine, I am really excited to start. His last ride was early December and we had found ourselves in a rut. I was questioning my abilities every time he gave me a “no” answer and I knew it was because of the self-doubt I had brewed up over the previous year.

This whole experience may have been a blessing in disguise although I wish it wasn’t something he had to go through. I think it’s given me time to work on myself and clean my glasses so to speak so that when we finally walk into that arena to work for the first time, I’ll be able to see and hear things more clearly.

For now we’ll start some in hand walks and I’ll try to survive his “Airs Above the Ground” Lipizzaner movements. More hand grazing and grooming with snuggles and stretches. Best of all, a quick pick with our Ultimate Hoof Pick. No more Allen wrench and Elastikon!!!!

Until next time… XO