This is an archived Horseadvice.com Discussion. The parent article and menus are available on the navigation menu below:
HorseAdvice.com » Training & Conditioning Horses » Musculoskeletal Conditioning » Exercise Physiology and Conditioning »
  Discussion on Conditioning after Abdominal Surgery
Author Message
New Member:
octavius

Posted on Monday, Jun 4, 2007 - 4:10 pm:

In January 2007 my 25 year old gelding had 2 surgeries to remove a large tumor from his abdomen. He has recovered wonderfully and has been given the OK to resume work by the doctors at New Bolton. Prior to his sudden illness I had been trail riding him 2 or 3 times per week. He has all the normal aches and pains associated with his age along with some long standing breathing issues that I have been able to manage with feeding Dengie Hi-Fi hay but he cannot tolerate work in hot, humid or extremely cold weather but that's probably true of most horses. He is a wonderful horse and I would really like to keep him in work but I am concerned about the layoff of the last 5 months. Do you have any suggestions as to how often and how long I can ride him to gently bring him back into condition. I'm concerned because I don't want to risk an injury because of a stumble, etc. due to his lack of muscle tone.
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Monday, Jun 4, 2007 - 7:51 pm:

Hello Denise,
This is a decision made by starting slowly and observing how well the horse tolerates it and besides time and frequency it also greatly depends on how you ride him. If you would like a starting point try an hour walk of fairly level ground and see how he does. If no problem at all you can either add time or add work, but don't do both at the same time. I see no problem with 2 to 3 rides a week as long as there is a day off between rides and a 3 day contiguous rest every 2 weeks. Once you start seeing signs of stress back off to the last step, stay there for 3 weeks then try to step up again. A diary will help you make decisions.
DrO
Member:
36541

Posted on Tuesday, Jun 5, 2007 - 1:46 pm:

Could he be worked on the line or in a round pen lightly so you would be able to watch him move, and watch his level of comfort/discomfort? I assume he is cantering around happily when turned out? Kudos to you for having a 25 yo in work - a testament to your horsekeeping I'm sure! Good Luck, Stacy
New Member:
octavius

Posted on Tuesday, Jun 5, 2007 - 3:55 pm:

Dr. O - If I ride him 2 times per week on the flat can I fill in the other days with brisk hand walking for 30 minutes or so? I don't want to do too much but I don't want to be doing too little either. Also, are there any subtle signs of stress I can keep on the look out for?

Denise
New Member:
octavius

Posted on Tuesday, Jun 5, 2007 - 4:20 pm:

Stacy - he's a really great horse with a wicked sense of humor and I love him dearly. I've been teased a lot over the years about his pampering but it paid off in January. He definitely had the resources to survive his illness. Lunging is not an option, he'll be tempted to play and be silly. He was on 30 days stall rest, 30 days in a small paddock, and 30 days regular turnout. I've stretched the times to be on the safe side but he looks and acts like he is really feeling good and ready to start back.
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Tuesday, Jun 5, 2007 - 6:49 pm:

Denise what is the rest of the time like? Is he being held in a stall?
DrO
Member:
octavius

Posted on Thursday, Jun 7, 2007 - 12:20 pm:

DrO - he's turned out in a large pasture with 2 other horses for 10/12 hours during the day and comes in to his stall at night. This will reverse in the next two weeks. He rotates between a fairly flat pasture and one with gentle slopes. When he switches over we will add another pasture with fairly nice hills.
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Friday, Jun 8, 2007 - 6:16 am:

Not knowing the nature of the surgery, you should run the questions about signs of problems from your vet. In general stress often first exhibits itself in a change in vital signs along with a change in the normal patterns of eating, drinking, urination, defecation. For more on monitoring vital signs see, Diseases of Horses » First Aid » Taking Temperature, Pulse, and Respiration.

Since he is turned out to pasture I don't see a need for hand walking Denise and you can walk under saddle for 30 minutes if you like.
DrO
Member:
octavius

Posted on Friday, Jun 8, 2007 - 3:58 pm:

Dr O -
The nature of his surgery is a fairly interesting story. He had been ridden through the fall, had a 2 hour trail ride on 12/31/06, another hour hack on 1/4/07, and then been off due to cold weather. He seemed to be absolutely fine and in good condition, in fact, I was thinking he might enjoy a little very light foxhunting. The only odd thing I noticed was that he started to not want to get onto the trailer and when he unloaded he would fly off. On the morning of 1/14, 10 days after the last time we rode, he was in his stall, backed into the corner with his nose to the ground. Hadn't finished his hay and wasn't interested in his feed. When taken outside he wasn't interested in grazing, which was unheard of for him because he lived to eat grass. We jokingly referred to him as the land baron at the barn. Within the hour my vet arrived and by then he seemed, every once in a while, unsteady on his feet. The vet suspected colic although the gut sounds were normal. He was tubed and we put him out in a small paddock. Within 3 hours he had backed himself into a far corner of the paddock and seemed very distressed. The vet returned and the vital signs were very bad - temp 96.5, heart rate 80, gums pale with purple around teeth, and he was staggering. Very slowly we managed to get him closer to the barn, start an IV, administer banamine, attempt an abdominal tap, etc. By evening he had moments where it seemed he was slightly better but my vet strongly advised me to put him down. The blood work and vital signs were that bad. I absolutely love my vet and there is no doubt my horse would not be alive today if it had not been for him, but after 18 years I know my horse and I could look at his eyes and I knew in my heart that he was very sick but he did not want to die and he still had some fight left. Finally, it was decided that I would try to get him up to New Bolton in PA and I would leave immediately while he still had the effects of the banamine in him. Within 10 minutes, bless his heart, we had him loaded into the trailer for the 2 hour drive to New Bolton in the rain and dark. Everyone was waiting for us at New Bolton and he unloaded and walked the short distance from the trailer into a recovery room next to the operating room and then collapsed. He literally fell over sideways. They desperately tried to get him up, pulling on his tail, his ears, slapping him on his sides, but he just laid and groaned. After a few minutes they told me it was hopeless, that whatever was going on had progressed too far and without his willingness to stand up, nothing could be done, they couldn't even get a line into him. I asked them to try a little longer, to give him a few minutes, and finally, finally he stood up. Within the hour they knew he was bleeding into his abdomen but his condition would not allow surgery so it was decided to start a transfusion. The doctors and surgeons gave me no hope that he would survive but they were willing to try as long as they could control his pain. For the next 2 days he and I stayed in the recovery room together, now bedded as a stall, while he received a total of 3 transfusions. He stood in one spot, shifted his weight from one leg to another, hour after hour. But every once in a while he would look over at me and I could tell he was fighting. His care was incredible. Constant around the clock monitoring. Everything he needed such as cardiac or ultrasound was done immediately. Even though they continued to give me no hope and they truly believed he would not live, they made every effort to try. On the third day he started to move around a bit and nibbled some hay. They knew that he had bled into his abdomen and that it had clotted and stopped. But there was a mass and they could not determine what it was with the ultrasound. Surgery was still not an option. He improved enough that finally after 4 days he could walk from his little recovery room stall to a regular stall in ICU and he continued to improve until day 7 when he started to show signs of being in pain, as though he were colicing. At 2:30 am they called to tell me they had no choice but to take him into surgery and by the time I arrived he was prepped and under anesthesia. His surgery lasted 5 1/2 hours. Afterwards the surgeon came out and told me that he had had a large tumor, noncancerous, that had wrapped a stem around his small intestine. The pain was the tumor pulling on the intestine. It could not have been in a worst spot but they felt he had a fair chance of recovery. The most important thing at the moment was whether he would come out of the anesthesia within an hour and stand up. Thirty minutes later the surgeon returned with a big smile, he was standing up and looking good. Two weeks later he came home. Today, 5 months postop, he looks wonderful and acts as though nothing has happened and I truly value every day that I have with him. :-)
Member:
lilo

Posted on Friday, Jun 8, 2007 - 7:15 pm:

What a story! So encouraging - best luck with the rehab. Lilo
Member:
lhenning

Posted on Friday, Jun 15, 2007 - 1:12 pm:

I love stories with happy endings. Good luck!
Linda
Member:
frances

Posted on Saturday, Jun 16, 2007 - 12:10 pm:

Wow, that's incredible. Many many kudos to you, your vet and the team at New Bolton.

All the best in bringing him back into work - we would love some pics!
Home Page | Top of Page | Join Us!
Horseadvice.com is a BBB Accredited Business. Click for the BBB Business Review of this Horse Training in Stokesdale NC