Bye bye Baby Bear. You were a very good boy. :(

[Lord_Helpus]

Vet was just here again…

Evidently, the Excede was not getting all the organisms in his infection. So we have switched to a different drug whose name I can’t even remember because I was reeling from the cost.

Normally the vet uses it as part of the cocktail when injecting hocks, to make sure that no bacteria will grow inside the joint capsule. For this purpose, he uses .5 of an ampule per injection. Bear, OTOH, is getting NINETEEN ampules per day.

Of course, since this amount is THIRTY EIGHT times as much as the vet uses in a normal procedure, he only had enough on hand for 2 days.

So the balance of what Bear will need is being shipped EXPRESS, OVERNIGHT from California.

As Andrea would say: Kill me now…

[Trails]

Sending lots of jingles for Bear and lots hugs to you!

[Foxtrot_s]

…been away … was hoping for better news…it has been a dreadful journey but I admire the way you know what you will or will not do for your dear horse. Hoping for better news soon. We are with you and supporting your decisions.

F8 - I had an almost identical thing happen to my mare. She’s fine now.

[SaddlebredHunter]

Oh dear Bear…

Sending lots of jingles for you and your boy. I hope that if there comes a point where he can no longer handle it, that he has a few moments without pain before.

You and Bear are in my thoughts and prayers.

[toady123]

Bear is lucky to have you!! Sending jingles your way.

[Fred]

Hoping for a good update on Bear today.
Thinking of you LH.

[vxf111]

Jingles and good vibes!

[trubandloki]

Clearly Bear likes his meds off the top shelf…

Jingling away.

[Lord_Helpus]

Update: Tuesday

Bear is looking out his Dutch door and will acknowledge people, but will not eat, despite being given multiple choices of food. After eating 3 small meals, he has refused food or water since mid afternoon yesterday.

He is in some pain – he licks his lips and he is holding his lower jaw to one side.

He got his Torb at 8am. No change. He got 10cc’s of Banamine at 11 am. No change. Vet is coming at 3 pm to give him another injection of the liquid gold antibiotic (it must be compounded by Wolfgang Puck himself). That will not make him feel better yet – but it may be getting the infection under control.

I have some choices: I can hope that the antibiotic makes a big difference soon, and will help with the pain.
I can orally force pain meds down his throat (which I know hurts him)
and/or we can stop doing the Betadine rinse up inder the skin by his jaw (which hurts him, but might help with the infection).

He must start eating again - to make him want to eat we need to manage his pain. Yet eating will not cure the infection.

I feel like whatever I choose, I am potentially making a life and death decision. At this point the ball is pretty much in my court. The vet lays out the options, but the decisions are mine.

[twelvegates]

Jingling that the antibiotic starts working and Bear feels better. You are certainly giving him every chance.

[Where_sMyWhite]

LH, my heart aches for you and the tough path you are walking. You and Bear are in my thoughts!

[Lady_Eboshi]

[QUOTE=Lord Helpus;8014787]
Update: Tuesday

Bear is looking out his Dutch door and will acknowledge people, but will not eat, despite being given multiple choices of food. After eating 3 small meals, he has refused food or water since mid afternoon yesterday.

He is in some pain – he licks his lips and he is holding his lower jaw to one side.

He got his Torb at 8am. No change. He got 10cc’s of Banamine at 11 am. No change. Vet is coming at 3 pm to give him another injection of the liquid gold antibiotic (it must be compounded by Wolfgang Puck himself). That will not make him feel better yet – but it may be getting the infection under control.

I have some choices: I can hope that the antibiotic makes a big difference soon, and will help with the pain.
I can orally force pain meds down his throat (which I know hurts him)
and/or we can stop doing the Betadine rinse up inder the skin by his jaw (which hurts him, but might help with the infection).

He must start eating again - to make him want to eat we need to manage his pain. Yet eating will not cure the infection.

I feel like whatever I choose, I am potentially making a life and death decision. At this point the ball is pretty much in my court. The vet lays out the options, but the decisions are mine.[/QUOTE]

If all else fails in the eating department, make up a BIG pail of warm-watery senior-feed gruel and have it there when the vet comes. Have him/her pass a stomach tube and PUMP the stuff down him just like you would a dose of oil!

It won’t fill him up the way forage would of course but might just give him enough energy to fight the infection for another day. Best of luck!

[cloudyandcallie]

I am so happy he is chewing hay. Get anything he wants into him now. Good luck. Maybe this will turn the corner to Bear getting well since he wants to eat.

[beowulf]

[QUOTE=Lord Helpus;8014787]
Update: Tuesday

Bear is looking out his Dutch door and will acknowledge people, but will not eat, despite being given multiple choices of food. After eating 3 small meals, he has refused food or water since mid afternoon yesterday.

He is in some pain – he licks his lips and he is holding his lower jaw to one side.

He got his Torb at 8am. No change. He got 10cc’s of Banamine at 11 am. No change. Vet is coming at 3 pm to give him another injection of the liquid gold antibiotic (it must be compounded by Wolfgang Puck himself). That will not make him feel better yet – but it may be getting the infection under control.

I have some choices: I can hope that the antibiotic makes a big difference soon, and will help with the pain.
I can orally force pain meds down his throat (which I know hurts him)
and/or we can stop doing the Betadine rinse up inder the skin by his jaw (which hurts him, but might help with the infection).

He must start eating again - to make him want to eat we need to manage his pain. Yet eating will not cure the infection.

I feel like whatever I choose, I am potentially making a life and death decision. At this point the ball is pretty much in my court. The vet lays out the options, but the decisions are mine.[/QUOTE]

Jingling for Bear… Any way your vet can get Bear on some Well-gel? It’s made for situations like this. :no: Wishing you the best of luck LH, we know you’re doing everything you can.

[Lord_Helpus]

My new plan:

After making a carrot cake with cream cheese icing for Bear (he would not eat it but the other horses went crazy over it) I decided I had gone off the deep end, trying to do everything I was told to do, and more.

At the beginning of this thread other people who had/knew horses with repaired jaws posted. Those horses went home after surgery and did just fine. Those horses did not go through all this, and those horses recovered.

So, from now on, Bear will get his cutting edge antibiotic, and his Torb and Banamine/Bute – and that is it. No more flushing/lavaging/ forcing meds down his throat. No more feeding him doctored gruel which he won’t eat anyway.

He will be given soft hay (laboriously picked clean of even the tiniest stem ) and turned out in his big field. He will be given soft feed if he asks for it. He will be the one to decide if it is in his best interests to eat carefully selected feed. He will be allowed to be a horse. From now on, within guidelines, Bear will live a normal life.

If this proves to be the incorrect way to handle him, then so be it.
I am not going to let Bear die starved and unhappy. If his time has come then that is tragic. But I am not going to go crazy second guessing my choices of antibiotic meds v. flushing v. gruel 6x/day v. muscle pain meds v. nerve pain meds. Bear is not going to spend his days alone in a sand pen.

I am going to listen my horse and let him tell me what is the best thing for him.

[Lady_Eboshi]

[QUOTE=Lord Helpus;8015164]
My new plan:

After making a carrot cake with cream cheese icing for Bear (he would not eat it but the other horses went crazy over it) I decided I had gone off the deep end, trying to do everything I was told to do, and more.

At the beginning of this thread other people who had/knew horses with repaired jaws posted. Those horses went home after surgery and did just fine. Those horses did not go through all this, and those horses recovered.

So, from now on, Bear will get his cutting edge antibiotic, and his Torb and Banamine/Bute – and that is it. No more flushing/lavaging/ forcing meds down his throat. No more feeding him doctored gruel which he won’t eat anyway.

He will be given soft hay (laboriously picked clean of even the tiniest stem ) and turned out in his big field. He will be given soft feed if he asks for it. He will be the one to decide if it is in his best interests to eat carefully selected feed. He will be allowed to be a horse. From now on, within guidelines, Bear will live a normal life.

If this proves to be the incorrect way to handle him, then so be it.
I am not going to let Bear die starved and unhappy. If his time has come then that is tragic. But I am not going to go crazy second guessing my choices of antibiotic meds v. flushing v. gruel 6x/day v. muscle pain meds v. nerve pain meds. Bear is not going to spend his days alone in a sand pen.

I am going to listen my horse and let him tell me what is the best thing for him.[/QUOTE]

Good for you for making this courageous choice. I’m one who does not think “more is more” necessarily when it comes to medical interventions. NATURE is the one who has to decide if Bear has too many compromises to overcome, and it’s going to come down to the strength of his will to live.

The motion and normalcy of being allowed turnout is probably the best thing you can do to induce his appetite to return. If he can, onward and upward. If he can’t, you’ll know it was not due to lack of any due diligence on your part. After 40 years in the business I can tell you that we can ONLY do so much. Here’s hoping your guy’s eating instincts kick in and override the smell-and-taste factor of his infection.

Fingers crossed!

[2enduraceriders]

I hope things improve. You plan sound good.

[Renn_aissance]

LH, I think you are giving Bear the option to make his choice with dignity. Hugs for both of you.

[vxf111]

I think that’s very wise. I hope Bear flourishes!

[Laurierace]

Hope the new plan helps him turn the corner towards recovery. Many jingles continue.