Moving across the country with a potentially injured horse

[alphamare4]

Hi all,

I began planning on moving back home (West Coast) several months ago. I have a new job lined up back home, to start in December, and was planning on moving back in October. I want to be home to be close to my family again and near a fear friend who was recently diagnosed with Stage 3 cancer.
The problem is, a couple of weeks ago my horse went very lame. Vet has isolated it to his foot, but we’re still in the process of identifying what it is. MRI scheduled for a couple of weeks from now. It was sudden onset lameness in an otherwise very sound 13 yo gelding who events. He’s always had poor feet, so I initially thought it was abscess, and he seemed to blow one after a couple of days of poulticing, but no improvement in his lameness. Vet seems to think it’s either a soft tissue injury of some kind in the foot (DDFT?), an atypical abscess, or an atypical stone bruise based on how he’s blocking out and has clean X-rays. He has no heat in the foot but an increased pulse, flexes basically negative, and is significantly more lame on soft surfaces.
Here’s my question: I was planning on shipping him out to the West Coast with me (from the East Coast) in about six weeks, but I’m not sure what to think with this potential injury. Any thoughts on how I might be able to still move, or how to manage this if he can’t be moved (assuming it is a soft tissue injury within the foot)? Thoughts on shipping after stall rest but before rehab begins? I could delay a month or two, or I also would be fine with extending stall rest when I get home after the shipping as well. Anything really, I’m willing, I just need to move. Thoughts?

[NaturallyHappy]

I don’t have advice…but do have a question. Can you ship him straight through without layovers, unloading, loading, etc?

[Huntin_Pony]

Sounds like a “wait and see” situation, at least until you have MRI results.

If he’s “shippable” per vets after that and if you could possibly swing it, consider flying him. It’s a one-day process that way depending how far you are from the available airports.

[trubandloki]

@alphamare4

Hi all,

I began planning on moving back home (West Coast) several months ago. I have a new job lined up back home, to start in December, and was planning on moving back in October. I want to be home to be close to my family again and near a fear friend who was recently diagnosed with Stage 3 cancer.
The problem is, a couple of weeks ago my horse went very lame. Vet has isolated it to his foot, but we’re still in the process of identifying what it is. MRI scheduled for a couple of weeks from now. It was sudden onset lameness in an otherwise very sound 13 yo gelding who events. He’s always had poor feet, so I initially thought it was abscess, and he seemed to blow one after a couple of days of poulticing, but no improvement in his lameness. Vet seems to think it’s either a soft tissue injury of some kind in the foot (DDFT?), an atypical abscess, or an atypical stone bruise based on how he’s blocking out and has clean X-rays. He has no heat in the foot but an increased pulse, flexes basically negative, and is significantly more lame on soft surfaces.
Here’s my question: I was planning on shipping him out to the West Coast with me (from the East Coast) in about six weeks, but I’m not sure what to think with this potential injury. Any thoughts on how I might be able to still move, or how to manage this if he can’t be moved (assuming it is a soft tissue injury within the foot)? Thoughts on shipping after stall rest but before rehab begins? I could delay a month or two, or I also would be fine with extending stall rest when I get home after the shipping as well. Anything really, I’m willing, I just need to move. Thoughts?

Horses are experts at bad timing.

I think the answer(s) will really depend on what it ends up being.

I am sure the vets will be able to guide you on his ability to move or not.

I am sure some things will do fine, even with the move.