Medial Patellar Ligament Splitting, Post-Op Days 3 and 4: Complications!

This picture of Brandy was taken Thursday (after I wrote the prayer) when I went out to work with her.  Her right thigh was very swollen and she could hardly bear to put her right hind foot down.  There was no way I could ride her when she couldn't even bear her own weight, so Herb and I took her for an hour-long walk around the property, taking in three hills, each one a little steeper than the previous one.  I decided she needed to stay up in the round pen so I could keep her medicated, and I doubled her dose of Bute on the vet's orders.

Friday when we went out to work with her, her right leg seemed very slightly improved, but it was still so swollen that it pressed against her belly and looked twice as big as her other leg.  When I finally got Brandy moving briskly for 20 minutes, the right incision began draining bloody fluid.  Concerned about the coming weekend, I called Dr. White.  When he came, he was concerned about the look of her leg and said she has developed cellulitis.  This is basically an inflammation of the tissue in response to the surgery and is not an infection, but it can certainly predispose to infection.  He gave her an IV diuretic (to help reduce the amount of fluid in the leg) plus an IV antibiotic, gave me 10 days' worth of twice daily antibiotic tablets, and prescribed cold water therapy on the leg followed by application of a DMSO solution which causes heating of the area.  I didn't ride her that day, but did get in her hour of brisk work.

Then Friday night when Herb went out to shut up the "little" chickens (as we call Wren's flock) he found that they had not come back to the brooder house after their first day of freedom. Instead, they were on the ground against the hay barn, and we needed to round them up. In the process, we pursued one of them over to the barnyard which made the security light turn on--and there was a horrible sight.  Brandy was out flat on the ground (like this picture, taken this morning), breathing raspily.  Her right leg, which was stuck straight out, was draining on her other leg.  When we came up to her she would not get up, which is extremely unusual for my horses, and even tugging on a lead rope could not induce her to rise.  Dr. White had told me to call "any time," so I took him at his word even though it was 10 p.m.  We conferred over the phone, decided she wasn't colicking, and settled for putting her in her stall with plenty of water and some feed to monitor her intake and output overnight.  She eagerly ate the bit of grain I gave her, so that was an encouraging sign.

This morning Kara and I went out to ride both horses and found Brandy flat out again looking like this.  You can see the ridge of swelling of her right (upper) thigh against her belly.  Again, she didn't want to get up, but finally let me pull her up.  I warmed her up in the round pen after she was saddled while Kara lunged Angel to get her in a more cooperative, calmer frame of mind.  Angel is feeling fine and sassy, and she was ready to go!

We rode for an hour, gaiting around the Lower Pasture several times and up the big hill in the Back Pasture.  Brandy behaved beautifully, although I thought I felt one of her stifles catch once or twice.  She was much more willing to "walk on" in her flat walk than she was on Post-Op Day 1.  I had a crop this time, but hardly needed to use it.  (For the uninitiated, a crop is NOT used to hit an animal with!  It just enables my arm to have an extension that can reach back and touch Brandy's rump if a kissing sound is not enough to urge her on.)

When we finally came back to the round pen, I rode her around at a running walk a bit more, just to be sure she's getting enough work.  (My toe is pointing in these pictures because I was nudging Brandy over to the right with my left heel.  Don't think I advocate riding with pointed toes!  I've just never been strong enough or flexible enough to keep my toes up and heels down while reaching my leg back and applying inward pressure!)

I'm still concerned about Brandy, but feel encouraged that she can move as well as she's doing.  I hope and pray that with hydrotherapy/DMSO both before and after working her, plus the antibiotics, she'll get over this hump.  I'm also very encouraged about her behavior riding out in the field with only a halter to control her and Angel bopping along excitedly in front of her!  Kara had to stay on her toes with Angel, but she had fun, too, so at least Kara and Angel enjoyed Brandy's rehab.