Lyme?

Finn seemed a little bit better yesterday. Although I hate that he's on stall rest and in pain, I like taking care of him when he's so sweet and not all wild eyed. I sat with him in his stall for hours yesterday and he kept coming over to me, nickering, and nuzzling on me. It's the first time he's shown real affection towards me. He's been so good about keeping his foot in the tub of water/epsom salt, and so good about not moving around and getting all crazy. When the vet was here the other day he felt a digital pulse in nearly all four legs...and wanted to test for Lyme. Yesterday afternoon vet came back to test. I assumed he was going to pull blood and send it to Cornell. Instead he did a SNAP test, which I thought only tested whether or not the horse had ever been exposed, not whether or not there was an active infection. Well of course he tested positive, and we put him on Doxy. He does have alot of the symptoms, and a bunch of horses in the barn have it, but I still want to get blood pulled and sent to Cornell. So after a $650 vet bill weekend my horse is still a hobbling mess. I pulled him out of his stall and the old man hobbled into the indoor and we did a little hand walking/standing around. He was happy for a change of scenery. He does not seem to be in any pain, I just feel horrible about how he looks and is acting.
     There was all this drama at the barn last night...Nobody showed up to bring horses in/feed, and barn owner was no where in site. One of the boarders called one of the young girls that works there, and the girl said barn owner was supposed to bring in and feed. Instead, the girl showed up, brought everyone in, fed, and didn't know where barn owner was. It's all very confusing and unorganized. I'm very concerned that my horse isn't, or won't be, receiving his meds/supplements/correct grain/water/hay, because there's so many different people working, and NO organization.
     After spending the afternoon with Finn I went and checked out the co-op barn my friends board at. I loved it. It's super quiet, huge, flat, grassy turout, very clean, and very organized. It runs differently than most co-op's I've seen. Instead of having to do your stall every day, you choose one day a week and do chores for all boarders. So I would go in the AM feed, turnout, stalls, clean, water, and then bring in and feed PM. Hay is included in board, and you have to supply your own hay and shavings. There is no indoor, but there is an indoor across the street that you can use if you take lessons with the dressage trainer. I liked the set up, but it is 50 minutes from my house. The girls said they wouldn't mind doing PM chores (turn in and feed) on the day that would be mine. It's also really inexpensive, and if I took lessons with trainer next door, bought my own hay/shavings, I still wouldn't even be paying with I am now for full board. And I'd have a support system, and Michelle to do training rides on him. Although I don't want to move him AGAIN, I have to. But, I want to make the right decision for us so that I don't have to move him anymore.

Broken

Ever since we've moved it's been one bad thing after another. I am completely numb right now. We've had some rain this past week, and with work and baby, I never ended up going to the barn for that ride that night. Well, yesterday morning I was all prepped to have an awesome ride. The weather had turned around, the sun was out, and I was motivated and ready. We had a babysitter, and Matt wanted to watch me ride, so we headed up mid morning. Got to the barn and all the horses were in. This made no sense. The sun was shining, and it was in the mid 70's. I asked the girl mucking stalls why they were in and she said she didn't know. Okay. So, I go in Finn's stall, he's very quiet. Pat him for a minute. Put his halter on, clip the lead line on, try to walk him out of his stall, and he ALMOST FELL OVER BACKSWARD. Like all his legs were suddenly broken. Try to move him, he won't without severe pain and hobbling. I quickly feel for heat and swelling, his left hind looks a little swelled but that's probably because he's stocked up due to being locked in his fucking stall since pretty much the day we moved. There's a lot of heat in his left front leg and hoof, and a pulse. The girl mucking stalls must have called the barn owner because at this point I'm crying and hysterical and saying oh my god over and over. Barn owner says he was fine yesterday. Barn owner asks me if "I'm a first time horse owner, and sometimes first time horse owner's freak out about things".... I call my farrier who rushes over, pulls the shoe, and feels for an abscess. Doesn't find anything, and he's sensitive on all four, not just the one. Because I just moved, I don't have a local vet yet. I call the barn's vet and say it's an emergency. The office tells me the vets are booked for the day, but they'll try to get someone out. I call another vet who says he'll be there within the hour. Me, Matt, and farrier sit in Finn's stall with him, while he just looks so sad, and completely broken. I feel horrible and guilty, and like my horse is going to die. I think he's foundering/navicular/or something neurological is going on. Vet shows up, and he is an old school vet, with rough hands, and a rough personality. He chips away at the left front hoof and tells us it's an abscess. Neither me or the farrier think it's an abscess. There's no abscess material, and he's testing sore on all four, not just the one. He's also had front pads on for the past 8 months and his hoof has been exposed to nothing. Once vet leaves, farrier says lets treat it as an abscess, and if he's worse after the weekend, I'll call my old vet (who is two hours away), and beg she come take a look at him and get some radiographs. She's an expert at diagnostics, and I really wish I had just asked her to come out yesterday.
     I soak his hoof in hot water, and epsom, then pack the hoof with flax, and wrap it up, give him antibiotics. After spending eight hours in the barn yesterday, he did seem somewhat better when I left. He was eating, drinking, pooping. While I was at work this morning, my amazing husband took our daughter up to the barn to make sure he was doing okay. He said he was much, much better, was putting a lot more weight on his bad leg, and didn't look like he was going to fall over. He was also in much better spirits. Matt also mentioned that ALL the horses are in today. The weather is 75 degrees and sunny....
      While I was at the barn yesterday, I happened to look in the grain room. I just received a notice from SmartPak that my next order of auto-ship smartpaks were getting ready to process. I checked Finn's two drawers of supplements (he receives AM and PM supplements), and he hasn't received a single supplement since he's been there. Not one. The vitamin E he needs due to his low levels... hasn't received it. His joint supplements...nope. I was horrified.
      I told barn owner that he hasn't received his supplements, and she goes "Oh you must have gotten them shipped to the barn, sometimes they arrive a few weeks early". Those supplements came with him from our old barn....
As soon as he's well enough to travel we are getting out of here. Our old barn will take us back in a heartbeat, and my friends have an empty stall at the co-op barn they're at. I haven't made a decision where we're going yet, but we need to get out of there.