Amazingly, Mi Amigo was quiet and willing as I haltered him and walked to the trailer. He didn't even hesitate as I asked him to load into the trailer. What a good boy! He stood perfectly in the trailer as we got on the road. Talk about a white-knuckled drive! It was in the 20's yesterday morning and North Bend Way was quite icy. I was driving as cautiously as possible but still found the truck going one way and the trailer going the other a couple times. Eeeks!
I made it to Jaime's about 10 minutes late for my appointment, but we made it in one piece!
I unloaded Mi Amigo, tied him up and pulled his blanket off. He was calm and quiet and didn't seem excited at all at his new surroundings. I was very pleased with him!
I handed Mi Amigo to Jaime as I went to get my camera and take pictures. He continued his quiet demeanor, even as Jaime held him and Dr. Hannah started her evaluation.
Dr. Hannah started doing flexion tests in order to decide if Mi Amigo had DSLD. Unfortunately, he flexed very, very lame on all 4 legs. It was clear very quickly that Mi Amigo had an advanced case of DSLD. Poor guy
He is definitely not a candidate for being a riding horse. He can be a pasture pet only, with limited movement. 
Since we were there, Dr. Hannah felt that his teeth needed to be floated. So, we took him into one of Jaime's stalls and proceeded to do his teeth. Dr. Hannah was excellent with Mi Amigo, even though he didn't seem scared, she was still quiet and gentle with him.
Once she was done with his teeth, she started to clean his sheath. This was surprising to me as Mi Amigo was not ok with this. He has always generally been very, very easy going. He's never had a mean bone in his body and definitely never tried to strike out. However, as soon as Dr. Hannah reached under to start cleaning, he immediately became defensive and started striking, kicking and bucking with all his might, trying to keep her from touching him.
Amazingly, Dr. Hannah was able to stand at his shoulder and still reach down and clean his sheath, even as he kicked and stuck out. Thinking back, I wonder if he wasn't in some sort of pain to have that kind of reaction??
Once we were done, Mi Amigo was VERY put out and pouty. He refused to look at us or socialize with us. Goodness! Poor guy!
If you're interested in knowing the 'technicalities' of Mi Amigo's vet report, here it is:
12/2/06 Farm Call
SAFE
Fostered by:
Juliane Hanley
13427 446th Ave Se
North Bend, WA 98045
425-214-6518
Subjective/Objective:
Mi Amigo: Peruvian Paso gelding, chestnut, DOB: 15yr.
History/Presenting Concern: Rescued from owners, they had him since he was a yearling, they didn’t have time to handle their horses or money to care for them, one of 4 horses. Has been with Juliane for about 6 weeks. Feed: ulimited orchard/timothy hay, strategy/sr at first, but no change in weight so not on it now, occasional orchard grass pellets, no vitamin-mineral sups at this time. Recently had hair loss around eyes (in the last 3-4 weeks).
Physical Exam:
Temp-99, Pulse-48 and Resp-12 WNL, MM: pink, CRT < 2sec, GI +/+ = WNL. Heart, lung and GI sounds WNL. BCS of 4/9. Bright, alert and responsive. Eyes, ears, nose, lymph nodes, sinuses, musculoskeletal, integument within normal limits other than: multiple small areas of crusting/dermatitis, consistent with allergic reation. Hair loss/dermatitis around eyes/muzzle. Dental exam revealed: moderately sharp buccal and lingual points, rostral hook/ramps at 306/406, due for dental float. Sheath due to be cleaned.
Lameness exam: Dropped fetlocks, all four limbs, worse in hind limbs. sore on flexion of all four distal limbs, sore on tendon/ligament palpation of all four distal limbs. Distal limb flexion positive (3/5 lameness) on all four distal limbs. Degenerative suspensory ligament desmitis.
Dental float: (1.5xyl, 1.5xyl, 1.5xyl) Reduced buccal and lingual points, reduced ramp/hooks at 306/406, balanced mouth, canine reduction, reduced hooks at 103/203.
Cleaned sheath: moderate smegma, difficult to clean (kicking).
Assessment/Plan: Mi Amigo is showing symptoms consistent with DSLD (degenerative suspensory ligament desmitis). This condition unfortunately has no cure/treatment. It will be best for him to be a ‘pasture pet’ and not be ridden or allowed to run in a large area. He can be give bute or an herbal bute alternative (such as Ani-motion from Equilite) as his condition progresses for pain/discomfort. Please call with any questions or concerns.
Mi Amigo will be due for vaccinations in the spring and dental float in 1 year. Monitor his sheath as he may need to be cleaned before his next dental float.
Recommend: Add a vitamin-mineral sup with selenium, vegetable oil, 1/2cup/day, flax seed-ground, 1/3cupday to his diet.
De-worming recommendations: Yearly fecal flotation exams recommended for assessment of your de-worming program and parasite load. Rotate de-wormers used (ivermectin+/- praziquantel-[Equimax], pyrantel-[Strongid], moxidectin-[Quest], fenbendazole-[Panacur]) using pyrantel in the spring and Ivermectin + Praziquantel (for tapeworms) in the fall, de-worm every 2-6 months depending on fecal float results, parasite load, pasture management, number of horses, etc.
Vaccination recommendations: West Nile Virus yearly in the spring, Tetanus yearly (often done in the fall), Flu and Rhino yearly (often done in the spring), EEE/WEE if going East of the Cascades. It is best to minimize how often horses are vaccination as well as to spread out vaccines at least 2 weeks apart so multiple vaccines are not given all at one time to decrease risk of vaccine reactions and/or side effects, however, vaccinations are often given all at one time due to practicality.
Dental float and physical exam recommendations: yearly.
Please call or email with any questions or concerns:
Dr. Hannah Evergreen
206-940-8589
hannahevergreendvm@yahoo.com
WNL: within normal limits
BCS: body condition score
MM: mucous membranes
CRT: capillary refill time
GI: gastrointestinal
+: present
-: absent
