Kobeejo: Enlarged knee, high temp

When I arrived at the barn today, I noticed Kobeejo just standing in his small paddock (cut down while he recovers from his surgery), which is not normal for him. He's almost always eating when I arrive. I noticed his hay had been picked through but not as much as normal. So, I removed his blankets because it was a hot day (70 degrees, which is very warm for March) and he was a tad sweaty. I decided he needed a walk and grazing, so I took him out and walked him to where the best grass is (this winter has been the warmest on record, with no snow since December). His appetite for grass was normal.

I brought him into the barn and put him on the cross ties so I could clean his stall and put him in. My friend Wendy noticed Kobeejo's right knee was swollen. I didn't feel heat in it, but it was observably larger than the left. Also, he was showing some signs of stocking up in his sheath and both hind fetlocks.


Wendy mentioned infection and said I should take his temperature. As I have been regularly taking his temperature since the hospital stay, I know what is normal for him. So, I grabbed the thermometer and took his temp... 101.4. That's high for him! My vet was due to come out on Wednesday, but I called and left him a message about what was going on. He texted back saying he'd be there at 5pm. It was nearly 4pm, so not a long wait.

I walked Kobeejo a bit, but I had hurt my own right knee earlier in the day, so it was painful for me to walk. Then, I placed him back in his stall and retook his temperature. It was 100.6, so it had gone down a bit.

The vet arrived at 5pm (20 mins later). The first thing he said when he saw Kobeejo was, "Oh my God, he's lost a lot of weight!" He lost nearly 100 lbs in the hospital and I have added extra alfalfa pellets and beet pulp to his diet in an attempt to get weight back on him. I don't believe in feeding grains (Complete feeds) mainly because they are unnecessary unless required as a supplement. Horses are forage feeders and gain doesn't digest well in their small tummies. Hence, he is on a ration balancer only to supplement his forage.

The vet had me walk Kobeejo in the indoor, but there was no limping, but upon palpation and bending of the knee, he showed signs of discomfort. To rule out infection, he did a small blood test that can be determined without having to send the blood to a lab, then he ultra-sounded his intestines. Everything looked good and he saw no signs of any infections. He was thinking the same as me, that this all may be due to lack of movement. I agree that would present itself in his sheath and maybe his fetlocks, but not in the knee.

The vet gave him a shot of Banamine and informed me to have his temperature taken in the morning and let him know. Since I am a night worker, I contacted one of the barn owners to take his temp in the morning and text me the results. Then I would text the vet.

At 11pm, I drove up to the barn to check on him, walk him and take his temp. I took his temperature first and it was down to 99.6. I walked him in the indoor for a good 15 minutes until my knee (and back) could no longer take it. Then, I gave him his ulcer meds in some of his ration balancer, which he ate all up.

So, now we wait till morning...








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