Hi there, I wanted to create this blog for those who have been following Princeās journey/trips to Cornell and his recovery along the way. Thankful for the support system he has and that he has those we love pulling for him.
Day 59; Prince is so alert listening to the other horses talking and power companies taking down trees. Thatās one of the things Cornell said about Prince when they first treated him – his alertness. Heās very intuitive and such a smart boy. Hereās a snip bit of just Prince enjoying outside time and watching and listening to everything today. š§”Day 58; I caught Prince in a mid itch. Heās looking and walking great today and of course enjoying treats. He loves the fall weather. I havenāt seen him run or anything lately but just the fact that he is able to walk comfortably is just as much of a blessing. Day 57; Hereās a better look at Prince and his muddy self from today. Someoneās getting a bath in the next day or two so he can be clean for like an hour. He loves the mud and he absolutely loves to roll. š Thatās a good sign though, lol. It means heās well enough to get down and get back up with his leg after heās done playing. šš§” I havenāt caught him rolling on video outside yet though. Iām working on that. Day 56; Well, Prince isnāt so white anymore. Lol. Good thing heās getting a bath Monday or Tuesday. Itās most likely going to be his last bath before the cold weather hits. Prince is doing well. His walk is good. When I brought him in from outside he kept up and wasnāt gimpy. We are still on an upwards trend! That of course is and remains a blessing for us!Day 55; Prince is doing well today. He enjoyed some play time/grazing as well as rolling and getting muddy. I can tell his shoes have helped him significantly just at a walk, along with the alcohol injections. Prince was also much more lovable today too. It rewarding to see his improvement every day (no matter how small) I count them big victories looking back on how far we have come. Hereās to a continued journey of healing for my boy. š I want to make a point and give God thanks and glory because none of this would have been made possible if it wasnāt for Him. Weāre a team. The best team. Day 54; Prince is waiting for his treats in this picture. He is doing well, better than yesterday. I think the weather plays a huge factor in if Prince is still going to have a comfortable or uncomfortable day. We are managing his pain level as best we can. We are also getting closer to Princeās second alcohol injection. Fingers crossed and prayerfully we will walk away from Cornell on the 19th being our last visit there. It all depends on how fast these alcohol injections are working at fusing his joints. We were given the time frame of 3 months to a year. We will be 3 months in October 12th. Day 53; Princeās leg seemed to be slightly swollen today. Itās most likely due to the rainy weather we had today and will have tomorrow. Thereās also a slight chance that heās in some discomfort after finding out something that I canāt share right now. We are working at getting that fixed, permanently and hopefully we can avoid problems like that happening again. Prince is my baby. He deserves the best and he WILL have the best. Iāll go to my grave making sure heās looked after and cared for to the best of my ability. Day 52; Prince somehow managed to flip his halter most likely when he was rolling. š Rolling is Princeās favorite thing. It helps get rid of his itchyās. He was a good boy today, enjoyed his treats and is walking well. Day 51; Handsome boy says hello. Itās finally cool enough to not wear his fly mask at least for today. Prince loved the outside time today and grazing. His leg seems to be doing well, too. Always a positive! Day 50; We have officially reached our 50 day mark since Princeās first alcohol injection and Prince is doing so well, making progress and baby steps everyday. Prince got his feet trimmed and shoes replaced last week. (They have helped him so immensely) Heās sporting some hot pink gel padding because only the tough ones wear pink. š Tomorrow is the 1st which also means we have 17 days until we head back down to Cornell for Princeās second alcohol injection. We are hopeful and prayerful for a continued steady path for Prince. šš¼ Day 49; And someoneās been rolling. Prince for sure needs a bath now, lol. š Saturdayās weather is looking absolutely gorgeous so Prince will most likely be getting his last bath before winter. Itās a good sign that heās been rolling. It means he feels good and is well enough to put weight on his front legs to get back up. Everyday we work at getting him healthy and stronger. It comes with immense stress somedays but the good days outweigh it all. Itās so rewarding to see all your dedication into helping Prince come forth. I wonāt stop. We are teammates for life. šš“Day 48; It was a beautiful day for some outside time today. As always, Prince loves his grazing. His walk is good and he seems to be less in pain. Every day it is slightly more noticeable. Heās such a happier boy now, the complete ultimate goal! Day 47; Prince got a little visit from Nevi today. Nevi wasnāt too keen on Prince but Prince loves making new friends. Princeās walk improves more and more everyday. I havenāt seen him run in a couple weeks but Iām thinking a lot has to do with the weather. Prince was in good spirits and loved his gummy frog treats today. šš¼Day 46; Prince enjoyed some nice weather today. It was very windy but he loves his grazing time. Heās walking well and making baby steps of progress everyday. I will take videos of him periodically so his improvement can be visible. Everyday we are working together to get Prince in a more comfortable way of life. Day 45; Prince felt like taking a nap today. All the playing yesterday tuckered him out. Prince prefers to lay down when he sleeps instead of standing (probably because it takes some of the weight of his leg. He got up after I took this picture and had some yummy apples. He was in happy spirits. Day 44; We walked some in the indoor arena today. I wanted to see how Princeās walk improved after his trim and shoes back on. His walk is better. He is less gimpy. He has his good days and not so good days. We take each day as it comes but are SO appreciative for where heās at in his recovery right now compared to before. Truly an act of God! Day 43; Prince got his gel pads and shoes fixed today. Immediately his walk improved with very little if any lameness. We are so appreciative for an amazing farrier who is good around Prince and enjoys him. He was such a good boy (he didnāt like the nails being pounded in his feet) he got use to it once he knew we were trying to help him be comfortable again. I think Prince will be getting a bath in the near future because he is a dirtyy boy. He loves his rolling though. š Day 42; I took Prince for a walk around the indoor arena and he seemed really lame and gimpy. Heās at the end of his shoeing cycle and will be getting new shoes tomorrow to help give him back some of his comfort. We are near 3 weeks away from Princeās second alcohol injection at Cornell also. Weāre hoping and praying Prince keeps improving (as he has been) each step is one step closer. Day 41; Prince enjoyed some cool weather today and play time with his buddy. Heās walking well. We have rain coming the next few days so we will see where we are with him lameness with that. Overall, Prince is happy and getting stronger everyday. Baby steps towards towards our main goal; getting Prince out of pain completely. Weāre at a start. He is SO much more comfortable than he was 41 days ago. We are appreciative for all the milestones and obstacles Prince has overcame. Day 40; Yummy apples got our tongue going. Prince is doing well. Heās dirty so heās gotta get a hose down or bath this weekend. Prince is walking well and weāre continuing to take baby steps towards progress. Small steps but Prince is still showing improvement along the way. Day 39; Prince had a few visitors today. Riley and my english teacher (when I was in school) came to see Prince. Sheās been following along with Princeās journey and we are SO appreciative for her love and support. Her fur baby Riley has special needs (as heās 18) she understands how challenging it can be to care for our babies but we are firm believers that God gives us special needs babies because He knows we will do right by them, care for them and give them all they need. Prince enjoyed his visit with Riley and has a new friend. We had a great day today. šDay 38: Prince is doing well today and had fun outside. His walk improves a little more everyday. It is so great to see him be comfortable. His pain may not be completely gone YET but every day we inch more and more towards that goal. Heās such a happier boy and Iām so relived for all the progress. Day 37; Oh Prince, heās been at it again. One ear in and one ear out. š Glad I was able to catch him mid act before he was able to ditch his fly mask and halter and send me on a scavenger hunt looking for it. This is how I know heās been rolling today (only happens when he rolls) but at least he has fun while doing it. Prince is walking well and clearly feeling well today. Thatās always a positive! š“Day 36; Prince is waiting for his treats. Heās doing well today and always a happy boy when it comes to treats. He picked his feet up for me so I could clean them without a problem. Heās way less gimpy today too (thanks to the weather system thatās left) hereās a video of Prince talking. šDay 35; Prince enjoyed his Applesauce as a treat today to help with the rainy blueās. It was tough trying to clean his pad out (he has horseshoes and a pad to add cushion) his pads have to be kept clean every few days. He gave me a little bit of a hard time picking his leg up but we got it done. I imagine he was on the sore side due to all the rain. Hereās to a sunny day tomorrow! āļøDay 34; Prince enjoyed some outside time today and of course his treats. He will be inside tomorrow due to the rainy weather coming our way. Heās walking well and doing well today. Weāll see how he is tomorrow with the incoming rain. For now, all is well. šš¼Day 33; The quality of this video stinks so I apologize for the blurriness. My mom took it on her phone while I jogged with Prince in hand. Princeās evaluation with the Vet went well today. Prince is a happier boy. Per the Vetās recommendations, Prince will be heading back down to Cornell in 2-3 weeks for another alcohol injection. (Have to call Cornell and get his appointment scheduled) He is a happier guy and much more comfortable. Cornell will be doing radio graphs and x rays there to see how his fusion is going. We did a trot run because we wanted to see how he would be and heās still very gimpy an uncomfortable at a trot. We are going to try to adjust Princeās Bute (pain medicine) as itās very tough on his stomach. Hoping to eventually get him off of it. Small steps, baby steps but each step is one step closer to Prince being more comfortable. š“Day 32: Prince is doing good today. He spent today inside because of the gloomy day. He picked his leg up just fine for me to clean it. He got a good brushing with his mane and tail. I think a bath is in the near future because heās getting to be a dirty boy again, lol. I took this video of him waiting for his apples. He knows our routine so he knew heād be getting some treats. I can always count on him to talk to me. š“ Day 31; Prince is doing well, loving his outside time and enjoying some of the cooler temps. He loves the fall as itās approaching. His walking is a gradual improvement everyday and we are so incredibly thankful for the slightest of improvements we see in him everyday. Day 30; Princeās swelling has gone down and been staying down. It was a long 3-4 weeks with swelling but weāve conquered that area. We will be having an exam to see the progression of his joint fusion with our Vet within the next month. The boney circular growth thatās seen so clearly in his front leg is where the ringbone arthritis is. We still have a long road to go but everyday we are closer to more healing and less pain for Prince and thatās our ultimate goal. Day 29; Prince enjoyed some outside time today and some grazing. Iām sure he appreciated his outside time after the rainy weather yesterday. Heās walking better and appears to be less stiff than he was yesterday. All around he was in happy spirits after his treats of course. At the end of the day, his happiness matters most.Day 28; Prince acted sore today. Upon cleaning/picking his feet out, he gave me a hard time lifting his leg. I contributed it to the rainy weather today and partially because heās been in his stall all night and morning and hasnāt really been able to be that mobile due to the weather. Hereās to hoping tomorrow Prince will be feeling better. Oh, and I had a wonderful time trying to brush the bird ox out of his tail today too. He knows where they are are loves finding them, lol. Day 27; Prince had a fun time rolling..itās his favorite thing. He hates to be clean, lol. But it was so good to see him be a horse and watch how well he got up from the ground afterwards. One of my biggest fears was that he would get down and not be able to get back up. Prince is a strong boy though. He has beaten the odds stacked against him and Iāll continue to do what I have to do and give him what he needs to ensure we keep going down a positive and steady path. So many milestones Prince is conquering only being 27 days in. So many more to come! Day 26; Prince enjoyed some grazing time tonight. I walked him some in the indoor arena too because at first glance he seemed a little stiff in his stall. After he got moving and walking, his leg got less stiff and he walked so good! His walking is improving everyday. Prince of course got his treat he so looks forward to every visit. Day 25; Happy tears! It has been years since my eyes have seen Prince well enough to put all his weight on his front legs, buck and run. With his arthritis, he was doing all he could to just walk. Only being 25 days in, to see Prince buck and run (even though a short distance) is nothing short of a MIRACLE! Prince is SO much happier, so much more lovable. Itās safe to say Prince is out of pain. However, we still have a long road of recovery ahead of us with further injections. So thankful for the improvement that we have seen already. Day 24; Hereās a picture of Princeās therapeutic shoes. Underneath the black pad is gel molded and formed to fit his foot for added comfort. The black pad is also gel padded too and his shoes are specially made to help bring his heel down (as his heel sits high) these shoes have helped Prince out so much. Itās such a relief to see Prince actually pick up his leg and walk like a normal horse again. Itās expensive, yes but I would do it over and over again because these injection and shoes are helping him just be a normal horse again. Having a special needs horse is challenging at times but itās also so rewarding and helps build a stronger bond.Day 23: The shoes are helping Prince out greatly. Itās so good to see him be able to lift his leg up instead of scoffing. Iām so thankful the injections and the shoes have improved his quality of life. I look back and see how close we were to having to say goodbye. So thankful for our Veterinarians, his farrier and his surgeon who are putting his best interest at heart and first. Day 22; Prince had some fun time outside today. So thankful to have seen so much improvement at his walk alone. Also so appreciative that these therapeutic shoes are helping him tremendously with adding more comfort. Weāve saved each other. Day 21; Prince got his therapeutic gel shoes with pads today. Our farrier did a wonderful job and I noticed a really big difference right away in his walk. Iām so thankful the shoes are offering more comfort and support for him. Princeās swelling is also gone. He was such a lover today, too. I think he knows we have been doing all we can to get rid of his pain and help him be more comfortable.Day 20; Prince seemed in a lot better spirits today and he loved his grazing time. We chose to not hose his leg today to see how he responds in the morning. The farrier is coming tomorrow and Prince will be getting shoes to see if they add comfort for him. At this point, itās so hard to decipher whether itās the swelling weāre seeing or the actual ringbone. From a distance it looks swollen and when his feet are picked & cleaned I still feel some swelling. More x rays are to follow in the coming weeks/month to see where we are at. Iām learning through all this too so please forgive me if Iām not that educated, lol. Prince has taught me a lot and continues to. Day 19; Prince didnāt have such a good day today (mood wise & spooky wise) for whatever reason, Iām not sure. It could have been the thunderstorms we got last night that spooked him or maybe at some point today he got too close to the fence. Not sure. I stopped by after work to check on him and bring him in and he decided it would be nice to bolt with me in hand out the electric fence. š All is well, Iām good and Prince sure is good and moving well at that. Hopefully tomorrow he will be in better and calmer spirits. He sure is moving better though so thatās definitely a plus and his swelling seems to almost be completely gone!Day 18; Prince was just a tad gimpy today but thatās understandable considering the severe thunderstorms weāre having today. Rainy and cold weather tends to be bothersome for Prince. I was able to squeeze in a quick hose down on his leg right before it stormed. Then I put some lineament on his leg hoping that helps him too. His swelling is and has been getting better, slowly but surely. As always, Prince was happy to get his apples. Day 17; Princeās leg got hosed down with cool water today. His swelling at his injection sites are beginning to go down but we are continuing until itās completely gone. His walk is so much peppier these last couple days. Iām so thankful for the improvement thatās been so visible. I promised Prince a treat after he got got done with his hosing down. Here is a video of him waiting. He loves his spoiling and treats. Day 16; Prince enjoyed the cold water on his leg today. Currently still at a standstill with the swelling at his injection sites. We are reminded that the swelling will take time to dissipate. If an injection is put into any joint, it will swell. Iām thankful that we are seeing such a positive improvement with Princeās walk. He got some pep in his walk back. Still on a long road but still so thankful for how far weāve come already! Day 15; Prince had some outside time today and some grazing. Heās improving everyday with his walking, slight improvements but they are still improvements. Compared to where he was before, itās so much more in a positive direction. Prince still has the same swelling going on with his injection sites but we work towards getting his swelling down everyday. Day 14; Prince got some cold Applesauce today after his hose down to beat the heat. Prince is doing so well. Weāre still dealing with minor swelling at his injection sites but all around he is doing so much better! He loves his Applesauce though hence him sticking his tongue out asking for more. Day 13; Yay! I had some happy tears this afternoon when I checked on Prince. I did another cold hose on him just before taking this video. I wanted to see how Prince was walking on his own without me in hand so I turned him loose in the indoor arena. It was SO good to see him walking so much better with the tiniest gimp/limp. Iām so thankful for some positivity and light. We still have a ways to go but each day is looking brighter. Weāre still dealing with swelling at his injection sites but hopefully that goes down as we approach two weeks.Day 12; Prince is enjoying some outside time today. Canāt really see his steps in this video but he is walking better and his swelling has dissipated a great deal. Weāre only dealing with swelling on the sides where his injections were. Of course, weāre still doing a cold hose wrap until all his swelling is gone but this is such a wonderful sign and something weāve strived so long for. Just for Prince to be comfortable enough at a walk with little to no lameness. Day 11: We are thankful for friends who come and visit us. It helps knowing Prince has a support system rooting for his recovery. Prince enjoyed little Gavinās visit as much as Gavin enjoyed Prince today. Prince enjoyed the Applesauce Gavin gave him too. Such a gentle soul. Prince is still swollen. Weāre working on getting it down. Aside from that, thereās nothing else to really update on today.Day 10; Prince is enjoying some grazing today after his cold hose down on his leg. His swelling is still there although it does look like itās slightly improving. He is walking a lot better but he is also still lame. All around I think weāre starting to head in a better direction. Prince also seems like heās a lot happier. Day 9; Weāre continuing a cold hose wrap until Princeās swelling goes down (weather permitting) we will switch off and on between a cold hose wrap and ice wrap on rainy, wet days. Princeās swelling is not getting worse which is a good sign but itās also not getting much better. It looked slightly better this afternoon. Weāre teeter tottering back and forth between getting better/staying the same. I hope to walk Prince in hand this weekend to see if his lameness has improved at all. Day 8; We weāre able to get a cold hose wrap done on Prince today/tonight. His swelling is still very much there. I have noticed he is much more lovable since all this. Maybe itās because he might understand weāre trying to help him or maybe itās because he might be feeling some sort of relief even if itās not visible yet. Iām not jumping the gun. Weāre taking it day by day and just focusing on getting Princeās swelling down for now. Each day weāre closer to Prince potentially being out of pain which is all a horse momma wants. Day 7; Due to the inclement and rainy weather today, we are using a ice pack wrap to help treat the swelling in Princeās leg. I havenāt seen much improvement but weāre only a week in. Our Vet did a quick check on him on Tuesday and said heās doing well considering the nature of the injections. If the only thing weāre dealing with is swelling at this point, Iāll take it. Long road ahead but weāre going to keep walking it together. Day 6; Prince is enjoying his Molasses cookies on this rainy day. He still has swelling going on. Weāre managing it and switching off and on to an ice wrap and cold hose wrap. Not much to update today. No really noticeable changes.
Day 5; Swelling is setting in Princeās leg on Day 5. Keeping a close eye on it so we can manage it. Heās still walking at a limp. Not the slightest improvement still but weāre having patience knowing this is a long process. I let him loose in the indoor arena so I could see his footing and his steps. Soon after, he decided he was going to roll. Silly boy, he hates to be clean.
Day 4; I was able to clean Princeās foot out tonight despite the swelling. Heās sore and still walking with a limp. Havenāt seen much improvement as of yet but we are in this for the long haul. Prince enjoyed some grazing in hand tonight too.
Day 3; Prince had a good day today enjoying the beautiful weather and less humidity. Heās still walking at a limp and 4/5 lameness scale. Weāre continuing his Bute and pain medication and keeping a close eye on him.
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Day 2; Prince as always we was happy to see me and get his Applesauce as his treat. I was able to pick/clean 3 of his feet out. I didnāt chance cleaning his bad foot/leg. I saved that to do tomorrow. I wanted to give his leg a rest after the injections as he seemed really gimpy and lame today. I imagine heās in pain but hope as this process goes on that we see improvement
Day 1; We picked Prince up from Cornell today following his alcohol injection this morning. He was very happy and excited to see me as was I to see him. We are hopeful that this helps ease his pain and potentially get him out of pain completely. I think he knows we are trying our best to help him get out of his discomfort and pain.
Keeping the Faith 