R&R: Lucky’s Progress

If you’re just joining us, welcome to the story of Lucky & Sky, the test subjects in the Rehabilitate & Recover program. The core focus of the R&R program is to educate equine professionals such as veterinarians, trainers, competitors, shippers, and others on the Draper Therapies products and how they work to help your horses recover after competitions for faster recovery time. When my horses Sky and Lucky injured themselves recently, they became the test subjects in an even more intense use for R&R: in this case recovery from severe, and potentially career (and life)-ending injuries.

This is Lucky’s story, my 17 year old OTTB who severely cut his leg in a freak pasture accident back in May. Since then there have been a few setbacks, including a cut heel due to the “rooster incident” when a rooster startled him and he got his heel caught under the barnyard door, as well as some smaller setbacks, such as “but mom, it’s itchy so I scratched the scab off!”

Today, Lucky’s bandage was changed and everything is healing well. It’s granulated tissue with no bleeding, and both the leg and the other hind hoof are in the latter states of regrowth. Even the damaged coronary band is growing back! We’re doing wet to dry bandages with a coating of granules spray and it seems to be working. Lucky is mostly sound, and today he also got to be reintroduced to turnout.

For the past few months, he had limited turnout, weather permitting, in the so called injury paddock. It’s a small paddock with a shed good for 1-2 horses that shouldn’t be running around too much. While rehabbing, Lucky and Sky got to go out there together, but in the past few weeks it became increasingly apparent that Lucky was in no mood for “limited turnout” any longer.

So after a bandage change, a week off antibiotics (risk of infection is minimal if at all since both wounds are now closed), and a clean bill of health coupled with one too many romps around the small paddock that threatened to get Sky worked up (and with damaged suspensors, rest for him is a MUST!), it was on to bigger and better things – a slightly larger turnout with two mares!

After the bandage change, the tranq had mostly worn off, but with just enough left in Lucky to keep him calm. I already knew he’d get along with the girls, as he’d been out with them in the past. Added bonus is that one of them is a chestnut mare – his favorite because she’s the same color as he is! Out he went – and so far, so good. Sitting here from the patio, it looks like he’s enjoying his larger digs, and the company of the ladies. He’ll still be coming in at night, with Draper recovery wraps over the bandage to keep circulation going and healing progressing at the amazing rate is has been. I will continue to monitor the wounds, but considering that we’re just one month post the hoof injury and it’s as healed as the leg which was taking much longer, I am incredibly happy with the progress! And in the meantime, Sky has a new paddock mate to keep him company while he recoups.

Check back for more on Sky’s progress, and the final installment several weeks down the road on Lucky’s story as they both head down the road to recovery!

-CJ Millar