A Little Ray of Sunshine

Off came the wraps & splints with held breath. What was going to be seen when those little legs didn't have the splints supporting them? As soon as the splints came off the left leg knuckled over onto the fetlock. Filly lurched forward but thankfully didn't fall. Her poor little knees are puffy & can't take any more bruising. What a sinking feeling to see the knuckling over wasn't getting better. Then the filly tried to move. Ever so slowly & carefully she placed her left front foot on the ground & it held. She stood still & shifted her weight. She reached down & started scratching her legs, maybe amazed to find she had them under all that wrapping. It felt so good to be able to scratch the itch caused by the wraps, heat & sweating. Then she moved that left front again, very slowly, not weighting it until she was sure the bottom of the hoof was on the ground as it should be. Shift weight & she was again standing on the leg. Time for the wraps & splints to go back on, but what a little ray of hope those careful steps were. Such an extremely smart filly to know that she had to be very precise in how she moved her legs. No IV tetracycline treatment tonight. It's time to see if the tendons have loosened enough that they can start to strengthen & function normally. Tomorrow will bring a new day with new, shorter splints so that the knee can be free & begin bending, hopefully getting those tendons working. Thank you Grandpa for providing the necessary splints to give this precious miracle a chance at life.