Quzqo Breaks His Tail

Sat Mar 4, 2006

No other explanation for it. My horse has major pain in his dock, and his tail is totally paralyzed. Have NO idea how it happened, when it happened, or what, all I know is this afternoon he flinched when I brushed his butt, and his tail is as limp as a noodle. It didn't dawn on me that something might be wrong until I went out there tonight to ride, and was lunging him, and he was trotting right along, with his tail totally flaccid, flopping around between his butt cheeks. I even tried spooking him, but no tail action whatsoever.

He's walking normally, backs up fine, even can cross his hind legs. He's eating, drinking, pooping...haven't seen him pee yet (which usually involves lifting of the tail), but he sure flinches if you touch his dock.

So...gave him some bute, and put cold compresses on his dock (well, ZipLocs filled with snow)...don't know what else to do. I asked that he be kept in tomorrow and I'll head out in the morning....

Shit.

Well, my Dalmatian broke her tail twice, and it healed up on its own...(not like you can put a tail in a splint, so said the vet). Can't imagine what the hell happened, unless he rolled wrong...or maybe somebody reared up and came down on his butt...can't imagine he could have gotten kicked (he's short but not that short). He's acting perfectly normal otherwise...I should have noticed when I was brushing him this afternoon, how he kept looking back at his butt.

He WAS very itchy on his right buttock, and as I was scratching it, he curved his butt towards me and made a pooky lip, so his back per se must not hurt.

Tsk, I was sniffling in his stall, and he came over and started licking my hand...what a sweetie.

Horse + World = Something going wrong.