Oroquin 10 - Day 10

I'm looking at a different horse than I had 10 days ago.

10 days ago I stood in the barn and cried, certain that I was going to lose my Blue, my "once in a lifetime horse" to EPM. Today he goes out with his herd at night, he gets down to roll with no problems, he trots after my kids and nickers for the apples he knows are in their pockets. He gets sassy when he doesn't want to do something. He's interested in life again.

What we have here is nothing short of a miracle.

But that leaves us with many questions still unanswered - how much damage was done to his Central Nervous System? How much of that damage is permanent? What can we do to help the healing of those nerve passageways? When can we start, and how can we start, helping him gain his strength back in his hind end?

And *gulp* what about possible relapse?

Putting all those questions aside for just one more day, we can look at the overwhelming benefits of the Oroquin and see success. Blue is no longer walking "death circles." He is straighter, for sure. He is still awkward in his hind end, but certainly no longer "tilted." He trots.

While he was never really depressed, his mood is elevated again. He is happy to see me and the children. He calls for his friends in the field. He looks through his stall door with clear, interested eyes. I texted my vet on Day 5 - "I have Blue back!"

He is bright and alert and seems happy. He is also so much "straighter" than he was. There was a time before the Oroquin when we could barely get Blue into his still because he was so crooked that his shoulder and hip had to fit through the door at the same time.

And I mean that with my whole heart.

Of course, all is not perfect. He seems to still not know exactly where his hind feet are. I catch him standing awkwardly all the time, one foot crossed over the other, standing almost clubfooted at times. And he still stands with his right hind leg "kicked out," though it is much less dramatic than it had been. The toe-dragging has not resolved, to the point where we are going to have to do something to help his hooves if it continues. He was dropped from his sheath when I walked up to his stall today.
Here are his Day 10 hind end pic:

My 10-year-old daughter and I were talking about Blue this morning. She has been anxious about his condition, and wanted to know if I thought she would ever be able to ride him bareback at the walk again.

My words caught in my throat when I told her how sick Blue has been, and how I know we almost lost him. It gives me a healthy dose of perspective. If this is our final result, I am overwhelmingly grateful.

Here is our Day 10 video:

And for reference, here is the video of Blue doing circles the day before treatment started. What a difference!