09/26/2020
Well worth another share! As a body worker I regularly get calls to look at horses that really need to see a vet. I always make the recommendation for vet care. It's not that I don't want to help the horse, it's that in some situations the horse is going to be helped best by another professional first, and at the end of the day I always want to do what is best for the horse. I hate the idea of a horse suffering due to something like an undiagnosed fracture, while we wait to see if bodywork will help, or even worse cause more damage by not knowing what is underneath my hands. All of the professionals available to horse owners have a role to play in the right place and time.
Day 2 of bute for Dallas, and he’s already nearly back to normal 🎉 he had very very mild reactions to his dock being palpated, and overall seems more himself.
I’m not a worrier of small things, and I’m quite experienced in equine husbandry. I also regularly enlist the help of an equine body worker (I say body worker, because the one I use I truly believe is one of the best in the business - she works in so many modalities that I’m not sure even how to label it all 😆). That said, anything that is causing huge concern related to bony structure and mobility will always have us calling our vet first before anyone else. My body worker (Broken Spur Equine Therapy) is in agreement with this, as while she truly is a wealth of knowledge and a genuine miracle worker, she is not interested in playing vet. She has also taught me many things over the years, enabling me to notice many things that would actually best be sorted by a body worker rather than a vet. This in turn also makes me confident when I make the choice to call the vet first. Knowing my ponies ‘norm’ very well also adds to my confidence when something even more serious is going on than a sprung rib, or a rotated pelvis.
My vet bill was just shy of $200 to have Dallas checked out, but it was money well spent to have my suspicions confirmed - and squash potentials of something even worse going on. This allows us to make a plan for him, that takes the entirety of his injury into consideration, and also will provide extra info for my body worker when she works on him.
I wanted to write this just as a reminder for others that your vet is an important part of you and your horses health team. No, it is not as cheap as a visit from a body worker, but your body worker is not a vet, and shouldn’t be expected to substitute for one. My equine body worker is still an invaluable member of my horses health team too, but timing and application of those services are quite important - even when you’re super fortunate like me to have one who’s one of the best in the business. In all reality, the vet and body workers services work best when used in conjunction with one another.
Dallas will be booked to see Jody in the next little bit as his inflammation settles and our schedules allow. He’s got a couple days left of bute, but I am happy to see him find relief ❤️