Rosemary Eye Update

My shadow :)

One more day of inventory obligations and then I start my new daytime schedule. Let the night time rides begin and hopefully I don't freeze my butt off.
Anyway, as Rosemary was following me around today trying to convince me my "one treat per pony" did not apply to her, I realized I have not updated you all about her eye. After two years of treatment it is looking so great. I am glad we could avoid surgery. Now that we are at Peggy's she is able to get her medicines consistently, which always shows changes.
For those new to my blog, here is the short and sweet of Rosemary's eye. In Jan 2012 she developed a raised bump on what we thought was a scar. Minor surgery and a biopsy showed it was a sarcoid. We consulted with our holistic vet after finding out surgery was the only conventional option. Both vets did not want to use a topical due to the closeness to the eye. Trial and error with familiar remedies did not yield results and the sarcoid came back even bigger in Nov. The holistic vet recommended a Chinese Remedy and Mum powder. Though not cheap, we did see results pretty quick. The bump grew and seemed to open. It was uprooting. In April 2013 a big chunk finally fell off and it continued to shrink from there. Barn drama caused her to have inconsistent times getting her medicine, so the changes slowed, but still happened.
Now the area on her eye that had no hair, is now covered and the sarcoid is just a small raised area. At the start I would never have believed that ugly spot would ever look normal even with the Holistic vet's assurance, but it does. The wonders of medicine never cease to amaze me.

Jan 2012

Jan 2015

I Saw A Difference

*Last Day For Canter Mane and Tail Contest* Winner announced tomorrow :)

6 weeks ago, we noticed Comrade's back was uneven muscle wise. We used towels to help the saddle fit and focused his work to consistently address that area. Lateral, bending, voltes and hill work have really helped. Well today we again looked down his back and I saw a difference.

10-19-13

11-30-13

 

Still have some work to do, but the change is amazing. And yes he was totally dirty today. Plus he was wondering why I was standing up behind him. Recognizing a problem really is half the battle.

Now for a Rosemary eye update. It has been just over a year since we started her on the Chinese herbs. The sarcoid is still there, but it is vastly different.

Feb 2012 after removing the first sarcoid

Nov 2012 side view

Nov 2012 front view

And now:

Nov 2013, a big difference

Front view, only a little bump

I am so happy that positive changes are happening all around.

Slow Day

It has been a slow day for me, so I am just going to talk about some random stuff.

First, Thanks to everyone for your comments about the CT. Some of you know the struggles Comrade and I have had during shows especially at the canter. I am still jumping up and down, mentally, over our achievement. For those who thought I did not look too tense, this would be what helped me that day:

Rescue Remedy products are the best for managing nerves. They also make an alcohol free version that can be used for animals. I took the Pastilles every couple hours or so before warm up, then I chewed a piece of gum while riding. That gave me the remedy and kept me from clenching my jaw. I have used this stuff for years now and it has helped me through final exams, shows and stressful times like Winston's laminitis. Now they do not score high on flavor, but the results are worth the taste.
Tomorrow Comrade and Peggy will go to their first lesson with an eventer Peggy met a few years ago. She is ready to ride and this instructor will help her push past the limits caused by her fall. I wish I could go watch, but I have to work. She is considering having this instructor ride Comrade and work him cross country. It will do him a great service. I know that, but part of me wishes to do those firsts with Comrade myself. Aw well I will just have to wait for Roscoe to grow up.

Second, Roscoe always amazes us with how quick he picks up training. The other day, Mom was scratching his withers. He was making funny faces and lifting his head. While that is cute, it does cause him to hollow his back. Not good for future riding. So Mom asked him to put his head down. When he complied, she would scratch his itchy spot. If he lifted his head beyond normal resting height, she stopped. She again asked for his head to go down before scratching. It did not take long before he was putting his head down while being scratched. When she stopped, he would immediately lower his head. And the next day when I scratched him he remembered right away correcting his head position. Positive reinforcement is always a great training tool.

Third, We had a new cat wonder to the barn a couple weeks ago. He must be a drop off, darn people, because he is friendly. Out of the blue Jenna's owner decided to take him in to get neutered and for shots. She calls him Freddy, but we call him Ray so I guess his name will be Freddy Ray. He likes to follow our long hair yellow cat Bailey around, much to his dismay. But when Ray was locked in the other tack room for a bit, Bailey laid right outside the door keeping him company. So here is Freddy Ray, with the awesome copper eyes:

See why we call him Ray?
 

Fourth, Remember Swayze? Well he has not improved since that last ride I wrote about. His owner had the vet out to get him tested for Lyme's disease. He had a sore back and underside of his neck which can be signs. Today the results came back negative. She has basically decided to sell him thinking she does not have the time, she is a nurse, to work him as he needs. After two years, she has not made the progress she would have liked. It is sad, but only she can say whether it will work or not. I offered to work with him on weekends, even if just to make him a better sale. So we will see how this goes along. If you know anyone who would like a 17h+ TB who is a sweetheart, but needs rehab work, let me know.

Finally, Rosemary's eye has been really looking good. It got to a point not long  after the piece fell off, where it began to recede inwards. The size has decreased and the area is looking really good. She has another sarcoid on the opposite cheek that is decreasing too, but she rubs that one raw sometimes. Plus I think the medicine is making her photosensitive as her face looks a bit poc marked. We have started putting sunscreen on her, which seems to have helped. So at just about 9 1/2 months of treatment, here is what her eye looks like:

The little white spot is where it used to be opened. Below you can see it has a much slimmer profile. Her whole face looks better now that the big hairless area is gone.




Updates

Thank you everyone for your comments. Though I have not blogged long, I have found it a very good way to release and share emotions. Which in turn helps keep my stress level down.
And in the vein of support, please keep fingers crossed for Cuna over at SprinklerBandit as they try to figure out his lamness. Barry was 23 when he had to be retired due to a tendon injury, so I really hope Cuna's is fixable. I love to read about his adventures and admire Aimee for taking on an older horse. They are special.

Okay now for updates from my barn:

Roscoe, due to the holiday missed another chance at breeding. Although ERC could collect, FedEx would not pick up and the other options were too pricey. Oh well, there is always next month. I did get a surprise call at 9am from ERC asking if Roscoe would be at his 10am appointment. Turns out they tentatively put him on the books for collection when the breeder called asking if they did collections on the holiday. Unfortunately, I did not know and did not call to cancel. ERC is very good about being flexible, so no hard feelings.

Winston, is off of heavey pain medicine and only getting BL twice a day. His walking has improved and his turns are almost sound. He still has a slight hesitation especially turning right. We decided to pay the money and have our farrier do his trim. I have trimmed his feet myself for 7 yrs, but I really wanted his opinion and he is faster. Winston got a bute the night before, which made him feel too good, and stood great for our farrier. I am now armed with how to trim him and the knowledge that his right is his sore foot. Our farrier will check on him too when he does the other horses.
Since he is feeling better, stall rest is not sitting so well with him. To help we let him stall hop and play "Merry Maid" by cleaning up the fallen hay the others leave behind. Even with that his new thing is to unclip and take down his hay bag. So now we have "C" clips, that screw down, on his bag. Plus today I let him walk around the sacrifice area with the boys. I think he enjoyed squealing at Roscoe. He tends to enlist DaVinci into grooming with him. The good news is he is losing weight. He has withers for the first time. The bad news is he is still so hungry and it makes him grumpy. Diets are no good.

Winston way laid DaVinci even before his bridle was off.

And speaking of diets, Comrade and his barn budding Sonny have a new hay feeder. It soaks the hay, then can be drained so the horses can eat the hay. Both horses had no problems with the wet hay or the holders. Wish I could use it for Winston, but at $300 a piece, that is not happening.

Porta Grazer

Inside piece that slows eating.

Rosemary is still a drama queen, but she is a queen with a shrinking sarcoid. We are at just over 6 months of treatment and are really happy with the results. Here is a short photo progression.

Jan 2012: this was the beginning and was removed. The rough area above had been there since we bought her.

Jan 2013: Sarcoid at its worst after reappearing in late 2012

April 2013: After the tip fell off, notice hair growth above

Not the best picture, 5-28-13 much smaller and hair is completely grown in over the sarcoid

Joyce Harman told us she would regrow the hair on what we thought was a scar, but here is the proof she was right.

Dottie and DaVinci continue to be their awesome selves. I did have to have a conversation with DaVinci that if he wanted grass he had to wear his muzzle. Eventually after conferring with Winston he began to see my way. These older ponies think they rule the barn. Dottie is in season again and talking to Roscoe. It is all good as long as it is just talking. With our wacky weather I had to blanket Winston two nights and all one night. This meant an impromtu blanket repair for Dottie's sheet. She tore off her surcingle clip. I found another one and then realized the thread must be at home. So I improvised with baling twine. Love that stuff.

My quick fix

So overall things are good at the barn. Now if we could just figure out why our Corgi Kayla is not feeling so hot. Animals always keep you on your toes.

Falling into Pieces

Rosemary has been on the Chinese remedy for 5 months now. She still has a significant tumor on her eyelid, but it is much smaller. When we came in Friday I noticed the tip was really loose. I started manipulating that piece. A little twist, then a little more. I cringed as I felt something give, but Rosemary had no reaction and there was no blood. Okay, by this point I can spin the piece in a full circle around the tumor. I pulled it and looked close. There was a very small piece of tissue still holding it to the tumor. I was committed now and kept spinning the piece until...

This thing is really hard, no wonder it was droopy on her lid

From 4-12

We could tell Rosemary felt so much better with the weight of that piece gone.

     

From 3-10

The other great thing is that she is growing hair in the surrounding area. She still needs more time on the medicine, but we are happy with the progress so far.

Clinc Thoughts and Shrinkage

As I have started coming out of my sick haze, I have watched the video and thought about the clinic. One big thing all of us decided was that Comrade prefers the 3 piece loose ring with the peanut vs the egg butt revolver. He achieved softness much quicker and was happier. In our warm up he was nice and long in his neck with his crest softly flopping. The egg butt will move on to Rosemary to see how she likes it.
The other thing I realized after watching the video was how far Comrade has come and how well he reads his rider. Although I wish we were more our normal selves for the clinic, ie not sick for me and not babysitting for Comrade, it was great to see him tone it down to a level he thought I could handle. After all the actual reason for me riding him is for him to be safe for Peggy. This clinic shows he is more than ready for Peggy to get back into riding him. I was a total passenger during this lesson despite how well the instructor thought I was riding while sick. Comrade could have taken advantage of my lack of command, but instead he adjusted and listened.
Finally I noticed nearly each time we turned into the center pole sequence from the right Comrade had to skip to make the distance. The left turns and lines were smoother. I think it is because he leans on that shoulder, but it will be something to watch for in the future. I love the advantage of watching video back.

Just cause its cute :)

Okay enough about Comrade.

Rosemary has been on the Chinese herbs for 4 months now and the changes have been interesting. The sarcoid kept getting bigger. To the point we emailed Joyce again to make sure it was still an acceptable reaction.
So here is some pictures of recent changes:


Sarcoid 1-26-13 (after a cleaning)

Sarcoid 2-15-13



Sarcoid 3-3-13

Sarcoid 3-10-13

Can you see the difference? We have shrinkage!!!
It seems to have finished uprooting and now sags on her lid. When we noticed the sagging we also  noticed the softness at the right side. Soon after the sarcoid starting shrinking. The roundness became more pointed. The girth decreased. There is a big scab on the tip, so I have no idea how much is actually there.
So far the reactions are going the right direction. Mom and I are hoping the size shrinks enough before fly season starts that a mask won't be uncomfortable. It is still too big for her to do any driving since the blinkers would rub, but her bridle can go over so she can still work.
It may be the biology major in me, but I have enjoyed watching the progression. The body is an amazing piece of work.

Confused Unicorn

My lovely Rosemary has developed a horn. Unlike the unicorn I wanted when I was younger, her horn has developed on her eyelid.

Figured it out yet?

Yeah, I am talking about her sarcoid. We have seen some crazy changes just within the last month. It looks like her eyelid is giving birth to some alien. Well I will let the pictures show the full effect.




This was from 12-29-12
 

This is from 1-6-13

1-6-13 side view

1-6-13 front view

This is from 1-9-13. See the change in only three days.

We have braided her forelock and front of her mane to keep it out of the gooey edge.

 

This is from today, 1-20-13.

Her misplaced unicorn horn.

Some of this is crusty stuff from where the skin has pulled back.

Back view, the rear part is kind of soft and squishy.

So those are the pictures. Can you believe the changes? I hope to come in one day and find the thing has fallen off. She is growing peach fuzz on the smooth area behind the big bump. That is good.
We continue to watch in almost horrified fascination with fingers crossed that she will not need surgery. Rosemary is still our sassy, drama mama so she is not too bothered.

Tick, Tick, Tick...

Hmm, lets recap the Rosemary eye saga.
November 2010
We pick her up from Indiana after vetting. The vet and us believe the hairless, rough area over her left eye is an old scar.

Me and Rosemary in Indiana

2011
We used vitamin E oil to soften the scar and try to grow some hair.
In June Rosemary gave birth to Roscoe and nurses until November.
In December we begin to see changes in the scar.

Rosemary Christmas 2011

January 2012
The changes become a small growth. Time for the vet.
Rosemary has minor surgery and we are surprised to have the tumor roll out of the skin when manipulated. Vet believes it is a sarcoid, but a biopsy will confirm.

January2012

After biopsy

February 2012
While waiting for the biopsy results, Mom confers with our holistic vet, Joyce Harman. Because of the location on the eyelid, she does not recommend the use of a topical treatment. Instead we began using Thuja orally.

Still rocking her pink stitches

March 2012
Biopsy comes back, its a sarcoid.
No regrowth yet, fingers crossed.

"Really another picture?"

April-August 2012
No regrowth at first, but soon some small signs show.
Thuja treatment is changed to Sulphur.

Just snoozing

September 2012
A definite growth in the same area.
Even with her bump, she still was a champion at the welsh show.

Its back

 

October 2012
Our conventional vet brings up the option of laser surgery $$$
Mom confers with the Joyce about Chinese herbs for treatment.

November 2012
We receive her Chinese herbs and Chrysanthemum powder treatment.
Rosemary refuses to eat the herbs even with molasses.
God bless a dosing syringe
After 19 days, she finishes her herbs and we hope the torture is over.

Here is how it looked when we started the herbal treatment

The herbs she refused to eat

December 2012
Joyce delivers the sad news Rosemary will be on the herbs indefinitely.
To help, we lowered her dose a bit.
Christmas week, Rosemary begins to eat her herbs. She surprised the heck out of me. So now we make her a medicine ball.
Her sarcoid has changed in a crazy way. So much so, that Mom sent an SOS to Joyce. The good news is the changes are positive, but things could get messy. As in it could blow. Tick, tick, tick...
Rosemary does not seem bothered, which is great.

Crazy, right?

This is suppose to be a good thing...

Caution: May blow out!!!

I bet this is a different 2012 recap than most people do ;) Rosemary's sarcoid has been a big part of our year and will be in the next. I will do the traditional recap later. Stay warm.