An average horse weighs about 1,200 pounds. Rose Hardy is a mini horse who tips the scales at just 253 pounds. Her tiny size not only makes her cute, it may have saved her life.
Just like dogs and humans, horses have hip joints that consist of a ball (at the end of the femur bone) and socket, held together by strong ligaments and muscles. When those ligaments and muscles are injured or diseased, the ball can fall out of the socket and the joint becomes dislocated. It is very painful.
In a dislocated joint, the ruptured ligaments make it difficult to adjust the femur back into the correct position and keep it there (see illustration below). Often, surgical treatment is necessary. In a prodedure called a femoral head and neck ostectomy (FHO), the ball (or head) is removed from the end of the femur. Then scar tissue forms to create a new, false hip joint. This usually relieves pain and improves quality of life dramatically.
FHO surgery is most successful in small dogs, but has also proven worthwhile in larger breeds. Unfortunately, when a horse’s hip joint dislocates, FHO is not often successful because the altered joint cannot support the weight of a horse. Many times, the horse is euthanized.
In June, Roberta Hardy noticed that her mini horse, Rose, was lame and in obvious pain. She took Rose to Dr. Kirsten Mason, of Redwood Equine Veterinary Services, who took radiographs that revealed a dislocated right hip joint. Dr. Mason referred Rose to the OSU Veterinary Teaching Hospital for further evaluation. At the hospital, the equine team sedated Rose and tried to manually relocate her hip joint. As is often the case, the joint would not go back into the proper position. That was very sad news for the Hardy family, who have several mini horses that they love like pets.
The OSU Veterinary Teaching Hospital does dozens of FHO surgeries on dogs every year, but never on a horse. Because Rose is so tiny, the surgical team felt she was a good candidate for a successful FHO. Dr. Cate Hackett explained the surgery, prognosis, and long rehabilitation process to Roberta Hardy, who decided to give it a try.
The surgery went well and Reese Douglas, a fourth year veterinary student, was assigned to Rose’s case. “I was in charge of her daily care, which included preparation and giving of medications, daily physicals, walks, pain assessment, and feed preparation.” Pain management was a huge factor in Rose’s recovery so Douglas, under the supervision of surgical resident Dr. Elizabeth Collar, learned how to prepare IVs and place epidural catheters for pain medication.
Four days after surgery, Douglas was able to walk Rose out of her stall and back, several times a day. Five days after surgery, she walked Rose out the back door, and over to the north lawn so she could graze for five minutes. “She was a difficult patient to get to eat,” says Douglas. Rose turned her nose up at beet pulp and Equine Senior, so Douglas picked a pound of fresh grass every day to feed her.
One week post-surgery, Hardy took Rose home with extensive instructions for her rehabilitation, including a weight reduction diet to minimize stress on her new joint. Rose now walks for fifteen minutes, three times a day, and has been moved to a larger paddock. Her appetite has definitely improved. “Food is a good motivator to keep her moving. I walk her when the barn manager is feeding from the back of the Gator. She will eat a bit, then the gator moves forward and Rose follows it.”
Farasi wa kawaida huweza kupima uzito wa karibu pauni 1,200. Rose Hardy ni farasi mdogo wa Uingereza mwenye uzito wa pauni 253. Ukubwa wake mdogo si tu kwamba humfanya awe mrembo, lakini huenda pia ulimwokoa uhai wake. Kama vile mbwa na wanadamu, farasi wana viungo vya kiuno vinavyofanyizwa na mpira (mwisho wa mfupa wa kiuno) na socket, vinavyounganishwa pamoja na viungo na misuli yenye nguvu. Wakati misuli na viungo hivyo vinapoumia au kuambukizwa ugonjwa, mpira unaweza kuanguka nje ya socket na kiungo hicho kinatokea. Ni jambo lenye kuumiza sana. Katika viungo vilivyovunjika, viungo vilivyovunjika hufanya iwe vigumu kurekebisha femur kurudi katika nafasi sahihi na kuifanya iwe hivyo (tazama picha hapa chini). Mara nyingi, upasuaji ni wa lazima. Katika utaratibu unaoitwa ostectomy ya kichwa na shingo ya femur, mpira (au kichwa) huondolewa kutoka mwisho wa femur. Kisha tishu ya kidonda hufanyizwa ili kutokeza kiungo kipya cha kiuno bandia. Kwa kawaida hilo hupunguza maumivu na kuboresha sana hali ya maisha. Upasuaji wa FHO unafanikiwa zaidi kwa mbwa wadogo, lakini pia umethibitika kuwa na thamani katika jamii kubwa. Kwa bahati mbaya, wakati wa kupasuka kwa kiungo cha kiuno cha farasi, FHO haifaniki mara nyingi kwa sababu kiungo kilichobadilishwa hakiwezi kuunga mkono uzito wa farasi. Mara nyingi, farasi huyo huuawa kimakusudi. Mnamo Juni, Roberta Hardy aliona kwamba farasi wake mdogo, Rose, alikuwa amepooza na alikuwa na maumivu ya wazi. "Kama ilivyoelezwa hapo juu, Daktari Kirsten Mason wa Redwood Equine Veterinary Services, ambaye ni mtaalamu wa matibabu ya farasi, alitoa uchunguzi wa radiografia na kugundua kwamba ""mwili wangu ulikuwa umeharibika.""" Daktari Mason alimwelekeza Rose kwenye Hospitali ya Mafunzo ya Wanyama ya OSU kwa tathmini zaidi. Huko hospitalini, timu ya farasi ilimtia Rose dawa ya kutuliza na kujaribu kumhamisha kiungo cha kiuno chake. Kama ilivyo mara nyingi, kiungo hicho hakingeweza kurudi katika hali yake ya kawaida. Hii ni habari mbaya sana kwa familia ya Hardy, ambao wana farasi wadogo ambao wanawapenda kama wanyama wa kufugwa. Hospitali ya Ualimu wa Wanyama ya OSU hufanya madarasa ya upasuaji wa FHO kwa mbwa kila mwaka, lakini kamwe kwa farasi. Rose alikuwa na umri mdogo sana, na kwa sababu ya umri wake, daktari wa upasuaji alimwambia kwamba angekuwa na uwezo wa kufanya upasuaji huo. Daktari Cate Hackett alieleza upasuaji, utabiri, na mchakato mrefu wa ukarabati kwa Roberta Hardy, ambaye aliamua kujaribu. Upasuaji huo ulikwenda vizuri na Reese Douglas, mwanafunzi wa mwaka wa nne wa matibabu ya wanyama, alipewa kazi ya kumchunga Rose. "Nilikuwa na jukumu la utunzaji wake wa kila siku, ambao ulijumuisha kuandaa na kutoa dawa, majaribio ya kila siku, kutembea, tathmini ya maumivu, na utayarishaji wa kulisha. ""Usimamizi wa maumivu ulikuwa sababu kubwa katika kupona kwa Rose, kwa hivyo Douglas, chini ya usimamizi wa mkurugenzi wa upasuaji Dk Elizabeth Collar, alijifunza jinsi ya kuandaa IV na kuweka catheters za epidural kwa dawa ya maumivu." Siku nne baada ya upasuaji, Douglas aliweza kumwongoza Rose kutoka kwenye kibanda chake na kurudi, mara kadhaa kwa siku. Siku tano baada ya upasuaji, Rose alienda nje kwa mlango wa nyuma, na kwenda kwenye uwanja wa kaskazini ili aweze kulisha kwa dakika tano. "Ilikuwa vigumu kumfanya mgonjwa ale", asema Douglas. Rose alivutiwa sana na mboga za beet na Equine Senior, kwa hiyo Douglas alichukua pauni moja ya nyasi safi kila siku ili kumlisha. Wiki moja baada ya upasuaji, Hardy alimchukua Rose nyumbani akiwa na maagizo mengi ya kurekebisha afya yake, ikiwa ni pamoja na lishe ya kupunguza uzito ili kupunguza mkazo kwenye kiungo chake kipya. Sasa Rose anatembea kwa dakika kumi na tano, mara tatu kwa siku, na amehamishwa hadi kwenye kibanda kikubwa zaidi. Bila shaka hamu yake ya kula imeboresha. <unk> Chakula ni kichocheo kizuri cha kumfanya aendelee kutembea. Mimi kutembea yake wakati meneja wa ghala ni kulisha kutoka nyuma ya Gator. Yeye kula kidogo, kisha gator hatua mbele na Rose anafuata yake. <unk>