Barbaro update-

[Lilypad]

KENNETT SQUARE, Pa. // Kentucky Derby winner Barbaro was facing major problems for the first time since surgery to repair the right hind leg he shattered in the Preakness seven weeks ago, with the colt's veterinarian saying "we're in tough times right now."

Barbaro had the cast on the leg replaced for a sixth time Monday--the fourth time in a week. The latest development followed many hours of surgery Saturday night when doctors replaced the metal plate and many screws and also treated an infection.

I think we're in for tough times right now. I think we're going to have some tough days ahead," Dr. Dean Richardson said at the University of Pennsylvania's New Bolton Center. "I'm being realistic about it. When a horse has a setback like this, it's a problem."

Richardson, the chief surgeon at the New Bolton Center, looked haggard during the briefing, and said it took more than 15 hours from the start of Saturday's surgery before Barbaro had fully recovered from anesthesia.

He said Barbaro was back in his stall in the intensive care unit, where he's been since the catastrophic injury occurred just a few hundred yards after the start of the Preakness.

"Right now, he's happier," Richardson said. "He's got a normal heart rate, normal temperature, he's eating like crazy. He's very hungry. He's making lots of manure. He looks actually pretty happy today. Now we have to see how he responds to what's going on."

The long cast applied Saturday night was replaced by a shorter cast Monday, and "was done with Barbaro in a sling and under mild sedation," Richardson said.

"The long cast was used as extra support during the anesthetic recovery phase," Richardson said. "It is much easier for him to move around his stall and get up and down with a short cast. We also found and treated an abscess in his left hind foot that was bothering him."

Barbaro is receiving pain medication, antibiotics and other supportive care, Richardson added.

After a relatively smooth recovery, Barbaro has now undergone three procedures in less than a week.

The infection developed in the leg in which the titanium plate and 27 screws were inserted after Barbaro's catastrophic injury at the start of the Preakness.

After Barbaro showed discomfort and had a "consistently" high fever, the plate and screws were replaced and the infection treated late Saturday night.

"It's one of those setbacks that we've prepared ourselves for as best we can," owner Gretchen Jackson said Monday. "Sure it's disappointing, but we've been warned. ... But a lot of bone has healed, a lot. There's a lot of good stuff. And the horse is incredibly strong, healthy and we've got to keep the faith."

Last Monday, Barbaro had the cast on his injured leg replaced and three new screws inserted. On Wednesday, another new cast was applied after the horse showed discomfort. The small abscess on the sole of his left hind hoof also developed.

Richardson said Sunday that Barbaro's main fracture was healing well, but the pastern joint-located above the hoof which was shattered into more than 20 pieces-continues to be a concern. The joint, which doctors are attempting to fuse, was stabilized with "new implants and a fresh bone graft."

"Maybe we've been lucky that we haven't had any big problems," owner Roy Jackson said. "Then a little problem like this crops up. The whole recovery is a difficult thing."

The Jacksons, who live in nearby West Grove, Pa., and trainer Michael Matz continue to visit Barbaro. "He looks all right," Roy Jackson said. "He looks fairly bright."

 

[Lilypad]

Barbaro May Die Due to Foot Inflamation

KENNETT SQUARE, Pa. (AP) - Kentucky Derby winner Barbaro has developed a severe case of laminitis, a potentially fatal disease caused by uneven weight distribution in the limbs, and his veterinarian called his chances for survival "a long shot."

Dean Richardson, the chief surgeon who has been treating Barbaro since the colt suffered catastrophic injuries in the Preakness on May 20, said the Derby winner's chances of survival are poor.

"I'd be lying if I said anything other than poor," Richardson said Thursday at a news conference at the University of Pennsylvania's New Bolton Center. "As long as the horse is not suffering, we're going to continue to try" to save him.

"If we can keep him comfortable, we think it's worth the effort."

If not, Barbaro could be euthanized at any time. Richardson said if Barbaro doesn't respond quickly to treatment, "It could happen within 24 hours."

Richardson said the laminitis, a painful condition, has all but destroyed the colt's hoof on his uninjured left hind leg.

"The left hind foot is basically as bad a laminitis as you can have. It's as bad as it gets," Richardson said, while adding that horses can recover from the disease. He said he has discussed the situation closely with owners Roy and Gretchen Jackson, who have stressed that their main concern is for Barbaro to be pain free.

Richardson said Barbaro's injured right hind leg-the one that shattered at the start of the Preakness-is healing well, but because a horse has to be evenly balanced to carry his weight, laminitis set in on the other foot.

A procedure called a hoof wall resection removed 80 percent of Barbaro's left rear hoof. Both rear legs are now in casts.

"The reason we cut away the hoof wall is because the hoof wall is not connected" to the bone, Richardson said. "If you had a nail that was separated from the end you'd pull it off. It's dead tissue that's in the way of living tissue. It's a problem in horses due to excessive weight bearing inflammation."

Richardson said it would take several months for the hoof to grow back. "What we're doing on this horse is absolutely unusual, but it's not unheard of.

"It's a devastating problem in horses that nobody has a solution to."
Perhaps what makes it even more wrenching is that the horse is acting normal. "This horse, you look at him in the stall-his ears are up, he's bright. He's looking around," Richardson said.

"He's spending some time in the sling. Other times, he's out of the sling. We are not torturing this horse."

The grim update came after nearly six weeks of what was considered to be a smooth recovery. Barbaro underwent five hours of surgery May 21 so a titanium plate and 27 screws could be inserted into three broken bones and the pastern joint. He has had three more operations in recent days.

"I really thought we were going to make it two weeks ago," Richardson said. "Today I'm not as confident."

Since the break down, there has been a public outpouring of sympathy as well-wishers, young and old, showed up at the New Bolton Center with cards, flowers, gifts and goodies. And thousands of e-mails poured in to the hospital's Web site to voice concern and support.

 

[SouthernMdRocks]

KENNETT SQUARE, Pa. (AP) - Kentucky Derby winner Barbaro has developed a severe case of laminitis, a potentially fatal disease caused by uneven weight distribution in the limbs, and his veterinarian called his chances for survival "a long shot."

Dean Richardson, the chief surgeon who has been treating Barbaro since the colt suffered catastrophic injuries in the Preakness on May 20, said the Derby winner's chances of survival are poor.

"I'd be lying if I said anything other than poor," Richardson said Thursday at a news conference at the University of Pennsylvania's New Bolton Center. "As long as the horse is not suffering, we're going to continue to try" to save him.

"If we can keep him comfortable, we think it's worth the effort."

If not, Barbaro could be euthanized at any time. Richardson said if Barbaro doesn't respond quickly to treatment, "It could happen within 24 hours."

Richardson said the laminitis, a painful condition, has all but destroyed the colt's hoof on his uninjured left hind leg.

"The left hind foot is basically as bad a laminitis as you can have. It's as bad as it gets," Richardson said, while adding that horses can recover from the disease. He said he has discussed the situation closely with owners Roy and Gretchen Jackson, who have stressed that their main concern is for Barbaro to be pain free.

Richardson said Barbaro's injured right hind leg-the one that shattered at the start of the Preakness-is healing well, but because a horse has to be evenly balanced to carry his weight, laminitis set in on the other foot.

A procedure called a hoof wall resection removed 80 percent of Barbaro's left rear hoof. Both rear legs are now in casts.

"The reason we cut away the hoof wall is because the hoof wall is not connected" to the bone, Richardson said. "If you had a nail that was separated from the end you'd pull it off. It's dead tissue that's in the way of living tissue. It's a problem in horses due to excessive weight bearing inflammation."

Richardson said it would take several months for the hoof to grow back. "What we're doing on this horse is absolutely unusual, but it's not unheard of.

"It's a devastating problem in horses that nobody has a solution to."
Perhaps what makes it even more wrenching is that the horse is acting normal. "This horse, you look at him in the stall-his ears are up, he's bright. He's looking around," Richardson said.

"He's spending some time in the sling. Other times, he's out of the sling. We are not torturing this horse."

The grim update came after nearly six weeks of what was considered to be a smooth recovery. Barbaro underwent five hours of surgery May 21 so a titanium plate and 27 screws could be inserted into three broken bones and the pastern joint. He has had three more operations in recent days.

"I really thought we were going to make it two weeks ago," Richardson said. "Today I'm not as confident."

Since the break down, there has been a public outpouring of sympathy as well-wishers, young and old, showed up at the New Bolton Center with cards, flowers, gifts and goodies. And thousands of e-mails poured in to the hospital's Web site to voice concern and support.

I hope he pulls through

 

[jazz lady]

KENNETT SQUARE, Pa. (AP) - Kentucky Derby winner Barbaro has developed a severe case of laminitis, a potentially fatal disease caused by uneven weight distribution in the limbs, and his veterinarian called his chances for survival "a long shot."

Dean Richardson, the chief surgeon who has been treating Barbaro since the colt suffered catastrophic injuries in the Preakness on May 20, said the Derby winner's chances of survival are poor.

I hear that on the news coming home tonight. I hope he makes it but it sure doesn't sound promising.

 

[cattitude]

I saw George Michael on the sports tonight. He said he didn't think the horse would make it. He was teary...he'd just put down a mare of his own yesterday. He explained what laminitis is. The horse has essentially lost his hoof -- 80% of it. He said it's not about the money or that Barbaro will ever stud, just that they came so far and he did so well, they don't want to lose him and at some point they just have to let go.

 

[Lilypad]

I am surprised some sort of contraption wasn't placed on his left leg to keep the bearing weight off of it...
The causes of laminitis are not fully understood, and little can be done to treat it. "It's a devastating problem in horses that nobody has a solution to," veterinarian Dr. Dean Richardson said.
On Thursday, the veterinarian removed most of Barbaro's hoof wall in an attempt to regrow the damaged tissue. Only about 20 percent of the hoof is still attached to the bone.
"His right leg looks to be healing well. He's eating well, walks around his stall, his eyes are bright and his ears are perked up. He nickers when people come near.

"If you look at this horse, it would be very hard to put him down."

 

[Labs4Me]

I am surprised some sort of contraption wasn't placed on his left leg to keep the bearing weight off of it...

Evidently they had put a special shoe on his left hind after the first surgery that was designed to help support that extra weight. http://www.vet.upenn.edu/newsandevents/news/Barbaro_UpdateShoes.htm
Guess it didn't work too well.

 

[Lilypad]

I saw that-but I was thinkin maybe a "cage" for lack of a better term, of some sort.
I'm sure all options were checked out...just sad.

 

[Labs4Me]

I saw that-but I was thinkin maybe a "cage" for lack of a better term, of some sort.
I'm sure all options were checked out...just sad.

Yeah I know- it really is so sad. It's always hard to have to make the decision to put an animal down. You want to know that you've tried every possible humane option but you also have to understand their quality of life and how that animal (any species) is designed to live and whether it's fair for them or not. I think so many people are just concerned with how they themselves feel and how they will miss the animal. They look at the situation like they are dealing with a human life. I'm not saying that I think this is in any way how the Jacksons are dealing with Barbaro- I'm just saying it's a sucky situation. Very hard thing to do- as I'm sure everybody probably knows! I'm sure they really do have Barbaro's comfort as their number one priority. It's got to be unbelievably stressful!! My mare had some laminitis issues about 2 and a half years ago with only a slight rotation of the coffin bone. It wasn't fun and she didn't have all the other numerous issues that they're dealing with concerning Barbaro. She also had broken her leg as a yearling and was in a sling (couldn't trailer her due to an ice storm and the break was cracking into her joint) before she had surgery. She's now 100% sound but I think the laminitis was more stressful than the break was. Anyways, I really do hope Barbaro somehow pulls through-unfortunately I think the odds are against him. So sad.

 

[mingiz]

Yeah I know- it really is so sad. It's always hard to have to make the decision to put an animal down. You want to know that you've tried every possible humane option but you also have to understand their quality of life and how that animal (any species) is designed to live and whether it's fair for them or not. I think so many people are just concerned with how they themselves feel and how they will miss the animal. They look at the situation like they are dealing with a human life. I'm not saying that I think this is in any way how the Jacksons are dealing with Barbaro- I'm just saying it's a sucky situation. Very hard thing to do- as I'm sure everybody probably knows! I'm sure they really do have Barbaro's comfort as their number one priority. It's got to be unbelievably stressful!! My mare had some laminitis issues about 2 and a half years ago with only a slight rotation of the coffin bone. It wasn't fun and she didn't have all the other numerous issues that they're dealing with concerning Barbaro. She also had broken her leg as a yearling and was in a sling (couldn't trailer her due to an ice storm and the break was cracking into her joint) before she had surgery. She's now 100% sound but I think the laminitis was more stressful than the break was. Anyways, I really do hope Barbaro somehow pulls through-unfortunately I think the odds are against him. So sad.

I had a gelding that had ilaminitis in a rear hoof. I was ready to put him down but as a last resort I took him to a farrier up in Frederick and he cut about half of his hoof away. This guy was awesome. After 3mos of daily treatment and wraps he was walking on it again and actullty had new growth. He isn't a full time ride but he can still today do light riding at 28...They can do amazing things these days. So I pray that they can save him.....

 

[Lilypad]

Barbaro continues to be stable

July 15, 2006
KENNETT SQUARE, PA — Chief of Surgery Dean Richardson reports today that Kentucky Derby winner Barbaro had a very good night and remains in stable condition at the George D. Widener Hospital. “His heart rate and pulse are normal, and his appetite is good,” said Dr. Richardson. “He continues to respond well, looks good and has a positive attitude.” “We continue to monitor him very closely, and we are keeping him as comfortable as possible,” said Dr. Richardson.

Barbaro remains in the Intensive Care Unit of the George D. Widener Hospital at the University of Pennsylvania’s New Bolton Center.

 

[SouthernMdRocks]

Barbaro continues to be stable

July 15, 2006
KENNETT SQUARE, PA — Chief of Surgery Dean Richardson reports today that Kentucky Derby winner Barbaro had a very good night and remains in stable condition at the George D. Widener Hospital. “His heart rate and pulse are normal, and his appetite is good,” said Dr. Richardson. “He continues to respond well, looks good and has a positive attitude.” “We continue to monitor him very closely, and we are keeping him as comfortable as possible,” said Dr. Richardson.

Barbaro remains in the Intensive Care Unit of the George D. Widener Hospital at the University of Pennsylvania’s New Bolton Center.

Yeah for Barbaro , he's a fighter!!

 

[Lilypad]

July 16 Update:
KENNETT SQUARE, Pa., — For the third straight day, veterinarians treating Barbaro issued an encouraging report on his health.

“His vital signs are good, and his attitude remains positive,” Dean Richardson, the chief of surgery at the George D. Widener Hospital for Large Animals, said in a statement released Sunday.

“He needs to become comfortable enough on both legs that he eats well, that he’s not in extensive pain, and he has to maintain his weight and heart rate at a reasonable level,” said Dr. Larry Bramlage, an equine surgeon in Kentucky. “If any of those begin to get out of line, then you’ll have an indication that the problem is bothering him enough that his quality of life is beginning to fade. That’s usually where you sit down with the owner and say that the pain has reached a point where it’s not humane to allow him to live.”

 

[Lilypad]

Sports Illustrated column-Phil Taylor

Natural treasure-Barbaro's grace and fighting spirit has touched us all.

You are not alone. The rest of us feel it too-the need to stop what we're doing and pay attention, at least for a moment, every time we hear Barbaro's name in a news report or see it in a headline.

There is something about this horse and his fight for life that touches us. Every update brings either a sense of dread, that the end has arrived, or of relief, that he just might survive after all.

It surprises you a bit, doesn't it? That you care this much? After all, you really don't know Barbaro. You may be one of the millions of sports fans who had never heard of him before he won the Kentucky Derby in May. Or maybe you first became aware of him when he snapped his right hind leg two weeks later in the Preakness, which led to the laminitis, the painful tissue inflammation that now threatens his life.

But still, you pause when you see his name appear on the ticker across the bottom of your TV screen with a strange feeling in the pit of your stomach, as you fear the worst while you hope for the best.

For a week after his initial injury, The New York Times ran daily updates on his condition. All over the country people kept vigil or put up shrines to Barbaro. When it appeared that the end was near last week, it was the lead story on the nightly sports news broadcasts around the country, just as it was when his condition abruptly improved a few days later.

Why is that? Why has this horse who was just an image on a screen to most of us tapped into our emotions this way? After all, human tragedy takes place every day and most of us simply shake our heads and move on. Even in the toy department of sports, boxers and race car drivers die. Young athletes are cut down in their prime by drive-by shootings or sudden failures of their seemingly perfect bodies. It's odd that a beast, even a magnificent one, draws so much of our concern.

But maybe that's the point. Barbaro isn't human, so he exhibits none of the human failings that disappoint us in our athletes and coaches. He never put his hoof in his mouth like Ozzie Guillen, or fell in love with himself like Terrell Owens. He never held out for more money, stiffed us for an autograph, tangled with the authorities or coasted when he should have been playing hard. In fact, he gave all of himself, competing almost to the point of destruction. How could any fan ask for a more noble competitor?

So we keep a good thought for Barbaro, knowing that he didn't sign up for this. This isn't Ben Roethlisberger paying dearly for a choice he made, not to wear a motorcycle helmet. Barbaro was just dutifully doing what he was bred to do, going where he was guided. He would never have been out there, blazing around the track, if we, in a sense, had not put him there. Perhaps our concern for his well-being is partly out of guilt.

But mostly it is because we know that Barbaro deserved better than this. Competitors who perform so valiantly and so well are supposed to be rewarded, not saddled with life-threatening injury. If there was ever an athlete who had earned a better fate, it is Barbaro. Despite the current optimism from the medical team treating him, there is still no guarantee that this will end well for him.

So don't think you're odd for caring this much about a horse, or for crossing your fingers or saying a little prayer the next time he crosses your mind. Like a horse in full gallop, his mane flying in the wind, it's the most natural thing in the world.

 

[mingiz]

Natural treasure-Barbaro's grace and fighting spirit has touched us all.

You are not alone. The rest of us feel it too-the need to stop what we're doing and pay attention, at least for a moment, every time we hear Barbaro's name in a news report or see it in a headline.

There is something about this horse and his fight for life that touches us. Every update brings either a sense of dread, that the end has arrived, or of relief, that he just might survive after all.

It surprises you a bit, doesn't it? That you care this much? After all, you really don't know Barbaro. You may be one of the millions of sports fans who had never heard of him before he won the Kentucky Derby in May. Or maybe you first became aware of him when he snapped his right hind leg two weeks later in the Preakness, which led to the laminitis, the painful tissue inflammation that now threatens his life.

But still, you pause when you see his name appear on the ticker across the bottom of your TV screen with a strange feeling in the pit of your stomach, as you fear the worst while you hope for the best.

For a week after his initial injury, The New York Times ran daily updates on his condition. All over the country people kept vigil or put up shrines to Barbaro. When it appeared that the end was near last week, it was the lead story on the nightly sports news broadcasts around the country, just as it was when his condition abruptly improved a few days later.

Why is that? Why has this horse who was just an image on a screen to most of us tapped into our emotions this way? After all, human tragedy takes place every day and most of us simply shake our heads and move on. Even in the toy department of sports, boxers and race car drivers die. Young athletes are cut down in their prime by drive-by shootings or sudden failures of their seemingly perfect bodies. It's odd that a beast, even a magnificent one, draws so much of our concern.

But maybe that's the point. Barbaro isn't human, so he exhibits none of the human failings that disappoint us in our athletes and coaches. He never put his hoof in his mouth like Ozzie Guillen, or fell in love with himself like Terrell Owens. He never held out for more money, stiffed us for an autograph, tangled with the authorities or coasted when he should have been playing hard. In fact, he gave all of himself, competing almost to the point of destruction. How could any fan ask for a more noble competitor?

So we keep a good thought for Barbaro, knowing that he didn't sign up for this. This isn't Ben Roethlisberger paying dearly for a choice he made, not to wear a motorcycle helmet. Barbaro was just dutifully doing what he was bred to do, going where he was guided. He would never have been out there, blazing around the track, if we, in a sense, had not put him there. Perhaps our concern for his well-being is partly out of guilt.

But mostly it is because we know that Barbaro deserved better than this. Competitors who perform so valiantly and so well are supposed to be rewarded, not saddled with life-threatening injury. If there was ever an athlete who had earned a better fate, it is Barbaro. Despite the current optimism from the medical team treating him, there is still no guarantee that this will end well for him.

So don't think you're odd for caring this much about a horse, or for crossing your fingers or saying a little prayer the next time he crosses your mind. Like a horse in full gallop, his mane flying in the wind, it's the most natural thing in the world.

 

[Busterduck]

* * * * *

So don't think you're odd for caring this much about a horse, or for crossing your fingers or saying a little prayer the next time he crosses your mind. Like a horse in full gallop, his mane flying in the wind, it's the most natural thing in the world.

That is a wonderful article ; thanks so much for sharing.

Yesterday, I just lost my rescue pony. We did the best we could for her but years of neglect topped with damage to her brain and spinal column from EPM was just too much for her. We will miss her very much.

 

[SouthernMdRocks]

That is a wonderful article ; thanks so much for sharing.

Yesterday, I just lost my rescue pony. We did the best we could for her but years of neglect topped with damage to her brain and spinal column from EPM was just too much for her. We will miss her very much.

Sorry for your loss.
The article is great and so true.

 

[Lilypad]

That is a wonderful article ; thanks so much for sharing.

Yesterday, I just lost my rescue pony. We did the best we could for her but years of neglect topped with damage to her brain and spinal column from EPM was just too much for her. We will miss her very much.

I'm so sorry..................

 

[persimmoncf]

That is a wonderful article ; thanks so much for sharing.

Yesterday, I just lost my rescue pony. We did the best we could for her but years of neglect topped with damage to her brain and spinal column from EPM was just too much for her. We will miss her very much.

So sorry to hear of your loss. Call me if you need anything.

 

[BrassieChic]

That is a wonderful article ; thanks so much for sharing.

Yesterday, I just lost my rescue pony. We did the best we could for her but years of neglect topped with damage to her brain and spinal column from EPM was just too much for her. We will miss her very much.

Sorry for your loss! She was blessed to have someone like you and your family to care and love for her the time she had!!!! I thank God for people like you every day! GOOD LUCK & GOD BLESS! It's too bad WE can't SAVE ALL OF THEM!!!!!