Rehab for an Off the Track Thoroughbred (OTTB)

SARAH: -"I've watched all 91 of the videos on your individual question playlist. Yes, you should be impressed." And I think we are. I would applaud that. That is quite the commitment.

And Amanda is wanting to adopt an Off-the-track Thoroughbred-- "OTTB and help him or her through the last stages of rehabilitation from minor racing injuries." Pretty common. "What are the best questions to ask the vet that has already worked with the horse in order to establish a good understanding of the current condition as well as the steps moving forward?

DR LYDIA GRAY: Right. So as someone going through rehab right now, I am right there with her.

SARAH: Dr. Gray has been on a little stall rest.

DR LYDIA GRAY: I have been. And so I'm right in this. She's right on that you have to have a really good understanding of what the problem is that the horse is recovering from. And that might include articles approved by your veterinarian. You might work through some models, some images, some videos. Really understand the problem.

And then once you know that, you'll want to know-- at least, I'd want to know-- what things, what movements, what positions or postures should the horse avoid. So what's bad for that particular injury. Is it running? Is it jumping? Is it turning, spinning, whatever it is.

Because then, when the horse is on his own as well as with you, your job is to ensure that those things don't happen. And that's why, let's say, after colic surgery, we do stall rest first. And then we do small paddock turnout. And then we do large paddock turnout and then pasture. And then at some point, you work in some gentle buddies or group turnout.

And then the work with you goes from the early hand walking and the hand grazing to maybe some light lunging. And then you hop on their back, and then you begin to do some harder work, like you're intending to eventually get back to. So that was things you should avoid. Now it's things that you should do.

And for here, you have to get really specific with your veterinarian. Because you want to know not only what to do, how many to do, like reps-- or length of time sometimes with horses is more common-- How to do them, when to do them, how often, like how many days a week. You know what's very helpful when you're doing all this?

SARAH: Ooh, I bet it starts with a J and rhymes with the kernel.

DR LYDIA GRAY: It is. It's a journal. If you keep a journal, you can keep track of what you're doing every day, when you graduated to the next thing. And then that leads me to my next point, which is be sure and have the conversation upfront with your vet about when we're going through this rehab process and slowly adding time and distance and reps, when do you want me to call you if I see something.

So you're making these observations every day. You're feeling for, let's say, it's a leg thing. It's a bowed tendon or a pulled suspensory. When I feel heat or swelling or the horse looks a little uncomfortable in his way of going, when do I need to call the vet?

And then the vet will say, I'm going to have a conversation with you over the phone or maybe I need to re-examine the horse, re-radiograph, use the ultrasound, or something. So I would say for sure have that conversation. The other thing, and this happened a little bit to me, for the most part, for people, when you say don't use your left arm--

SARAH: Just for example.

DR LYDIA GRAY: Yeah, just hypothetically. They don't do it. But you can't tell a horse that. So you might have to talk to your vet about my horse isn't really behaving as we were hoping. Is there something you can help me with?

And that might be prescription medications. And it might be supplements. And it might be management or diet or something. But that's also another question to ask your veterinarian. But I think great topic.

SARAH: Yeah, and a great thing to want to be doing, helping an OTTB find a new career.

DR LYDIA GRAY: Yeah, they love new jobs.

SARAH: They sure do.