Travieso's story

So many people have been asking about Travieso, my best friend Raul's horse, he bough in January of 2007. Well, here it is, his story finally.
For those of you that don't know, "Get it Rollin'" (which turned out to be a catchy name for my blog) is the registered name of Travieso. Nayeli nick-named him in the car on the way back from Fresno, Ca. as we were towing him home to Half Moon Bay, and he proved to be true to his new nick name "Travieso'" which is a Spanish word for mischievous.
"Get it Rollin'" is a son of the great "Chick's Beduino" one of the leading studs for racing quarter horses, who is no longer living, but whose frozen semen is still sold today for TEN THOUSAND dollars.
Travieso turned 4 years last February and already has a successful racing career behind him.
He is not only big and beautiful, but he is one of the sweetest and smartest horses we have known.



Armando used to mainly ride and exercise him.









But he is quite a lovely ride so sometimes I got on him too.







He would often lay down in his paddock and let me sit with him.




On June 11Th Travieso was showing signs of colic for which he received an injection of Banamine into the neck muscle by a ranch personnel. Banamine (flunixin meglumine)comes in an injectable form for intravenous or intramuscular use. However, as we learned from our vet later, It should only be given intramuscularly in a very extreme cases. It can also be given orally in the paste or granule forms. Banamine is in the same category of drugs as aspirin and phenylbutazone (bute). They are all nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. Banamine is a prescription drug. Many horse owners keep it on hand because it is an effective medication for colic. It relieves pain, and in some of the more serious cases of colic, fights some of the dangerous toxins that may be released from the intestinal system into the bloodstream. No one knows why Banamine has this anti-endotoxic effect.
The day after his banamine shot, Travieso's neck started to swell. Raul, advised by the ranch manager, hosed it with cold water and gave him bute.
The next day the swelling was worse, reaching to his chest. Raul repeated the care from the day before. Yet the day after the swelling had reached his front legs. They were like nothing short from elephant legs and he could not move more than a half an inch at a time dragging his front legs. Now he looked like one of those stuffed horses with a HUGE head and a tiny hind end. I had NEVER seen anything like that. (I don't know why, and totally regret, that we don't have any photos of this stage.) Raul called the vet. Travieso was having the worst kind of reaction to the Banamine injection. The vet pumped him full of DMSO. And for a few days he stunk so badly, I could not bare to be near him. Thank God for Raul and his ability to deal with the most horrific things. He applied a warm compress twice daily.
Slowly the swelling started to subside oozing through his skin. If you pressed on the swelled up muscle, your fingerprints would stay on it. A week after, Travieso still rather swelled up, started to feel itchy and scratched himself until his chest popped open. We called the vet immediately.
Travieso received a large dose of steroids along with antibiotics to be given daily for a week. The vet advised us to keep it clean by hosing with clean water twice daily. There was nothing more to do at that point. He couldn't be sown back together since most of the skin seemed dead and would most likely fall off anyway. I couldn't believe it. I did not think this poor horse was ever going to make it through with a open fleshy chest and neck without getting an infection and having to be put to sleep. Raul and I looked at each other not saying a word, but both thinking the same thing. Travieso's days were numbered. The first photo was taken June 23rd. Four days after it popped open. Raul kept on working hard, doing exactly as the vet had told and keeping the wound clean. And week by week it seemed to slowly be getting better.
And the healing process has been amazing!






June 29Th.













July 7Th.









July 29Th.











August 9Th.

September 1st.




Through the whole time, almost, Travieso has been lively and in good spirits with a real will to make it through this. I call him our "Super horse." I keep in touch with the vet by e-mail weekly, sending him photos, and he is coming for regular vaccines and a check up at the end of this month. We will be discussing a possible skin craft operation. I will keep up with updates here as well.
Isn't he amazing horse!