Okay, maybe that's not the best way to start a conversation. After I mulled over Dr. Fischer's diagnosis and recommendation, I decided to go ahead and contact UC Davis' Large Animal Hospital.
I thought an email would be the best initial contact. In an email, I could describe, in a clear, succinct way, what the problem is and what I'd like the vet to do. So I emailed Dr. Snyder with enough information for him to call and tell me whether he could look over Snoopy's medical records and give me a second opinion before I drag my three-legged horse up and down the coast, looking for treatment.
By the time of this post, I still haven't heard a word from Dr. Snyder, so I called UC Davis. As is always the case, I ended up describing the entire thing to the woman answering the phone, who transferred me to a different vet so I could repeat myself to his voicemail. I'm pretty sure his name is Dr. Nieto, although the lady on the phone kind of slurred it and he seems to have an accent. They both assured me he'll get back to me next week.
WOW! As I was typing my hopes that the doctor would actually return my call next week, the phone rang. It was Dr. Nieto, who spent a good 20 minutes asking me questions and talking to me about what it all meant. His suggestion was to perform more diagnostic tests, specifically using pain-blocking to investigate where the pain is coming from. I explained that Dr. Fischer was hesitant to do this, since a horse that can't feel pain risks further injury. Dr. Nieto believes the risk is small, and the reward may be the discovery of where the problem originates. I thanked him for his time, and now I'll try to convince Dr. Fischer to research Snoop's short-striding a little more.
Wish me luck.
By the way, here's a picture I found in my files the other day:
This is why my boy is such a pill on the ground. Isn't he darling here? Only a few months' old, he loved to lay his head on me and get his withers scratched. This is not so darling now, when he weighs 1000 lbs. But I can't convince him that it's no longer appropriate.
It's my fault. It's ALL my fault.
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