Okay, there's no lemonade to be squeezed out here. Only more lemons.
After speaking with Dr. Nieto of UC Davis, I talked with Tina and we decided to take his advice and do more to investigate the exact location of Snoopy's discomfort. Tina thought Dr. Fischer had done blocking, although I don't recall telling her he did (just one more miscommunication in Snoopy's recovery). On Sunday, I emailed Dr. Fischer to confirm that he did not do any pain blocking on Snoopy to further pinpoint the source of his problem. He replied the same day that no, he did not perform any "diagnostic anesthesia". His reasoning was, "with a dropped fetlock, there is significant injury already present and diagnostic anesthesia can alleviate the pain and exacerbate the injury."
I remember having this conversation with him during Snoopy's exam; when I told Dr. Nieto of Dr. Fischer's concerns, his response was, "Well, we're not taxing him significantly at the time, just trotting him briefly in a straight line. And the blocking agent wears off within an hour, hour and a half, so we just keep him confined until it's worn off."
So I made an appointment for Dr. Pollard to come out and perform diagnostic anesthesia today (Friday) at 10:30 a.m. I had a riding lesson to teach at 4 p.m., which meant I'd go to Chino Hills in the morning and stay until the afternoon.
Ah, if life was only that simple. Two additional items arrived on my plate: 1) an invitation to my son's high school soccer banquet, beginning at 6 p.m., and 2) my publisher sent me the final copy of my book to proof before it goes to the printer. Now I had to go to the ranch by 10:30, return home to work on the book and prepare for the banquet, then go back to the ranch to teach the lesson, change clothes and get to the high school.
Which would have worked, except that when I arrived at the ranch this morning, Niki informed me that Dr. Pollard called and canceled the appointment. It seems he was up to his elbows in emergencies this morning and just couldn't get to any non-critical cases. Damn horses - they refuse to get sick on a schedule, don't they?
So I went back home and tried not to think about wasting my morning. Instead, I focused on what needed to be done.
Snoopy's not in any immediate danger. Dr. Pollard re-scheduled for next Wednesday morning, so maybe we can get the answers we're looking for. I just wish I had a Data Out port I could plug into my horse and get the information. Color me impatient.
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