Stretch finally gets paddock time

This occured last week, and I hoped to add more photos, but have misplaced the camera... again.  (update, FOUND IT).

But, this is the exciting post about Stretch coming off stall rest!!

The big day, Stretch comes off stall rest. 

I approach the barn giving myself pep talks about how it will all be OK and he won't do anything stupid...

I remove the sutures and pull the catheter. 

My mom is on the phone with me minutes prior to the big event shrieking "shouldn't a vet do that!!". 

Well, Stretch removed a few sutures on his own, since he was sure that he was done with this stall rest bit, so he make the task pretty easy (Ok, he destroyed his last catheter and almost created a disaster by trying to rid himself of the last catheter). 

He's been on stall rest for 6 weeks, it's been a long six weeks, I would do anything to accelerate to paddock time for him, and the vet showed me 5 times how to remove a catheter, since it had to be pulled and reset weekly.  The vet told Stretch's owner and me that pulling the catheter would be one of the easiest things she has asked me to do so far, and she was right.

SO, I cut those stitches, pulled that thing, gobbed him up with antibiotic and a wrap, and said "let's go!"

Stretch looks at me like "sure you're going to take me out to the paddock, yeah right"

He would really like to go outside without me on the other end of a leadrope.

Suited up with a mini bandage to protect where the catheter used to be.

After a vigorous roll close to the fence line (doh!), he runs around a little (I was on the phone with the vet giving her the play by play so I could not get photos at the same time).

After testing out his wobbly legs, making sure they still work, throwing a few mean bucks, he did this:

Then, this:  resting and staring at Java.

He really likes Java.

It was a big day for him.  He made it until about 2:30 and I pulled him in to rest.  Java came in too to keep him company so he could get a nice naptime and re-charge for the next day.

Day two outside.  Wrap removed, that stuff is history.

Now Stretch's job is to go out, eat grass and get fat.

He's ready!

Roll...

Eat... (this is the new paddock by the way).

Roll more, rub face on legs, groan, etc:

And, eat. 

Then he ran the fenceline like a dork,

got himself sweaty (dripping head to toe, risking heat overload, bad sweaty),

required a bath and cool down, and had to chill out. 

 I hope we all get to see him put some weight on.  Hopefully the meds worked (he is still on some, but not via catheter anymore) and he will get fat, happy and healthy. 

Now the group is re-acclimating to Stretch being outside.  

 More on the herd dynamics later, and I'll go find the camera!