|
|
 |
 |
May 22, 2006
Barbaro Update: Monday, May 22 Veterinarians at the University of Pennsylvania's New Bolton Center were calling Barbaro "bright" and "frisky" today, just one day after surgery to repair his broken hind leg. "He got through the night very well. Day one and into day two is going as well as expected," said Dr. Corinne Sweeney, the hospital's executive director. "He is standing on the leg, and with the appropriate amount of weight on it." Barbaro sustained severe injuries to his right hind leg in the Grade I Preakness Stakes on Saturday, May 20, in Baltimore, Md. X-rays showed the colt had three major breaks -- one to his cannon bone just above the ankle, one to a sesamoid bone behind the ankle, and one to the long pastern bone below his ankle. Dr. Dean Richardson, the lead surgeon for Barbaro, said the pastern was broken into more than 20 pieces, and the ankle itself, or fetlock, was dislocated. Wearing a fiberglass cast to protect his injured leg, Barbaro is confined to a stall in the New Bolton Center's intensive care unit. He is currently benefitting from round-the-clock observation by the medical staff and intravenous drugs to ease his pain and discomfort. Despite the grueling surgery and the stress of the past 48 hours, however, Barbaro is said to be a good patient and even showed interest today in several mares stabled nearby, further bolstering hopes that he is quickly coming back to his old self. "He did show appropriate interest in the mares, which means he's acting like a young colt should," Sweeney said. Despite the positive signs, however, Richardson is still putting the colt's chances for survival at 50-50 odds. "It's going to be months before we know if he's going to make it," he told CBS' "The Early Show" on Monday. Two major hurdles that still lie ahead for Barbaro are the possibility of infection, which could come as a result of the surgery, and the threat of laminitis, which is an inflammation of the sensitive tissues in a horse's feet. Laminitis can sometimes be brought on by uneven weight balance. "He's doing exactly what the doctor wants, but he's got a long road ahead," said Sweeney. Trainer Michael Matz visited Barbaro on Monday afternoon. "We've got the first step accomplished," he told the Associated Press afterwards. "He seemed fine. It's a new thing for him to have this big thing on his leg, and hopefully he's adjusting to it very well." Dr. Richardson also told reporters on Sunday night that there was no evidence of a pre-existing injury to Barbaro, and that the colt apparently took a bad step while in the early stages of the Preakness. "There's no reason to believe anything else," he said. "The plan probably will be to see how he wears this cast, then make a decision in a week or 10 days about placing him under anesthesia again and replacing the cast," Richardson added. "Right now, he's happy and eating. His athleticism is a key element. The leg is in a cast and he has to be able to walk, lie down and get up. He's already done that. He's a genuine athlete, no doubt." |
 
Derby Info |
||||||
Copyright © 2008 Churchill Downs Incorporated. All rights reserved.  |
|
