Last week Foster had his OsPhos injection, which is a newish alternative to Tildren. The drug has the same effect as medicine given to treat Osteoporosis in humans, and therefore should help with Foster’s bone remodeling issues.

Foster snuggles and very unflattering angles

Because the drug can cause some stomach cramping and colic-like symptoms (and sometimes colic itself), we sedated Foster prior to giving him the injection so in theory, he wouldn’t be as upset by any cramping or icky feelings. Then the injection itself was a simple intramuscular in the neck, which both Foster and I were pleased about, given that he’s gotten unsurprisingly wary of the vet handling his heavily-poked fetlock. This also means that the OsPhos will benefit any and all areas of the body and not just the fetlock joint for the year to 18 months that it remains active.

I sat and watched Foster for an hour, monitoring him for any signs of discomfort or colic, but he seemed pretty normal besides the glazed look in his eye. His neck got a little swollen at the injection site for a couple days after (if you saw how much fluid went into it you wouldn’t be surprised!) but he wasn’t tender to the touch, and it soon went down. He got several days off to recover while I stuffed myself on turkey and brussel sprouts.

Brussel Sprouts and Family- that’s what Thanksgiving is about

After reviewing his progress, the vet also gave me the thumbs up to start increasing the workload. We could jump to a whole minute of trotting at a time, and in two weeks start introducing canter. We’ll gradually increase the amount of time trotting and cantering (canter starting at 20-30 seconds).

Saying hello to Hudson, my family’s mini donk

Overall he’s continued to be the best of boys, and he’s definitely regaining his balance and some strength, but 20 seconds of trotting kind of limits what we could do- just think- we’ll be much more productive now with an extra 40 seconds!