KENNETT SQUARE, Pa., Aug. 21 (UPI) -- Kentucky Derby champ Barbaro is showing signs of improvement after weeks of aggressive treatment in Pennsylvania to repair his shattered right hind leg.
Doctors at the George D. Widener Hospital for Large Animals in Kennett Square, Pa., have kept Barbaro's injured leg in a cast for the past 90 days. Barbaro also wears a bandage around his neck to protect a catheter, reports The New York Times.
"He's been very, very good on his legs," Barbaro's surgeon Dr. Dean Richardson told the Times. "It's exciting. He's improving." But he also warned it will be months before knowing about chances of full recovery.
Barbaro's owners, Roy and Gretchen Jackson, and his trainer Michael Matz, and the entire medical staff have been caring for him since his disastrous May 20 misstep at the Preakness Stakes. The public too have joined in the effort with their supplies of carrots and apples. Barbaro even gets dousings of holy water from those praying for his recovery.
Barbaro no longer wears the sling to keep weight off his legs. He also has been taking walks outside for 20 to 30 minutes a day, says the report.
