This is Roger. He was gelding two weeks ago and has been Wisky's pasture mate ever since. They like each other very much. Wisky actually is very herd bound to Roger. But she lives alone at home so I hope, she gets a pasture mate soon. That will help her mentally want to get better.
Wisky after her last trim on Saturday, the 17th.She is weighting those front feet and actually feeling pretty good.
Wisky's final trim before going home was done on October 17th and was the best so far. Her frogs are starting to emerge and her heels have been dropping so that I've been able to get her coffin bones closer to ground parallel.
I'm not sure why, but I neglected to take pictures of that trim! Unbelieveable!
Wisky was let back out into the paddock with her buddy, Roger, in her Glove boots after I treated her frogs with Bag Balm. I know. Sounds weird, but it seems to help.
She tried to take off running when I took her halter off and then checked herself. I think her stifle pain stopped her more than her foot pain.
She hasn't been on any pain meds and has been allowing me to pick up and work on either hoof. That is a nice improvement over the last time she was trimmed and shod at her house before she came here. That visit cost her owner $500 for the vet to nerve block her so she could stand on the opposite hoof being worked on, and the farrier, and those crazy plastic shoes.
However, even with all that, the rains came this week and there was moisture inside her boots so her foot was constantly wet. The soles became very soft.
When I checked on her yesterday morning she was not moving well at all. I suspected that the boots were rubbing and she had heelbulb pain so I removed and let her go bare and that seemed to help. Then this morning, she could barely take a step. We'd gone backwards.
I got the Soft Ride Boots and while cleaning her hoof to put those boots on, I noticed that the sole around the apex of her frog was very soft and spongy. NOT a good sign.
Last week, I had already contacted Eric to come pick because she was doing so well and I felt the trimmer in his area, Ann, could easily take her case over now. Then I walked out this morning to this setback. But I had to go to work and Eric picked her up.
The plan for Wisky is that Ann will continue with her hoof care and send me pictures to post here. Then we will regroup in 8 weeks or so to see if we're helping Wisky get better, or if the kindest thing to do is end her pain-filled life.
This is the place where it gets so hard for a hoofcare practitioner and the horse's vet. Trying to determine if we are causing unneeded suffering, and should let the horse. Then you question whether she could have improved if you hadn't made the decision to terminate her life so soon.
I would rather know that the horse had "no chance" of getting better before making that call. It's actually a call for the owner make, but often on our recommendation.
I checked her xrays again today from last year and we are really fighting an uphill battle with poor Wisky.
Had we gotten to her much sooner, I'm almost positive she would have gotten through this long before now and she's be doing well now and that is the sad part.
Natural hoof care is usually the last resort. It should be the first call an owner (or vet) of a foundered horse should make. Sadly, most owners don't even know we exist.
