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Q: One of my horses {a
9year old Welsh/Shetland gelding pony} recently was found laying down, sprawled
on the ground. The funny thing is that this pony was sound, and happy an hour
before this when my father had given Silver {the sick pony} and his companion
Lily a small handful of sweet feed while checking on them.
Silver, has never been sick or foundered in the 4 years I have had him. He was
overweight but slimmed down to a normal weight. It has been 2 days now and
Silver {after dragging him the first unsound day to the barn} is sore on both
front feet and barely walks at all but hasn't laid down again and yet is moving
gradually to eat or drink his water. We have been very reluctant to call the vet
or blacksmith since all of the 2 blacksmiths and 1 vet in our town, are bluntly
not sufficient in my point of view and experience.
Currently, he is on Bute pills, and we have trimmed his hooves as well as
running his hooves in a running stream and using cold ice packs on his hooves
and ankles. He has no apparent heat in his hooves and no pounding on his digital
artery. We have also been giving him a lot of water, and no feed as we usually
do in the Spring and Summer. He is though pastured on a 6 acre field. Could this
be Laminitis? What are your thoughts?
A: My heart goes out to you and
Silver. I am answering you immediately for both your and Silver's sakes. My
impression is that you care for Silver very much and want only that which is
best for him.
I can not say this strongly enough: If the vet and the blacksmiths in your town
are not sufficient, to your point of view, you must have a vet and a farrier
brought in from out of town. SILVER NEEDS PROFESSIONAL HELP!
This could, in fact, be laminitis. If you have read my article on laminitis, you
will know that this is NOT a wait and see situation. Ice packs and cold water
are treatments of the past that rarely work. Silver needs professional
diagnosis, professional medicating, and a qualified blacksmith (farrier) to keep
him from SUFFERING NEEDLESSLY.
Bute pills can mask the pain which is a symptom of damage being done internally
within his hooves. The Bute can also cause TOXIC reactions in his guts, causing
him further trauma which can increase the severity of the laminitis.
Trimming Silver's hooves incorrectly could cause further rotation of the coffin
bone within the foot and/or greater pain to the animal.
Laminitis is not always made evident by heat in the hooves or pounding in the
digital artery.
You stated that Silver is pastured on a 6 acre field. Especially in this lush
time of year, your field could be 6 acres of death. Silver should be fed CURED
DRY HAY, preferably last year's, and given all the water he wants. He should be
confined to an area that does not require him to walk distances greater than a
12 x 12 box stall until he has received the proper medical treatment.
I hope that you have read my article on laminitis. If not please do so. If you
have read it, please re-read it and consider every sentence in the article as
serious as GUN-FIRE.
Please get back to me and keep me informed on Silver's condition. My thoughts
and prayers will be with you and Silver and I hope you both make it through this
terrible time.
Geronimo Bayard
The Village Blacksmith
Oakland, Oregon
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