Tuesday, July 23, 2013

...bad news bears

So, I haven't written in a while because I am embarrassed. Trinity is hurt...really hurt, and it is all my fault. I wrote recently about how she was foot sore and asked for suggestions on ways to toughen her feet. I really really did think she was just a little sore due to the hard ground. So, Thursday Shane and I went out to Murdoch's and spent WAY too much money on supplements, hoof hardeners, fly masks, etc. etc. etc. We went out to the barn and I saw this:

"Mom, it hurts to put pressure on the foot..."

I contemplated that it might be an abscess or a very mild stone bruise, so I soaked her foot in some Epsom Salt just in case:

You can see her old wire wound. This horse has caused me more issues than any other horse I have ever had! 

She apparently wanted both feet soaking...well, there went the last of my Epsom Salt.


I didn't have any bute, so I let the foot dry and applied the hoof hardener that I had picked up. I also started her on a double dose of Master Hoof and Accell (a multivitamin), as well as Empower Boost, Strongid C, and Sand Clear (I told you we spent way too much money). I decided that if she wasn't better by Saturday I would call the vet. 

Well, Friday night she was no better, so I shot my vet a text message. He was out of town and getting back Saturday morning, so we scheduled an appointment. If nothing else I needed some Bute. He came out an immediately diagnosed mild laminitis. Apparently when we switched her from the crappy food out at the old barn to the high quality alfalfa and grain at the new barn we sent her system in to over drive. I KNOW BETTER! I knew we should have taken some feed to slowly transition her, but I was so ready to be gone and have her on good feed that I didn't...told you it was my fault. He wasn't positively sure it was laminitis because it appeared to only be in one hoof, though the other had a pounding medial pulse also (a starting sign...). He said it could still be an abscess, but we were going to treat it as if it was laminitis.

So, he prescribed bute for 3 days, ice baths for both feet, no grain!, only grass hay, stall rest, and probiotics. So, now my trips to the barn look like this:

She actually stood REALLY well for being ankle deep and hoof deep in 10lbs of ice and cold water.

Yesterday I went out a little late for her Bute so she was about 30 hours since her last dose. She seemed to be walking better. Today is the last day of Bute, so I guess we will know Wednesday or Thursday if it has helped at all...I am so worried about her. Laminitis is such a scary word and makes me so sad. I pray that she gets better and that she wont be in pain for long. I feel awful about the whole thing...

In other news, we got our first vegetable from our garden!

Picked the Zucchini...

Proceeded to cut up the zucchini...

and ate the zucchini. Man it was yummy!

We also realized we have a lot of boots...
This doesn't include my pink cowboy boots or any non-cowboy boots...

She is looking really good though, she just needs some weight, but she isn't going to gain much on just grass hay and no grain...I would rather her be skinny and sound than the alternative though. 

Frosty and her daddy!







4 comments:

  1. Red literally *JUST* almost foundered a couple weeks ago. Scared me half to death. The farrier was coming out that day and I hadn't been there in about two days, he noticed that he was stiff and acted really similar to Trinity, so I gave him some Bute and put some stuff on his legs that helps with the stiffness. The week before I had ridden and he acted kind of clumsy and off, didn't want to go, and I just figured he was having an off day. I felt horrible. We narrowed it down to the beginning of founder/lamninits and he's fine now..he did spend quite a few days on stall rest and we switched his feed to something less rich, plus gave him bute and that leg rub stuff daily. I was worried sick, to make matters worse I had to leave for FL during it all! :P Luckily my BO literally texted me twenty times a day to let me know how he was doin'! I caught it before, but ti was still scary..hope Trinity feels better soon!!!!!

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  2. Poor baby! We always walk that fine line of being overly protective and constantly calling the vet to "waiting and seeing". She's getting better now and don't beat yourself up, we've all done stupid stuff that we smacked our foreheads over. Good luck with her recovery, hopefully there wasn't any rotation of the coffin bone...it sounds fairly mild.

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  3. It's not your fault, don't beat yourself up. I bet she'll be back to normal soon :)

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  4. Don't beat yourself up! And even if it DOES turn out to be laminitis, you've caught it SO early that it really shouldn't be difficult to treat and put into remission.
    Keep us updated!!!!!!

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