She is 'Foundering", or in more current medical jargon, she has Laminitis. The bones above her front hooves have shifted position and it causes the bone to press down on the 'inside' of the hoof. This results in inflammation and much pain. Apparently she has had the condition for quite sometime, as it doesn't just happen overnight. However, we saw the 1st signs of a real problem last Sunday night and by Tuesday afternoon, it was apparent that she had a serious problem! Wed AM we were off to the vet with her and after much examination and some X-Rays, we got the bad news. This is not an fast or easy fix, but it can become manageable.
While researching her symptoms, I was afraid that she had West Nile Virus. They were about a month over due for their shots, because of Chuck's mother passing away and his trip to New York and then to Florida to deal with all of that.
As for her symptoms....she was walking very gingerly and it was apparent that something was hurting her, but we couldn't figure out what. We both checked her legs and hooves thoroughly and couldn't find anything. As the days progressed, it was becoming more and more difficult for her to walk, she wasn't eating and she would just stand in a corner hanging her head, or she would lie down on her side, panting heavily. On Tuesday afternoon, no amount of coaxing would get her to get up. I was in a panic! Called Chuck, he came right home and by that time she had managed to get up, but we had to help her to the barn. It was pretty scary. And Susie knew something was wrong with her youngin', cuz she would stand over her or right beside her, nickering the whole time.
Thankfully she trailered up okay, so that the vet didn't have to come to the house. When it was becoming clear to him what her problem was, he even showed us the area right above her front hooves was actually pulsating from the inflammation! I was in tears...and so wishing that she didn't weigh quite so much, so that I could take her in my lap and comfort her!
Pretty much all we could do for her was to get the farrier here and get her shoes off and get her hooves trimmed down as short as possible to give her some relief that way. We were starting out with a new farrier, so we were a bit concerned but this guy has done it for years and it's all he does. He was very familiar with the situation and was even more informative than the vet! Where the vet wasn't concerned about her weight so much, Rusty (new farrier) was. As I had pointed out a post or 2 ago, she is a bit plump and although not considered obese by horse standards, Rusty said that losing weight will be a big factor for her. So.....she is on a crash diet! No grain, no grass. She is gated up in the barnyard and on hay and water only. So far she doesn't mind. And although she is moving around a little better, she still is a far cry from 'being herself'.
Our other farrier always complained about her feet being so small that it was difficult to shoe her. Well, apparently 'bad shoeing' is a majorly contributing factor in her condition. Not a good thing for as much as she is ridden and the trail ride must have been very difficult for her! But, bless her heart, she is a 'pleaser' and will do anything for us and that includes keeping on going even when the going gets tough...with no complaints. The vet said she is one tough little girl! Anyway....the poor shoeing caused her to walk on her tip toes, so to speak, and after a time, caused the shifting of the bone. I can relate to that. It's like my back problems and pain for a couple years, made me walk to try to compensate, and gave me bad hip problems. As with me, 4 months post-surgery and I am still dealing with much hip pain, Dixie will take many months to heal as well. And the vet can't give her anything for the pain. He said that if he took the pain away, it would allow her to overdo it and she wouldn't heal. Makes sense, but breaks my heart!
And so, we hope for quick weight loss and we keep her hooves trimmed about every 2 weeks to keep the pressure off the front and we do what we can to make her comfortable. I was quite concerned about her lethargy, but as the vet pointed out....between the high temps we've been having and the pain she is in, it's no wonder. It's been over 100 for a couple weeks with the heat index up to 115 most days. Since she loves to be hosed down, I have been going out and walking her over to the hose and trying to cool her down a couple times a day. I sure hope it comforts her. There's not much else we can do, except that she is loving all the petting and hugging and kisses. She's such a baby girl!
And Susie has been amazing! Talk about a good mother....she has stayed right by Dixie's side and when ever Dixie starts walking somewhere, Susie gets up behind her and sort of nudges her along. Encouraging her and helping her. Can you stand it??? I learn something new and amazing about these horses everyday. For everything I hate about having to live in Arkansas, the blessing of having these horses in my life is something that I am grateful for.
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