I managed to get way behind on updating Wooda's web pages. :-/
She's had a lot of ups and downs, over the last couple months. Several DOWNS, unfortunately! Her owner continued to struggle with diet, medications, etc. At one point Mario and I watched Wooda eating her straw bedding and Mario got a wild hair... he actually raked up her entire paddock - removed every last scrap of the straw. Then we grabbed a bag full and sent it off to Equi-Analytical. We were so certain this was The Answer to why Wooda wasn't improving more dramatically. Oat straw has been tested high in starch in the past, that must be it! We waited... weeks went by, no results? Very weird. I called and Equi-Analytical said they were retesting the sample because it had come in unusual for that type of sample. That furthered our confidence that this was it -- an off the charts straw sample must have been re-triggering her inflammation at every bite. When I finally got the results back, I could hardly believe my eyes. The sugar/starch combo was the LOWEST I have ever seen! 2.1% combined!!!! Talk about a bummer. Not only had we busted our butts clearing that paddock, but it wasn't even the problem after all! But to be honest, that is how it has to be. You have to eliminate every single unknown in the diet and environment, and this was an unknown...
However, during the waiting period Wooda's owner reported she was doing better. She had cut out the timothy hay altogether, even though she had been soaking it, and kept her on bermuda hay only.
The photo below of Wooda's "sinker" left front was taken at the end of August. You can see the really nice tight, smooth growth in the top 1/3 or so of the hoof. Wooda blew a couple abscesses and each time I trim her I find one or two little ones buried in there. You can see holes in her sole in the solar view. After discussing her feet with some people within the AHA, I suspect she has/had a sub-solar abscess that was causing her extreme discomfort.
Below, Wooda's right front, end of August... trimming the bottom of the hoof at this point was a sweaty effort to say the least! She's taught me to work extremely fast so I can get as much done as necessary before she needs her foot back again, which is about 30 seconds.
Around this time, her owner had her re-xrayed. Much to all of our relief, including the vet Dr. Liskey, she has made some positive improvements!
The quality is pretty bad because I took the photo of the film against a window, and the hoof was actually in the hoof boot when the xray was taken. This is her left front...despite the crappy clarity, I think you can still see there's a lot more material between her coffin bone and the ground, which is good news!
Her right front xray (and you can see my backyard fence through her hoof.... :-P)
Pictured below is Wooda (in the boots), her filly (Hillary, with the 3 white socks) and her pasture friends Maggie (black mare) and Stewart. Notice the pristine, oat straw-free paddock??
JANUARY 2009 - The update we've all been waiting for!
Wooda has turned the corner and is on her way to health and soundness once again. I actually cried when I arrived the other day and she saw me... her ears up, eyes bright, she walked (like a normal horse, no more agonizing "spider" walking) up the hill to me... bootless even!! She had gained back some weight as well, due in part to no longer nursing. Weaning Hillary seemed to be the final step for her. Dr. Kellon explained that nursing can, after the first few months, have an insulin resisting type effect on the body due to the drain. In Wooda's case she seemed to have a particular sensitivity to the hormones (prolactin?). Her owner put her on chastetree berry powder and double dosed her with Uckele's product Phyto Quench, which has strong anti-oxidant ingredients. She was also on jiaogulan and taken off bute as soon as possible. Her feet are downright hideous, but that's old news now! I'll continue to update her pages with new images as she progresses.
Left front (sinker) on the stand in the image below shows the many abscess holes in her hoof wall and lamina as well as subsolar abscessing (the dark lines in the amber colored area closest to the bottom of the hoof).
Here is a picture of the damage showing in a hoof wall/lamina nipping
Right front "club" hoof. The dishing will be removed in the next trim, she made huge changes this visit to her heels on this hoof, so I decided to take more toe in another round.
YAYYYYYyyyyyyy Wooda!!! We love you - Please keep up the good work. :-)
May 2009 - almost a year after our first meeting
Left front - the sinker hoof, mid trim
Right front - dishing is still there, but I do think it's starting to look more like a 'normal club foot?
