About this Blog

Meet my very 1st horse, Lazarus.
I couldn't wait for Santa anymore or ask one more time for a pony for my bday (after age 30 it got embarrassing). I took matters in my own hands and I finally decided to pick a pony that needed a new home. Laz found me as I contemplated with this idea. He was sweet yet very sassy, fresh off the track, Thoroughbred (OTTB).
Join us for our re-training, rehabbing from laminitis and testing all parts of mixed up horsemanship and partnership, and luck...

Saturday, July 28, 2012

Xrays Update

From the inside-out
What a laminitic (post) hoof looks like almost 3 years later
Yup...almost 3 freaking years later.
Oct 2009 is when he first got ill, so this Oct will be 3 yrs

Medial view of RH
Big chip in his hoof wall, which is dead hoof wall
Under run, crushed heels
Wavy tubules
Odd toe
**The purple marks you see is leftover from thrush treatment I jam into his exposed white line
It's interesting to see how his lateral side visibly looks different than his medial
From the back
Low crushed under run heel
And now, the INSIDE view;
Updated digital xrays
Lots of toe to be removed which is interesting because his hoof LOOKS soooo small from the outside. How much can one take away before it compromising the horse's weight on a small hoof?
His coffin bone still has that 'elf' tip which is osteoporosis 
And that sole-THIN! Could be because of the thick hoof wall issues, thrush, bacteria, etc in that hoof

You can see view from the top of coffin bone, how it's tipped medially as well (in picture towards the right side) See?
Shot from the front; you can see he is still rotated medially (inward)
and sole-is oh my, still thin thin thin thin thin thin
sigh

If you are interested in comparison shots; click HERE for Xrays from 2010/2011
It is somewhat frustrating to not be further along with his hoof progress despite our, and other's best efforts. 
BUT, I have to remain confident in the people I chose to hire, so again, we now have a new plan.
I'm SO hoping this works

Updated Plan is;
Get Laz now on Ixosuprine   
I tried the all natural Jiaogulan since November, with no change so it's out.
After trimming all hooves and paring back the hoof wall to connective tissue, we soaked his hoof for 40 minutes in clean trax, dried off, and applied No Thrush (the purple markings) before getting ready to cast his hoof.
Yup, cast his hoof!
Below, applying the bonding glue to hoof wall, to adhere cast to it
Glue gunk
 Keeping Laz busy with some hay while M applied the casting wrap securely.
At this point, we were already at over 2 hours, so Laz was getting antsy
All for you my sweet boy!
 Laz trying to lick/bite his soaking boot off! 
We soaked his club in clean trax after the RH
Say Hello to Equicast
Finished and casted. It's actually more black than purple
Fingers crossed it stays on for minimal 2 weeks, hopefully more like 6!!!
It's intended to help his compromised hoof wall structure and encourage support/growth and comfort.

Laz standing on it, on a pad to allow the cast to harden/form around his hoof shape and sole.
He seemed VERY comfortable in it and when walking out, lifted his toe instead of dragging it.
A good sign, that hopefully he'll walk better, which will in turn build up the back of his hoof/heel/digital cushion/lateral cartilage/stimulate better hoof growth and more soundness and a better sole=better hoof. 
Is that a lot to ask for? lol
Once we were done, Laz was feeling quite good
He enjoyed a fat boy PLOP and rolled
Happy puppy horse
 Mid puppy Shake
Tomorrow I'll go back to make sure he's still happy/comfy.
I also got the OK to "get on and RIDE him"
(We are talking soft grounds at the walk unless he wants to trot and to stay off the gravel roads for now)
It's OK, I'll take what I can get as long as he's comfortable
We are also backing out our trims to allow more growth in between.
Something that's different for me. Instead of every 4 weeks, we are going 6ish.
This will be interesting to see how/if it works, but I'm hopeful it will and trust my new trimmer's knowledge and background.
Stay tuned!

8 comments:

  1. I know it is thin, but I think it looks decent considering the amount of rotation, etc that he has had to deal with. And I love the hoof casts! Gen does too and unless he is in a pissy mood he will keep them on for 4 weeks so I hope Laz does the same! Don't be discouraged! I learned a long time ago that if you keep expecting the injury to look normal you will end up constantly disappointed...

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  2. Very cool!! Laz has the best mother ever! My horses go anywhere from 4 to 6 weeks for trims. You guys will be fine:) Lots of love!! xoxox

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  3. He's come such a long way already - although there's more to go, you and he should be proud of how far he's come.

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  4. Wishing you and Laz the best with the new strategy! Glad he's feeling good. :D

    My farrier wanted to cast Val when we first went barefoot. His soles are abysmally thin too and he had lots of separation. The only reason I didn't cast is the farrier being so far away in case we had issues. He can only make it here every six or seven weeks for his scheduled trims.

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  5. Fingers and hooves crossed here for you and sweet boy Laz. Hang in there and much luck and happy, hopeful thoughts across the miles. One thing is for sure, you have a kind, sweet horse who is obviously very HAPPY!!!! Remember that! Not all horses with thick, perfect feet are that happy! Laz is rolling happily and munching and living a good life!

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  6. Wow it's amazing how long it takes the hoof to recover from something like that. I think the fact that he is as comfortable as he is is proof of your wonderful and comprehensive care.

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  7. Fingers and toes are crossed. Laz is lucky to have you as his caregiver. :-)

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