Posted by Denise Forbes on October 20, 2003 at 14:44:49:
The vet was here Fri. 10/17/03 to re-evaluate nagging, re-current, abscesses in front feet and to do blood tests I requested. He actually was encouraged by what he saw. We’ve been able to hold the abscesses at bay, but they just do not seem to go away.
We had just finished fourth day of the emergency IR (insulin resistant) feed program. Leroy had no sugar of any kind for previous 3-days. Doc took blood (1:30pm – last meal was at 6:30am, with exception of free choice local orchard grass mix hay) to test for thyroid function and ACTH. Glucose was 73. Should have results from insulin test, first part of next week. ACTH test result will not be back for a bit more than a week. The dex suppress test was “positive” March of 2003 and Leroy has been on 0.7 mg/ml per day Pergolide since that date.
Vet said he wanted to perform a partial hoof re-section on both fronts, but had not scheduled enough time to do it that day. He will be out of town for a week and did not want to perform the operation until he could be available in case there would be any complications or questions. I appreciate that. He has suggested this operation before about 2 months ago, but I shied away from it, not having the facility to maintain a sterile environment. Dr. Eleanor Kellon from the EquineCushings web site message board thought it might be something I should reconsider, so we are scheduled for Tuesday 10/28/03 at 1pm. I’m scared because I have seen some really gruesome photographs of this procedure. Now, if I don’t do something, I’m going to lose Leroy. He’s 22, under weight by 150 lbs, and fighting aggressive abscesses in both fronts for ~ 7 months now. Vet said hoof care we’re giving looks amazingly good, but we are going to continue “chasing” these abscesses unless we get that horney hoof out of the way and “daylight” the area that the abscess is residing. My farrier has been trimming every 4-weeks for about 4 months now. My question; what am I to expect? Is there preferred pre &/or postoperative treatment? I work a 50-hour a week job, so time is going to be a difficult. Nevertheless, I’ll do something to cover the bases.
In the meantime, I am still working on fine-tuning his feed management. Grass hay – free choice, 1 lb. beet pulp, 2ozs. rice bran, 1000u vit. E twice/day. I have given him treats of celery and parsley – the celery he does not like, the parsley he loves. I have yet to analyze hay, but don’t know where. I am asking around locally to find out how to and where to so that I can add a mineral supplementation program that matches the levels in this base diet. I suspect that I have been feeding the chronic laminitis with the previously high sugar diet.
Is there a prescribed pre and or post treatment I should know about? I am not familiar with this procedure and I need to know what to look for and what to expect. Thank you for your input. I’ll be watching for response. Again, Thanks.
Denise