Posted by Anne (Tree) Coley on July 11, 2003 at 19:30:19:
In Reply to: Re: We've been advised to put him down - need confirmation! posted by Deborah McElhannon on July 11, 2003 at 15:02:36:
: : : Our trusted farrier (who we credit with saving our horse's life two years ago) has told us that his right front hoof has "fallen"....and has advised us to put him down. We're making the emotional and practical preparations.....but....what does this mean....fallen hoof....is it irreversible? Please give us an opinion! Please and Thank you!!!!!!
: : Can you post pictures and information about what condition/s the horse has? Does the farrier mean the horse is foundered and sunk? We need more info
: : TE
: He's a 22 year old appalloosa gelding, reportedly foundered as a two year old....many problems for the last four years or so. Two years ago, we found this highly-respected farrier. At that time, he said we had only one option....we took him to a vet who medicated him....the farrier then removed his front hoofs and applied prosthetic hoofs (I don't know the technical terms for this).....after the initial soreness wore off..he was like a new horse.....took a year for his natural hoof to grow back....but for about a year, we've had a sound horse. This spring brought unusually wet weather to our area and a return of lameness. A couple of times in the past two weeks, he didn't leave his stall to urinate or defecate....highly unusual.....and then a couple of days ago...he lay in the hot sun for so long that he was covered in sweat before he was able to get up and walk to the fan in his stall...when he first gets up, he has both front feet stuck out in front of him and takes one painful step....stops for a bit...takes another step....stops...so on......the farrier came to shoe him last week....neither my husband or I were home....a few days later the farrier calls and says he'd been dreading calling...but the news is that the front right hoof "has fallen"....no way to reverse....painful future in store...best to put him down....we trust this farrier and have begun the emotional and practical preparation with the goal to keep him as comfortable as possible.....have planned to do this tomorrow afternoon. My husband has been giving him two bute tabs/day and now he is fairly comfortable...only a little evidence of soreness. VERY DIFFICULT to think about putting this horse down when he looks so good at the moment. The farrier said that the new shoes have given him some temporary support. Says he's seen this in approximately 30 horses and none were reversed. I believe the "foundered and sunk" is what he was trying to tell us. When my husband gets home we can try to get a picture if he can stand on the three feet. What additional information can I get for you? Thanks so much!!!!
Deborah,
Your horse does have more options, like Rick has mentioned. Sinkers aren't a death sentence unless the treatments don't bring about healing. It sounds as though your farrier has done all he knows to do and you need to look further for more help. His laminar connections have been lost again and by the term sinker, it means his coffin bone would now be resting on his sole in one or both feet. One way to tell, before xrays show it for sure, would be to find a ridge at the hair lines like the skin has dropped around the entire hoof capsule. Normally the skin just continues a line from the top of the hooves along the pastern to the base of the fetlock joint. With sinkers the bone structure has now dropped down so the skin now does too. Photos would show this too. If this condition is not what you see, your horse may have only rotated instead and not sunk.
Tree