Javaluva4412
08-27-2004, 12:02 PM
Not sure if this is the right forum to post this in, but here goes...
I am associated with a Doberman Pinscher rescue in Michigan who recently was given a young miniature horse (his name is Squirt), and as the only volunteer on staff with horse experience, I am trying all I can to help this little guy out. Squirt was in danger of going to slaughter due to a defect in his front legs--he was walking on the insides of his feet. I'm told he was unable to stand at birth as a result of the defect. By the time he arrived at the rescue, his front hooves had grown closed on the sole from walking on the insides of his feet and the frog couldn't be seen. He had obviously not had proper farrier care from the beginning.
Squirt was taken to Michigan State University to have an assessment done of his condition and to receive treatment. According to MSU, (and I'm not sure of the proper terminology here, so please forgive me) the tendon that holds the coffin bone down was either ruptured or not there. They reached this conclusion after x-raying his legs. Their initial treatment involved taping plastic wedges to the bottom of his feet in an attempt to correct his feet into striking flat on the ground rather than him walking on the inside. Needless to say, the tape didn't hold the wedges on, and he was taken back to MSU. They did x-rays again and found that they had overcorrected with the wedges in their initial treatment and as a result, ended up chipping a bone (not sure which bone). They replaced the tape wedges with plastic shoes that were glued on over the hoof wall and have an extension out from the medial side of his foot at sole level that prevets his feet from rolling outward. They then added wedges to the bottoms of these shoes, I'm assuming in an attempt to get his legs to grown straight and for his feet to strike properly.
At this point, Squirt's condition is becoming increasingly painful, to the point to where it's hard for him to bear weight on his front legs. The lady who runs the rescue is becoming increasingly concerned that all of the money and time she's spent in treating him is harming him more than it is doing him good.
Now, if this were an issue with the tendon being either ruptured or missing, wouldn't an alternative means of support be required in the forum of some type of structural bracing to keep the bones in proper alignment be a more useful treatment than corrective shoeing of some kind? Perhaps a combination of both...?? Any and all opions regarding possible treatment for this problem would be greatly appreciated, as well as experiences with anyone who's dealt with similiar cases.
I'll post a couple of pictures of Squirt here to give you a better idea of what may be going on. These pictures were taken prior to any treatment.
http://www.leapdontlook.com/SquirtPics/SquirtFront.jpg
http://www.leapdontlook.com/SquirtPics/SquirtSide2.jpg
I am associated with a Doberman Pinscher rescue in Michigan who recently was given a young miniature horse (his name is Squirt), and as the only volunteer on staff with horse experience, I am trying all I can to help this little guy out. Squirt was in danger of going to slaughter due to a defect in his front legs--he was walking on the insides of his feet. I'm told he was unable to stand at birth as a result of the defect. By the time he arrived at the rescue, his front hooves had grown closed on the sole from walking on the insides of his feet and the frog couldn't be seen. He had obviously not had proper farrier care from the beginning.
Squirt was taken to Michigan State University to have an assessment done of his condition and to receive treatment. According to MSU, (and I'm not sure of the proper terminology here, so please forgive me) the tendon that holds the coffin bone down was either ruptured or not there. They reached this conclusion after x-raying his legs. Their initial treatment involved taping plastic wedges to the bottom of his feet in an attempt to correct his feet into striking flat on the ground rather than him walking on the inside. Needless to say, the tape didn't hold the wedges on, and he was taken back to MSU. They did x-rays again and found that they had overcorrected with the wedges in their initial treatment and as a result, ended up chipping a bone (not sure which bone). They replaced the tape wedges with plastic shoes that were glued on over the hoof wall and have an extension out from the medial side of his foot at sole level that prevets his feet from rolling outward. They then added wedges to the bottoms of these shoes, I'm assuming in an attempt to get his legs to grown straight and for his feet to strike properly.
At this point, Squirt's condition is becoming increasingly painful, to the point to where it's hard for him to bear weight on his front legs. The lady who runs the rescue is becoming increasingly concerned that all of the money and time she's spent in treating him is harming him more than it is doing him good.
Now, if this were an issue with the tendon being either ruptured or missing, wouldn't an alternative means of support be required in the forum of some type of structural bracing to keep the bones in proper alignment be a more useful treatment than corrective shoeing of some kind? Perhaps a combination of both...?? Any and all opions regarding possible treatment for this problem would be greatly appreciated, as well as experiences with anyone who's dealt with similiar cases.
I'll post a couple of pictures of Squirt here to give you a better idea of what may be going on. These pictures were taken prior to any treatment.
http://www.leapdontlook.com/SquirtPics/SquirtFront.jpg
http://www.leapdontlook.com/SquirtPics/SquirtSide2.jpg