Coming Off the Disabled List

Coming Off the Disabled List

It has been a Bella-less summer, and we haven't seen that much of Archie, either.  Both have been having a tough time.

Towards the end of June, Bella got tender footed.  When Shari described the symptoms to me, alarm bells went off in my head.  It sounded like laminitis.  I told her to stop the carbohydrates, give her bute and get professional help.  Fortunately, she has an awesome farrier, and she didn't need to get a vet out.  He also told her to keep her away from carbohydrates--pointing out to her where Bella had fat pads--a sign of insulin resistance.  The main cause of laminitis is Cushings Disease and insulin resistance.  Arabians and all other easy-keeping breeds are very prone to it.  Bella is a National Show Horse and is half Arabian.'

Her farrier also shod her with pads.  Bella gradually got better and Shari decreased and then eliminated the bute.  She has been riding her at the barn in the soft arenas.  September should see them back on the trail.  Shari is so excited about trail riding, again.  Bella should be a handful, again!

Archie had a more complicated problem.  He became lame in the spring.  Brenda had our vet examine him.  Using a nerve block, she determined it was somewhere above the knee.  It was time for anti-inflammatory medication and rest.  When that didn't help, Brenda called out a specialist.  He did the same thing.  The nerve block gave the same results, but the vet also xrayed, too.  He found a cyst in Archie's hoof on his coffin bone.  He thought that was the problem.

It was now time to get the farrier out to do corrective shoeing with pads.  It didn't work.  They ended up shoeing him normally and that didn't help much, either.  Brenda got a equine massage therapist out and a chireopractor, too.  Still, he seemed lame.  Over time, he slowly improved.  The farrier told her to test him out with some riding.  Maybe, at this point months later, exercise would help.

It seemed to, and she did go on a few trail rides with us.  Then the limp came back--and then it went away.  We aren't really sure what is going on.  It may never have been the cyst causing the lameness since when both vets nerved the hoof, he was still lame. 

I will have to keep you updated on both Bella and Archie.