It sounds like Maggie did too much on her compromised feet and it caused her to be much more painful. Because the trim is not optimal to help support her coffin bones, bouncing around is going to keep causing damage to occur. Keeping her on high doses of NSAIDs will only exacerbate this situation as it will block her sense of pain and allow her to do too much too soon. Because we can't explain to her that she needs to remain calm to allow her feet the time they need to heal, you need to allow her pain to tell that to her. Unless she is not eating and drinking, using NSAIDs to keep her "feeling good" is counterproductive. It makes us miserable to watch but is the safest thing for her compromised feet. Was she on both bute and Previcox simultaneously? What dose of Previcox is she currently on? The 4g of bute is a large dose for a 15.1 hand horse and AAEP guidelines suggest using this dose for only a few days at most. Combining two NSAIDs simultaneously is also not recommended by the AAEP as this greatly increases the chances for negative side effects without any increase in pain control.

The soles on both feet are thin, the toes much too long and the heels somewhat too high. The pad that is in the Soft Ride boots is wedge shaped, which is raising her heels even more and causing her to balance even more of her weight on the tips of her coffin bones, which are not meant to bear weight. Bouncing around on this "spear tip" may have put enough pressure on the thin sole to cause it to crack a bit, sort of like if you jump on  ice and it cracks but you don't actually fall thru. There could be abscesses developing from the damage or the drainage could be leaked blood and fluid from damaged blood veesels and from the body's working to heal the damage.

To make her more comfortable, I would recommend cutting the pads in the SR boots flat. Could also create a bit of a depression under the area where the crack has appeared to remove any pressure from the tip of the coffin bone. Then need to address the trim. Back the toes without removing any height from the bottom of the the front half of the foot. Lower only the heels. This will create an odd looking hoof capsule shape but rehab isn't about looking pretty - it's about restoring function and stability to the compromised feet. If you would like mark-ups, please let us know.

The Thyro-L will temporarily jump start a sluggish metabolism but the body will then shut down it's own production of the hormone to maintain normal levels. Thyro-L will not treat IR, only diet changes, and exercise when she is able, will do that. The best way to support a healthy thyroid is to address diet deficiencies as these are what are the primary cause of a sluggish thyroid.

Maggie, one of our first responders, has already addressed your Maggie's diet change recommendations.

Hang in there, we'll help you sort this out and get your girl healthy again.

Lavinia, Dante, g
George Too and Peanut
Jan 05, RI
EC Support Team