Hello group--my farrier sent me here, and I'm glad she did. I'm in a complete tizzy about a horse I thought I was going to adopt from a southern state, until my farrier and vet viewed his x-rays. His online rescue posting said he had had mild laminitis with slight rotation but my vet and farrier both said it looked acute and chronic and cautioned me not to proceed. I have been looking for a rescue horse for light trail riding--I lost my heart horse of 12 years in April from a combination of IBS (the LPE variety) and EPM. Because of the the inflammatory bowel condition, he could not absorb the EPM meds. It was a terrible downhill struggle that ended in euthanasia. This rescue horse, "Not Yet Mine," has also had a mild case of EPM. I thought I could use my hard-won knowledge to ensure that he made a full recovery. But he has also foundered, and it seems likely that he has EMS. What a combination! I don't know if I can go through another traumatic attempt to save a horse that can't be saved. Can Not Yet Mine be saved? Here's the thing--he is not at a rescue but still with his owner, who has him out on pasture and eating oats twice a day. It feels like a death sentence to leave the horse there. I've read the case histories here and part of me wants to give it a try. The other part of me is in dread at what might lie ahead. So before I decide I want to get advice from those who have been there/done that.

Thanks in advance. This is a tough place to be. I have recently taken ownership of an ex-trotter mare whose owner wanted to euthanize her for being unsound. So am I going to end up with two horses I can't ride?!
I'm including the link to my photo album as I just joined today and don't really know how everything works.
https://ecir.groups.io/g/CaseHistory/album?id=278618


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Fiona Paton
NY 2022

Hi Fiona

Do you know when these rads were taken? If they were recent, it appears he does not have significant bone loss. IME that is a huge help to getting significant rehab. You need to remove the triggers -- which appear to be ongoing at least through diet and get the trim tightly in place.

He's a lovely boy. The horse who brought me here did so thought the same circumstances -- laminitic and foundered in 2002. We had a lovely life together through hard work until he passed in 2016. We were able to do light to moderate work for much of his life. His insulin was never controlled and bone loss continued but the protocols here kept us in the best place possible. You, as an owner control most of this. Making sure you have a good hoof pro who knows what is needed, with you learning to recognize when it is not there, will give you a huge leg up.

Would love to see his coat when he is getting the right amount of copper and zinc.
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Nancy C in NH
ECIR Moderator 2003
ECIR Group Inc. President/Treasurer  2021-2022

Hi Fiona,

Agree with Nancy.  There does appear to be some bone loss but not enough to be overly concerned about.  What is needed is a better trim and a diet overhaul with better mineral supplementation to grow healthier hooves.  After all that is put in place, I suspect this horse would be sound at least for riding on soft surfaces barefoot, or in boots +/- pads out on the trail/road.  Dr Kellon will probably have more to say on the radiographs.

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Kirsten and Shaku (IR + PPID) - 2019
Kitimat, BC, Canada
ECIR Group Moderator
Shaku's Case History
Shaku's Photo Album

There is no true rotation here - i.e. the bones are in their correct alignment. What you have is capsular rotation where the weakened laminae have allowed the hoof wall to flare away from the foot.  This can be fixed in one trim.  Ground clearance - a combination of concavity and sole thickness - could be better but won't improve until the trim is fixed.

He could have EMS and your first step should be to find out, as will be detailed in your welcome letter. Also get the diet balanced ASAP because mineral imbalances have seriously negative impacts on the feet.
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Eleanor in PA

www.drkellon.com 
EC Owner 2001
The first step to wisdom is "I don't know."

I just want to add, while the trim can be fixed in one big event (I've seen it done multiple times) you need 6-12 months of regrowth without incident before you can get on him. Lots of work can be done from the ground or even driving before that. I used the time training from the ground to bond with my guy.
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Nancy C in NH
ECIR Moderator 2003
ECIR Group Inc. President/Treasurer  2021-2022

Hi Fiona.  I'm sorry to be a Negative Nelly here, but, I am really cautious about any documentation that is not clearly labeled, dated and timed with the horses name on the xrays, bloodwork, whatever.  I would find it extremely difficult to make any decisions based on these films.

It is challenging  enough to care for these PPID/IR horses when you do have accurate documentation. I'm not saying don't rescue, I am saying I wouldn't use these films as a guiding factor. The feet in the films may or may not be current state for the horse in question, especially with, what it sounds like, less than optimal management.

Emotions run high in these situations and I know your heart is going out to this horse and sometimes that skews our best decisions. I would adopt this horse because there are no right or wrong answers here....it might be worth it to take on fixing the diet and getting the trim correct ( with NEW labeled xrays) to see if you can make the difference the horse needs. Fixing the diet alone will do this horse good. Getting him properly tested, re-xrayed and following our protocol is the best chance he could have to a better healthier life....ridden or unridden. 




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Trisha DePietro
Aug 2018
NH
Dolly and Hope's Case Histories
Dolly's Photos 
Hope's Photos 
Primary Responder