Vet & Farrier Visits!

The last few days have been busy for Faith!

Mentally, she is doing great. She is a pretty vocal mare and likes to whinny anytime she thinks she may be getting treats or grain. She is eager to be turned out every day and seems to enjoy her time spent with Amy. Even though my least favorite part of owning mares is their attitude, I'm glad to see that she finally has one! It proves that she's feeling better and getting back to her old self.

Physically, she is doing OK. She has her good days and her bad days, but thankfully she has not regressed as badly as she did during the first week. As I have mentioned in the past, it's quite noticeable that she has a weak hind end, and we're not sure yet if that is caused by her malnourishment or another issue. Some days she has great trouble coming out of her stall, other days are better. Any time she is being forced to pivot and use her hind end to turn, such as coming out of her stall or turning around in the barn aisle, her weakness can be clearly seen. We will hopefully know the cause of this after a few months of rehab.

This past Wednesday was the busiest day this week! We had an appointment with Faith’s farrier to evaluate her leg and hoof condition, and another appointment later in the day with our vet to have radiographs taken of her pastern joint and a dental exam.

At 10:00 am we met Faith's new farrier, Brad Erickson. He came out to evaluate her leg and hoof issues and paid special attention to her clubbed hoof on her front left leg. The pastern above her clubbed foot is much larger than the right front, so we were both concerned about the issues that may arise with trimming and shoeing her. Brad said he would come back later to look at the results of the radiographs and consult with the vet.

Around 1:00 pm Dr. George arrived. He was amazed to see how much Faith has improved in just one week! (The last time he saw her was last Thursday.) He remarked that she is much more alert and doesn't appear nearly as weak as she did in the past. I can’t even explain how much of a relief it was to hear him say that!

We started with her dental exam and saw that Faith’s teeth were in pretty bad shape. It was clear that she had not received any dental work in a very long time. She has a little bit of an overbite, and her molars in the back of her jaw had huge points on them. Faith wasn’t naughty for the float, but certainly wasn't too thrilled about the process either. Two tranquilizer injections later, her mouth looks great! Faith received a full dental exam and float free of charge - thanks Dr. George!




After her float was complete he took two radiographs of her pastern joint. Dr. George and Brad reviewed them and chatted for a few minutes about the results. Absolutely no issues whatsoever! She apparently has some soft tissue damage around the joint, but it does not appear as though it will cause any problems for her. Her farrier appointment will be next Monday at 3:30 pm.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

I have received TONS of emails regarding the prosecution of Faith's former owner. Unfortunately I cannot post an update now as things are still unfolding, but I will let everyone know once I can! Thanks for everyone's comments, emails and overall support! It really means a lot!
~Julie

.