The Bad Horse.
Wildairo's trim with the farrier was a complete bust. Even under sedation he fought back. The farrier managed to trim one hoof but Wildairo would not let him trim his front right. We didn't even get to the backs. Looking back at the photos I took, I see the farrier did manage to pick up the front right but Wildairo would run backwards before he could trim it. We tried different things but had to call it off.
Here's Wildairo waiting for the sedative to work.
Eating some grain while he gets happy.
He launched a preemptive strike at the farrier as soon as he showed up and got a direct hit. The farrier tried everything to get him to cooperate and was more than patient. He went above and beyond the call of duty. If they had a 'farrier of the year' award, that man should get it.
Remember Wildairo is sedated in the above pictures! When we finally gave up I shook his head for a bit of comic relief to make his loose lips flap about. The farrier remarked that when a horse is that drunk you should be able to anything with him like float his teeth, oh and maybe trim his hooves. Not Wildairo, he'll never be taken alive....wait, he already was.
I told the farrier and Brad he was going back to the BLM. I was really really mad at the time. I have a horse that has a chance at a pretty good life, no work, lots of acres, and even a friend from his old wild herd to play with. But no he won't pick his stinking feet up! Crikey, we even got him high!!!!
The bastard is walking about on one little hoof and three great big ones. If I lived closer to the BLM corrals I drop him of in the middle of the night...no not really (I'm joking). I'd take him there so he could go in their mustang sandwich maker. It's how they trim their feet. They put them in a padded chute (table) tilt it over and trim their feet while they lay there on their side, complaining probably. If I was was rich I'd buy one. I used to think it was an awful way to trim a horses hooves but the way I feel now about Wildairo I'd put him in there just to see him squirm! lol.
The Good Horse.
We had it wrong; it is not Foxsun's short front nippers that's making him skinny and I have the photo's to prove it.
When we took him to the vets on Saturday he was walking fine because he was still feeling the positive affects of the phenylzone paste I'd given him the day before. Sunday it was a different story. He was in great pain and didn't want to leave his little horse house.
He was walking very slowly and stiffly. I went home to get the phenylzone and when I returned with it in my hand he took one look and bolted for the open gate and the pasture beyond. When I say bolted I mean he walked like a sloth, picking up his legs slowly and putting them down carefully with his ears perked forward to freedom beyond. I was right behind pretty much doing the same thing. I shouted "Foxsun" and he stopped because he knew the jig was up. He's never been hard to catch. To be honest I can't think of one thing he's done that's bad, beside eating that wildflower as I was trying to take a picture of it.
A few hours after he got the medicine he was feeling a lot better and went out into the pasture to use his ancient sun bleached poo place. We went out to visit with him and to our surprise he put his head down and started eating the very short brown grass stuff. He was using the side of his mouth and was eating just fine!
Well if he can eat that short stuff he'll have no trouble with the rest of it.
The vet is sending us some more phenylzone paste. He said Foxsun has no indications of an infection. So the reason for his huge weight loss is still a mystery for now. He's eating very good. I considered leading his old cow wife over to make him happy but then I remembered that she eats him out of house and home.
Here's a cell phone picture of his very skinny back.
You can see he's very thin. We are going to make sure he has the right food and control his pain. If he doesn't improve then we'll do some blood work on his including a white count.
So there you have it; this weeks Sunday adventure. One very bad horse who felt very good and one very good horse who felt very bad.
When we took him to the vets on Saturday he was walking fine because he was still feeling the positive affects of the phenylzone paste I'd given him the day before. Sunday it was a different story. He was in great pain and didn't want to leave his little horse house.
He was walking very slowly and stiffly. I went home to get the phenylzone and when I returned with it in my hand he took one look and bolted for the open gate and the pasture beyond. When I say bolted I mean he walked like a sloth, picking up his legs slowly and putting them down carefully with his ears perked forward to freedom beyond. I was right behind pretty much doing the same thing. I shouted "Foxsun" and he stopped because he knew the jig was up. He's never been hard to catch. To be honest I can't think of one thing he's done that's bad, beside eating that wildflower as I was trying to take a picture of it.
A few hours after he got the medicine he was feeling a lot better and went out into the pasture to use his ancient sun bleached poo place. We went out to visit with him and to our surprise he put his head down and started eating the very short brown grass stuff. He was using the side of his mouth and was eating just fine!
Well if he can eat that short stuff he'll have no trouble with the rest of it.
The vet is sending us some more phenylzone paste. He said Foxsun has no indications of an infection. So the reason for his huge weight loss is still a mystery for now. He's eating very good. I considered leading his old cow wife over to make him happy but then I remembered that she eats him out of house and home.
Here's a cell phone picture of his very skinny back.
You can see he's very thin. We are going to make sure he has the right food and control his pain. If he doesn't improve then we'll do some blood work on his including a white count.
So there you have it; this weeks Sunday adventure. One very bad horse who felt very good and one very good horse who felt very bad.
5 comments:
Wow, what a day! I'm surprised he was able to put up such a big fight being sedated. Then again his addrenaline probably kicked in and gave him super horsey powers!
Is he more upset over a stranger being near him or with having his legs messed with? Maybe you could try some desensitizing with him and a rope around his legs? Just swing it so it wraps around his legs and pull it away and keep doing it until he relaxes. You could also wrap the lead rope around his leg and sea-saw it up and down.
I worry so much when there's a mystery about my horses' health. I hope you can get to the bottom of Foxsun's troubles and get him feeling good again. Bloodwork is an excellent idea. Did they look at his feet? Any abscesses brewing or anything? Those can be excruciatingly painful.
Check this out in regards to trimming unwilling mustangs: http://www.mustangs4us.com/lewis_%26_clark,_part_2.htm
I don't suppose there's any way that the BLM would let you bring him to their facility for an emergency hoof trim, eh? But they are pretty far away and that means you have to haul him.
Maybe you and Brad should try to do him yourselves? I do all mine, and while it used to take me hours for each horse, I've gotten much faster. I'd recommend reading stuff by Pete Ramey (he has a good book) and you can rent his video series one DVD at a time from Horseflix.com. I'm sorry to hear that it went so badly.
That is strange for Foxsun to suddenly become so sore when the season is becoming so nice. How fast was the transition from hay to grass? I had a mare founder very badly when we turned her out on spring grass without a transition. Does he act stiff, or could his feet be sore?
My thought was abscess, too. My horse could barely walk, stood in his shed (my sister thought his back was broken or something.) He had one little abscess in his front hoof. Anyway, I hope Foxsun is on the mend soon, it's hard when our horses are not themselves and we're trying to help them.
Wow, Wildairo! My horse was sedated for vaccinations and teeth and thank goodness he was loopy enough to do nothing (I was worried, he can be difficult for vets.) Sounds like some other readers had good suggestions for you. He sure is a lovely horse! I had to chuckle at the "mustang sandwich!" ;)
Nikki,
He doesn't like to have his feet picked up but he went crazy when he saw the farrier. He's afraid of strangers. I'm going to take you up on your suggestion and really do everything I can to desensitize him. Thanks.
Andrea,
Thanks, No his feet weren't checked by the vet so I had a look and they look fine. Also thanks for the links. I'm enjoying them.
Kara,
I wish we could take Wildairo to the BLM corrals but it's too far. He won't let Brad pick his right side up now either.
Foxsun was on the pasture with the cattle all winter and Spring. Once the grass could sustain them they were slowly taken off the hay. There's something in that horse pasture that doesn't agree with him. Whatever it is that's the only place it is. I think it's the funny looking red grass. He was very stiff and sore.
Ponygirl,
What would have really helped would have been another shot of sedative while he was under. I read somewhere that mustangs can fight through a sedative.
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