I thought it was time to post an update on Fig's progress. I'm happy to report that things keep improving and I'm hopeful it will continue.

In case you didn't see my previous posts about Fig, he foundered last November. At that time I had him x-rayed and there was rotation of the coffin bone in both front feet. The vet said 15%, and he indicated 'the point of no return'. He was doubtful he would ever recover and suggested maybe putting him down. I had just lost Breeze a few weeks earlier and couldn't bear to even think about losing another horse.

I realized I had been given another obstacle to test me and use my education as a Master Herbalist to help my Figgy. I did more research and consulted with my new farrier. As you can see from the previous posts, it's been a long healing process. I gave him mixtures of herbs for pain, inflammation, and circulation. I also gave him Bute (phenylbutazone) when he had severe pain, and used nourishing herbs and supplements to keep his intestinal tract healthy during and after administering the medication.

My farrier had a very positive and hopeful outlook, which in turn eased my mind and worries.

As of this writing, Fig has been pain free since around the middle of March. My farrier took the wooden clogs off a couple months ago and she comes to trim every 6 weeks to maintain the correct angle and keep the toes and heels from growing too long. She commented on how impressed she was that he had dropped all the extra weight and how good he looks now.

I put the grazing muzzle on and let him out to graze in the evening. He doesn't like it much, but he's smart and he knows he must wear it. Keeping him off the lush green grass is probably the most important step in his recovery and it may be something I always have to do with this horse.

Here's a video I made of Figgy on July 2. As you can see, he's doing great! Slim and sleek, happy and pain free! I sure love my boy!

Fig is feeling better and we're hoping he stays that way!

A video shows it best, so check out what we did yesterday!

I've got my fingers crossed for a full recovery!

Last week my farrier gave Fig another trim and reset the clogs. She cut some new ones that are an inch thick and have a higher bevel on them (for turning and pivoting). He seems to be walking quite well with them!New Reset Clogs

He occasionally gets Bute for pain, and he gets his herbals too.

He sure loves his herbal slurries...and as you'll see, Luna really goes for it too!

This video shows some of our daily routine. 

I'm still practicing making videos and probably do need someone to run the camera.

Fig

This is my boy, Fig. You may have seen him on the Cowgirl Attitude Part 3 section of my blog, that he was given to me over a year ago by a friend who could not keep him any longer.

Fig, aka Figareno, aka Figgy...is such a gentleman. A real joy to work with...and such a smooth mover. He's a Saddlebred/Arab cross and about 11 years old. He's as black as black can get and in summer is shiny and sleek. He's always had a slim build, long and lean.

He's been an easy keeper on the most part. He had one occasion that he colicked before I owned him, and had foundered (Laminitis) twice, once very mildly. It may have been because of the lush pasture he was on previously. Some horses are more sensitive to fresh, lush grass, but we really don't have much here.

He had been doing quite well on my thinner pasture and eating mostly grass hay all year. But last summer I had one horse I had to fatten up, and three that needed a serious weight loss diet.

I was surprised when Fig gained so much weight over the summer and noticing his neck was getting cresty. He was really fat! Thoughts raced through my mind about Insulin Resistance and Cushing's syndrome. Not again!

I had been so preoccupied with the challenges of Cushing’s syndrome and losing my mare Breeze, that I didn’t notice that Fig was starting to have problems. Have I failed as a responsible horse owner? Was I doomed to have continuous problems with horses? Am I attracting it?

I eventually realized I couldn't afford to have those negative thoughts in my head. It helps to have friends to talk to.

But by November Fig started to limp. I had my previous farrier out to trim and he thought his feet looked fine. Fig, however, continued to limp and he's been walking on egg shells ever since.

I found a different farrier who trimmed and assessed him again. She could tell by looking at the hoof that it was founder with rotation & suggested X-rays, which were done and confirmed as founder with a 15% rotation. The Vet’s prognosis wasn't good, but the farrier gave me some hope and said putting wooden clogs on his feet might help.

My farrier hand-made these clogs out of thick plywood and shaped them to the hoof, which she had just previously trimmed to a better angle to help take pressure off the sole. (My farrier is great by the way!) Then she mixed and packed impression material (similar to what dentists use) up into the hoof. Then the wood is attached to the bottoms of his feet with long screws to the hoof wall. The screws are then coated with a fast drying epoxy that helps keep them from backing out or getting caught on things. I know this sounds kinda weird, but they do seem to work and he doesn't seem to mind having them on his feet.

Figgy's Wooden ClogsPrior to the clogs, I was using pink styrofoam (2 inches thick) and duct taping them to his feet. I had to change them everyday! Try doing this in zero degree weather..it's not much fun.

In the meantime, Fig gets Bute for pain, but in addition I feed combinations of anti-inflammatory and circulatory herbs such as Ginger, Hawthorn berry, Yucca, and White Willow, etc, plus Reiki and nutrition.

He is still limping, but he does move better. He has a very good attitude towards me and everything I do for him. What a great horse!

He's due for another trim & reset next week. Wish us Luck!

To be continued....

I spent that whole last day with her brushing, cleaning her feet, feeding her apples & treats, loving and talking to her.

Friends came by off and on during the day to say goodbye.

 On that beautiful, sunny day in late October we released her to the Great Mystery, knowing that she is happy and free.

I know it takes time. It takes tears. It takes hugs. It takes talking about it.

I will honor her life and the love she showed me.

Happy Trails Breeze ~

~until we ride again~

Breeze in fall of 2007

Breeze in Spring of 2008My heart sank. I knew there was something terribly wrong with Breeze. She just didn’t look right. She had all the classic signs of Cushing’s syndrome, which today is called PPID (pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction) In horses, the intermediate lobe of the pituitary gland is affected; in humans and canine Cushing's, the anterior lobe malfunctions. What was previously thought to be a tumor of the pituitary is now claimed as an enlargement.

I decided not to do the dexamethasone test at this time. Part of me didn’t want to know, plus it’s very expensive, and there can be false positives and false negatives with the test. In fact, the dexamethasone sometimes causes founder.

As a Master Herbalism student, here was an opportunity for me to help my mare; but I have to admit this has been my most difficult clinical study.

Breeze in November 2008After much research, I started her with herbs that will help the Pituitary (Chaste tree berry); for circulation & laminitis (Gingko & Hawthorn Berry). After a week I noticed the fat pads above her eyes were gone and she finally started to shed out. The limping stopped after a couple days using the Hawthorn Berry.  

She seemed to improve some over the summer and lost some of the weight, although she still had the pot-belly. As fall approached, I noticed she lost some muscle on her topline and rump area. Her coat grew in normally in the fall and she seemed to maintain her weight through the winter.

Then in the spring I noticed she was drooling quite a bit and her mouth smelled. Upon inspecting her mouth, I noticed she had several ulcers inside her lips, gums, and under her tongue. It was difficult for her to eat and she started dropping weight. Her coat was dull and thick; again she was not shedding as normal.

Breeze mid summer 2009The vet suggested I bring her up to get her teeth floated and to check the mouth sores. He did float her teeth, but we both agreed that the sores were her biggest problem. We put her on a weeks worth of oral antibiotics and the sores healed up. She started putting weight back on over the summer, but then the sores became active again in September. I tried the oral antibiotics again, but due to the sores, was difficult.

At this time I decided to run a dexamethasone suppression test to determine if this was truly Cushing’s syndrome (PPID). I needed to know what we were dealing with. This test requires 2 blood draws; one before and one after an injection of dexamethasone, a synthetic form of cortisol. Three days later it was confirmed positive. The treatment most vets prescribe is the drug Pergolide, which manages the disease, but does not cure it. It might buy the horse a little time, but there can be side effects. I haven't tried it and at this point I'm continuing to put more of a focus on herbs and nutrition.

Breeze mid September 2009At this time she was losing weight drastically; I can now see her hip bones, ribs, and backbone. She was extremely sunken in her hind end; not much muscle tone and no roundness to her rump. It has been hard to watch my horse wasting away because she can’t eat. She went through some colicky symptoms during this time and her back legs have been stocked up. I did some Reiki sessions on her belly and it helped her to pass some gas. She then resumed grazing. 

After another vet consultation, I started administering IM Penicillin for 10 days. Giving shots is not my favorite thing to do, but in this case we felt it necessary. During this past week I've noticed the sores are improving, much less drooling, and she is eating much better. 

I use herbal remedies, homeopathy, Reiki, and nutrition, in conjunction with veterinary care and feel working together is best for the animals.

I started feeding a low sugar/low starch food (pellets) which she can now eat. I add Probiotics, Psyllium, and her herbs to this mixture. I haven’t noticed any weight gain yet, and I’m hoping we can keep the sores under control. Winter is coming and she needs the weight.

I welcome any comments and suggestions. Please send your prayers and good energy to Breeze. She's been my best horse friend for 11 years.

To be continued.....