Really sore front feet, help

[Utah]

I have a 14 year mare. Her feet are pretty sore from a long ride last week .She has gained a bit of weight because we she was pregnant and in a dry pen. We gave her a bit extra feed over time.

Now we know she lost the baby. After the long ride last time she is quite sore. She is prone to founder I think.

What can I do with her to lessen the pain and condition?

Specifically, if I give her baby aspirin, how many miligrams would a 1000 pound horse get and how often?

Are there other treatments that last longer?

How much time may she improve over?

Thanks!!

 

[Hippie Rancher]

How do you know she lost the foal? Did she clean out all the way? Retained placenta could cause founder too if I recall. Google for that and do a search on this forum as well. I know there was just a recent post on aspirin/banamine as well that gave dosage, not sure if that is called for or not - might want to see a vet?

 

[msscamp]

She is prone to founder I think.

What can I do with her to lessen the pain and condition?

Specifically, if I give her baby aspirin, how many miligrams would a 1000 pound horse get and how often?

Are there other treatments that last longer?

How much time may she improve over?

Thanks!!

I wouldn't give her baby aspirin or any other type of aspirin without checking it out with your vet or farrier first - relieving the pain may cause her to do more damage until you know what is going on. Is she standing with one or both front feet extended out in front of her body like a rocking horse? If so, that is a classic stance that horses with laminitis assume. As far as what to do - 1) Water her pen so the ground is softer and does not put as much pressure on the soles of her feet. Or, if you have access to a stall, put her in it with deep bedding (a couple of inches and wet it down) to relieve the pressure. 2) Call your farrier and tell him/her what is going on, or get her in to so he/she can check her feet. She may have foundered, the changes of pregnancy may have brought on laminitis, or there may be something else going on that you are not aware of. Generally speaking, sore feet from a long ride do not last a week. I hope this helps.

 

[Utah]

How do you know she lost the foal? Did she clean out all the way? Retained placenta could cause founder too if I recall.

The vet checked her a few days ago. She is open now but was confirmed pregnant at 3 weeks. Also, she got vaccinated like the vet asked at about 60 days. This probably contributed to her to losing it. Wont do that again. Too many people have had similar experiences.

If there is a cause from retained placenta, I'd like to see. Couldn't find anything on Google.

And by the way, I am so tired of vet expenses... Anyone feel the same. The old timers that do it all on their own seem to have just as healthy horses with more money left in their pockets.

I'd just like to know what dose of aspirin a typical horse would get. Anyone know?

 

[IHeartCows]

If she's hurting. Get bute. Asprin will cost more in the long run.
It's not that expensive and you can give up to 1g a day [only as needed] without adverse affects.
If you think she's foundered you may want to get x-rays to determine if there is any rotation.

I know you're sick of vet bills but unfortunately it comes with the territory. I have a $1800 bill just getting my mare bred.

The x-rays can help a farrier determine what angles she'll be most comfortable at. If you find a good barefoot trimmer they may be able to correct it without shoes.

After you get her figured out maintaining her should be pretty easy.

 

[Hippie Rancher]

And by the way, I am so tired of vet expenses... Anyone feel the same. The old timers that do it all on their own seem to have just as healthy horses with more money left in their pockets.

don't let them old boys fool you, they got unhealthy ones too - only they are dead.

The more you spend on a horse (or any dang animal) the more that is likely to go wrong.

Just joking around, I know that's not helpfull. Sorry. What did the vet say about her lameness when he was there? Surely he noticed or you brought it up?

I think the retained placenta/feet conection is related to infection and fever.

 

[Alan]

If she's hurting. Get bute. Asprin will cost more in the long run.
It's not that expensive and you can give up to 1g a day [only as needed] without adverse affects.
If you think she's foundered you may want to get x-rays to determine if there is any rotation.

I know you're sick of vet bills but unfortunately it comes with the territory. I have a $1800 bill just getting my mare bred.

The x-rays can help a farrier determine what angles she'll be most comfortable at. If you find a good barefoot trimmer they may be able to correct it without shoes.

After you get her figured out maintaining her should be pretty easy.

You have alot more patience than I have with this post.

Utah,

A: if you know what you are doing the vaccs will not cause the foal to abort.

B: why are you riding a pregnant mare on a hard ride, either breed her and take care of her or ride her and enjoy her. Not saying you can't ride a pregnant mare, just not hard, very light stuff.

C: If you don't want to spend money on vet bills, you have got the wrong kind of animal... buy a recliner.

D: Don't breed a horse just because you have a mare, there is enough horses on the ground. If you want to breed, breed for quaility... and that may take $1800 in vet bills to do. I too paid $1950 to breed my mare this year, and I was lucky enough to have her take on the first try.

If I sound harse it's because I have a problem with someone owning a horse but not willing to pay to take care of it. How many baby asprin for a 1000 lb horse? It's time to buy a book or do some serious research on line. Don't run away from these boards, good place to learn, but start a Vet fund and realize that is part of the game. And by the way Bute comes from a vet, you'll need a prescription. As the above quote said, 1 gram a day as needed, meaning if you give it for too many days (5 or 6) it could cause problems, it can be hard on the stomach.


Okay I'll put my wagging finger away.
Alan

 

[Utah]

Ugh! It is hard to take all of the different opinions and comments.

Anyway, I did find that the recommended dose for aspirin is 10mg per kg. That means the dose should be about 4000 mg per day for a 1000 pound horse. That is a lot and not real easy to dose either. I heve never used Bute. I will try the vet route here. Has anyone ever had to go the nerve block direction? He talked about it before. Just don't know enough about it.

The vet did x-ray both feet. No rotation at all. The corrective farrier did shoe her for a while but took her off of the 'natural balance" shoes placed further back, and put regular shoes back on. He also put them back on towards the front more. He couldn't keep me as a client because I was too far away from him. Do pads stay on very well? ANy other additions to shoes that I should consider?

She was confirmed pregnant at 3 weeks. She got real "horsey" about a month ago and I was sure she lost the baby. So, being almost sure, I did take her on a ride that was a good workout. It wasn't that big of a deal.

Two days later did I find out from the vet that she had lost the baby - like I thought she did.

If the people I got her from were honest, I'd have known what I was up against. They sold her as a sound horse that kept babies VERY well. From my experience, these are typical "horse traders."

Here is my frustration. I lost the baby, spent the funds, spent the time, have a fatter and lazier horse because of the pampering, and now have a sore footed mare.

I just wanted help taking care of her without all of the huge vet expense. IF I didn't care about how the horse felt, I'd just ride her with sore feet. Or, I'd stick her on my large pasture that doesn't all get eaten down by the cows. That is the cheap and ignorant way. Or I could sit in my recliner and blah, blah, blah.

I just needed some assistance.

 

[Alan]

Okay, now that you got my point and opened up a little I'll quit being a jerk . Maybe you can answer a couple of questions to help me get a clearer picture of what she is doing.

Does she or did she have shoes on during the ride that made her sore?

What do you mean be acted "horsey" and how far into the preg do you suspect she was when she lost he foal?

To answer some of your questions, pads stay on very well, they are simply placed between the shoe and the hoof and nailed on with the shoe.

I would go the bute route and stay away from asprin, I prefer the paste over the tablets.

I would stay very far away from nerve blocks. If you do that she will have no feeling in the leg from the block down. She will trip more, will not be able to sense stepping on things that will hurt her, not know that she is injured. IMO nerve blocks are an absolute last resort.

Good luck and I'm happy to give my opinion and hopfully help. Now I'll go sit in my recliner.

Alan

 

[born2run]

Do I read right she was confirmed at 3 weeks? Alan or someone else help me here, is this common to have a mare preg checked that early? Doesn't that in itself entail the risk of aborting the mare?

I'm a broodmare dummy.

 

[IHeartCows]

Utah - anyway you have some pictures of her hooves that show the condition, shape, and angle? I've found that some farriers always want to put a higher heel on them and that's not necessarily the way to go. A higher heel promotes navicular and actually cuts the bloodsupply and can pinch the nerves around the navicular bone - thus the disease and deterioration.

I'd be interested in seeing the hoof pictures if you can supply them. I had a mare w/ high heels [AND contracted heels] and zero toe when I got her. About every 2 weeks I'd file her heel down to the bars and leave her toe alone. I know it sounds crazy, but 6 months later her hooves look nothing like what they did. She has a very healthy heel now, zero contraction and her foot is actually bigger too! She moves better too.

If the mare doesn't have any hoof wall then she could be walking on her soles and of course that's going to hurt until she gets used to going barefoot. May want to get a hold of some formaldehyde from a farrier or vet and soak her soles in it as well.

Also - Horseshoer's Secret - You can get that from Country Supply very reasonable. I put my mare on it to encourage growth.

Tina

 

[oscar p]

We have our mares ultrasound at 18 to 21 days, that way if she isn't bred she is just comming back in heat and we will rebreed her. If she is bred, we will have her palpated ot 45 days to make sure she didn't absorb or slip it. Another thing about a ultrasound it tells if she has twins, if so the vet can eliminate one of them. Plus it can tell if she has cycst (? spelling).So I believe in the ultrasound. So born2run it is common to have one checked at 18 to 21 days.(ultrasound that is) the earliest you can palpate one is about 30 days.

 

[Alan]

Do I read right she was confirmed at 3 weeks? Alan or someone else help me here, is this common to have a mare preg checked that early? Doesn't that in itself entail the risk of aborting the mare?

I'm a broodmare dummy.

You can and should ultra sound at about 15 days, to check for twins. Then should do it again at 60 days, but can absorb the foal still later.

Alan

 

[Alan]

Sorry hadn't got to Oscar's post yet.... ditto.

Alan

 

[hayray]

And by the way, I am so tired of vet expenses... Anyone feel the same. The old timers that do it all on their own seem to have just as healthy horses with more money left in their pockets.

I'd just like to know what dose of aspirin a typical horse would get. Anyone know?

Yeah, I am going back to doing as much of my own vetrinary work as I can, my horse vet is ripping me off. These equine vets have really over sold themselves and we consumers have took it hook, line, and sinker - they are a barn yard animal for crying out lound.

 

[SilverCharm]

Another thing about a ultrasound it tells if she has twins, if so the vet can eliminate one of them.

Why would one of the twins be eliminated? Does having twins increase the chance of losing both foals or the mare?

 

[IHeartCows]

Horses can't handle twins very well. It is dangerous to the mare and both of the foals if she's allowed to carry them. Most of the time they'll be born early and may even stillborn. Because the mare isn't meant to carry both of these babies manytimes they'll abort on their own. But it still very important to get the mare ultrasounded between 15-20 days or so to check.

 

[holly heifer]

I had a $5500 colic surgery bill on a 5 year old horse
3 years ago. He is doing fine. Unfortunately, some need
extensive help and others live to a ripe old age with next to
no expenses!

 

[MillIronQH]

Do I read right she was confirmed at 3 weeks? Alan or someone else help me here, is this common to have a mare preg checked that early? Doesn't that in itself entail the risk of aborting the mare?

I'm a broodmare dummy.

You can do a sonogram at 17 days and a lot of the big gun race horse and warmblood breeders do. The thing is she could have absorbed the colt a month later and noone would be the wiser unless she was checked again.

I wouldn't discount laminitis (founder) but I'd be hunting a equine leg vet that knows what he or she is doing or I'd be on my way to A&M.

As far as giving a horse human asprin... If you have that type of money to waste I need some help with the feed bill.

Get a bottle of Bute tablets from your vet. They come in 1gram tablets. The simplist way I've found to give them is to crush them up and mix them with peanut butter. Cut the end off of a 60cc siringe stuff the mix in from the plunger end and give it like you would a paste wormer. 1gr 2x for four or five days and then PRN after that.Z

 

[clampitt]

Aspirin doesn't hurt anything we give it to a 21yr old barrel horse when we run out of hyluronex,I take em. the baby aspirin are not strong eneough.If she isn't foundered which the vet says she isn't?? I have seen that deal when they missed it pretty bad also and the horse was reallll foundered.Bute will over time kill red blood cells and is realy hard on kidneys and livers,Banimine is pretty good for short while but extended use of any of these will cause liver and kidney troubles.The horse I said the vet missed it he sure did and nearly sluffed a foot that can and will happen they do rotate but some times the heat will cause the sensative lamini in the hoof capsule to turn loose.Aspirin is a fever reducer and a blood thinner that is not a bad thing in a founder the blood will clot up in the foot and shut down the flow.I used Banimine and Recover, it is an antihistimine,don't get it in the blood,in the muscle like pen. on this horse he belonged to a friend a of mine and is still alive that was 15yrs ago.he is around 30 now.If she isn't pointing and with hoof testers she is soar.Stand her up if you trim her take off more toe than heel,long toe and short heel are what cause nav.as well as concussion of the nav.bursi.Speed up the break over.She could have a false soal clean the foot out and use a hoof knife to pair out the dead soal and get to live.I use a mix of Lugals solution(strong iodine) and formyldayde even mix pour it in the foot for a few days and it will kill all the thrush,white line disease and drive the quick up, and their feet will get hard.I have a horse here now that the woman who bought him is pretty knowledgeable and he was not going in the pen a barrel horse ride him and get him broke.She rold me first his feet are horrable who ever shod him don't need to be shoeing horses and fix him.He was soal bound that is a shoe too small and setting on the soal and nailed down with big no.5 or so city head nail, blood supply is cut off When a horses front feet start to point the blood is cut of and there is little or no blood flow throught the foot,(Venus Plexus and Terminal arch) .A healthy front foot is round not narrow.He was soal bound had and absess was too long toed,and contracted heels.I took us 3 half hrs to re set him.He hurt so bad.Never gave a min. trouble we just had to work a while and rest a while and let his foot spread and the blood flow get going again.He would stand there and sigh take a breath and start to relax.Yesterday was the first time I saw him run and play in the pen.This is long and drawn out but if founder is ruled out her feet are soar from being shod like I mentioned or just a litle brused up from no shoes.Pour the mix in her feet after you clean them out use use a hoof knife to clean out the dead soal and a wire brush to clean the foot good.A little Banamine for a few days wont hurt just to make her comfortable.