Kristy was originally diagnosed with laminitis (founder). It turned out that I should have gotten a second opinion, as my vet (who shall remain nameless) mis-diagnosed what was wrong with Kristy. I knew nothing about laminitis, and thought that the vet should know what he is doing. I didn't realize that he should have taken radiographs, as well as done a more thorough examination. He advised me to keep Kristy in for the summer, keep her on bute, and hand walk her daily. Well, it got to the point that Kristy could barely walk and the owner of the barn I rented wanted her off of his property. She was extremely thin, had sores on her from constantly lying down, and she looked pitiful.
I originally thought to have her euthanized, as she was in so much pain, except there was no where to bury her, and no one around that could haul "her" off the property once she was put down. I tried having someone come in and take her away (yes, it would have been to slaughter, but at this point the barn owner was all over me to get her out). I was in tears. I had a wonderful person lined up to take her to their home to try bringing her back to health, but she ended up with her own big vet expense. Then I had a person from Michigan contact me, and it was all set that Kristy would go up to there. The morning that this individual was to arrive, she called and told me that they had been rained out.
That weekend, my very good friends from Wisconsin arrived with my miniature horse. Rob Palmer is a farrier who specializes in the care of foundered horses. They both saw how heartbroken I was over Kristy's condition (she was so thin by this point, it was a miracle she was still alive). Rob looked at Kristy's feet and pointed out that she had a pus pucket and thrush. They took Kristy home to Wisconsin to fix her for me.
It turns out that Kristy is NOT foundered. She has severe thrush in her front feet which has caused the tendon in her left front leg to contract from her walking on her toe. Her feet showed no signs of laminae tearing, nor seperation at the toe. She is now moving freely, though still limping, but the thrush is clearing up. The soles of her feet are very healthy with no bruising or abscesses. The cleft between the bulbs of the heel is very soft, but in time it will heal.
Kristy's prognosis is very good. She is eating and drinking very well, so should start to gain weight and begin filling out again. If it weren't for her tremendous will to live, I believe Kristy would have died.
This page will be updated on a weekly basis as I get the pictures.