No, it’s not a new drug. As we get Bobo ready to travel, we had a few things checked out. You know the things that you have happened and seemed little or odd but have corrected themselves with some rest a time? We have noticed Bobo being sore since Decemberish. I think that was that last time I remember Julie riding him. He has always been sore after being trimmed and there have been a few times when he was to sore to ride. So when the vet that did his Coggins test and other things said he was worried about foundering Julie took notice. Me, I don’t know much about what that means as I married into horses and am learning as I go. Here are my notes about High Ringbone and what is means for Mr. Bobo. This morning the farrier, who gave me an excellent crash course into the physics of horse hoof anatomy, told me that he suspected Bobo had arthritis and it was causing High ringbone - in my layman and unscientific terms is ossification around the top of his pastern bones that causes spurs to form in the front and on the sides where the joint rotates and the ligaments give support. In the video below, watch the slow motion part and you will see (especially the left hoof) how he flips the toe up at the last minute and then lands on the heel and rolls forward. He is doing that to compensate for the pain. Ironically, that compensation exacerbates the condition casuses the pain in the first place. The prognosis is a treatable condition. His diagnosis is mild to moderate and it is still early so there are treatments. We are starting with a steroid injection and proper trimming to get his hoof back to the angle it should be so that he doesn’t have to adjust his walk to compensate for the pain. The injections could give him relief for anywhere between 6 eeks to six months, perhaps more, it just depends on the horse and how he is used. Since Bobo is a pet and the antithesis of a workhorse he enjoys leisurely rides with Hannah. Hopefully we can get him back to gentle trail rides by late fall or early winter. The vet who took the x-rays also recommended something called Bute as a supplement but it needs a prescription so I’ll wait until Julie can weigh in on what she wants to do with that. I think it is supposed to have an effect sort of like glucosamine but better or more for horses. The Farrier is coming back out early next week and poor Mr. Bobo will be very sore after that. I’ll be checking on him regularly and making sure that injection site doesn’t get infected and also making sure the other horses don’t pick on him because he has to wear the bandages around his hoofs for a little bit :-) Here is the video with the slow motion and still photos that the farrier took, notice how he flips up his toe and then rolls from the heel forward. In the stills you can see the marker lines he made for where the trimming should be, where it currently is and the mid point of the hoof.
5/9/2012 ~ 3 min read
