Cash

Cash was a gorgeous 12-year-old award-winning Quarter Horse show horse with a severe coffin joint infection in the left front leg. The cause of the infection could not be established, and he had been taken to Michigan State University Animal Hospital for treatment. The prognosis was grim: a 35% chance of returning to normal activity, and only a 50% chance of survival. Cash had already undergone three surgeries and had endured extreme pain. As he came to Wild Apple Ranch, we could see that he was surrounded by a family who desperately wanted him to heal. and he had a heart big enough to do anything we asked of him.

We put Cash in a special stall designed for intensive care horses. The extra-large size of the stall gave him plenty of room to move around. Pain kept him completely off the affected foot, so standing on only three legs required that we protect the good leg with wraps. The anti-inflammatory medication he was receiving did not seem to control the pain, but we hoped it was controlling inflammation. We iced the swollen leg and re-bandaged the wound area and the entire leg several times a day. Wound management was relentless, as was keeping his good leg bandaged to protect it from stress-related laminitis. Continuously removing the bandages, massaging and icing helped to stimulate circulation, since movement and pressure on the hoof was very limited.

Massaging both legs and grooming several times each day, we endeavored to keep Cash as comfortable as possible. For two months we continued the therapy with countless hours, rolls of bandaging, and continuous consultation with veterinarians. Slowly becoming able to put weight on the sore foot, Cash cautiously began to move about his stall.

Looking out his Dutch door, our patient wanted to be outside. His paddock was filled with soft sand to provide plenty of cushion. With veterinarian permission, Cash limped out with bobbing head but with happy eyes, and stumbled his way around the paddock--his first steps toward recovery. It was a small but encouraging bit of progress.

As time went on, Cash had good days and some bad days. The infection was gone, and Cash's veterinarian from MSU suggested a steroid injection in the joint to ease the pain and help him regain more use of the foot. The injection was given, and the next day Cash was very sore. But on the second day, Cash showed much improvement, and on the third day, even more, and he improved day-by-day. We began leading Cash out of the barn and paddock for 15-minute walks. By late fall we put him in a larger stall that had access to an even larger paddock. He took full advantage of the area and even trotted, using the foot more and more.

As fall turned into winter, Cash's condition continued to improve. Special farrier work made him more comfortable and he began to surprise us with bucks and kicks. After almost eight months, the veterinarians gave permission for a light ride. The family's dedication had not wavered, and what a delight it was to see the eyes of a little girl reunited with her blue-ribbon best friend.

Splash

Splash was a beautiful 7-year old gelding Paint with a two-week old puncture wound in the left front leg that would not heal. With swelling and heat in the leg, the veterinarian instructed us to wash the wound once a day and also treat with ointment, bandage, and give an oral antibiotic twice a day. As the wound did not respond, and a small bump was noticed above the wound area, we notified the veterinarian who gave new instructions. We were to flush twice daily, apply warm compresses 3 times daily, administer penicillin twice daily and Gentocin once daily for five days. While flushing, we noticed a pocket that appeared, and notified the veterinarian who took x-rays and placed a drain tube to allow thorough flushing. We flushed twice daily, applied warm compresses 3 times daily, and administered oral antibiotics for 12 additional days. The wound showed improvement, and after six more days, we removed the sutures and the drain tube. Splash happily went home to his stablemates in perfect condition.