09-24-08

Today was a day at the vet. After the morning chores were done we loaded up the horses that were going to the vet. Macho was more than willing for whatever adventure laid in front of him.

We arrived at the vet and the horses were unloaded. Macho Man seemed so excited. There was so many new things to see!

Two of the horses that were taken to the vet were there for the Last Act of Kindness. One was the old foundered mare. Our vet and bare foot trimmer both recommended that due to her age and founder, along with her bad rear leg, the kindest thing to do was to relieve her suffering. The other was Rosey. We have been diligently trying to find a home for her, but potential adopters were concerned about her sever fibrotic myopaythy, and that she required an experienced rider. With the hard economic times, there are fewer and fewer qualified homes looking for pasture pets. We can all be thankful that these two wonderful horses were spared the brutality of slaughter. They fell asleep peacefully, eating grain and knowing that they were loved and cared for.

One of the other horses we took to the vet was rescued at the last auction. His name is Mariah. He is a 12 year old TB, off the track at one time. He is absolutely sweet and is very well trained to ride. Tawnee noticed something going on with his hind end, but upon examination the vet agreed that there was some weakness going on. She said most likely he just needs some good conditioning and some proper care. If she didn't have so many horses he would already be in adoption pending.

Finally the wait was over for Macho Man. Both of his front feet are clubbed, but one is really bad. His is literally walking on his tippy toe. He is 10 years old, and he has been like this all his life. We wanted to see if there was anything we could do to make his little world a more comfortable place.

X-rays were taken...

..and the x-rays show that his tendon is severely contracted. The red line represents a tendon pulling on the coffin bone, pulling his hoof further and further down. If left untreated his hoof may continue to turn under until it buckles and he would no longer be mobile.

We were told the best solution was a surgery and corrective trimming. The surgery would be $300-$500. On the way back to the ranch Tawnee was brainstorming on fundraising ideas. We stopped by the post office to pick up the mail, and guess what was there? A little card with a note that says "Hope this helps a bit - best of luck!" and a check for $500! We immediately excitedly called the vet to schedule his surgery, she said "Man, you should have left him here!" We didn't know the money was in the mailbox or we would have. His surgery is schedule for Oct 2nd. He will be a lot more comfortable once it is all done and he has recovered. Thank you so much Renata and Raj for your generous donation.