Sonny
14-year-old
Thoroughbred Gelding
Sonny was
bought at auction six years ago out of the "killer pen" with his right
front foot chronically foundered. On of my most documented Case
Studies, Sonny's right front foot has been an amazing path to
soundness...
|
 |
| Sonny |
|
|
|
Sonny became my
client in August of 2004 having suffered from off-limb laminitis in his right
front foot. With frequent corrective trimming, Sonny quickly became much more
comfortable. However, due to the very wet environment he was boarded in, Sonny
was abscessing chronically. In August 2005 we moved Sonny to Daisy Haven Farm
to create a better environment for healing.
Once at the
farm, Sonny resumed improvement to his RF foot, however, still required a boot
and pad to be comfortable due to his thin sole. This ended up perpetuating the
moist environment and while the abscessing had slowed down, wasn’t resolved
completely. Sonny still had periods of non-weight bearing on his RF leg.
When radiographed, it was easy to understand why the moist environment was
having this impact on his foot. The lack of sole depth in combination with
softness of his hoof capsule (due to moisture) was just enough to promote
bruising and abscessing.
In January 2006
we decided to try the EponaShoe. We felt the boot had become detrimental to
Sonny's foot, and the EponaShoe would provide the correct environment thereby
promoting healthy structure to grow.
It wasn’t until
April 2006, after training with John and Monique
Craig of Creston CA on the use of glue, that I was able to keep the shoes on
Sonny. You can see from the radiographs taken
in June 2006 that our expectations were exceeded in Sonny’s response to the
EponaShoe. He had already increased his sole depth and hadn’t abscessed once.
|
Unfortunately, after doing so
well in his new shoes, in July 2006 Sonny colicked and had surgery at New Bolton Center.
While Sonny came thru the surgery with flying colors, he did suffer some
additional laminitis at that time, which we expected. Radiograph below of Sonny's right front foot in November 29, 2006 with advanced P3 rotation. Palmar P3 angle at this time was 28 degrees. Also notice loss of bone mass at dorso-distal aspect of P3 due to osteomyelitis (bone infection).
|
After consultation with Dr. Scott Morrison of Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital in Lexington, Ky, we
treated the bone infection with larval therapy, prescribed by Dr. Mark Donaldson of Unionville Equine in Oxford, PA, which cleaned up the infection and necrotized tissue. For more information on larval therapy, please visit Monarch Labs: www.MonarchLabs.com
Images below show application of larval therapy thru existing abscess drainage track.
|
Notice significant bruising and drainage track on Sonny's sole:
|
It had taken from August
2004 to Spring 2006, almost 2 years, to significantly lower Sonny's palmar P3
angle thru corrective trimming. We felt Sonny did not have another 2 years to
go thru that process again. Therefore it was at this point we felt we had no
option left but a deep digital flexor tenotomy.
Pictures below show Sonny's right front foot before and after deep digital flexor tenotomy. Image on the left is before the tenotomy with a 20 degree palmar P3 angle. Image on the right is after tenotomy with corrective trimming to a 7 degree palmar P3 angle.
|
Sonny's right front foot as of June 2007. Notice improvement in angle of wall growth below the hairline, improvement of pastern angle, and increased ground support length. Sonny's sole has thickened with no abscessing. At this time Sonny has become sound.
|
By August 2007 the laminar wedge on Sonny's right front foot is gone and a tighening of his white line is evident!
|
Sonny's right front foot as of November 2007. There continues to be no evidence of lamness.
Palmar P3 angle at this time is 3 degrees. There appears to be an increase in bone mass at the dorso-distal aspect of P3. Notice impressive depth of sole.
|
|
