Jennie's 8 week update

Time for a quick post on Jennie, who has been here for 8 weeks and has had us all worried not just because she was so footsore (despite being out of shoes for several months before she arrived here) but also because she has a quite severe hind limb lameness which has also limited her movement and of course the work we can do with her. 

Despite these disadvantages, she has made some good changes to her feet as you can see from these comparison photos. 

Although she came diagnosed with navicular and related soft tissue damage she was so uncomfortable (despite being on a very safe diet)  that it was important to rule out metabolic problems. With a clear PPID test, it was likely that the main cause of her discomfort was collateral ligament strain due to medio-lateral imbalance. 

In these photos you can see that her hoof capsule was actually contracted not just at the heels but at sole level as well - the hoof walls in the top photo are pinched, so that her foot is narrower at ground level than at the coronet  - something you normally only see in an undeveloped foal foot.  

Though her heels are still under-run her toe is shorter and more importantly the distortion in her hoof capsule (clear from the bulge in the hairline in her original photo) is improving slowly - another sign of better medio-lateral balance. 

The same story on her left front, but of course as the front feet started to improve the hind limb lameness only became more obvious.  Jennie has been x-rayed and has bony changes in her hocks which have now been medicated, so we hope very much that she will soon be much more capable.

Her heels meanwhile are becoming less contracted and under-run but its a slower process than normal as we are so limited in the work she can do. 

 Again, the medio-lateral imbalance and hoof capsule contraction are very clear from this angle.

 Even after 8 weeks she still has a pinched hoof, though its slowly getting stronger.

Lots of the famous blog-readers good vibes for Jennie, please!