Shade

Photo copyright Aji, 2015; all rights reserved.

That little girl in the middle? The dark brown one, looking this way?

That's Shade.

She's a monster. Cree's daughter; spoiled rotten. All arrogance and attitude.

She also may have inherited a few too many of the wrong genes from Cree.

Cree had a tough time of it before Wings rescued her. What he didn't know, but eventually had to learn on the fly, was that she had a tendency to laminitis — a tendency that eventually became a full-blown case of founder. 

Not before she produced a beautiful filly, though.

In the last year, Cree's also become Cushingoid (insulin resistance that has now developed into equally full-blown Cushing's disease). All of these conditions are intertwined with each other. We thought we were in the clear with Shade; after all, she'll turn 13 in May. 

Unfortunately, that's also a prime age for these problems to begin to manifest, and we may have a problem.

Since early fall, she's begun developing a cresty neck, a sign of potential insulin resistance (and eventually, possibly more serious problems, as well). Over the last few weeks, she's become gimpy, with no apparent cause. We spent a good long while on her feet late this afternoon. Again.

The good news? She currently shows no signs of inflammation of the laminae of the hoof, which would be a clear indicator of laminitis (and, if not halted, eventual founder). The bad? Both her forehooves are painful when tested, and not in an encouraging area.

So.

There are things we can do. Wings took off a little more of the hoof, continuing the work he's begun to correct the shaping she gets when trimmed. We soaked her for a half-hour or so in apple cider vinegar, to help begin drawing any abscesses that might be locked inside the hooves. A little while ago, I ordered a supply of jiaogulan, otherwise known as gynostemma pentaphyllum, a Chinese herb that has shown good results in laminitic horses (and horses with insulin resistance, Cushing's, and other such conditions). We have experience with it; we've used it with Cree. With any luck, it'll be here by mid-week or so. We'll pick up some magnesium locally, if possible. And eventually, we may wind up putting her on the full protocol we've used with Cree in the past, including blue-green algae and a few other things. The goal, of course, is to stop it in its tracks.

But beyond the dollars and cents and supplements and sense, she can always use those intangibles that can't be bought. So if you have anything to spare tonight, some good thoughts and prayers for our monster girl couldn't hurt.

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Aji, 2015; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.