Rehabilitation Case Studies
This pony had a long-term “sub-clinical” history of grass founder, and came to us suffering acute laminitis in the spring of 2004.
She arrived at Mayfield B.H.C.C on 13/11/04 in a perilous state with pedal bone protrusion in all four feet, totally unable to walk and in serious pain even on phenylbutazone.
We trimmed her hooves (while she was lying down) and put her in a rubber long yard with soft footing and mulch at one end.
Download Jenny Wren's story ...
After two months
She lay down mostly on the soft mulch for a few days, then gradually spent more time on her feet, first on the mulch and then on the rubber.
With a combination of 24 hour/day on rubber, abstinence from green grass, daily walking along the rubber long yard and physiologically correct weekly trimming, Jenny Wren returned to the land of the living. A couple of massage sessions helped her bound-up shoulders and wasted muscles.
After 4 months
After four months she went home to her own farm, not quite sound, but a very willing walker. The protrusions had healed over and new connection in the laminae had reached ground level at the heels. She was given Bowen treatments at this stage as the healing really progressed.
It is now 13th May 05 (6months after arriving at Mayfield) and Jenny Wren is back.
She is close to 100% right with new connection now grown past the centre of gravity (to the front of the frog). It has been a big job but Jenny Wren is a real little battler who never even thought about giving up. Hopefully her story may help to show others what is possible with bare hoof rehabilitation. Serious laminitis and even pedal bone penetration is no longer a death sentence.