So our ever patient hoof care specialist made the trip again, in the hope that our ‘pick up yer dang foot already’ lessons were having some effect. And they were, somewhat. Jed’s foot is no longer cemented to the ground, but he still tends to paw rather then hold still. And he still regards Geri with some suspicion, as the crazy crush lady always trying to pick up his feet. I’m sure that Jed is trying to have patience with us! LOL
Soo, we were able to lift and clean his left foot, which we have done before. Ironic because it’s his right foot that is the worst and yet, he is still more willing to stand on it then let us clean it properly! All of our training progress still didn’t result yet in a lifted and quiet hoof. BUt because he would shift his weight off of it, Geri was able to use her saw again, and with patience and care, was able to slowly saw off each side of his heels! Whhooo Hooo! This will allow his foot to rock back and relieve pressure. This also told us that his right foot has some stinky fungus! I mean really stinky! (I know because I saved the hoof trims)…So it was a good day in the end, and Geri has given the green light for some turnout with the herd, finally! Tomorrow is the day!

Dear Jed,
“Ow ow ow, back back back” is shorthand for “There is a giant belgian hoof now stepping on my small human foot and it hurts like hell can you please lean back and step off IMMEDIATELY?!?”
Thank you for remembering this translation for the future.
Love, your mom

PROOF! See Jed, I now have visual proof that you can indeed pick up that right front foot, and keep weight off of it. PROOF! So PLEASE, Pick Up Yer Dang Foot Already when we ask!
Love, your mom

Apparently some horses are more sensitive to color then others. Jed for example, likes blue. Particularly cerulean blue! He much prefers water out of his blue bucket, and will wait for it to be refilled, unless he is really thirsty, then he will drink out of the bright green bucket (not the dark green). I cannot explain this but I also cannot explain hailstorms or the value of money. BUT I have observed this truth about Jed and so share it here.

I think Jed gets more visitors then most humans do in Delaware County! Today brought a friend and RF supporter a long way to finally meet Jed and the other horses that live at our sanctuary. Thank you Susan for being such a friend! This photo was silly but I found it quite endearing….

“Thankfully it’s quieted down around here, and the rain was only intermittent today, so I got to spend quality time outside with a giant bale of hay. Pearl was there as well, she isn’t so bad after all. At least she’s put on a little weight and she’s starting to get a cute drafty tushie…Hey, a single gelding can look, right?”

“The woman with the crush on me was here again, but I have to say I was not amused with her company. She kept trying to pick up and hold my sore foot no matter how politely I tried to tell her that it hurt. She just wouldn’t stop, and even enlisted ‘my human’ to help her try. I just had to say No. Couldn’t they see it was infected and draining? With humans you need a lot of patience. Then two more humans arrived, I liked them despite their needles. But man, I must’ve had too much hay because I became so tired and drowsy I could hardly stay awake! I mean, you would have thought I was drugged! I still don’t understand why this was the time that the crush lady with all the tools decided to hold my hoof again and I got a little rude in reply; as if she couldn’t see my tail swishing….
Now here’s the strange part; since I wouldn’t pick up my hoof, they hung around and they cleaned my sheath! The indignity! All I could do was swish my tail angrily, but I was too doped up to say any more. I’ll bet they didn’t tell you about that part! Jeez, what a horse has to put up with….”

Long day today and in the end, not much accomplished. Our hoof care specialist arrived and our vet finally arrived and with Jed, we all finally conferred. Putting a horse out completely is much more serious then tranquilizing them standing, apparently, with many more dangers, especially when the horse is conscious again. Especially when their feet are wonky, and their hip doesn’t work. And especially when they are the size of Jed. It was finally determined that this was not in the best interest of Jed, but that a lower dose of tranq. ‘might’ suffice. Well even with the lower dose, Jed was knocked heavily out, very unstable on his feet and yet, and yet, he would not be trimmed. He would not let us trim that right front foot. We did get a bit more off of the left front, but that one he has allowed before. It’s the right one, the most sore one, that he firmly planted in the ground and said “no”. And when a belgian horse says no, there’s not much a human can do. I cajoled, I re-postioned, I turned and I shoved and I lifted and I spoke nicely. Jed was not budging.
So lots of people’s time was wasted and of greater concern, Jed lost the day of improved hoof. There was one bit of good news, a huge abscess all along the outer ridge of his coronary band did break and is draining, so he was much more comfortable today. This part is a great development.I discovered this early today and spent a fair chunk of time, while waiting for everyone, pushing infected puss out of Jed’s sore abscess area. Yuk! But needed.
So, after our big plan today failed, we discussed other options; another trimming plan is being concocted, and we need stocks to do it. Jed and most amish draft horses are trimmed in stocks (like a narrow wood stall) and the sling that is built in can support the horse and help get him off his feet. I’ve never used stocks, I consider hoof care and training to be a basic building block, BUT it’s now our best option. We need to beg or borrow a draft size stock and then we need to trim that hoof of Jeds. If we can trim him here, we save him the stress and danger of travel, and we can relieve this pressure on his hoof wall. So a set of stocks! And we need to do this soon.

Time to have a little talk. Jed is happy and much improved, but he is far from out of the woods with his recovery from severe founder. Jed is very lame right now. Since last week, his right front leg has been swollen from the knee down. Some days it’s better, some worse. Experience (and Geri!) tells us that this is likely an abscess brewing in his hoof somewhere, an infection that needs to push it’s way out. This is as painful as it sounds, but generally not life-threatening. Normal horses sometimes get abscesses, and are lame for a short time, and then recover. But Jed’s is more complicated.
Jed has a few problems that he’s fighting at the same time. Bear with me while I try and sum it up (which is good practice for me, since this is new to me as well). Jed’s laminitis and founder has caused the bone inside his foot to rotate forward; this is also as painful as it sounds. It creates increased pressure on the hoof wall, which is relieved by lots of trims to keep his hoof short and his heel low, while he grows a new, attached hoof. The problem right now is two-fold; the rotated bone is putting pressure on the front of his hoof, decreasing bloodflow to that area, causing it to weaken. It looks like it might just cave in. One solution would be to shorten his heel radically, to change the angle of his hoof and relieve pressure (hopefully), but trimming a hoof that is brewing an abscess is like dental surgery without anesthesia. Not possible. We could completely knock him out and do the trim, and we may.
Conversely, there is a more radical approach to relieving that front pressure; the more common approach is something called a section, where they knock the horse out and cut off most of the front hoof, right under where it’s collapsing. Then they put a ‘boot’ on that is drilled in on both sides, to support the horse while he grows a new hoof. Frankly I am terrified by this prospect. But maybe it would work? I imagine this boot, and it’s care, would last about six months.
There is a newer approach that is much less invasive, involving drilling holes in that same area to relieve pressure; the horse still has to be knocked out, and as you can now imagine, it’s very difficult to predict which, if any, of these measures might work.
Jed has barely been willing to lift up this foot, but we did get a brief look at the bottom today (he did pick it up when I asked, sweet boy). It’s way overgrown. Something should probably be done. It would be possible to wait, keep giving him the anti-inflamatory herbs, and hope that the abscesses break and he feels better enough to be trimmed. This is the least invasive approach and may be best. Sometimes aggressive medicine has it’s own new challenges, including stress, infection, etc.
Performing either of the operations would require us to trailer Jed to someone hours away, a dangerous move in itself with his instability. Another factor, is, what vet? there is no vet that we know who might even perform the second version, it’s so new. So right now this option is still only a theory.
Now add the concern for ‘supporting limb laminitis’, i.e. the other leg that’s doing all the work, failing. This is what actually becomes the ‘straw’ for many horses, as owners futilely try slings, and other injuries occur. We are quite concerned about his left foot. It’s not a well foot either, that left hoof. And Jed is huge and heavy, even as a thin Belgian. Is your head hurting yet from all of the factors? Mine is!
I know this is more detail then many of you want, but this record is also for me; We’re going to make a decision and plan our next step. I hope to be able to read back in years, and look out the window at a healthy Jed, and think, “oh yeah, I remember how dark those days were”. I hope. But right now I am just not sure. His foot looks terrible and he keeps telling me it hurts.
Please keep us in your thoughts.

A solo show of paintings is opening today, by RF founder Dawn Petrlik, which really has no bearing on Jed at all, EXCEPT, he is one of the main subjects of the work! This small beautiful Jed painting, entitled “Jed Smiles”, was the first piece sold in the show, to a friend of Jed’s. We’re so happy to share his inspiration in this way….
The art show is on view until June 24, 2011 in Stamford NY, or online! Visit our FB page for a full photo album of the show!