On his feet all day...

Yesterday, for the first time since he foundered, 'Mr Wonderful' would not lie down.

On one hand this is a good thing, as it indicates he is no longer in the acutely painful phase of his condition. Additional confirmation of this is the gradual diminishing of those bounding digital pulses, and his increasing ability to move around his stall for food, water, and companionship.

On the other hand, this is a bad thing. By lying down, a foundered horse takes the weight off of his inflamed feet, and consequently reduces the chances of further insult. That insult can result in additional rotation or sinking, should he still be in the acute phase of laminitis. In a case where one limb is more severely affected, it can result in damage to the 'good' limb. (In fact, many equine athletes who suffer a serious injury to one forelimb wind up with 'contralateral' laminitis from bearing too much weight on the healthier limb).

In Pookey's case, we believe the rotation and sinking have stopped, and are hoping to reduce pressure on the laminae so that they can begin to heal and regain their structural integrity.

Last week, at La Mesa Equine, farrier Joe Bear worked his magic on Pookey and began the process of derotation by applying a pair of rocker shoes to his front feet. He and Dr. Donnell then outfitted Pookey with a new pair of 'sneakers.' These were the Soft Rider boots he had been wearing for two weeks, but a smaller size to fit his foot after much of the flare and part of the toe had been pared down.

There is no question about it: the combination of judicious pain meds, farrier 'magic' and the boots definitely seems to be working! In an effort to encourage him to lie back down, we have been keeping the barn quieter (classical music on the radio, no rock) and have closed him back up in his 12x12 stall at night.

Oh, and scratching all of his favorite spots when he is stretched out in nap mode...