More about Red
Update 07/01/2021
Unfortunately it is official now that we have to face the fact that Red will never be sound enough to be ridden again.
Yesterday we had a second opinion from our local vet, who is now also part of our network, about her condition. We talked through everything we've had done for her in effort to get her sound. Sadly, he agreed that there really isn't anything else to do beside a neurectomy which is out of the question. There are way more cons than pros to take that step, at least at this point. We would only consider a neurectomy if Red would get so bad that it would be a question of just buying her more time.
She is definitely not at that point at all yet. Red is a happy little horse who still loves to play and run with the other horses and also loves to go on walks. Carrying a rider is just out of the question.
Red is now up for adoption or a foster home. This sweetheart would be perfect for someone who doesn't ride but would love to have a equine companion to go on walks with and just love on her all day long. Red is a very affectionate mare who loves attention.
She is super smart! She would also do well as a companion for a horse that needs a buddy. Red loads, ties, stands for fly spray and farrier without a problem.
Until Red finds her perfect foster home or forever home she will be part of our small therapy program. Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions!
Please note that Red will need injections in the future to maintain her as comfortable as possible!
Update 04/24/2021
Red, sweet little Red. What a wonderful girl she is 🙂
Red is such a nice horse and we wish we could get her completely sound.
She is probably at about 80%. Last time the farrier was out we switched her to bar shoes with a 2 degree wedge pad. It seems that the bar shoes give her a little more stability. At our next appointment we are going to use a 3 degree wedge pad in hopes it will help her break over easier and make her even more comfortable.
Otherwise Red is absolutely enjoying life. Her best friends are Lilly and Digger. Those three are never up to any good 🙂 They are like little kids, always something up their sleeves. Lol.
Red also finished her spring vaccines and also got her teeth floated.
Her total cost was: $ 284.
Please consider a small donation to help with the cost.
Thank you!
Update 01/12/2021
It's been a little while since we wrote an update on Red but we have been monitoring her closely.
Unfortunately, injecting Red´s Bursa's directly didn´t help her as much as we hoped.
The first couple of weeks gave us hope that she was on the right path, however we never got over 75% soundness. Red seemed very comfy this way but once we started getting into the colder weather, we were able to see that she got more and more uncomfortable.
So the question was raised if it would be time to do a neurectomy.
The problem with taking this step is, that there is absolutely no guarantee this will help her for a long time. Most horses only get sound for about 18 month until the nerve starts growing back together again. A second procedure of this kind is not an option.
So we started doing research on the Internet and we found a whole lot of stuff, that turned out to be just wishful thinking ... after consulting with our vet.
But then we found a treatment called "Tildren".
We also brought this to our vets attention and there was a new possibility he thought of:
Let´s try the Tildren in combination with IRAP.
So what is IRAP:?
Irap® is an advanced syringe system which is used to produce autologous condition serum (ACS). By harnessing the regenerative and anti-inflammatory properties of the horse's own (autologous) blood cells, damaged musculoskeletal tissues are encouraged to heal.
Back in 2017 we had an amazing result with our "private horse" Bella who tore a tendon.
What is Tildren:?
Restores Balance in the Bone
Managing the clinical signs of navicular syndrome in horses can present a challenge. Yet, with more than 250,000 doses administered worldwide in the last 12 years, Tildren® (tiludronate disodium) offers a proven option for veterinarians and horse owners. Indicated for the control of clinical signs associated with navicular syndrome in horses four years and older, Tildren® restores balance to the process of bone remodeling.
(Source copied from https://www.tildren.us/)
So yesterday on January 11th, 2021 we had our vet combine these two treatments.
Now we just have to see if, or how much it will help her. We will also do some changes to her corrective shoeing!
We would like to thank our vet Dr. Johnson, owner of Classic Equine LLC, for donating the Tildren which is at a cost of $ 435. We only had to pay for the administration of the Tildren.
So our vet bill got reduced with the IRAP to $1490.
Please consider donating to our rescue! We try very hard to get get the best and lasting treatment for our horses!
Thank You!
Update 09/25/2020
So here is how Red's recovery has been going:
Three days after Red got injected she was put on shoes by our farrier with a 3 degree wedge pad on August 24, 2020. We watched her closely for the next two weeks to see how much she would improve. We saw a little change but her walk didn´t improve as much as we hoped, so we scheduled another appointment with our vet to get her navicular bursas injected, this time directly. Unfortunately the first injection in the coffin joint didn't work.
Our vet came out on Monday 09/21/2020 to do the procedure. Now 4 days later we are starting to notice an improvement in her walk. She is not as short stepped as she was. It's not at 100% yet but we are hoping that her walk will continue to improve within the next days.
Red is a very sweet and lovely little mare. She became good friends with Bentley, Lilly, Zoe and Digger.
At this point we don't know if she will get to the point of recovery where she can be adopted out but we are thinking about making her a therapy horse. She came to us from a very good home so she absolutely has the potential to do such a job. Red is nosy and very open to people, loves attention and is not spooky.
Red's vet bill from 09/21/2020 was $530. So far we have spent a total of $1535 on her vet bills all together. Please consider donating a little bit to us to help with the cost.
Thank you!
Radiographic Guidance injecting the bursa and horse shoe with 3 degree wedge pad:
Before: Video taken August 17, 2020
After: Video taken August 21, 2020
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08/09/2020 More pictures of Red:
