Fused Ankle
Posted: Wed Feb 23, 2005 12:04 pm
We have a mare with a fused ankle. It is what it is and it's not going to "get better" or "go away" and I understand that.
She's a broodie, and each year when her time to foal gets close and the baby is big and heavy, the poor mare can barely walk. Each year I feel SO sorry for her but, being about to deliver a foal, I'm not excited about pumping her full of pain killers. I'm not even 100% sure it's pain that's causing the problem walking, it may just be the inability to use that joint that makes her limp and hobble and look like she's miserable.
Once she has the foal, she does better, although she always has a pronounced limp and moves around pretty slowly, even when she's not bred or in the early stages of pregnancy; I can't remember the last time I saw her go along at more than a slow walk. We keep her in a smaller area instead of out in our big field, so she doesn't have to travel much, her hay/water/shelter is all in one place.
This is a really nice mare and I struggle with this all the time... I've discussed it with our vet repeatedly, and the concensus there is that it's probably more lack of motion than actual pain which causes her to look so pathetic as she tries to get around. You can't "unfuse" an ankle... so, does anyone have any brilliant ideas on how I can make her life any more pleasant?
She's a broodie, and each year when her time to foal gets close and the baby is big and heavy, the poor mare can barely walk. Each year I feel SO sorry for her but, being about to deliver a foal, I'm not excited about pumping her full of pain killers. I'm not even 100% sure it's pain that's causing the problem walking, it may just be the inability to use that joint that makes her limp and hobble and look like she's miserable.
Once she has the foal, she does better, although she always has a pronounced limp and moves around pretty slowly, even when she's not bred or in the early stages of pregnancy; I can't remember the last time I saw her go along at more than a slow walk. We keep her in a smaller area instead of out in our big field, so she doesn't have to travel much, her hay/water/shelter is all in one place.
This is a really nice mare and I struggle with this all the time... I've discussed it with our vet repeatedly, and the concensus there is that it's probably more lack of motion than actual pain which causes her to look so pathetic as she tries to get around. You can't "unfuse" an ankle... so, does anyone have any brilliant ideas on how I can make her life any more pleasant?