In other news, I finally got to take my ass for a walk this evening. I haven't been able to play with either of them all week. Pedro really likes to get out and cruise around.
Here is Bella's funny shoe and pad. They look to me like they're set on crooked. They are coming off tomorrow. I'm going to leave her barefoot and hope I can afford to take her to the vet instead and get a real diagnosis. I couldn't find any pain or lesion in her tendon today when I palpated it as per vet's instructions. So... Who knows what the heck the problem actually is. Can an old splint cause permanent lameness? She has a big one on that leg.
What do her knees look like, Andrea? A bone spur on the knee turned out to be my girl's problem, causing that niggling mild uneven-ness that is so hard to pinpoint. Just one idea anyway. Took us ages to narrow it down for Possum.
ReplyDeleteOh, and my girl had stifle issues too, which took our attention away from looking for other stuff for a long time...
ReplyDeleteCowboy's splints never caused him any lameness, but I've heard they can.
ReplyDeleteYou're really making me want an ass now. I've been talking it over with the grandkids. Who sells baby donkeys around here? I do think I want to start from a baby. Are they expensive?
Her knees look fine to me, but I've decided I don't know a darn thing. :) I'll have the vet check everything.
ReplyDeleteLinda, you should get one! I don't know where you'd get a baby. I don't think I ever see them for sale, unless maybe there are minis for sale. I don't look at mini ads. There's a mammoth jack somewhere near Spokane named Coffee Hollow Espresso but I think they mainly breed mules. They might know someone who breeds donkeys though.
There's a rescue called Lavender Dreams Farm and Donkey Rescue, you can find it on Facebook. But they definitely don't believe in breeding donkeys so I'm sure they don't have babies much.
There's a breeder toward the east side of Montana - you can find her if you google Rocky Mountain Songbirds. I don't think she usually sells them until they're a little older but maybe you could talk with her about it.
There's also a mini breeder in Athol, she might know where to find a bigger baby donkey. Or maybe you wouldn't mind a mini? www.silveraspenfarms.com
I think it will be expensive if you're looking for a baby... But maybe not. Sometimes you can stumble on an amazing deal, like I did.
Are those her hind shoes? I've never seen that shape on a front shoe before (not that I've seen a million shoes or anything). That shape looks more like a hind shoe though...fronts are more round, not diamond shaped. I think getting an actual diagnosis and then maybe working with a farrier that works with the vet might be a good call.
ReplyDeleteKara, you're right, those are hind shoes. He felt her front feet were shaped like hind feet. I think he just left her toes too long.
ReplyDeleteWhen he took the shoes off yesterday she started walking more normally almost immediately. I am going to have a vet check her out, but it might be a while before I can do that. I need to get my winter's supply of hay in before I can start spending on anything else.
Hmmm, I think that if you put hind shoes on the front, you are in advertantly leaving too much toe out in front of the widest part of the hoof, and that puts stress on the tendons that go up the back of the hoof and run up the back of the leg. Didn't you say that she had a lump in one of those tendons and that's why he thought she needed special shoes? That totally seems counter-productive. I can also see why maybe she was landing toe first...her breakover was so far forward that by the time she got over that hoof, it was already time to put the foot back down. She dind't have time to extend and land heel first. Just some thoughts.
ReplyDeleteKara, that's exactly what I thought. First thing I did when he left was fix that toe length. IF I decide to shoe again, I'll find a different farrier. This guy is pretty new, but came from a good school, so I was hoping that he'd have all the info fresh in his head and still be idealistic - not sloppy like some of the other farriers around.
ReplyDeleteThe other thing is, I couldn't find anything wrong with her tendon when I palpated it.
I hope she become stronger and sound unshod. Shoeing is often the cause of lameness issues.
ReplyDeleteWhen I first got my mare, she would get gimpy after trail rides and would even limp. She could barely walk a 5 mile trail carrying me. My farrier refused to put shoes on her and said she just needed to get used to our steep rocky terrain up here in the mountains, as I had bought her from a place in the Rio Grande Valley where there are no rocks or even small hills.
Then I had her nerve block tested and the vet discovered that Apache has arthritis in her shoulder. She's been on Select Legacy Joint Supplement for 6 months now and she can carry me up up steep rocky mountains for 10+ mile trail rides. I'm so glad she has a new lease on life. She's so much happier and is strong and feeling good. :)
~Lisa
Oh and I wanted to add that donkeys are available everywhere down here in New Mexico, Texas and Arizona. You can get them for $25 or less at many livestock auctions, and the BLM practically gives the wild burros away during sales and auctions. They can had for under $10.
ReplyDeleteThere are also many many donkey rescues that will let you adopt wonderful donkeys, babies and adults..some rideable, some trainable to pack or drive, or just be a companion.
They will charge $100 or less per donkey. I don't know anyone who breeds donkeys around here because they are so rampant and easily available.
~Lisa