The Battle Against Canker Starts

Three farrier appointments later, two of those three included a vet so we could sedate Charm, and we had back shoes with plates officially on by Nov 10th. We were set! I had the shoeing stock at my barn, stationed right next to my trailer (delivery of the stock was delayed due to mud). The trailer has lights so for the short days ahead due to winter. 

All we had to do going forward was to unbolt the hospital plate from the shoe and pack with gaze then wrap one time, bolt the plate back on the shoe and away we go. See pictures below:

No problem, right? We have the shoeing stock and oral sedatives. The farrier made the process look fairly simple. The was one problem, ok maybe 2 problems. Charm was barely touched by the oral sedative and my farrier has what I would compare to super human strength. Charm isn't what I consider a huge horse, he is smaller in size for a draft horse cross probably weights about 1500lbs. So compared to my Goliath, not a super big horse. Not huge, but plenty big enough to make it nearly impossible for me to pick up his feet. The plan was that I would be doing this alone since I don't really have anyone to come help me before 5:30pm on the week days. 

It was quickly discovered that I would not be changing his bandages alone. Heck if Sarah and I could get his bandages changed with both of us there it would be a miracle. The first day we attempted it without my farrier it took 2 hours! 2 hours of fighting to get his foot tied up to the stand. We got it up there more than once, only to have him fight and rip it away mid bandage change. We just couldn't get it tied tight enough. We called defeat that day and put him out without the plate on. The next day we gave him the oral sedative and somehow were able to get both feet done and bandages changed. That day gave us all sorts of hope! We had, with minimal fight, gotten him to take the oral drugs and he didn't try to kick or fight too bad while drugged. So we went into Sunday feeling like we got this! Phew just give the drugs and all will be fine. 

Sunday came and it did NOT go like it had the day before. He knew our plan with the oral drugs now. So he was not having it that day! Remember we are short, old, and out of shape when compared to a draft horse. So even in a stock trying to get him to hold still to get the drugs UNDER his tongue is a little bit of a workout. We got it done, but he was already worked up and 45 minutes later he was sleepy, but not sleepy enough to not fight. One foot got done, the next one not so much. Ugh we called defeat a few hours in. He had a few minor cuts on his leg from kicking the wood block and fighting the ropes so much. 

After we put him back in his pasture, I was in tears. It was hard on us and hard on him. There was lots of cussing and wondering what we had gotten ourselves into. Did we need to call complete defeat and say it wasn't possible, we couldn't treat his feet? I sent a message to the founder of the rescue and the advisor saying I wasn't sure we had the ability to treat him. He may need to go back to the rescue headquarters. 

But here is the thing, neither Sarah or I like to give up easily. Or well give up at all on an animal that we know could have hope. The next day the brainstorming started. There are no guarantees, but we are taking a different approach now. 

Meeting Charm...

 I think the conversation started something like this between Sarah and I:

      Me:" Hey this horse has canker in all 4 feet, do you want to foster him?" Her: "What?! How is he standing, and what did you just sign us up for?" Me: "I don't know?"

Flash forward 1 month later, I found myself staying at the public auction yard with a sort of skinny draft mix horse that needed electrolytes as he had just arrived from MN. Easy peasy! Well we both wore a little of it and he got most of it, but that was as good as it was getting. I said good night and walked away wearing his green alfalfa slobber in my hair and all over my shirt. Overall, he was a pretty chill dude that most definitely had canker in all 4 feet. I knew as I walked back to the car from his paddock that our adventure was just getting starting. 

My farrier had already laid out a plan for us because I knew next to nothing about canker. What I did know was that it is hard to treat and most people are only trying to treat it in 1 foot at a time. Why not try to tackle all 4 feet, right? Just treat each hoof daily, sounded easy enough. 

The next week Charm arrived at my barn. I gave him a few days to settle in and then went to see how he was with this feet. Started with the front, safer that way. I didn't know if he was a kicker. Personally, I don't like to get kicked, it hurts. So off to work we went, I leaned over and said "foot" he stomped and then swoosh he tried to kick me with his back foot. Yes, he kicked forward with his giant back leg. Ok, well that was a first for me. Clearly this wasn't going to go quite as well as I had planned. Let's try the other front foot. Lots of stomping with it is what we got. No trying to kick my head off though on that side, so there was that. Well we left it at that for the day, no way I was winning that battle. Put a call in to my amazing farrier told him that we might have a slight problem because it appears Charm doesn't like his feet handled. He said ok we will figure it out.  

With that our adventure with Charm and trying to treat his canker in all 4 feet officially started...