| Dr Dotzel and many other helpers and vets attended to her throughout the week. After she returned her comfort level shifted, she became increasingly more painful and lame on the foot, a symptom not seen in other cases so far. After continuing on with treatment and different medication it became evident something else was going on outside the scope of pythiosis (swamp cancer). Her other leg started to suffer from bearing the body weight. They tried everything to make her comfortable but it became evident that more should be done. An x-ray was given that showed a very deep tract that went far underneath the bottom of her foot. This is likely from an abscess that the swamp cancer got in and manifested from there. This caused many problems to start appearing, Dr Dotzel consulted with us and many vets who have so much experience in this area to try and come up with ideas and a place that could potentially see about doing a procedure surgically to alleviate/remove this tract. Cornell accepted the challenge and she was there the same day. Once there they probed and decided that to get a full picture it would be best for a CT Scan of the foot to see where all this had spread and to make sure all functions of the leg were intact, they were primarily worried about her hoof becoming detached and falling off exposing her bone. The scan revealed our biggest fear that the hoof was on its last inches before detaching. The area had also infiltrated the flexor tendon which was also medically impossible to correct without damaging it. Given all of these factors and knowing that losing the hoof is just a painful and dreadful suffering experience for her we decided to have them let her go under general anesthesia.
To say we are devastated is an understatement. From weeks old this foal was rescued by cowboys when her mother tragically died. She won the hearts of many as soon as she showed that flaxen mane and Riptide look, misty bloodline, and her amazing mom who was taken from us far too soon. She was then the first surrogate foal to the miracle mare EJ and nursed in tandem with her foal, a discovery that has now saved two more foals. She then went on to be the highest priced buyback/foal ever purchased at the auction, carried out by the cowboys who saved her life just months prior. She was purchased by the Buyback Friends of the Chincoteague Ponies for a whopping 50,000. This mare then grew up to be as gorgeous as her parents and we were anxiously awaiting her first baby next year. To say it is a loss to the herd and our mission would again be an understatement, this disease has taken so many beautiful, young, and important ponies from the herd but we have been very fortunate that they are given the best care possible when it does occur. We cannot thank Dr Dotzel and her whole team for dedicating so much time to all of the ponies who have contracted swamp cancer over time. We would also like to thank the person who reported her looking ill, and the cowboys and girls who selflessly risked their own horses safety to capture her to treat this terrible disease. This post contains as many details as we can fit in at this time, please be assured that we and the vet staff did anything and everything that could have been done to save this beautiful mare. If you do not know what swamp cancer/ pythiosis is, a simple google search yields good results and our ponies do receive an annual experimental vaccine that certainly does work. We wish this had been a different outcome but would like to thank all of you for your support. |
