Help please!!!! Can Club foot and a joint infection be treated?!?!??

[CaliFarmsAR]

My opinion from what I've experienced working at different barns and caring for and/or owning many horses throughout my ancient age - I'm not a vet or an expert on hooves, just have seen a lot of various hoof and joint conditions...
Club foot is usually not a huge thing to worry about, it's something that can be managed quite well with careful treatment from the farrier. Just like you or I are right or left-handed, horses are as well. You probably know that from riding, most horses take the canter lead better from one direction and worse in the other direction. Even grazing in a pasture, most horses tend to be more comfortable with one front foot forward rather than the other. Sometimes the hooves are shaped extremely different, a serious case of club foot, where the hooves have genetically developed differently from each other, but it's still possible to shoe or trim the hooves so they're able to be balanced, so that the horse can walk, trot and canter in balance and pain-free in both directions.
When it comes to "getting a joint infection from the vet not doing it right" I'm sorry, but I don't buy that at all. Unless the vet is completely incompetent, which very few of them are, the joint infection tends to come from the owner thinking an injury will be OK, ignoring it or/and not getting the vet soon enough.

Ok! Thank you! I’m just starting to work at the barn and I was told that the joint infection was from the vet not giving the injection right. So there is a chance he could recover?

 

[littledog]

Ok! Thank you! I’m just starting to work at the barn and I was told that the joint infection was from the vet not giving the injection right. So there is a chance he could recover?

Yes, every chance if he's cared for carefully. I don't know how much time you have to waste on a horse you don't own, or whether the barn who owns him wants to start using him as immediately as possible, but if you can hand walk him, let him graze, give him the antibiotics a vet night have recommended every day, if there's a place to turn him out into a pasture big enough for him to run around, and get him good hoof care from a farrier every 6 weeks, he should recover .

 

[CaliFarmsAR]

Yes, every chance if he's cared for carefully. I don't know how much time you have to waste on a horse you don't own, or whether the barn who owns him wants to start using him as immediately as possible, but if you can hand walk him, let him graze, give him the antibiotics a vet night have recommended every day, if there's a place to turn him out into a pasture big enough for him to run around, and get him good hoof care from a farrier every 6 weeks, he should recover .

Ok!!! Thank you so much!!

 

[CaliFarmsAR]

There’s a chance I may get him! My parents want me to be more responsible before I talk to them about it again. Hopefully if all goes well and my parents say yes, I’ll have him in 3-4 weeks-ish. He’s a draft mix and is about 16.1 hands!! The best part is, I get to see and care for him every day (except Saturday)!!

 

[littledog]

He's totally gorgeous! Is it the left front they are claiming is "club foot?" It looks at a steeper angle than the right front, but definitely not outrageous enough to make him lame as long as you have a good farrier who can trim / shoe him every 6 weeks and keep his front hooves balanced. And when you ride him, make sure you spend equal time going in both directions, even though he might not bend as comfortably going to the right, and might protest because of being uncomfortable.
What joint did he get injected in? (supposedly injected "wrong", but we'll ignore that for now) Was it in the left front fetlock, or maybe the knee? The way he stands, and I definitely can't tell just from a few pictures, but if he always tends to stand with that foot in front, he might have discomfort in that heel, and the problem might be Navicular syndrome, where the small clamshell-shaped bone in between the coffin bone in the hoof and the small pastern bone, gets pressured and starts to develop bony growths. There are many other causes for heel pain, but even if navicular is an issue, a good farrier can help horses with this problem. They can trim him or put on shoes that are designed to raise the heel and take pressure off the navicular bone, so your boy can walk,trot, canter, even jump, pain-free.

I wish I lived near you, I'd be a total scam artist and tell you he was hopeless, and make you sell him to me, LOL.
Seriously, I'm kind of jealous because he looks like such an awesome horse with a ton of potential for low-level eventing that I want to do, except for a bit of vet and special farrier care and rehab that he needs.
If you can find a way to own him, in a way that your parents, husband or partner, you and your work salary or whovever pays for important things, can pay for his care and get him extra farrier care, you should definitely do it.

 

[CaliFarmsAR]

He's totally gorgeous! Is it the left front they are claiming is "club foot?" It looks at a steeper angle than the right front, but definitely not outrageous enough to make him lame as long as you have a good farrier who can trim / shoe him every 6 weeks and keep his front hooves balanced. And when you ride him, make sure you spend equal time going in both directions, even though he might not bend as comfortably going to the right, and might protest because of being uncomfortable.
What joint did he get injected in? (supposedly injected "wrong", but we'll ignore that for now) Was it in the left front fetlock, or maybe the knee? The way he stands, and I definitely can't tell just from a few pictures, but if he always tends to stand with that foot in front, he might have discomfort in that heel, and the problem might be Navicular syndrome, where the small clamshell-shaped bone in between the coffin bone in the hoof and the small pastern bone, gets pressured and starts to develop bony growths. There are many other causes for heel pain, but even if navicular is an issue, a good farrier can help horses with this problem. They can trim him or put on shoes that are designed to raise the heel and take pressure off the navicular bone, so your boy can walk,trot, canter, even jump, pain-free.

I wish I lived near you, I'd be a total scam artist and tell you he was hopeless, and make you sell him to me, LOL.
Seriously, I'm kind of jealous because he looks like such an awesome horse with a ton of potential for low-level eventing that I want to do, except for a bit of vet and special farrier care and rehab that he needs.
If you can find a way to own him, in a way that your parents, husband or partner, you and your work salary or whovever pays for important things, can pay for his care and get him extra farrier care, you should definitely do it.

Thank you for all the information! I’m not sure what injection they gave him or what foot has the club. I can find out here soon. I love this horse and I’m excited to see if I can get him!!!
Here’s some more pictures of him, I wish I could explain how big he really is!! Pictures don’t do him justice lol!

 

[cassie]

I would contact one of the veterinary colleges, like Washington State University, that have an equestrian center and ask them what the options are.

 

[CaliFarmsAR]

Here he is this morning!!! he is lame in his front left!

 

[CaliFarmsAR]

I’m getting so excited!! My parents are going to talk about if I can get him, I should know before Friday. If it is a yes, I will ask my boss if I can take him!!

 

[CaliFarmsAR]

My parents let me get him!! They surprised me when I got home from a 4-h comp in MO!!