willumau
27th Jan 2006, 06:09 AM
I am writing this from my broken heart to readers who may learn from a tragedy that should never have happened. On 16 October 2005, my mare Tomcats Peggy Sue (Q24025), gave birth to a beautiful chestnut Quarterhorse. We named him Lethal Tomahawk (Tom for short). Tom was a feisty little colt, incredibly nosey and full of beans. He grew very quickly and was a great show off with full of personality. He was bred to cut and showed the potential from his breeding when he would gallop around the paddock, ducking, weaving, spinning and stopping very quickly. We delayed registering him because of his developing colour on his legs.
On December 24 2005 (Christmas Eve) at 10 weeks old I found him in his paddock with a cut on his back fetlock and he was profoundly lame. I immediately called our vet who examined the wound to find that the cut had penetrated the synovial membrane through to his fetlock joint. The vet said it was a particularly nasty wound and gave me a choice of euthanasia him or give him a chance for recovery. There was a 30% chance he would fully recover and a 70% chance that he could be lame for the rest of his life when I would once again have to consider euthanasia. I did not hesitate, regardless of cost to give him a chance. We transported him and his mother to the vet’s facility where he underwent surgery to flush out the joint and dress the wound. Poor little fella was in a lot of pain, but was given painkillers and antibiotics. He was in for a long stay.
Meanwhile we searched his paddock to find where he could have sustained such a bad injury. We found a spot behind the shed where the rain had washed away part of the earth, exposing the sharp bottom edge of the wall of shed. He must have been laying down in the shade of the shed and stretched his leg into the gap under the shed. Realising his leg was trapped he obviously struggled to release himself, because he bent the bottom of the galvanised shed wall and in the process cut into the back of his fetlock. Now my husband and I thought we had created a safe environment for our baby – we built post and rail fencing, so there was no barbed wire or plain wire, we checked for sharp edges and ensured there was nothing the foal could hurt himself on.
Over the next 5 weeks Tom appeared to be doing quite well. His wound healed and was clean, but his joint was still sore. The vet felt the soreness was due to the fact he was still running around which aggravating the healing joint. He decided to put a plaster cast on the leg to slow him down and immobilise the joint to give it a chance to heal. Things seemed to improve, with the support of the plaster cast he was able to walk without any lameness.
Last night (26 January 2006) I received a phone call from my vet to say Tom was dead. The tears are flowing as I write about the final tragedy that befell my precious little Quarterhorse. The vet unfolded the story of what had happened. With Tom having to be handled every day, the vet left his halter on him. Tom and Peggy Sue were brought in at night and put into a day yard during the day; this was the routine for the last 5 weeks. During the day there was no one at the facility and when the vet returned that evening to put the horses in their stalls for the night and feed them, he found Tom dead by the gate to his yard with Peggy Sue standing near him. Apparently, Tom being his normal nosey self had poked his head through a gap between the gate and the fence post and caught his halter on the bolt of the gate. He must have struggled to break free, but the halter did not break. He died from asphyxiation – a particularly unpleasant way to die.
The stance of Peggy Sue and the mares in the neighbouring yard was that of sadness. With their heads hung low and a doleful look in their eyes they sensed Peggy Sue’s loss. Peggy Sue knew her baby was dead and not coming back – she has not called out for him.
I am writing about this tragedy in the hope that others may learn from my experience. Never leave a halter on a horse especially a foal unless someone is there to ensure he can come to no harm.
Tearfully yours
Lynda Harding
Ridgelands
Queensland
On December 24 2005 (Christmas Eve) at 10 weeks old I found him in his paddock with a cut on his back fetlock and he was profoundly lame. I immediately called our vet who examined the wound to find that the cut had penetrated the synovial membrane through to his fetlock joint. The vet said it was a particularly nasty wound and gave me a choice of euthanasia him or give him a chance for recovery. There was a 30% chance he would fully recover and a 70% chance that he could be lame for the rest of his life when I would once again have to consider euthanasia. I did not hesitate, regardless of cost to give him a chance. We transported him and his mother to the vet’s facility where he underwent surgery to flush out the joint and dress the wound. Poor little fella was in a lot of pain, but was given painkillers and antibiotics. He was in for a long stay.
Meanwhile we searched his paddock to find where he could have sustained such a bad injury. We found a spot behind the shed where the rain had washed away part of the earth, exposing the sharp bottom edge of the wall of shed. He must have been laying down in the shade of the shed and stretched his leg into the gap under the shed. Realising his leg was trapped he obviously struggled to release himself, because he bent the bottom of the galvanised shed wall and in the process cut into the back of his fetlock. Now my husband and I thought we had created a safe environment for our baby – we built post and rail fencing, so there was no barbed wire or plain wire, we checked for sharp edges and ensured there was nothing the foal could hurt himself on.
Over the next 5 weeks Tom appeared to be doing quite well. His wound healed and was clean, but his joint was still sore. The vet felt the soreness was due to the fact he was still running around which aggravating the healing joint. He decided to put a plaster cast on the leg to slow him down and immobilise the joint to give it a chance to heal. Things seemed to improve, with the support of the plaster cast he was able to walk without any lameness.
Last night (26 January 2006) I received a phone call from my vet to say Tom was dead. The tears are flowing as I write about the final tragedy that befell my precious little Quarterhorse. The vet unfolded the story of what had happened. With Tom having to be handled every day, the vet left his halter on him. Tom and Peggy Sue were brought in at night and put into a day yard during the day; this was the routine for the last 5 weeks. During the day there was no one at the facility and when the vet returned that evening to put the horses in their stalls for the night and feed them, he found Tom dead by the gate to his yard with Peggy Sue standing near him. Apparently, Tom being his normal nosey self had poked his head through a gap between the gate and the fence post and caught his halter on the bolt of the gate. He must have struggled to break free, but the halter did not break. He died from asphyxiation – a particularly unpleasant way to die.
The stance of Peggy Sue and the mares in the neighbouring yard was that of sadness. With their heads hung low and a doleful look in their eyes they sensed Peggy Sue’s loss. Peggy Sue knew her baby was dead and not coming back – she has not called out for him.
I am writing about this tragedy in the hope that others may learn from my experience. Never leave a halter on a horse especially a foal unless someone is there to ensure he can come to no harm.
Tearfully yours
Lynda Harding
Ridgelands
Queensland