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

[CaliFarmsAR]

Hey y’all! I need some help/advance here. I just started working at an equestrian barn and they have a 5 year old horses and he has Club foot and got a joint infection from the vet (they didn’t do the injection right). Can this be treated? If so what is the best way to? And after he recovers, could he be ridden again? He may be put down if they don’t find a home for him and I’d love to take him, but if it can’t be treated I don’t know if my parents will let me take him. I’d be in charge of paying for everything. He is free to whoever takes him. Any help/advise is appreciated!! I don’t want a young beautiful gelding to be put down!!

Here he is

 

[Alaskan]

Hummm..


Do you have a GOOD vet that you could ask?

Not sure how bad the foot is.

But... in general... excellent feet (not ok feet) are what I want.

 

[Mini Horses]

And a REALLY excellent farrier....who can help keep him comfortable. If they haven't X-rayed, it needs to be done. Vet and farrier will need to work together. May never be a dependable riding horse as it could be a constant pain for the animal. All depends on what the infection is, the degree of club foot and effect on joints and coffin bone.

Let's just say, I see a money pit. First with excellent diagnostic and treatment, then lifelong farrier work -- the kind that involves frequent corrective trim and possibly shoeing. That can be a couple hundred a month or month and a half.

 

[Baymule]

This horse may be tugging at your heart strings, but you need to give him a pass. It may be hard, but if you are going to get a horse, make it a good, sound horse that can be your riding partner.

 

[CaliFarmsAR]

Ok, thank you all for the help.

 

[Alaskan]

This horse may be tugging at your heart strings, but you need to give him a pass. It may be hard, but if you are going to get a horse, make it a good, sound horse that can be your riding partner.

X2

 

[Finnie]

But... in general... excellent feet (not ok feet) are what I want.

This.

We only ever bought one horse, and it was many years ago. The advice we were given when we were looking was to make sure any horse we got had good feet. There is a saying, “no foot, no horse”.

This horse may be tugging at your heart strings, but you need to give him a pass. It may be hard, but if you are going to get a horse, make it a good, sound horse that can be your riding partner.

This too.

Yes, he sure is pretty. But there are a lot of homeless horses out there that are pretty. Better to spend your limited resources on a healthy horse.

Also, my first thought as I was reading your post was, gee the owners options are to either put it down or pass the problem along to someone else. That’s not very nice. Yeah, they are disclosing it, and making him “free”, but in the end he will probably cost you a lot more than you would spend on a nice healthy horse that you can ride.

I think this horse is for someone with deep pockets who doesn’t plan to ride it and who is prepared to have that one awful final vet visit.

A “fixer upper” horse is better for someone with a lot of experience.

Best wishes as you weigh your options and decide. If your parents say no, try to understand their reasoning. It’s very wise of you to come on here and seek advice from people who have experience and who aren’t emotionally involved in the decision.

 

[secuono]

Joint infection needs a vet and strong drugs, asap.
It's possible for it to spread and horse is basically dead if that happens, as treatment, recovery, time of care, would make it a ridiculous fight.

 

[CaliFarmsAR]

Thank you all.

 

[Vienna_201]

Just curious... did you end up taking on this gelding and his case?

As a farrier, I've seen mixed results from joint infection recoveries, and most only by word of the client. It'd be interesting to know how this resolved.