Surgically placed pin for windswept foal?

[bubxjade]

I’ve read all the windswept threads I could on here, but haven’t been able to find much about anyone with a windswept foal that have resolved the issue with surgery.

I had a filly born 2 weeks ago, windswept, put a hoof cuff shoe on last friday, fell off two days ago and had it put back on yesterday. After the vet left yesterday, he called to ask me to send him photos of the back legs so he could show them to the surgeon to determine if she will require surgery (putting in a pin) on the one leg.

The winswept-ness looked fairly bad for the first week, but I feel it has already straightened out two-fold, and now with the glue-on shoe, it is much better. However, watching how she puts weight on that hoof, she spins on it when she moves off at times.

I am very happy to do everything necessary for this filly, but I am not sure how to handle the suggestion of surgery if it is made. Because 1) I’ve read more experiences of "we didn’t really do anything and it turned out fine, you would never know he/she was born windswept and 2) I don’t think she even looks that bad at this point and 3) I would really rather not put a pin in foal’s hock if we really don’t have to.

So I guess I am wondering: Anyone have surgery done to correct a windswept foal? How bad was it that surgery was made necessary?

[Zuri]

Did you contact Jackie Blue? She is awesome and has a huge fount of knowledge and experience. Good luck to you and your foal!

[Appsolute]

How severe is the condition?

My horse was born windswept. In the first week she looked like THIS.

By about 3 weeks she was tightening up - looked like THIS.

By a month old she was straight (this picture is from 4 months).

And now she is a sound healthy 7 year old. She is “high low” as in stands in a scissor stance when she eats and grazes - causing one heel to grow tall, and the other to be under run. But frequent trims keep it in check.

[ponygirl]

I had a windswept foal last year that the vets at Rood & Riddle said was a 3 1/2 on a scale of 4, with 4 being the worst they’ve ever seen. She did not have surgery. She was seen by Podiatry and was fitted with a special shoe that she was really good at getting off within a days of it going on. This was the course of action we took and within months you would of never known she was windswept at birth.

[Calamber]

[QUOTE=Appsolute;7672322]
How severe is the condition?

My horse was born windswept. In the first week she looked like THIS.

By about 3 weeks she was tightening up - looked like THIS.

By a month old she was straight (this picture is from 4 months).

And now she is a sound healthy 7 year old. She is “high low” as in stands in a scissor stance when she eats and grazes - causing one heel to grow tall, and the other to be under run. But frequent trims keep it in check.[/QUOTE]

That condition is not called windswept, windswept involves the knee.

[Beentheredonethat]

Appsolute–Love.

Windswept does not involve knees. “To the layperson, windswept hind legs look as though they are both bent to one side. To get this effect, one hind leg has an outward bend, and the other hind leg is bent inward. The bend appears to occur right below the hock, the angular joint that protrudes below the stifle, or knee, of the horse. Foals that have windswept legs are generally born with the disorder, although some may develop it shortly after birth.”

My 4 year old was BADLY windswept, way, way worse than Appsolutes. We kept putting hoof extensions on her. Within a few months, she was perfect.

My vet is a protege of one of the best lameness vets in the world (gets flown to Saudi Arabia) and he consulted.

Less than a day old:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aN5Jbuipg7o&list=UU7ekgaVXNVX2iUCjSq3h-JQ

Two days old:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LPjKehJb9L0&list=UU7ekgaVXNVX2iUCjSq3h-JQ

Three weeks old:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EzjMyVIJTto&list=UU7ekgaVXNVX2iUCjSq3h-JQ

About four months old. She’s a little off from scraping her hock:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NdSgiGQu9bI&index=24&list=UU7ekgaVXNVX2iUCjSq3h-JQ

Here she is at 2:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LWw8cawKIVg&list=UU7ekgaVXNVX2iUCjSq3h-JQ

Here she is at four. She’s the biggest one:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GKGeKWA6nJk&list=UU7ekgaVXNVX2iUCjSq3h-JQ
I don’t see how you would possibly need surgery.

[bubxjade]

Unfortunately ![]( do not know Jackie Blue, I browse here a lot, but maybe not enough to know anyone.

I think in severity, I would say she is somewhere in the middle. First the vet described her as mild, plus we put the shoe on right away, and it hasn’t even been on for a total of ten days. When he called back yesterday about pics/video, I felt a little disappointed because I thought she wasn’t that bad and had made enough progress in this short time that we wouldn’t even have to think surgery would be an option. Better safe than sorry I guess.

Day one, right hind was very much a ‘c’ shape - front photo: [IMG]http://i58.tinypic.com/ogz62x.jpg) and back [IMG]http://i57.tinypic.com/2w4y4o6.jpg) When she ran it looked like legs were flying in every direction.

Glue on shoe was put on first 1 week ago. Off for one day. Today [IMG]http://i62.tinypic.com/eg7dip.jpg) Legs stay much more straight when she runs, but her backs legs move together at times.

[Beentheredonethat]

She looks better than mine. Today’s picture of yours looks MUCH better! Mine was MUCH more on the side of her outside foot and we had to put on those glue shoes every week or so for maybe 6 weeks. Yours looks almost even.

I don’t think there would be any reason to do surgery. Where would you put a pin in? Periostial stripping is not done any more, really.

I would not even consider surgery.

[VirginiaBred]

Don’t do surgery! It corrects itself! JackieBlue is Morgen Flynn. I have her cell if you message me,

[Cindy_s_Warmbloods]

I would not do surgery either, it is very mild. I think the tincture of time and good care (trimming/corrective shoes if and when needed) will resolve most issues.

[MysticOakRanch]

I had a pretty badly windswept foal - she almost scuttled sideways when she moved! I did talk to a surgeon who was very realistic. She said she COULD do surgery, but she recommended I give her time, have some corrective farrier work done, and she felt many people jumped on unnecessary corrective surgery for foals. I listened to her advice, and that filly turned out gorgeous - she is a successful mid-level jumper now. It took quite a few months - she showed steady progress, and we did corrective “shoes”, but I am always glad I didn’t put her through surgery.

[Foxtrot_s]

…Good luck…but I was admiring the view from the riding ring to see much of a problem.

[bubxjade]

All very helpful, thank you all so much, pretty much all responses that I wanted to hear I think my current course of action will be providing photos where the legs are looking their best. I wanted to be able to build myself up enough to say “no” if surgery is suggested, because I am a bit of a coward and tend to agree to everything. I still would like the input from the surgeon/specialist and believe this is what my vet wants too, and second specialised opinion so we both have peace of mind that we are doing all that is necessary.

I am curious to know though, for those that have used a hoof cuff/glue on shoe, which one you have used. Vet originally suggested the Ibex hoof cuff, but the one he brought is a black one that doesn’t provide much of an extension. I guess it seems to be doing it’s job, but it fell off again yesterday for the second time.

Even though the cuff makes the leg turn out towards a more correct angle, she still really spins on that one hoof and is not putting pressure or her weight to the inside of that one hoof. That is what is worrying me most at the moment because I don’t really want her to become accustomed to moving that way. And I think this is the reason surgery would be suggested. I don’t believe there would be any periostial stripping, just a pin put in that I think also would be eventually removed.

[Wits_End_Eventing]

our filly we thought was windswept initially…

We had a filly we thought was windswept, but her right hind just continued to not look good over the first days/week. We had her X-rayed, and she had actually been stepped on accidentally by her Mom.:no: We did do the procedure with placing the pin. I will ask my husband to post his opinion here, and we may have some pics at home. In my opinion, the pin helped a small amount. We have had an awesome farrier & vets, and our filly is sound, but will never hold up to being ridden. Because she by Primmore’s Pioneer and because she is the only filly we have left out of a TB mare we loved who competed Prix St George Dressage, we plan to breed her next year when she turns 4-years-old since the issue is not genetic, but accidental. I am sure as she ages, she will need extra care to keep her sound and happy, but we both feel she is worth it.

[tuckawayfarm]

I would definitely get an opinion from a specialist.

I can’t tell much from the pictures, but you probably have rads to see what’s really going on. It looks like there is a varus deformity at the fetlock. If that’s true, you need to be much more proactive than with problems stemming from the knee or hock. The lower growth plates close quite early and any corrections, surgical or not, need to be made sooner rather than later.

I had a filly who had an actual curve to her cannon bone that prevented her from weighting the inside of the hoof. She had surgery at two weeks and is perfect at two years.

This very rapid growth stage can be a huge bonus if you take advantage of it.

I have had much better luck taping the corrective shoes to the lower pastern with elastikon than just the glue alone.

Good luck!

[MysticOakRanch]

We used epoxy and formed a hoof extender with it rather then an actual shoe. My farrier is pretty good w/ epoxy, and it stays on better then shoes.

[Beentheredonethat]

If your vert insists on surgery, I would get a new vet. Nothing indicates you need it unless there is something bizarre on a rad.

We used the epoxy, too, and formed a hoof extender. PIA. Just sort of make a glue gob and shape it onto the hoof.

Show us newer pictures of her. I bet she looks even better.

[JB]

A woman on a FB WB breeder’s group had a VERY windswept foal, way, way worse than the OP’s. I sent her a link to this thread, and just posted this thread over there, in case any of them want to chime in here.

[Wits_End_Eventing]

If your vert insists on surgery, I would get a new vet. Nothing indicates you need it unless there is something bizarre on a rad.

I would just make sure you get a radiograph. Our filly was evaluated and treated at VA tech after she was referred there by our excellent repro vet. We would have had no idea of the underlying injury without the radiograph.

The lower growth plates close quite early and any corrections, surgical or not, need to be made sooner rather than later…This very rapid growth stage can be a huge bonus if you take advantage of it.

I would agree with an early evaluation. As a pediatrician, I can second that, once growth plates are closed, options are limited. Also, X-rays are more important when growth plates are open. For example, an adult human with a broken finger could likely just have it taped to the next finger to heal. For a kid, however, getting a radiograph is more important (depending on where the injury is) because, if the injury involves the growth plate, it can effect long term growth of the bone. With our filly, the growth plate WAS injured which is what caused the deformity. Important to know. Good luck!!

[JB]

Wits End - could you update your last post? I didn’t say what’s quoted - just some goof on how you did the quoting