Timmy Rescue

'Timmy'

Little Timmy came to the Rescue in October, 2016. He was given to us ‘for free’ by a horse dealer/meat buyer. I guess he figured Timmy wasn’t going to survive in his feedlot so he wanted to get rid of him. Timmy was very thin when he arrived and had a badly contracted front foot which made it difficult for him to walk. He also had quite a bit of scarring on both his front feet. Something, we’ll never know exactly what, must have happened to him when he was born or shortly afterward to cause the scarring, perhaps his contracted foot being either the cause or result. Suffice to say Timmy was deemed worthless, taken from his mom much too soon and eventually ending up in a meat pen.

We knew we had to help Timmy in any way we could so we consulted with Dr. Brittany Wise, of Wise Equine Veterinary Services. Dr. Wise took x-rays and consulted with other vets to see what could be done. It was determined that Timmy could have surgery to sever the deep digital flexor (DDF) tendon in his leg which would release the contraction. Dr. Wise said she could do the surgery here at the Rescue for considerably less than it would cost if he was admitted to a clinic so we decided to go ahead. The surgery was performed on November 30, 2016 by Dr. Wise with 2 vet tech assistants who assisted her. Our farrier, Pat, was here during the surgery as well and discussed with Dr. Wise Timmy’s follow-up requirements. Pat donated for Timmy a special shoe/boot that he could wear immediately after his surgery that would stabilize his foot and its supporting structures as they would have to be stretched out slowly.

The surgery involved making a small incision about 5 centimetres long on the side of Timmy’s leg about ½ way up his cannon bone. Through the incision the DDF tendon was isolated and severed. The incision was stitched up and the surgery was complete. There was an immediate improvement in the angle of Timmy’s foot as soon as he woke from the anesthesia and stood up, and surprisingly he was able to walk on it right after the surgery! Within a few days he didn’t even need to wear his special boot, though he did have to remain confined to the stall to limit his movement for several weeks. However, even when he was turned out in a small area while his stall was being cleaned, he was full of spit and vinegar, bucking and kicking and being a typical weanling.

Two weeks after surgery Timmy had his stitches removed but his leg still needed to be wrapped for support and cleanliness. After 2 more weeks of stall rest he was finally able to be turned out in a small paddock, no more leg wrapping required, and 2 weeks after that he was able to go out into a bigger area with other horses. Timmy had follow-up x-rays in January of both his front feet to check his pastern angles and ensure he had no compensatory complications in his other front foot. He received a clean bill of health! - In six short weeks he went from being a horse that could barely walk to one that is able to move freely without any lameness at all.

Timmy won over the hearts of everyone who worked with him over these weeks. He is such a gentle and kind little horse. We were so very surprised and happy too when we found out that Dr. Wise had donated Timmy’s surgery for free! Wonderful people helping wonderful horses!

Update - Timmy was adopted in the summer of 2018 by a very special lady. Thank you, Alanna, for giving Timmy a great forever home!