Teddi

Teddi’s recent dental was just how we like them – an easy, routine visit with very little that needed addressing. She had just a few sharp edges that needed filing down, and the entire procedure only took a few minutes. 

Even though Teddi’s dental was entirely routine, it is the best case scenario, and why annual checkups are so important. These visits allow our vets to put a very skilled pair of hands and eyes on our horses, get a set of vitals, and ensure that nothing has been missed or overlooked. They also ensure that any minor issues (such as sharp points on the teeth) are addressed before they have a chance to turn into anything major. We are so very grateful for our vets, and also for horses like Teddi, for making visits like these so easy for everyone involved.

Recently, Teddi reminded us what an amazing herd member she can be! Since Minnie and Coco had to have their vaccines done to help them protect against strangles, we were instructed to keep them separated for one-week post-vaccine from other horses. Since it is winter, we don’t have any open paddocks, Teddi had to go back in the “filly field” with a few old friends, Rae, and a few new friends, Arigato, Echo and Freya. Without one step in the wrong direction, Teddi seamlessly melded into this new herd. She is an angel and a good reminder to us that proper social skills are a tremendous bonus on this girl’s long list of ideal qualities. Thank you, Teddi, for once again making our lives easy and going with the flow. You are a doll! After a week vacation from the kids, Auntie Teddi was reunited with her little ones and all are thrilled to be back together again. 

There should come a time in every young horse’s life when the proverbial cord is cut, and access to their mother’s milk is stopped. It’s not as harsh as it sounds: after around 4 months, a foal needs more than just milk to meet its nutritional needs, and as long as they are eating hay and grain, milk just becomes that extra, unneeded slice of cake at the end of their meal: a nice treat, but no longer essential.

In order to wean a horse successfully, they must be separated from their mother (foals, much like human babies, are not easily reasoned with).

You may be thinking, that’s all well and good, but what does Teddi have to do with all that? Well, back when Minnie was weaned at the beginning of the year, it was decided that her first paddock-mate after Checkers, her mom, would be Teddi. And for good reason. A mother in her own right, Teddi’s resume includes years of first-hoof experience bringing up babies, and a patient (but no-nonsense) attitude that is well-suited for teaching young horses good manners. In short, she was the perfect choice for a transitional friend between mom and the big wide world of horses.

In the months she has spent with Minnie, Teddi has proven to be a perfect choice as an “auntie.” The two spent a lovely summer getting daily grass turnout together, and though Minnie’s youthful energy inspired a few romps, any extra running didn’t seem to be to Teddi’s detriment, for now, at the end of the season, Teddi is still quite sound (if you recall, Teddi’s ringbone makes it so that even moderate exercise can exacerbate her condition). Though she still demands to be first to eat (and is not shy to chase Minnie away from the first hay bag filled at feeding times), she is a fair and benevolent presence, and it is not uncommon to see the two munching happily side-by-side after the initial pecking order is established. When they recently moved paddocks, Teddi led the exploration of the new space with Minnie close in tow, and when Teddi decided it was time to christen the ground with a roll, Minnie immediately followed suit. When the weather is poor, the two huddle together beneath the shelter logic, with Minnie oftentimes tucked snugly beside her chestnut friend.

Because of how well Teddi has done with Minnie, it has been decided that she will also be Coco’s “auntie” once Coco is weaned. In preparation, Teddi and Minnie have moved to a paddock adjoining Sundae and Coco so that introductions can be made and the group can get used to living together. So far, things have been going swimmingly. Coco, curious as ever, was a fast friend to her new neighbors — one of whom is just her size! — and Teddi has expressed reciprocal curiosity towards who is soon to become her newest charge. Who knows, by next year, you may hear of Teddi opening up her own daycare. One thing is for sure, we are very grateful for our wise and maternal chestnut mare!

Teddi looks like a horse in her 20s and is only 9 years old. We have recently started Teddi on Nutrina Topline Balancer which contains more protein, but is low in calories. We will see if this helps her develop her topline a little better. We will be checking her progress at 30, 60 and 90 days to see how it’s working.

Before starting Topline

Before starting Topline

30 days on Topline

60 days on Topline

Sweet, smart Teddi seems to be doing well, despite some complications from her previous surgery. Over the summer, it seemed that her lameness was much worse and noticeable at the walk even. Since then, Teddi has been on “stall rest” in her small paddock and seems to be improving! She doesn’t appear to limping at the walk anymore and loves coming into her cozy stall for the night. We’re hopeful that this recovery will continue!

At Teddi’s most recent post-surgery recheck appointment this month, we were excited to see the results of her rehab process so far. But that excitement turned to disappointment when we saw that she is more lame at the trot now than she was at her previous appointment. That disappointment grew even more when we saw the radiographs on the screen. At some point in the 60 days between rechecks, it appears that Teddi has sustained a small bone fracture underneath one of the screws that’s fusing her pastern joint together. We’ll never know exactly what caused this. She might have gotten a little too frisky in her rehab paddock and come down a little too rough on the hardware. Or maybe this is just one of those potential complications that comes with having a 1,000 pound horse putting pressure on a joint that is not yet stabilized from surgery.

Dr. Fleck has sent the radiographs over to WSU for her surgeon, Dr. Farnsworth, to look at. We won’t know any more until we hear back about his assessment. Until then, Teddi has been put back into a smaller rehab area to prevent her from potentially doing any more damage. We are discouraged but hopeful that this turns out to just be a minor setback in her recovery.

Teddi recently had a recheck exam with Dr. Fleck and it looks as though everything is healing the way it should. Her bones are still healing so she still has a limp if she trots, but that’s to be expected at this point. She has graduated to a slightly larger turnout paddock and is keeping up the daily handwalking routine. Teddi continues to handle this rehab like a pro. We will have another recheck performed in 60 days. We hope to have a better idea at that point of whether we get to call this surgery a success. For right now, what we know is that Teddi is headed in the right direction!

It has now been a month since Teddi had surgery at WSU to fuse her pastern joint. We’re pleased to report that she’s doing great! Everything is going to plan with no complications so far. Her sutures are out and we are no longer needing to bandage her leg. If you asked Teddi, she’d probably tell you she’s rocking this stall rest thing! She’s as calm as can be and doesn’t seem to mind just standing around all day, with the exception of the twice-daily hand walks and a little bit of grazing time on the lead. She’s still a long way from being completely healed, but so far so good!

On June 10th, Teddi loaded like a pro into our horse trailer and went for a smooth 5 hour drive to Washington State University. After months of anticipation and preparation, the day had finally come to have the long-awaited surgery to fuse her pastern joint and eliminate the pain of her arthritis. Scheduling conflicts caused us to have to postpone the surgery, and she has spent the better part of a year on medication to manage the pain while we tried to work it out. The goal is for those pain meds to be a thing of the past once she’s completely healed from the procedure.

We have been so impressed with Teddi during this whole adventure. She hopped off the trailer once we got to Pullman without even having broken a sweat during the long ride. She settled into her stall at the hospital like she was right at home, and she responded to the staff there as though they were old friends.

The surgery itself was fairly straightforward. Teddi now has 3 screws that will permanently stabilize the bones of her pastern joint. Dr. Kyle Heaton, a surgery resident, performed the procedure under the guidance of clinician Dr. Kelly Farnsworth. Their entire team treated Teddi with great care and compassion, and the process couldn’t have gone more smoothly. Teddi  will stay at the veterinary teaching hospital a few more days recovering, as they want to be sure that she’s healing as she should and not developing any infection in her joint before sending her home.

Overall, the recovery process will take several months, and we won’t know for a while whether or not she’ll have a future career as a riding horse. But we are thrilled to have been able to give her this chance at a pain-free life with the help of a world class staff at WSU. An enormous thank you goes out to everyone who made this possible for Teddi: Dr. Farnsworth, Dr. Heaton, Dr. Fleck, the surgery staff and students at WSU, and all of the donors who funded her road to recovery.

Teddi has come so far from the timid, insecure horse we met last year. She handled all of these new experiences with ease and grace, and she’s a true testament to what love and good care can do to turn around the life of a rescue horse!

It was a little more than a year ago that we met Teddi. She came to SAFE as part of a large Animal Control seizure situation involving six neglected horses, and it was clear from the start that Teddi had had a pretty rough go of it. Her eyes were full of sadness. She seemed to believe that no one would ever love her, or treat her with kindness. Thankfully we were able to change Teddi’s mind about people, and with kind and patient handling, she soon realized that she was among friends. She began to come out of her shell, and we were able to get to know the real Teddi.

After a few months in our care, we noticed that Teddi was showing some lameness on her front left leg. We also discovered a suspicious bony lump on her pastern that seemed to be getting larger. Radiographs confirmed the worst: Teddi was suffering from a fairly advanced case of ringbone.

Ringbone is a degenerative osteoarthritic disease in which abnormal bone growth around the pastern or coffin bone joint results in lameness. It’s typically caused by ongoing strain to these crucial weight-bearing joints, but it can also be caused by trauma. Ringbone is more commonly seen in older horses, horses with upright pasterns, or horses that withstand repetitive stress in their legs, like jumpers or barrel racers. Since Teddi is so young, it’s likely that her problems started from some sort of trauma to the joint, such as a fall in the pasture. Sadly, ringbone is incurable, and it’s a condition that grows progressively worse as time goes on.

Teddi is young, and will likely enjoy another 13–18 years of life. So the question becomes, can we provide her with the best chance for a comfortable and pain-free life? Without treatment, eventually the bony growth around her pastern joint would cause the joint to fuse, and the resulting absence of motion can dramatically reduce arthritic pain. In talking with our vets and the vets at WSU, we’ve discovered that it’s possible to speed up that process by surgically fusing the joint. This used to be a fairly complicated process, involving invasive surgery under general anesthesia. However, vets at WSU have begun using a new procedure that is far less risky since it can be done under localized anesthesia with the horse standing. If debriding of the joint is necessary, it’s done via surgical incision so the bones in the joint don’t have to be separated. A plate is then screwed in place to immobilize the joint.

After much thought and consideration, we’ve decided that this surgery is the best option for Teddi. Having a decent quality of life is crucial for any horse, and we would never allow her to suffer pain or constant discomfort. But because she is so young, full of life, and otherwise healthy, we don’t feel that euthanization is the right decision for this mare. The surgery should leave her pain free, and there’s a even a decent chance that she’ll end up serviceably sound enough for a future riding career. She’ll have the procedure at WSU and spend 7–10 days hospitalized there afterwards. When she gets home, she’ll have 4–6 weeks of stall rest. Teddi is a calm and quiet horse, so she’s a good candidate for stall rest and we have lots of volunteers who can take her for walks and hand grazing while she’s in recovery. In another 2–3 months, if all goes well, she’ll be cleared to return to work.

We expect that it will cost about $4,500* for Teddi’s surgery and transportation to/from WSU, so we’re holding a fundraiser in her honor to pay for her surgery. If you would like to contribute to Teddi’s Surgery Fund, you can make a gift to SAFE in her name by donating on our website, our Facebook page, or by mailing a check. Your help is so appreciated. Teddi is a young horse who’s been giving another chance at a better life, and as a friend of SAFE, you’re helping make that possible for her. Her gratitude is boundless, as is ours!

Donate via Facebook (note: no credit card fees are charged for Facebook donations)

Donate via SAFE Website (for “Purpose of Gift” please write “Teddi”)

or mail a check (marked “for Teddi”) to

SAFE
10407 192nd Ave NE
Redmond WA 98053

THANK YOU!!

* This is an estimate. Any donated funds that are not needed to pay for Teddi’s surgery and transportation will be used for veterinary care for other SAFE horses.

Teddi has been working on relaxing and gentling with Horsemanship Volunteer Phoebe. We have seen wonderful changes in Teddi over the last few months as she develops more of a bond with Phoebe. 

We want to take a quick moment to acknowledge and thank Phoebe for her dedication and help with this sensitive mare. This work is truly at the heart of SAFE’s mission. Even after Teddi’s diagnosis of ring bone, Phoebe has been devoted to helping her learn to be more relaxed and trusting around people. Just because she may not be able to become a riding horse doesn’t mean the horsemanship work stops. Normal day to day interactions with people are just important as being able to sit on a horse and ride. It may not be the most exciting part of working with horses but helping them discover trust in people is essential to their adoptability. People don’t want to open their homes to ill mannered horses. Furthermore, an ungentle horse is more likely to be mistreated or abused. People label them as naughty or troubled when in fact they are most likely afraid and confused. We know that Teddi is a wonderful mare but we also realize that when she came into SAFE she was frightened, reactionary and at times even unsafe or unpredictable to be around. In order for her to find a home she has to have a good relationship with people. She needs to accept simple things like having her feel picked up and getting fly sprayed. This takes a lot of time and patience, especially since her previous encounters with people left her confused and afraid. The work Phoebe is doing with Teddi is not only setting her up for a successful adoption, it is literally helping save her life. 

Here is what Phoebe has to say about her recent work with Teddi:

Teddi was almost happy to be worked! Only one flinch from the flag, tense for the spray but lowered her head when asked and relaxed. Took her in the round corral — I haven’t been in there with her because of her ring bone, but I wanted to get her to hook on, building on what had previously been done. After 3 laps each direction at her own pace (some was galloping/bucking), she hooked on. I then put the rope to her opposite side, brought it around her rump, and asked her to turn around with me in her blind spot. She thought about scooting but decided not to, and ended up doing great both sides.

Teddi had a visit from the vet last week. She turned up lame on her left front leg, and we noticed a suspicious bony lump on her pastern that has been getting larger over the past few weeks. After a brief lameness exam, Dr. Fleck took some radiographs, and the diagnosis was very clear: Teddi has osteoarthritis in her left front pastern joint, commonly known as ringbone. Hers is a relatively advanced case. Since she is such a young horse, it’s likely that the arthritis initially started from some sort of trauma to the joint, such as a fall in the pasture.

Unfortunately, ringbone is a degenerative condition that has no cure. In advanced cases like Teddi’s there are surgical options to fuse the joint–if you can fuse it and eliminate the motion, you eliminate or decrease the pain. Another ringbone management option that was presented to us is an injection of a polymer hydrogel into the joint space to provide cushion. Since Teddi’s case is pretty advanced, however, it’s not clear how well injections would alleviate her lameness.

Before she turned up lame, Teddi was getting underway with groundwork training in preparation for starting her under saddle. She is a sensitive young lady who needs a quiet, patient hand. There are several other horses at SAFE who are farther along in their training and looking like good riding prospects, so we aren’t rushing any decisions on her treatment right now. Dr. Fleck said that she is pasture sound for now so we don’t need to worry about pain management at this point, as long as she isn’t being worked. There is the potential that we might be able to get help from a veterinary surgeon from Washington State University who is studying a surgical procedure that would fuse her pastern without having to put her under general anesthesia. This would be the best case scenario for Teddi. We’ll know more in the coming weeks.

In the meantime, our pretty redhead is living the good life in the spring sunshine. She’s enjoying getting out on the grass now that our pastures are open for the season, and she and her new turnout buddy Nashville are having fun getting to know each other.