Harry

Towards the end of last year, we accepted an adorable Missouri Fox Trotter gelding from an owner who knew he needed training but didn’t have the time to bring him along. Unable to help ourselves, we re-named him Harry Trotter, as his previous name was already taken within the herd. Harry’s first step with us was to go through a veterinary exam and assessment. During this appointment, it became clear that Harry was coping with significant pain in his front feet, which would need to be managed before graduating to our training program. Radiographs showed us that Harry Trotter has Navicular Disease and that degenerative changes have occurred to the structures in and around the Navicular bones in both front feet. As Harry Trotter is only 12, our vet recommended front shoes, cortisone injections in the Coffin joints, and a dose of injectable Osphos as first steps toward bringing him more sound. A few weeks later, once we’d given these treatments a chance to work, we had fully alleviated the lameness in Harry’s right foot but not the left. We were off to a good start! Since he responded so well, an Osphos booster was dosed. At his re-check exam a couple of weeks later, Harry remained a grade 2 lame in his left front foot as he trotted around for the vet. Many factors come into play when we decide to pursue or opt out of treatment of chronic diseases like Navicular. In Harry’s case, his age, temperament, future potential, and strongly positive response to the initial round of treatment all worked in his favor. We decided to move forward with a PRP (platelet-rich plasma) injection for the Coffin Joint and Navicular Bursa in the left front. This relatively new regenerative therapy could help alleviate some of the pain that Harry was experiencing, and it is working. He was recently released for light training and we are excited to see this horse realize his potential. Thank you, Cindy Lee and Wags and Menace Make a Difference Foundation for giving horses like Harry Trotter the care they need to thrive.