William (RETIRED)
William joined the rescue program in June 2018 from a financially troubled animal sanctuary. Due to a lack of finances, he has not received professional farrier care or basic/emergency veterinary care for a few years. He is known to have some history with “colic”/ulcers. Upon initial evaluation we know that William is too thin, needs proper hoof care, dental work, treatment for parasites and other assessment for lameness and/or body soreness due to whatever his prior use might have been. It is clear he had a poorly fit saddle at some point in his life due to the white hairs (scarring) on his withers. William has a sensitive, somewhat reactive at times, personality but overall is a sweet boy with good handling skills. He does not have a lip tattoo so was never raced.
After William’s initial rehabilitation phase where he gained weight, had improved digestive function, received worming and fecal counts, got dental care and began receiving appropriate farrier treatments, he received lameness evaluation. The scarring on his right front hoof was from an injury which caused damage to soft tissues but fortunately had not injured any structures inside the hoof. Unfortunately, X-rays revealed damage to his hocks, particularly the right hind which leaves William in a state of ongoing pain due to the formation of bone spurs. No supplements or other treatments for arthritic changes can help due to where the damage is located. We will watch William closely for signs of increased pain, lameness or malfunction of the joint. For now, he is content playing with his pasture mates (Flash, Buckshot, DJ and Pip).
UPDATE (Dec 2021): William has remained in fairly stable health since his rescue in 2018. His right hind hock has fused in the top area of the joint which is “the best” area per our vet if a horse has a fused hock (there is minimal interference with joint function). William does have high sensitivity to vaccinations and shows more signs of difficulty in the hot/humid summer season (as many horses do in this type of climate). We recently learned of a past injury where an abscess on the top of his head had bone chips removed once the issue was tended to by a veterinarian. Prior to that, William had massive swelling in his face/neck as the infection was draining into the lymph nodes. We have noticed in summer that William will have jowl swelling on some days, not others. We are monitoring closely as it is unclear whether this is related to the old injury, possible allergy-related issues with summer weather or something else. He also has hypercementosis — a dental disease which is progressive. William is easy to handle, loves his time being hosed off in hotter weather, and standing in front of his stall fans to cool off. He has occasional lameness due to thin soles, very common to Thoroughbreds.
William has been retired to live out his life with the rescue.
More About William (RETIRED)
- Retired
- Bay
- Gelding
- 2004
- Thoroughbred
- Florida