Gin Loses His Battle With Canker on July 31, 2006

We, with deepest sorrow, regretfully announce the loss of Gin on the morning of July 31, 2006.  Gin suffered a catastophic founder of his rear hooves the evening prior.  We tried desperately to rally him with anti-inflammatory medications and pain relief, but to no avail.  Gin was quietly euthanized and passed peacefully while being held and petted by his loving family; Christine, Jamie, Susan, and Dr. Reick. We thank all of you for extending your kindness and support for Gin throughout his illness. He will be greatly missed by all.  Who on earth could ever know, who would dare to say, why such majestic beings befriend us in this way? Those who've lived in service both to peasants and to kings, who in our highest moments lift us up, and give us wings! Who with such power and such strength, could instead be free, but decide to bow their will, and choose to carry me!  To you who healed my heart, and reached out to touch my soul... our time is cut too short, your time has come, and you must go. And though now it's only memory, that hears your hoofbeats' fall, I am forever grateful that you touched my life at all. Gin's friends and supporters are asked to please come join us in planting a Memorial Garden in his memory at the new farm on Sunday at 11 AM.  We would like to plant an apple tree so that Gin can give his gift of love to all of the horses who will one day come through our lives. Please call Christine at (443) 285-3835 for directions and details.

Gin's Story... For those of you who do not know Gin's story, he was diagnosed with Canker of the hoof in three feet. For over 6 months we tried every topical treatment known to mankind, and wrapped and packed his feet daily. But his stubborn condition would not resolve, and we were left with only two options: euthanasia of a beautiful and happy horse, or very costly surgery. On June 13, thanks to a tremendous outpouring of generosity and support from donors, Gin was able to have surgery on his left foot, which was the most affected. The hoof healed well for 13 days, and we thought we were out of the woods and doing great! Then suddenly the tissue began to grow back with a vengence, only this time bigger, and Gin was more painful than before.

Gin Returns For Surgery July 18th

Gin returned to Dr. Yarbrough at Valley Equine in Charlestown, WV on July 18th. At this point he could not stand without pain medication, and he was non-weight bearing on his left front hoof. We had emailed Dr. Yarbrough of Gin's worsening condition, but it did not prepare him for what he saw when he removed the bandages. Plans had to be rearranged at the last moment due to Gin's poor condition. Dr. Yarbrough's opinion was that Gin's absolute last chance was to aggressively ressect all of the tissue and part of the hoof, and then cauterize it with basically a branding iron. To do that, we needed a Farrier on hand, too. We made plans for Gin to stay overnight with plenty of pain medicine, and the surgery was scheduled for the morning.

Surgery Day...

The morning of the 19th Gin was too painful to stand, so anesthesia was administered in his stall and the procedure was done there. Dr. Yarbrough removed tissue to a depth of 3 inches into his hoof, and removed part of Gin's heel. The area was cauterized, and Gin was given nerve blocks and extra pain medication. For the morning he ate well, and got up several times, but preferred to stay laying down. Gin came home that afternoon, much to his delight! Here he has seemed generally uncomfortable, but he is able to get up if prompted. Gin had his first dressing change today, and it was discouraging. The area of the Canker is still evident, and while we are treating as aggressively as we can, Gin still has a very guarded prognosis. We would like all of Gin's friends and supporters to know that we are committed to treating this lovely horse as long as we can, barring him suffering. However, our treatment options are running thin and we have completely exhausted Gin's treatment fund. We will post updates frequently, and pictures of the hoof will post when it isn't quite as yucky as it is right now. Please everyone keep Gin in your thoughts and prayers, and thank you all for your support and concern. Gin is blessed to be loved by so many!

Gin's Feet at Time of Rescue

Gin was rescued just before Christmas 2005, directly off of the meat truck, along with a matched teammate named Tonic. Tonic was thankfully not affected with the same conditions and has since been adopted. The white areas are portions of his hoof where no sole tissue remained. The exposed tissue is the soft subsole that covers the coffin bone. We couldn't believe he was walking! At this time we were treating for severe thrush, the canker had not become evident yet.

Before Surgery (following Topical Treatment for 6 months)
A picture of the hoof just before surgery. All of the fatty looking tissue in the right crevice of his frog was removed with a laser. Notice that we were able to heal his hoof enough to regrow the missing sole.

Gin's Hoof After First Surgery
This is Gin's hoof 3 weeks following the first surgery. The purple staining is from a topical medication. Note the prolific tissue growth and spread into his heel tissue.

Gin's Hoof after Second Surgery
	This is Gin's hoof four days after his second surgery. It's hard to see in a picture, but three inches of depth and half of his frog were removed. The wound looks great, but notice there is still a small amount of live tissue still growing on the outer edge. We are going after that area aggressively with a very caustic solution made by Dr. Yarbrough.