PUFF ADDER BITE

Recommendation of Falconwood Equine Spa

Bianca Steytler rides Scooby Doo and Burnside in the highest showjumping grades. They visit the Falconwood Equine Spa near Pretoria on a regular basis.

Towards the end of 2008 Burnside sustained a seemingly innocent cut on her left back fetlock in a jumping exercise, only a few weeks before the 2008 South African Championship. We were however concerned that the cut was located on the joint, so we promptly took her to the vet for precautionary treatment. However the wound did not want to heal, so we had to scratch Burnside from the South African championships.

Mochache

Mochache was diagnosed with Septic Arthritis a year & a half ago. The prognosis was not very promising, the vets at Onderstepoort said that he would never be ridden again and suggested that we put him down. They said that if they operate on him it would only be to make his life easier /livable.
After the operation we took him for hydrotherapy treatment at Falconwood Equine Spa. After the 5th session he already started to trot more sound and a year later we took him to his first dressage show.

He scored 56% & 60% in Prelim classes. This is a photo of Mochache at the dressage show after the hydrotherapy treatment.

Christine Grub
Misty View Spotted Sport Horse Stud & Livery Yard

South African Case Studies

Blondie: Pony ridden in Inter Schools

Blondie was kicked by another horse in its paddock and tore his suspensory tendon. He received a poor diagnosis. After 2 months we had exhausted all possibilities and treatments available, Blondie was still lame and his tendon was quite inflamed and swollen. He was also very uncomfortable on the leg.

After just 3 and half weeks of receiving hydrotherapy treatment all of the swelling came down and the heat on the tendon subsided totally. He was sound and could slowly return to work.

Blondie before and after photos

Billy:

Billy is an 8 year old TB gelding that badly injured its hind leg. After 3 months, loads of antibiotics and but their was no sign of recovery. We heard about hydrotherapy from a friend and decided to bring Billy for hydrotherapy treatment at Falconwood Equine Spa.

Billy made a full recovery and went straight back into work after treatment without any complications.

Hennie Jacobs

Ghimli:

We recently bought a young 2,5 yr old 14hh Boerperd colt with an extremely swollen left front leg. X-rays showed that it was due to an injury just above the knee. There was no hair on the area as the previous owner had it stitched. We were very worried about the swelling - it had been treated before we bought it, but it never came down.

Shiloh:

Shiloh was bitten by a Puff Adder snake on a game farm in Koedoeskop in October 2006. When the game ranger noticed her swollen leg a vet by the name of Dr Louis Greef was immediately called out to inspect her leg. He said that she must have been bitten by a snake and treated her but he could not determine at that stage what type of snake had bitten her. A week later the bite on her back left leg caused an abscess and burst. We once again called in Dr Louis Greef who then said she had been bitten by a Puff Adder as it is only Puff Adders that causes an abscess in the infected area which then burst.

Shiloh was then taken to the veterinary hospital in Thabazimbi under the care of Dr Louis Greef from October 2006 to May 2007.

Whisperer en Fantasmic: Albei CA spring ponies

My ponie, Whisperer, is nie net die beste ding wat ooit met my kon gebeur het nie, maar ook die beste ding wat skouspring in ons land kon tref!!!

Sy is nou twaalf jaar oud en spring al vandat sy vyfjaar oud is. Ek het die voorreg gehad om haar vir vier volle jare te spring en ons het saam baie groot hoogtes bereik in die 110m klasse vir kinders! (“CA-grade”).
Ons laaste goeie skou, voordat sy “lame” geraak het, was tydens die “Easter-Festival” by GHS se gronde in Kyalami
(Maart 2008), waartydens ons drie van die vier klasse gewen het met tot 6 sekondes tussen ons en die tweede plekke!!
Ons was op ons kruin, maar toe begin sy tekens toon dat sy seer is in haar voete....