Coco Puff 

Arrival Date:  11/26/2022

Farewell Date:  2/24/2023

 

Coco Puff, the Girl with the Golden Locks, arrived at the ranch with Freddy on Thanksgiving weekend 2022.

She is likely in her late twenties. She has been diagnosed with Cushing’s disease which explains her very wooly coat. We are hopeful that the medications she is on will help her shed out normally this spring.  She is also insulin resistant.  X-rays indicate rotation of the coffin bones of both of her front feet, with her left coffin bone having rotated more, leaving a thinner sole.

We hope that careful management of her diet and medications will prevent laminitis episodes and her compromised feet.  We are continuing to work on her weight-loss goals

Farewell February 24, 2023

 

Coco Puff’s abscesses have been continuing to cause her discomfort in spite of aggressive treatment and multiple pain medications. Early x-rays showed evidence of past laminitis episodes for Coco Puff with mild rotation on the coffin bone in both front feet.

A couple of months ago she developed an abscess in her left front foot. We treated the abscess as we usually do with soaking and poultices. Her thin soles prevented Dr. Harlan from aggressively digging out the abscess. In the weeks that followed she failed to recover from the abscess.

Therapeutic boots, which donors made possible, were added to the poultice regiment. A second abscess was soon located via x-rays and Dr. Harlan carefully opened both. Every couple of weeks we were x-raying her hoof. Friday’s x-rays were the second set of images that showed slight changes. This was very alarming; especially given how aggressively we were treating her. Even though the changes were slight, given how terribly thin her soles were, any change was devastating.

After a heartfelt discussion with Dr. Harlan, we made the decision to let Coco Puff cross the Rainbow Bridge. As he said, this has become a case of true founder. We were very concerned that if we gave her one more week, the coffin bone could penetrate the sole of her hoof.  On Friday, February 24, it was clear that her foot was so further compromised it wasn’t recoverable.

Due to the mud and snow at the ranch, we needed to move her to a drier area in order to safely euthanize her. Dr. Harlan blocked her foot so that she was no longer feeling any discomfort. As we walked her, Dr. Harlan allowed her to graze on the beautiful green grass that was pushing up through the snow. The skies were crystal blue for the first time in days and the melting snow sounded like a babbling brook.

Hopefully all of this filled Coco Puff’s senses as she left this world and prepared her for the wonderful world beyond the Rainbow Bridge. We told her how much everyone loved her, and we promised her she would soon have beautiful new feet.