Alternate methods to get a trim?

Question

Is it reasonable to ask my farrier if he could trim my mule laying down?

This is the same one I wrote about with the pinched shoulder nerve. The vet/chiro put him back in place, he was out badly and said he has no idea why he goes out like that with trimming jobs. There really wasn't anything he could recommend to do. He gave me some stretching exercises, but had no idea for trimming what could be done to prevent it.

I figure it will cost extra, but would it be out of line to ask my farrier to trim my mule laying down on the front or do you think thats impossible? I have no clue actually on this.

He lays down on command, so its not a problem getting him down.

If you have an idea for getting an trim job please let me know. So far there isn't anyone with a table to lay them down around here.

Thanks Leonie, I appreciate it!

I don't think he would give a hoot, but the angle was a worry for me too, good points :) If you have other ideas too, please let me know, I am very open to anything right about now. I really feel bad for this guy, he's a helluva mule.

You guys rock, ty for all the good points.

I 'think' we could just do the hind legs standing, but it would be the front ones I was thinking about. I just wanted to have all these points ready when I talked to the farrier whenever he calls me back.

TY again to you guys!!

Oh and kicking bear, this isn't that slowwww guy, this one has them done in about 20 minutes usually.

Answer 1

I sure would think that your farrier wouldn't mind a bit, especially if he is used to doing this particular mule, he won't have the problems that a new farrier would doing the same thing. Just knowing my farrier like I do, I would definitely talk to him about it before he comes, so if he has any suggestions on specifics like ground conditions and also, you know your mule, but your farrier might not think that a little ACE would hurt, and if so, it would give you time for a trip to the vet if you don't have any. I would do something nice like have a soft blanket, cardboard, something for the farrier to sit, lean on while he is working on your guy so he stays cleaner and is a little more comfortable. Good luck, let us know how everything turns out.

Answer 2

There are only two things I would be concerned about:

1. If you use the farrier you talked about in one of your last questions - the one that moves pretty slow - you risk a buildup of fluid in the mule's lungs if they are laying flat out for that long. I know in horses, it starts to become a risk after 30-45 minutes. I can't imagine a mule is much different on that part.

2. If you were planning to get him up and then put him down on the other side to avoid that problem, or to make it convenient for the farrier - then at some point he is laying on the bad shoulder which can (and in this case probably) cause problems with his subscapular nerve.

I don't think it is a bad idea, especially if it is only for the front feet. As long as your farrier is good, it may make things easier. If he can I would have him do all four while laying down actually. The problem may not come just when he picks up the front leg. His problem one is the front left right? He may have trouble when he has to adjust for the back right getting picked up too, or for that matter when he has to compensate for any other leg being picked up.

I hope it works.

Answer 3

The only problems I can see with this is that if you mule decides he doesn't like it and throws his legs about someone could really get hurt, I don't know he might not give a hoot either, the last one is that it would be hard for the farrier with shaping as the hoof will be on a totally different angle that what he is used to working. My suggestion is....ask the farrier he can only say yes or no.
Good luck

Answer 4

I have a friend with a mini donkey who had to have his feet done that way several years ago. He was traind to lay down and they she just gently rolled him onto his side (like he was sun bathing) to avoid causing further complications breathing. She came up with the idea when she watched him lay on his side one morning to sun bathe after he had already been laying down (but sitting up) for quite a while to keep comfortable. Her farrier just had to measure with a hoof leveler and protractor to get the right angle. Her farier just sat on the ground while doing it and if your mule is comfortable laying down, I do not see why it would not work. The only other thing I can possibly think of is do you know anyone with one of those sling harneses they use for injured/ recovering horses that cannot stand on their own. it may be a stretch here but if you could get your mule up off the ground with out lifting any legs they maybe your farrier could get under and trim..just thinking outside the box. Good luck.

Answer 5

Hey!! Poor guy.... pinched nerve in his shoulder. I don't have much thought on this but I will share one tidbit. Is this occuring when the front leg is pulled out straight ahead of him for rounding up the foot? Sounds like this would be the contributing factor since it stretches the shoulder. If I recall correctly you have taken his shoes off. This is also a procedure for clinching nails and filing the finished hoof. I would suggest not doing this any longer and see what happens. Its my only thought, sorry! From working on the farm I have trimmed foals and weanlings on the ground. Not by choice though (lol) but when your fighting them and finally go down from tail twitching we will just keep them on the ground to finish up. Never got a bad angle from it. A good farrier can accomplish that easily. Maybe the next time your farrier comes out he may have a good suggestion also. Good Luck!

Answer 6

I do not think it is unreasonable to ask the farrier to trim your mule in this position, but in order to trim both sides of the animal's hoof, the farrier must be able to see if it is even and I believe this might be a bit awkward as well. The farrier must be able to view the animal's hoof while the animal is standing

You can ask, but do not be disappointed if the farrier says he would not be able to accommodate you.

A question I have is this...can you purchase a wrasp and do the filing yourself every week or two?

Answer 7

It's not as easy to do as when standing but it's a very good alternative for mules and horses who have issues standing.

I've done it more with "bad" untrained ponies, but also with a few injury cases and an anceint founder case. Many are happy to cooperate once they figure out what's going on just as they'd be willing to stand if they could do so effectively or comfortably. I feel terrible for some of my "good old boys" who've never leaned on a farrier in their lives but simply don't balance as well as they used to, they try their best to stand when I'd be happy to help balance them out and hold their weight on my hip.
I think laying them down is the hardest part in most cases, they aren't trained to go down and will fight and I'm not going to throw a old horse down for my convenience. You should certainly give it a shot.

Answer 8

We had a old mare that had severe foot problems and was begining to shed her feet off. She would spend a lot of her time laying down and so the farrier worked on her while she was on her side. It was a bit awkward but he managed and was able to remove front egg bars etc. A good farrier should be willing to work with you and I don't see why it should be any problem or even cost more.

Answer 9

Does the trimming cause the pinched nerve? Is it holding the leg forward or back? How's he with holding up the opposite leg?
I've trimmed laminitics while they're on the ground but they usually don't want to get up so I don't have to worry about them suddenly flailing around. Excess toe is easily done with nippers - it's the heel /bar region that's hard.
I trim mainly with a knife and I'm able to use both hands so that helps. I use my left knife in my right hand to do the left side of the hoof - hard to explain but actually works well. Assuming its your mule's left fore and he's lying on his right side so his left fore is on the outside of his body - use a left hand knife with your right hand to trim the medial wall and heel. And a right hand knife in your right hand to do the lateral wall and heel. Or vice versa.
Rasping on the ground would be hard -what I do with horses that can't hold up their legs is place them on a rubber mat and rasp the foot on the ground using the rasp sideways to get most of the wall off - then I tidy up quickly with a grinder.
Hope that makes sense - maybe I should try to get some photos to illustrate.
Anyway - good luck.

Answer 10

i think your mule having his feet trimmed while laying down is a great and creative idea, i don't think you would need a table! your farrier would just have to bend down a little farther! thank goodness you taught your mule to lay down on command! who knows what you would do now! God was definitely thinking about this when he told you to teach them that! i think it would work if your farrier agrees to do this.