What happens when you’re a harness racing Standardbred trotter who is afraid of pulling a jockey in a sulky? Roll To Thunder had 25 starts but never won a race. He was quickly retired from the track, sold into farm labor and pulling a buggy.
Fast forward many years, Thunder found himself in the kill pen, wounded and half starved. Thankfully, he was rescued and came to live at The Lily Pond in 2022.
We worked diligently to restore his weight and make life comfortable for this 24-year-old senior. All was going well, until we noticed bloody hoof prints. Uh oh. That’s bad. The vet was immediately summoned and diagnosed canker, a nasty horrible condition that is difficult to cure. Yep. It’s bad. The recommendation was for hospitalization and surgery. So we loaded Thunder into the trailer and brought him home from the hospital a week later. We followed all the aftercare protocols, but the canker remained present. Back to the hospital for a second surgery.
Once home again, it was only a matter of weeks before the canker reappeared. Poor Thunder got so sore on his back hoof that he held it in the air and hobbled around on three legs. We were in despair. That’s when a friend recommended the farrier Esco Buff, who has a track record of successfully treating canker. Susan reached out to him pronto and discussed Thunder’s case. Esco was so knowledgable and reassuring. Based in Florida, he would be traveling to New York and put us on his schedule, giving us instructions to purchase a special powder and start treatment.
With our vet present to administer a sedative, Esco performed surgery to remove the canker right in our barn aisle. This was followed up with a month of daily bandage changes and fresh applications of canker powder.
Brenda Izzo was incredibly diligent, following all instructions and keeping Esco updated on Thunder’s progress. Esco returned after a month for a follow up check. Are you ready for the good news?? The canker was gone! Thunder was once again comfortable with all four hooves on the ground.
We want to thank Esco Buff, Peter Buckbee, veterinarian Jen Safford and Brenda Izzo for their incredible care of Thunder. This horse also deserves credit for being a superstar patient. He stood perfectly still and quiet during all the uncomfortable treatments and was so brave when it came to loading onto the trailer for hospitalization. Many horses saved from the kill pen are terrified of getting back on a trailer for fear of transport back to hell. But Thunder put his trust in us. Although he never won a race at the track, he beat the most insidious, life-threatening disease. What a victory!