This morning we started footwork again on both Maia and Guida. After their arrival, once they were accepting and understanding of footwork done through protected contact, we had a lot of work to do. But after all of the filing and cleaning up we could do, we needed to let their nails and pads grow out.
It is very tempting to want to dig and work and try and fix everything at once, but this only compromises the integrity of the entire foot. Care has to be taken with how far to go so you don’t do more damage that good. We understand wanting to ‘fix’ them, but we’ve also seen that technique cause debilitating pain and ultimately be the cause of euthanasia.
Today we started on their back feet and they look pretty good. As a side note, we were amazed they weren’t worse after spending five years on chains standing in their own dung. There is some work that needs to be done, some widening of cracks, taking down of their pads more (the part that is like the sole of a sneaker) and nail filing (more on Guida than Maia). But overall, their feet are in good condition.
Both girls were stellar- very different in their approach, but true rockstars. A couple of buckets of cut of fruits and veggies and a box of fruit loops goes a long way.
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