Poland | Swietokrzyskie | Monthly Report September: Farm Animal Service
Czastkow. The second part of the new stable is almost finished.
Grabkow. We trim the claws of a lame cow and find an abscess.
Czastkow. Our farrier is trimming the hooves of a limping mare.
Mlynek. The owner of four horses is signing the contract and joins our ATET programme.
Niedospielin. We are taking a skin sample to examine a persistent skin problem more closely.
Marcinkow. We are trimming the hooves of our adopted horses.
For our first visit this month, our Farm Animal Service (FAS) team is going to a farm in Michalow. We are asked to trim the hooves of two ponies that suffer from laminitis. The farrier that used to do it refused to come this time. In general, it is considered not profitable enough for farriers to only trim the hooves of one or two animals. This is one of the main problems that small Polish farms are facing. This is also why our work is so important and valuable for the farmers. We trim the hooves of both ponies. They are in a bad condition and must be trimmed regularly from now on. Untrimmed hooves can cause unnecessary pain and movement problems.
Next, our team is called to treat a lame cow in Grabkow. During trimming we find an abscess in one claw. After the opening of the abscess, the cow should feel immediate pain relief. However, it will take a couple of days before the claw will fully heal. Afterwards, we visit a farm in Niedospielin. A mare was having problems with her skin. We find that the rash is slowly disappearing, but she is still feeling very itchy. Therefore, we decide to take a skin sample and send it to a laboratory to improve the treatment.
Next, our FAS team is driving to a farm in Brody. The owner has just bought new material to improve the ground where a new trimming area should be built for his horses. The current spot is not suitable. Eventually, we find the right location just behind the shed. Then, we are trimming the hooves of his three horses as a reward for starting the building works.
Then, our team is going to a farm in Mlynek. The owner is interested in joining our ATET-programme which intends to improve the welfare of farm animals. He owns four horses. All are kept in boxes and have access to the paddock. One of his stallions is limping and our farriers decide to have a closer look. We find an abscess in his hoof and open it so that the pus can flow out. At the end of the visit, he decides to join our programme and we are happy to welcome a new ATET-member.
On the next farm in Czastkow, we find a similar hoof situation. Here, we find an abscess in a mare’s hoof. The wound is looking serious. Therefore, we will come back next week to check on it again. On a positive note, we are happy to see that the owner almost finished building another part of the new stable. He still needs to build the inside boxes, but soon his horses will be able to move into the new place. At the end of the month, we trim the hooves of our adopted AWF|TSB horses. They are all in a good condition. However, we need to give a bit more attention to one mare. She seems to have developed a thrush in one of her hooves.
In total, our FAS team visited 19 farms in September. Some of them several times. They trimmed the hooves of 21 horses and looked after the claws of one cow. Additionally, we welcomed one new farm in our ATET programme.