I got a telephone call this morning. I went like this . . . Ring, ring . . . me- Hello her- Is this the farrier? me- I am a farrier. her- I have a foundered mini and my farrier can't get here until next Friday. me- Have you had a veterinarian examine the horse? her- No. I have her in a stall and I have been soaking her foot with Epsom salts. me- Why are you doing that? her- Well she has founder and I'm using a homeopathic with Epsom salts to draw out the toxins. me- What makes the Epsom salts a homeopathic and what toxins are you drawing out? her- The founder toxins. I just need you to come work on her feet. me- How do you know she is foundered? her- She had it before. She can't stand on the one foot. Can you come work on her feet? me- Not without a veterinarian to make a medical diagnosis. Soaking will make the foot soft, but it will not do much to help the inflammation from laminitis - if it is laminitis, but you need to have a medical diagnosis from a veterinarian, then I can help you with treatment. her- I don't want to spend the money on a veterinarian. I did that before and all they did was give her bute and cut her feet shorter and she didn't get any better. me- Based on what you've told me so far, I don't agree with your current treatment or your diagnosis. You need to get a medical professional involved. Would you like a referral? her- Ok, then I will get somebody else. CLICK! Dang. I could have cut the whole conversation short If I had just told her up front that I required a $1500 retainer to take on a hot founder case . . .
Why didn't you? All you had to do is get her to sign a release Tom that cleared u of any responsibility because of the owner's lack of response to qualified opinion(s). Business is business.
That's one way to deal with it If you don't need the work. Cryotherapy won't hurt and might help. Nothing wrong with adding epsom salt. Something soft on the bottom of the feet could also help.
If she was in my area I would've jumped at it. Go out there, hold her hand a little, make her feel good. The mini will be better shortly and you look like a hero. There's not much down side to a mini with laminitis.
Had a "how much do you charge" call last week from a lady that said she had paid $15 for trims the last time and she couldn't believe how much the price went up in just 3 years - which is about how long ago the $15 guy passed away. RIP
Business; stick to one's worth. got to go and trim one going to Devon next week. It takes an hour for the round trip visit, hourly rate will be charged/applied....
