SWD
My heart goes out to you and little Sweetheart -- it is such a difficult situation to deal with, expecially when you see the "hope" in the eyes of the little foal. I truly do understand your dilema concerning her quality of life - certainly THE most important aspect of this entire situation. If the vet are suggesting that the leg is truly deformed and that cutting tendons will not help, I wonder if they would consider the possibility of amputating that portion of her little leg and fitting her with a prostethis on a "pro bono" type of basis. Vets are in general a very empathatic group of people who try very hard to do the right thing, but are often encumbered by "costs" and by owners who can't absorb them. An area that you might explore with your vet's asistance and approval would be to look into some theraputic animal orginazations and see if they would be willing to help in this situation with the understanding that little Sweetheard would then come to live with them as a sort of "ambassador" for the human children that are working on overcomming disabilities. I can think of very few animals who would give such a wonderful lesson in life. It is not uncommon for these associations to have a team of vets who work with the animals that the associaton owns and provides vet care on a "pro bono" basis. Wouldn't it be neat if little Sweetheart was able to enjoy a wonderful life teaching handicapped children how to keep a good spirit in the face of adversity.
Again, my heart aches for what you must be going thru
Hugs (((( )))))
Stacy