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How's the hoof?
Jun. 20th, 2020 02:23 pmStill limping. Improves with daily soaks, unimproves if I miss a day due to being at lesson. Currently vaguely limpy at the walk, easily visible at the trot. Usually abscesses do not happen. On the rare occasions when they have heretofore happened, they have resolved in under a week with the fairly minimal "get it to drain" efforts. So, soak, poke around a little with a hoof knife at anything suspicious, etc.
Not this time. Abscess #1 was Friday May 29. Broke, drained, soaked for a couple of days. Horse was rideable three days later in hoof boots. For two days.
Then he was limping again, June 5. And limping. And limping. I figured it was the riding what did it and I felt guilt. But he did not improve with soaking and the original abscess was not draining at all and looked dry and solid. I kept soaking it.
Nothing. He didn't look any better. He didn't look any worse. Holding pattern of gimpery. Finally on Friday the 12th, I gave up and poked it with a hoof knife. Not where the original problem was (toe) but at about 2 o'clock (frog is at 6 o'clock) where there was a grey crack that looked suspicious. Et voila. Ick. Okay, so we got TWO abcesses. That's fun.
Soaked for four days, horse was improving to where hole was dry, he didn't limp on grass and was four out of five strides good on pavement. I didn't see him Thursday or Friday so he didn't get soaked either day. And today he's limping again, visibly, at the trot.
This thing is not clearing up. (We don't think it's a puncture. There was no hole, just one of those sad black cracks.) It's lingering. Or malingering. Whatever.
I've sent off for some Cleantrax and rounded up accessories for doctoring from Trys. We're going to do the entire "soak, poultice, wrap" bullshit routine for the next week. If that doesn't work, I will rip off the foot and beat him to death with it. (I kid.) Clinic is next Friday, Saturday, Sunday. Horse is lame in hoof boots. He is unrideable. He has not been ridden to any degree for three weeks.
I figure (given previous horse experiences) that this is where I start throwing money at the problem so that it costs more when the horse dies. Trys says I am overreacting.
Not this time. Abscess #1 was Friday May 29. Broke, drained, soaked for a couple of days. Horse was rideable three days later in hoof boots. For two days.
Then he was limping again, June 5. And limping. And limping. I figured it was the riding what did it and I felt guilt. But he did not improve with soaking and the original abscess was not draining at all and looked dry and solid. I kept soaking it.
Nothing. He didn't look any better. He didn't look any worse. Holding pattern of gimpery. Finally on Friday the 12th, I gave up and poked it with a hoof knife. Not where the original problem was (toe) but at about 2 o'clock (frog is at 6 o'clock) where there was a grey crack that looked suspicious. Et voila. Ick. Okay, so we got TWO abcesses. That's fun.
Soaked for four days, horse was improving to where hole was dry, he didn't limp on grass and was four out of five strides good on pavement. I didn't see him Thursday or Friday so he didn't get soaked either day. And today he's limping again, visibly, at the trot.
This thing is not clearing up. (We don't think it's a puncture. There was no hole, just one of those sad black cracks.) It's lingering. Or malingering. Whatever.
I've sent off for some Cleantrax and rounded up accessories for doctoring from Trys. We're going to do the entire "soak, poultice, wrap" bullshit routine for the next week. If that doesn't work, I will rip off the foot and beat him to death with it. (I kid.) Clinic is next Friday, Saturday, Sunday. Horse is lame in hoof boots. He is unrideable. He has not been ridden to any degree for three weeks.
I figure (given previous horse experiences) that this is where I start throwing money at the problem so that it costs more when the horse dies. Trys says I am overreacting.
