All Better

Thank goodness that didn't take long. Jen's abscess burst by Monday morning, the deadline I gave her before calling the vet :-)

She's feeling so much better. It came out her heel bulb. I think the wrapping was actually keeping it held in, so Sunday night I wrapped it very, very loosely, just enough to hold the poultice and soak on, and sure enough, out it came.

She is so much happier now, and back to racing around the hill. She couldn't wait for me to open the gate and let them all up in their "playground" area, where she was seen racing around, bucking, spinning, and having a grand old time with the girls.

We had a very early, VERY cold snap for a week. Temps were down into the 20's during the day, and teens at night. It felt more like January. I was a little worried about Jen, being the Southern girl that she was, and last winter I kept a blanket on her because she was still gaining weight. Incidentally, she has now topped the 200 pound gain mark, and is 860 pounds. She weighted 660 a week after she arrived, and had already gained in that week.

Anyway, I watched Jen closely for any signs of being cold. Her ears, chest, and flanks stayed toasty warm, an she never shivered once. She didn't stand around in the barn, or act cold in any way. I had the blanket all ready to go if needed, but I was really hoping she was now at the point where she could go "au' naturel".

Here is a photo I snapped one morning, it was around 14F, and Jen was being a little equine solar panel, soaking up the sun. That's her favorite mid-morning napping spot. The only way you can tell how cold it is, is she keeps that naked little tail tucked inside her little butt, to keep her girly bits from being exposed to the frigid air.

Loook at how long and thick her tail has gotten!

Early Thanksgiving Morning, Jen wants to know why its only old, toothless ponies that get a soaked mash?

Umm, that would be because you are still perfectly capable of chewing your own hay, Jen.

Poor Miss Jen

There has to be one in every herd, doesn't there? Jen seems to be the accident or injury prone one. First, there was the stick in her coronary band back in May. Now, Jen has an abscess in her left front. She is just miserable.

It started Wednesday. She was intermittently off on the left front. But she was still trotting and cantering around, so I thought she had perhaps stepped on a rock, or whacked the ankle against a rock while goofing around. But she was still off Thursday. Then Friday she was dead lame. I went out to feed in the morning, and she was all the way at the top of the hill and not coming down for breakfast. Of course, panic sets in when they don't come in to eat, especially someone who enjoys her food as much as Jen does. But she was up there, calling to me. She couldn't come down on her own. So I gathered halter and lead, and trecked up that darned hill, and we made our way down. Thank goodness for cell phones, I had to call hubby and get him to make the kids lunches and put them on the bus, while it took us about 15 minutes to make the 2 minute walk down the hill. Then of course assess the damages, feed, clean, etc.

So while Jen was horribly lame, there was no heat, swelling or anything. I put her up in the stall so that she wouldn't get chased off her feed, and had to put the other horses up on the hill so we could install the doors on the barn. Jen began to fret and panic when she heard the gate close, even though if she just looked out the other door she could see them. But no, she was too upset. Thank goodness for minis! I brought April down, and put her in the stall with Jen, and Jen settled down. It helped that Lakota finally answered her when she called, also. April was bought to be a companion, and she is awesome at the job. All the other horses love her, and she fits in a stall with them with no problems, keeping them company ,but not causing any troubles.

I attempted soaking Jens foot, but as history repeates itself, she HATES to have a boot on her foot, and won't put it down, so the water only gets to the toe and never to where it needs to go. So I slathered her hoof in epsom salt poultice, wrapped it in a paper towel soaked in warm water, then wrapped that in vet wrap, then put it in a boot to protect it. By the second day she hated the boot, so I stopped booting her. I think the heel bulb was getting sore and the pressure of the boot just touching it was too much. I also gave her silica 30c to help the abscess burst. I tried bute once, but it didn't help at all, so gave that up quickly.

I found a line of dirt under the lateral bar, so I started to trim that down a bit to see if there was something under there. I never did get it cleaned all the way out, and the bar was definately tender and uncomfortable. I was afraid to invade her sole too much, or take out too much bar. So I continue to alternate soaks with poultice in the mornings, and apple cider vinegar/warm water in the evenings. I called the farrier and left her a message.

On Saturday her leg began to swell up the cannon. I told Jen she had until Monday and if it wasn't better by then, I was calling the vet out. She was horribly lame on Sunday, rocking back on her hinds and just not moving, laying down a lot. I was getting very worried. On Sunday night, she about had a panic attack when she saw me coming with the vet wrap. I promised her I would only wrap it loosely to keep the wet towels on there, and not wrap it tight. Then I started wondering if wrapping it was keeping it from being able to burst.

The green stuff is staining from the poultice

Sure enough, Monday morning it had burst out the lateral heel bulb. The pus coming out stunk pretty badly. I cleaned it up and applied icthammol. She is now weighting the foot about 50%, but there is still pus coming out. The farrier called Monday, she had been in California. She was in California when Jen ran the stick in her coronary band, too. I told her that she better keep her butt home and quit traveling to Ca!!!

So Jen is on the mend, albeit sore. There is bruising on the laternal heel/quarter area, so I'm not sure what she did to create so much damage. Hoof abscesses are NOT fun to deal with, for horse nor human!