Wednesday, February 27, 2019

Episode #867: King of the Dings

Series #3: Fun with Hoof Punctures!!

Episode #2: Nail Impalement Edition....

Subsection #1: Hoo Boy, but He Really Did It This Time.

changin it up with a front hoof this time. at least that poor beleaguered RH finally caught a break!
Ahem. Cough cough. So. Charlie appears to have stepped on another nail.

you may feel like you've already seen enough shitty 'Fraidy Cat Eventing wrap jobs to last a life time
The story, as I understand it, was that the evening feeder on Sunday observed Charlie to be quite fucking lame while casually chillin at the round bale with his best bud Iggy.

Said feeder fully expected to find a rock or something after investigating further, but instead was greeted by a farrier's shoe nail stuck inside Charlie's hoof. Presumably from some other poor horse's lost shoe, considering all of Charlie's nails are accounted for.

too bad, so sad, bc this wrap actually stayed on for a full 24hrs! so obvi it gets its 15min of fame haha
Up to this point, the story doesn't seem so very different from the previous two instances in which Charlie has punctured his hoof (first with a roofing nail during a lesson, and second with a piece of god forsaken mulch during a hack through the pasture lines).

"excuse me i was told there would be cookies" - charlie, probably
Those last two times, Charlie went from being 3-legged lame to more or less normal after the foreign object was removed from his hoof. Sure, he was sore both times. But generally speaking, his degree of soundness post-object-removal was considered a strong sign that any important structures had been missed.

proof!! finally, a wrap i actually had to cut off!! on purpose!!!!
This time we've gotten no such reassurances: The horse remains, as of this writing some days later, very lame. Tho of course just because he's lame doesn't mean that there *is* some degree of damage to some critical structure or whatever. Ya know. It could just mean that his hoof really fucking hurts bc he was hangin out with a nail in it for god knows how long.

tho yea the toe was a bit busted. oh well.
Still, tho. His persistent lameness makes me a little worried. And has changed how we've approached treatment this time around. In past instances he's returned to relatively normal turnout schedules quickly. Not this time, tho. Not until he either comes sound on his own or we can medically rule out something more serious like an injury to the coffin bone.

some seepage thru the toe into the poultice pad
Realistically speaking, the likelihood is that Charlie will be fine. If history is any guide, we can expect an abscess after some indefinite period, but eventually not much else.

arrow is approximately where the puncture would be under this pad. you can see what seems to be drainage
And obviously a small puncture to a horse's hoof pales in comparison to something as gruesome and catastrophic as KC's Pilgrim's recent injury, as one example. Ugh. Talk about horrifying :(

and there it be. the big bad puncture itself.... ugh. 
Still tho. The lameness. It concerns me a little bit. Based on the location of the injury, the vet doesn't think the joint would be involved, and also thinks it unlikely that the nail reached the bursa. If it did injure the coffin bone, there isn't much risk in continuing with stall rest for another day or two before pursuing further diagnostics.

mad pony is foot-stompin mad.
Basically the vet thinks that either the horse's soreness will diminish and the drainage from the puncture will abate shortly. Unless it doesn't, in which case we'll schedule an appointment and probably do x-rays.

gosh his injuries and my tack locker pharmacy take up a lot of space tho....
Charlie, for his part, is not behaving like a sick or critically injured horse. He's annoyed at the stall rest and has been just a touch feisty with the barn staff...

base layer of the new wrap: wet animalintex pad roughly cut to size
He's also impatient with my slow, clumsy and ham-fisted attempts at wrangling his hoof into something resembling a semi-respectable wrap.

vet wrap layer. must remember that it doesn't need to be stretched to 100% tension, emma! 
Since we've got active drainage (vs the last two punctures that sealed up almost immediately), I'm following the same soaking protocol as before (epsom salts + betadine). But now am wrapping with animalintex poultice pads instead of an epsom salt + betadine drawing pack.

probably unnecessary but i still have oodles of elastikon from his surgery, so i did a little layer around the shoe to hold the vet wrap in place
The idea here being: We want to be able to tell at least in some small way whether there continues to be drainage. Since again, at this stage the drainage isn't exactly abnormal. But if it continues for very long it could be indicating something more serious.

lol @ charlie's twinkle toes.... plus one little snip to relieve any excess pressure over the coronet band
We're also keeping an eye out for any spiking temperatures or fevers. In the past it's taken something like ~8 days for an abscess to brew. And probably by this point we would have already seen indications of any sort of acute infection to the injury. But ya know. Gotta stay vigilant, just in case.

then all wrapped up in duck tape, avoiding taping above the vet wrap, and extra coverage at the toe
Charlie, again, certainly isn't acting like a feverish or lethargic horse. He's still a good boy tho. And while I bet he wishes my 3hrs with him involved burning off some of his energy.... Well. He'll take what he can get haha.

i'm always nervous about going over the heel bulbs but am hopefully finding the right balance of coverage vs tension
So idk. I guess we'll see what happens. It's crazy to me that I'm writing this post again. I don't understand why this keeps happening to Charlie. Like. I guess it's not the most uncommon thing in the world to step on a nail from a shoe in turnout. Horses lose shoes all the time, after all. But still... Three times in one year feels ridiculously excessive.

dis how charlie feels about the fact that i'm still a crappy wrapper all these years later....
We've been lucky so far, tho. so here's hoping that lucky streak lasts...

63 comments:

  1. Titanium pads. It's the only option. This is getting ridiculous, Charlie!

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    Replies
    1. agreed completely. that, or leg transplantation.

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  2. FFS, Charlie. You are a HORSE not a magnetic construction sweeper.

    I'm so sorry, Emma. =(

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    Replies
    1. maybe he has magnetic feet? LOL (SORRY EMMA not laughing really this sucks!!)

      Hopefully he is back to normal soon but he sure looks good in hot pink!

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    2. omgosh i would be alllll on board the magnetic conspiracy theory, except for that whole MULCH episode?!? but really. it's ok to laugh a little bit. i'm sorta laughing, tbh. in like, a creaky salty kind of way....

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  3. Ugggggg, Charlie! That sucks that he seems to find weird things to stick inside his hoof. Charlie, you need a new hobby, dude. :-(

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    Replies
    1. agreed completely. it's like he gets this weird rush from teetering on the edge of catastrophe. i just hope he doesn't ever take it too far...

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  4. Excessive is right. Holy crap Emma. Are you sure his shoes aren’t magnetic? I hope this one heals as quickly as the others did for you. What’s up with all the blogger land horses right now?! Sheesh.

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    Replies
    1. ya know, people jokingly say that war horses retiring from the track after long careers must be made of iron. and honestly that's part of why i shopped specifically for a war horse: i wanted a horse who could physically stand up to the rigors of that lifestyle. but maybe there's more to that "made of iron" bit than we previously suspected?!?

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  5. Charlie: "OH SPARKLY THING! I SHOULD GO STEP ON IT!"
    ... it has to be intentional at this point... right?

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    Replies
    1. it's definitely gotta be. no other explanation!!

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  6. Someone mentioned titanium pads above and I think its time!! LOL :P

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    Replies
    1. it's definitely time. like, he generally spends half the year in leather pads up front anyway but i'm seriously ready for the full suit of armor....

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  7. Charlie. This is the reason your activities/things can't be written with colorful pens.

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    Replies
    1. omg for real tho.... charlie calls his own shots, i guess!

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  8. Replies
    1. thank you. i'm hopeful he'll be ok. it's just another Day in Dingville i guess...

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  9. The Romans made solid bronze slip-on horse shoes to protect their horses from caltrops in battle. Maybe Charlie needs a set of those?

    Joking aside, this sucks. Been there, done that, nobody needs to do this THREE times!

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    Replies
    1. real talk tho, if somebody finds me a pair of those bronze horse slippers i will 100% put them on charlie to go gallop amidst the caltrops haha!

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  10. I have no words beyond "oh Charlie, not again!"

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  11. Oh.my.god. Charlie! How? Why? He's like my brother who would always step on a lost pin or needle. Always.
    I second Austen's idea of titanium pads. Good lord. Here's hoping that he just is sore.

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    Replies
    1. yea there sure do seem to be some creatures out there that just WILL FIND TROUBLE, no matter what.... i'm hoping he's just sore too. either way tho he'll get what he needs....

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  12. That's awful! Hoof punctures are scary AF. Sounds like you're staying on top of it, though. :(

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    1. the first time it happened i was legit terrified. it's crazy now that it seems like... "oops here we go again!" this time. bc yea. hoofs aren't supposed to have holes in them!! ugh horses.

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  13. I also agree with Austen's idea of titanium pads.

    Oh Charlie...

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    Replies
    1. definitely not ruling that out at this point!!

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  14. OMG Charlie... WHY???? I have mastered the hoof wrap (sadly) if you ever want to learn my method. lol. Best wishes for a speedy and uneventful recovery.

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  15. Oh, Charlie! I bought one of those roller magnet things after Tesla stepped on a nail at the previous barn. I roll it obsessively around now, like a beachcomber haha! :)

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    Replies
    1. yea i have a little hanging magnet too. realistically tho you'd have to roll the entire muddy pasture every time a horse twisted out a nail to avoid what happened to charlie above. and of course the magnet wouldn't have done anything for the mulch from charlie's last puncture incident....

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  16. When he retires you should rent him out to contractors to find loose nails. He could probably bring in enough revenue to pay for his own vet bills.

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    Replies
    1. I laughed a lot more at Carly's comment than I should have hahah.

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  17. OH NO! Maybe someone should roll a magnet around out there in case there are any more nails hiding.
    I'm so sorry, I hope he's feeling better asap, and it's nothing any more serious.
    Foot wrap looks pretty though!

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    Replies
    1. i'm hopeful it's not serious but we're gonna proceed with caution all the same.... and honestly, odds are there are untold gaggles of lost shoes hiding in the mud of his pasture :(

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  18. OH. MY. GOD. CHARLES. You just can't catch a break lol

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    Replies
    1. at least he likes to spread it out a little bit? we've honestly had a pretty solid run of it the last couple months so i can't be too too angry at him lol...

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  19. Two words for you: gorilla tape.

    Seriously -- go get thee some. I started using it this past year as Echo subjected me to excessive foot wrapping and it is SO. MUCH. BETTER. than duct tape. Thanks to whoever suggested it to me, it's a game-changer.

    It stays on when it gets damp and is much more durable, so it doesn't require as many layers. You can save a little money buying multi-packs on Amazon.

    Poor Charlie, poor you, I feel your pain, that is a lot of crappy luck. Animalintex is great. I also use the green epsom salt poultice gel goo for longer term treatment, since the pads get expensive.

    Hopefully Charlie's soreness will abate soon -- since the shoe is still on, that could be creating some extra pressure too, leading to soreness. Another trick I used at vet's suggestions was I took an EVA foam pad leftover from an old pair of hoof wraps and cut out a little keyhole over the injury site. Then wrap that pad onto the bottom of the foot (we pulled shoe) and it creates a pressure-relief area while protecting the rest of the foot.

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    1. oh man i'm all about using the best tools and equipment for stuff like this -- only issue is keeping it in stock! even the best rolls of gorilla tape aren't infinite, but when you need to wrap a foot, you use what ya got on hand.

      the shoe stays on for now bc charlie will be much much more sore without it, but will probably (i assume) get pulled if/when we take rads.

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    2. I hear you -- wouldn't that be amazing, though, an infinite roll of gorilla tape? I drool just thinking of it, LOL.

      At least he was nice enough to put the hole NOT under the shoe itself (we were not so lucky, but much longer story that is not horse's fault) so leaving the shoe on is an option, I count that as a win!

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    3. omg that would be the stuff of dreams. like i can't even explain how annoyed i get at spending $5 here and $8 there on the tiny little supplies type stuff.... esp considering how fast a roll of anything gets used up. ugh. ugh ugh ugh haha. the vet left me with part of a roll of elastikon this morning and it was like christmas morning, i swear.

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  20. OMG, not again!! I hope he heals quickly without further setback.

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  21. Since he's still sore my mind went immediately to homeboy brewing an abscess now - time will tell and I hope he gets better quickly and fully.

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    1. yea i'm sure he *will* brew an abscess, that seems to be his way. this lameness has been consistent and persistent since the moment of injury tho, which suggests it's the injury itself causing the lameness. i won't mind if i'm wrong about that tho!

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  22. Replies
    1. apparently not as long as i would have guessed!!

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  23. Oh no! Not again... is he just like one giant magnet?!

    Fingers crossed for an easy fix once again. Maybe he wants you to change careers to professional horse patcher

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    Replies
    1. he's certainly making sure i get my practice!! he's gonna end up disappointed tho, i don't exactly show an aptitude for it!

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  24. Ughhhhh I feel for you! CHARLIE STOP IT!!! Fingers crossed it's nothing major and he becomes less lame soon!

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    1. at this point it's looking like yet another bullet dodged. just another ding on his belt i guess!! and one more gray hair for me....

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  25. So when I first opened this post, I thought maybe I accidentally clicked on an older one...because HOW CAN THIS EVEN HAPPEN 3 TIMES?

    Charles. Buddy. Please. For the love of all things holy (and your momma's mental state). Stop impaling yourself.

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    Replies
    1. ha i know, right?? like with doing all these "re-posts" lately it wouldn't be too hard to imagine this was just another of those! but nope, it's a whole brand new experience.... all emotions aside, it's kinda crazy to even believe haha

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  26. Oh no, Charlie! Not again! On the only plus side I can see, it's still the ick of winter/spring. Fingers crossed that he heals up promptly and is back to his old self! (And I'm dipping a toe in the waters of horse shopping, kinda. A little.)

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    1. aw thank you! and i just want to let you know that my heart is still breaking for little Patapsco and Nick... what an awful shitty shitty long drawn out fight, ugh :( i so desperately wanted it to end differently for you.

      that's exciting about the prospect of horse shopping tho - i wish you luck and much smoother waters ahead!

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    2. Yeah, I wanted a different ending, too. (Had to put all my pictures away for a while. I still have them, but they're not... out.) But, Bird is in fine shape and also spring is coming. Neither grief nor winter lasts forever.

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  27. Omg not again! Poor Charles! I hope he feels better sound.

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  28. NO FREAKING WAY. CHARLIE!!!!!!! OMG Emma, I am so sorry. What a bunch of crap. You and Charlie deserve a break, ASAP.

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