Charlie's a delicate princess. We know this. When I first got his fly boots, I joked with the staff at his last barn that we needed to keep an eye out for any rubs. Bc Charlie would absolutely be the horse to get some sort of minor rub that bursts into cellulitis.
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| nobody's favorite sight |
Haha. We joked about this. But... Also it's true. Joke's on me, I guess...
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| yep, that's an angry leg. |
The fly boots ultimately weren't the culprit tho. The new farm doesn't do boot duty for turn out / bringing in. But Charlie's also nearing the end of his viable shoe cycle while I still haven't solidified our farrier situation.
So... I took a gamble and left him with his bells on 24/7 for two days (whereas before he wore them only over night during turnout).
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| blehhhhhhhhh |
This..... was a mistake. A poor life choice. Sigh. I'm sorry Charlie :(
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| still wearing shoes tho lol. but ugh look at that bumpy lumpy puffy RF :( |
After wrestling intense traffic on my new and longer commute, exacerbated by heavy downpours, I found myself puzzled at seeing Charlie through his stall door. He has a silhouette on his left suspensory from an old 2011 lesion. But why was I seeing an odd shape to his right leg, not left?
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| liquid bandage so those rubs can get some air |
And then, BAM, it hit me: the leg was fat as fuck. Totally blown up - and immediately I knew it was those blasted glittery green bell boots. Fml.
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| disregard my terrible wrap job. focus on charlies adorable bewhiskered nose instead <3 |
Poor guy. He seemed relieved to have me discover his little boo-boo. Tho maybe he didn't love the cold hosing as much. Which... I can't really blame him. The leg was
steaming even after 20min with the hose. Like. It's
angry.
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| mmmmm drugs. it's what's for dinner! |
I kinda waffled a little bit on the right course of action too. Like sometimes turnout is a good way to help reduce puffiness.
But this leg kinda looks like it wants to morph into full blown cellulitis and ain't nobody want that. So I opted for lots of hosing, gentle cleansing, a liquid bandage over the wounds themselves (which are in reality quite minor), and standing wraps - complete with poultice on the offending leg. Plus, obviously,
ALL of the drugs.
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| actually quite content! |
Charlie, in turn, dutifully accepted my fussing and poking and prodding and hilariously deficient wrapping skills. It helps that there were treats involved. And upon receiving his special drug-laced dinner and hay bag? He seemed fully content to spend the evening in his double wide stall.
Poor guy. My fingers are fully crossed that he's just being a delicate butterfly and that tomorrow the swelling will be greatly reduced and he'll be well on his way to healing. In other words. I'm hoping that it's not cellulitis. Bleh.
At least he's still wearing shoes tho??? Ugh lol. Does anyone else out there have a delicate hot house flower that'll blow up if you look at them sideways? Or do you have one of those wonderful indestructible beasts of majesty?? (Isabel - sometimes I miss ya girl! lol).
Poor Charlie. Irish is a delicate flower like Charlie. Fortunately, he hasn't reacted to his bell boots though. I hope that he feels better tomorrow/today. Carmen, however, appears to be pretty hardy.
ReplyDeletesomehow i believe that about Carmen! isabel in all her drama was pretty hardy too lol. meanwhile quiet, easy going charlie can't physically handle the least little bit of friction.
DeleteAww poor Charlie 😔 at least he has an extra big stall and lots to look at if he's gotta be stuck in there for a bit extra. Hopefully his legs feel better ASAP.
ReplyDeleteyea that stall is seriously an asset right now! when i got there yesterday he had his head out the window grazing lolol
DeleteI have a delicate chestnut ottb flower. I went through a million different bell boots before finding a brand that didn't rub him raw. Professional's cHoice ballistic overreach boots are now our mainstay. He wears them whenever he is out of his stall - including in his bath, hand grazing, doing ground work - because he too, believes horse shoe toss is his main game. Haha. Gotta love them!
ReplyDeletegood to know about those bells! charlie basically only has worn his for turnout and cross country, he seems to just walk out of his shoes rather than specifically pulling them off. but now i need to reconsider since i clearly can't leave some boots on for very long, and this barn doesn't do boots for boarders. sigh.
DeleteOh no! Heal quickly Charlie! Gem has fortunately been pretty hardy so far although when she has hurt herself it's been major.
ReplyDeleteha Gem, i definitely believe she's got that "go big or go home" attitude!
DeleteHmmm. I have both. My senior AQHA comes in from the pasture with mysterious bumps and lumps and scrapes and cuts and swellings all the time. It's like, "What can you possibly be doing out there?!?" But my POA is tough as nails. Which is soooo nice lol. I hope it isn't cellulitis and Charlie is back to normal soon!
ReplyDeleteman i love me some POAs tho. tough as nails is right! i hope it isn't cellulitis too but we're gonna pull out the big guns anyway. not worth the risk!
DeleteI don't even wanna make speculation on my horses. They'll make me a liar no matter what I say lol. Griffin is very much trying to fulfill his image as a "sporthorse" now and is doing incredibly stupid things with increasing regularity....
ReplyDeleteha that's so true - horses LOVE making liars out of us!! except for those times when they're daring us to make self fulfilling prophecies (ie, joking about charlie getting cellulitis from a boot rub haha). and that's funny about Griff - he must be feeling all cocky from his new found athleticism and fitness. there's definitely a downside to teaching a horse how to really use that body!
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DeleteLily has certainly put you through the wringer of all kinds of sensitive flower type injuries, plus all those 'omg wtf' injuries too! glad you've figured out the best way to manage her care and your best way of financially protecting yourself against whatever she may do!
DeleteI hope he heals up soon and best of luck to you with your endeavors with him.
Deletethanks me too!
DeleteI won't bother you anymore with my comments.
DeleteThat sucks. For being a thin skinned chestnut thoroughbred, Subi was never THAT much of a delicate flower and was ok wearing bell boots 24/7 for, well, years. That said, he really only did well with the italian jumper pull on bell boots in gummy. I could NOT use velcro bell boots, but the pricey Italian jumper ones in gummy (the gummy were the softest for 24/7 use) were fine for years...when they didn't tear I didn't cry.
ReplyDeletehm interesting about those gummies. charlie was wearing fairly stiff velcro on bells and i'm thinking softer pull ons will be better for the future. he honestly doesn't chew them up too badly.... but yea. why is the best stuff always the $$ stuff?
DeleteGet better soon Charlie!
ReplyDeletehe says thank you!
DeleteUgh Charles! Quit trying to maim yo'self! I am very very thankful for my near-indestructible pony. That little thing has the cleanest legs I've ever seen on a horse, ever. But my next one will now probably be suicidal to make up for it.
ReplyDeletenear-indestructible ponies are best ponies <3 charlie's legs are...... haha, *not* what you would call clean. luckily he's not really terrible about injuring himself. he's just so thin skinned that stuff that shouldn't injure him does. bleh. poor guy.
DeleteFingers crossed Charlie's swelling resolves quickly!
ReplyDeletei'm hopeful!! i'm also gonna do everything in my power to help it along too ;)
DeleteOh Charlie, poor buddy! Luckily Lucy is a typical Quarter Horse who will hardly react to thing she probably SHOULD - like, oh, kicking through a portastall at age 2, then proceeding to just stand there? The first torn suspensory where we spent $$$$$$$ on all the things to heal it vs the second one, where we tossed her in pasture for a year and it healed? Can't really complain, except to say OMG EFFING SUSPENSORY LIGAMENTS.
ReplyDeleteInterestingly enough though, I think climate is so huge - I sold one of my QHs to Georgia and he went from no issues to having huge bouts with cellulitis, all related to the humidity.
climate is definitely real, and it's been super humid around here. charlie hasn't really moved much geographically in recent years - but i'll never discount any type of change effecting a horse more than we might thing (ie, changing barns last weekend maybe putting a slight shock on his system). also yea, suspensory ligaments are the worst. absolute worst. charlie has an old lesion that he raced on sound for 4 years, but i still keep an eye on it!
DeleteNooooo..... Twins. Murray used to be hardy but seems to be enjoying his current status as delicate flower. Sigh.
ReplyDeleteugh i hate when they go through phases like that! i kinda expect an ottb to be a little sensitive fresh off the track - their immune systems are so suppressed and weak from all that shit they get on the track. but c'mon buddy, it's been almost a year!
DeleteUgh that totally sucks! Mine is supposed to have a boot on until she gets re-shoed today, but she's managed to lose two of them who knows where between the turnout and the stall...
ReplyDeletethey really are masters of finding black holes into which they throw all their nice gear, aren't they?
Deleteyou know i feel you on this. i had the same issue with bellboots. the fluffy kind helped. also animax/dermalone helps a lot with angry leg issues. ive had to use it more than a few times when bellboots went wrong.
ReplyDeletealso you could yell at him and tell him to stop acting like a chestnut.
hm i actually thought about pulling out the animax (which i still have from izzy's scratches from hell) but opted to go with the silver spray instead. the rubs really don't look terrible, but they're definitely super ouchy.
Deletebut yea. apparently Charlie got jealous of Indy and Pig's chestnut TB adventures with cellulitis and wanted to join the club. bad charlie, bad. that's not a club we need to be in, buddy!!!! :(
I almost named today's blog post in my corner of the web some derivation of your title today.
ReplyDeletehaha oh yea? hopefully not for some derivation of the same issue tho!!!
DeleteSensitive hot house flowers the lot of them
Deletesrsly. cool headed, hot.....skinned? idk haha, grasping at straws here.
DeleteUgh, bell boots! I hate bellboots. Fingers crossed Charlie's leg calms down in a sane and low-to-no vet bills kind of way and that maybe one day you can do away with the bell boots, and maybe even the fancy shoes too. (I'm a dreamer ;) )
ReplyDeleteyea.... sadly i think approximately 0% of those hopes will become reality. bell boots are pretty standard fare for a lot of event horses - esp on xc. and i don't mind giving charlie the shoes he needs since he's a sized giant ottb on soft feet. oh, and yea there will be at least one vet bill from this current little episode haha. sigh.
DeleteUgh so sorry. No fun to deal with. I wish I had some suggestions, but my horses seem to prefer back issues to leg issues. Hope your intervention is all Charlie needed to get back on track.
ReplyDeletethanks! honestly i'm feeling pretty good with our care plan - so now it's just wait and see how he does and adjust accordingly. oh horses. can't ever really control them!
DeleteMiles' nickname is Princess Twinkle Toes. That's really all you need to know, LOL
ReplyDeletehahahaha yessss i love it! i call charlie King of the Dings ;)
DeleteBrantley is also a delicate flower... luckily not with bellboots but of course leave a fly sheet on for more than a few hours and he's got bald spots 😉 Good job Charlie... ergh
ReplyDeleteOh god the rubs tho... Charlie gets very handsome rubs on his shoulders too. Sigh.
DeletePoor delicate Charles. Here's hoping it heals up quick and isn't cellulitis.
ReplyDeleteI'm knocking on all the wood as I say this but Kachina seems like a pretty hardy beast which I thank my lucky stars for. She gets the occasional ding out living the pasture life but I've never had any crazy swelling to contend with.
Turns out it is not cellulitis, phew! And yea that's great that kachina doesn't swell up! Izzy never really did either. These ottbs are just notoriously thin skinned. Sigh.
DeletePoor Charlie! I pray for a speedy recovery for you guys!
ReplyDeleteAs for Jean-Luc, he's is quite the delicate little poppy! Plus, his white spots and freckles allow you to see everything. At least the herd is nicer these days, and he hasn't had a new "getting to know you" marks. All-in-all, he likes to work and I'm glad we can.
Oh yea that white skin is hard for sure. Esp with skin funk and scratches around the legs. I'm kinda glad Charlie only has the one white sock to contend with!
DeleteOh goodness. I'm away for a couple weeks because of horse injuries and suddenly everyone's horses are injured too!!
ReplyDeleteHope Charlie's legs calm down quickly.
Tis the season apparently!!!
Deleteall my guys puff up at the littlest scrape. Doesn't stress me out at all...ever ...hahah
ReplyDeleteHaha right? Like it's almost kinda funny in how predictably delicate this giant hulking horse is. Except it's also like, cmon bro seriously?!?
DeleteAnnie doesn't wear bell boots anymore because it seems like no matter what kind I use, they all rub her pasterns :(
ReplyDeleteThankfully tho, she doesn't get puffy legs from it, but still.
That's great she doesn't get too puffy! Charlie gets swollen if you look at him funny ugh.
DeleteJust chiming in to second threechestnuts KLS Itialia gummy bell boots reccomendation. They were the only thing that didnt irritate a delicate flower of mine with 4 white legs & tendon issues. Even when worn 24/7. Smartpak sells em!
ReplyDeleteYep there are a lot of brands out there to try!
DeleteStella is similar with anything on he legs. Small cut? Scratches? Abscess? Barn manager and farrier are telling me to leave work now and have a vet on the way because it looks like a catastrophic tendon injury. Nope, just my delicate horse.
ReplyDeleteOmg my last barn mgrs were the same way - super alarmist about everything bc Charlie clearly was about to lose that limb. Turns out tho that he's normally fine. Go figure this is another one of those times.
DeleteAww, poor boy. Cessa seems pretty good, although she does get some seasonal "let's lose all the hair in my armpits and on my chest before the winter coat grows in!" action. Justice is... eesh, I don't even know. He looks terrible right now; it's all minor, but there's a lot of it because he keeps running into things.
ReplyDeleteugh my friend's horse was like that - constantly covered in so many little dings that he always kinda looked a mess. like. c'mon horses, really???
DeleteKatai is luckily in the latter category. Poor Charlie and fingers crossed that he feels better soon!
ReplyDeleteOh no! Charlie! I do hope it gets better quickly! I've been super lucky. My mom's horse is a super delicate flower - a little cut? OMG SWELLING. And she holds up her leg like "ow mom I'm gonna die!" Amber is not a delicate flower at all. I find new scrapes on her every day. She looks like an appaloosa after all that corona I put on her. But aside from her very bad injury, she's like....indestructible. lol I dunno. But I hope Charlie gets better fast!
ReplyDeletePoor Charlie. I had a summer where Vallu got cellulitis 4 times over 6 months.. I was not a happy bunny! But the last 2 summers have been good to us, hoping it stays like that!
ReplyDeleteSO glad that while annie is usually delicate that she can wear her bells 24/7 because she pulls shoes like no bodies business in and out. Poor Charlie.
ReplyDelete