as the abscess drains

Happy Monday, y'all. Brace yourself for... a lot of pictures of kinda the same thing, from one day to the next. Not too many words, tho. 

can't remember if i told you -- but charlie finally upgraded from his hand-me-down heavy blanket. we went with schneiders

In case any readers haven't figured it out by now... The frequency of posts here on Ye Olde Blogge is directly proportional to the volume of photos snapped from day to day lol. 

apparently it's normal for the discharge to be gray / blackish

Naturally, as an obsessive documentarian.... I snap a shit ton of photos in the process of treating an injury or healing a wound.... So. You're welcome?

still gross, tho

This weekend was an interesting period in treatment, too, and one I'll hopefully NOT end up happy to have photographed for reference later if things go badly lol.... #ButJustInCase....

finished with the soaking protocol on friday

Basically, refer back to the actual professional veterinarian** notes posted here. 

(**Reminder for anybody who needs to hear this: professional veterinarians generally follow a standard procedure. They take a history of the animal, with any related context and background. Then they perform an actual friggin examination of the animal. From this, they formulate specific recommendations*** and courses of treatment that may or may not be adapted and evolved from day to day based on consultations and updates with the client.)

(***Professional recommendations are almost never based on a single data point --- that's why professionals do the whole "history" thing. Anybody offering advice or recommendations who has not bothered to even read available history -- and furthermore, anybody providing that unsolicited advice for free -- is *not* a professional!) 

 

introduced the first of two topical antibiotics -- squirted some oxytet in there
also a nice array of all the wrap supplies: lattice patchwork of duct tape strips for the wrap's sole; rolled gauze; vetwrap; the animalintex patch is in the packaging; extra duct tape; and the outer shell (top left)

First few days of treatment involved a soaking protocol, before switching to Phase 2: topical antibiotics. 

outer shell going strong

My poor vet, lol, I text her every day to double check each detail. Like... Seriously lol. Friday night I was asking about stopping the soaking given the continuing extent of drainage.

exploring the barn aisle for #enrichment

She wasn't worried about it, tho, esp considering prolonged soaking has its own consequences. Tho she did suggest squirting some oxytet into the bandage earlier than originally planned, just to be safe. 

and playing stall door halter tag <3
tommy is no iggy, but he's been featured here and here

I feel a little badly for Charlie -- he definitely seemed to enjoy his foot baths... so I kinda feel like I'm depriving him of a favorite spa treatment... 

saturday update: my steam breathing dragon got his hour in the sunshine <3 <3

Good news on that front! The horse is feeling so well right now (plus the ground froze solid, yay no mud!) that he can get some time loose under the sun in one of our little paddocks!

first day of not soaking, and introducing the full antibiotic protocol

He's honestly not a great paddock pony bc.... well. He weaves at the gate like a friggin nutjob. #counterproductive

still active drainage

But an hour out once or twice a day seems pretty tolerable to him, provided the wrap is in good enough shape for it and the mud isn't too bad. And his increased level of activity meant I could ditch the standing wraps and he hasn't stocked up again. 

#gross
also, i wonder if that section to the left of the hole is an early indication of how the sole with slough off? 

Turnout will be an evolving topic over the next week anyway. I expect it won't be a moment too soon, too. Bc.... Well... Sore Charlie in a stall?? Behaves like a pitiful pet. Healthy Charlie in a stall? Well... Lol, he acts a bit more like a caged wild animal... 

part 1 of the topical antibiotic protocol: 5 crushed metronidazole pills

We basically just need to get through this tricky bit of having such a giant exposed hole in his foot... Which is where the drugs come in. My vet has a new protocol for mega abscesses: topically applying a slurry of oxytetracycline and metronidazole. 

part ii of the slurry: a squirt of oxytetracycline. i think i'm using too much fluid here, should be more paste-y and less flow-y

I'd never seen this before until actually just a few weeks ago, when another mare at our farm had a significant abscess that was slow to resolve.  

good 'nuff, tho --- now go do your thing!

Granted she was a decidedly psychotic patient (compared to saintly Charlie)... but whatever the case, it seemed to work for her. So hopefully it'll work for Charlie too!

24hrs later, with some residue, maybe from the metro??

We are also continuing with bandaging with animalintex pads for the next few days too, even tho we aren't soaking any more. Mostly bc of the drainage. 

still with the drainage, tho notably less dark #stillgross

Tho my vet actually seems pretty ambivalent about the poultice pads. She likes them, but feels like there are probably other things better worth the cost. Like elastikon.  

are you tired of this yet?? bc i am!! lol
(fun fact: if you stare at this pic long enough, you can convince yourself the fluid is bubbling up vs sinking under, the whole concave vs convex situation -- try it!!!)

In my case, tho, I bought a huge stockpile of animalintex like... years ago, and am kinda eager to just use it up. So she said to go to town!

once i get the duct tape patch secured on the bottom of his hoof, it's easy to just build up the duct tape long the walls into the finished product

The next few days include more of the same: treating with the antibiotic slurry, little drips and drabs of semi-supervised (and short) turnout for Charlie (ground conditions allowing), and wrapping up the hoof up like a freakin fortress, complete with that same disposable shell that's doing it's job admirably. 

Phase 3 is coming soon too -- wherein we'll turn the horse out out. Naturally, with a stronger, more reinforced outer boot. Stay tuned. If you're into that sorta thing, obvi.