accoutrements

Rather than throwing a pity party about how the #barnsquad is eagerly prepping for the next show in our winter indoor circuit this weekend.... And that the busses (including my own) need to leave the station at 5:15am (natch, without my own horse aboard...)...

Well. Rather than any of that, let's talk about how I can entertain myself aside from showing riding!

introducing the current basket in which i've placed all my eggs: the Easyboot Zip

Charlie's recovery is going basically as expected, so far. He's as comfortable as he can be with a gigantic cavernous crater in his foot. And it's just going to take the time it takes for everything to regrow back into one piece.

shoutout to Stacie for recommending this model, after the pair of Clouds i initially bought didn't fit...

I'm not actually convinced he's comfortable enough for full turnout yet... But it's time to start planning for that inevitability. 

can't help but love this reusable / disposable shell tho -- it did its job!

I originally picked up a pair of Easyboot Clouds off a friend after convincing myself my measurements were probably "close enough" .... And, lol, no. (Related: anybody need a Size 3 Easyboot Cloud? New in box? Likely to fit a regular-sized TB, maybe!)

i'm sparing you monday's pics bc... they look a whole lot like tuesday's pics. 
above: tuesday animalintex

This Zip model has much easier sizing, tho. Meaning, instead of 8 fairly narrowly defined sizes as with the Cloud, the Zip just has 4 sizes, each of which have a broader range. 

tuesday crater

Maybe if Charlie was more lame or had some sort of structural injury, it would be worth it to fit him properly for the Clouds. But... Eh, he just needs solid protection between his #hoofhole and the #mud. Size 3 in the Zips seem to fit the bill just fine. 

we're doing one more day (today) of animalintex. i'm going to check in with the vet about dealing with all this residue next

I'm not a total idiot tho. Just partial. So his first 24hrs with the Zip are while he's mostly stalled with just an hour or two out in a paddock. 

fresh antibiotic slurry applied to the crater

I also put basically a full wrap underneath it too -- a layer of rolled gauze, vet wrap, and then duct tape. My thought being... if the boot wants to spin or rub on his heel bulbs, the duct tape will be a smoother, more friction-free surface? Maybe? I dunno guys LOL.

the rest of the slurry is on the animalintex patch, and we're still doing a complete wrap protocol

Also, lol, bc I'm bored and am taking too many pictures, I'm posting this *before* knowing how this test run goes. So, eh, I guess take your bets (again) on whether you think this wrap / boot combo will be too much, not enough, or just right for eventual turnout!

tho i didn't build the duct tape up as high now that we're switching to a boot

Naturally, I reserve the right to change my approach at any time anyway haha. And will probably shoot off another message to my vet today or tomorrow, just to update her on how things look. 

this Easyboot model has generous sizing

Things really don't look much different with the hole from day to day. There's still drainage, and... Idk, it might be my imagination but I think the hole is getting bigger lol.

charlie does have giant heel bulbs tho so eh we'll see i guess?

We are still operating under the assumption that Charlie is growing a new sole under the surface, and that what we see will eventually slough off -- sorta like an old toenail lol.

i'm ready to be hopeful

I still don't have a clue how long that will take, tho. Probably long. I dunno. We aren't exactly at the "peak growth" season for hooves, ya know? 

oh charlie <3 making sweet faces like he isn't 100% out of patience with this lol

And I want a little more clarity about what landmarks the vet will want Charlie to hit before he's ready for all-day turnout. 

So ya know. More to come, I guess ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

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. 

bebe horse shopping

So! Given that Charlie has been lame for like a month, and is like, old and stuff.... I've decided to breed my next partner. And will also probably buy a 3yo in the meantime while I'm at it. 

michael knows more about horse shopping than you, and he's not afraid to say it

Just kidding. As I wrote last time.... I'm *not* horse shopping. I'm trying to help my best friend recover from his massively unfortunate encounter with... gravel. 

just kidding lol we're talking about horses with holes in their feet, and, omg, the supplies.
so. many. supplies. 

I did actually buy some hoof boots tho -- but that's for a later conversation bc it's premature in Charlie's recovery to try them on, and so I don't even know if they actually fit yet... Stay tuned!

the face of a horse who 100% expects you to solve his problems, plz thx and hurry the fresh fuck up <3

What I'm really here to say is... Ugh, this horse <3 He's just so happy to be feeling better. I swear, he stalks me from his stall while I stage and prep the area for soaking his foot and replacing the bandage... Then straight up drags me to his foot bath.

michael helps too <3

He plunges his foot into the hot water, and immediately dozes off into happy relief. And that foot does not budge until I specifically tell him bath time is over. 

charlie really wants to touch the cat haha

He's also already walking so much better. Tho, we know his hoof is going to go through some changes while he heals, so Charlie is just going to have to cope with some restrictions...

 

he's the boss!

But he's well enough now to actually want to move around a little bit. So I've been letting him wander (supervised) around the barn each evening before I change his wrap. All the other horses are in too, so he can visit with his herd mates and say 'Hi!' to everybody else... 

dude check out that drainage spot tho, ugh fucking gross why is it GRAY??

#Enrichment, y'all. It matters. 

Tho let's be real, he's still not super comfortable yet. So one or two laps up and down the barn aisle is plenty at this point. Hopefully in the next week we can think about letting him out for a little roll + romp again... But not quite yet. 

products!!

In the meantime, it's a question of management. Charlie's rescuer from a few nights ago came through again (omg <3) with this reusable wrap that I've used on some other horses. 

testing! place hoof here!

My experience with this wrap is very limited so far, but I honestly am inclined to like it. The price is nice, the fit is flexible, and the material seems solid. 

"huh??" -- charles, snoozin in his foot bath

For Charlie's first night using it, I gave him a complete wrap and put the reusable shell on top. My idea being... if the shell fails for whatever reason, Charlie is still protected with a complete wrap.

notable: not a single hoof splash, that hoof has not moved a millimeter in more than 15min

But I'm hopeful. I don't think this wrap will stand up to the depth of mud we often see in our fields -- particularly around gates and round bales. It just gets too deep, ya know? 

It should be great for his stall, tho, and hopefully will reduce the amount of duct tape needed per wrap. Maybe, lol. We'll see. 

picture is from the first test, i added a layer of duct tape underneath and ditched the foam pad that comes with the wrap for our final configuration. will update after tomorrow!

I'm going to check in with my vet on the protocol, too, anyway. Original plan indicates ceasing soaking and switching to a new bandaging protocol (with topical antibiotics), but as far as I can tell, there's still active drainage. I'm eager for antibiotics bc... reasons and stuff... but just want to double check. 

So we'll see what my vet says about wrapping and boot options in conjunction with whatever protocol we adopt going forward. 

TGIF, y'all. Ride your horses!!

"let the tigers take me!" -- charles, probably

Hokey dokey, folks. Come and join me for a nice little review of Charlie's most recent hoof trauma, and the continued fallout!

houston we have.... another hole

You may recall, the horse got a bit of gravel stuck in his foot right around New Year's, and really did a number on himself. Suspected deep bone bruise, plus an abscess at the site of the trauma. 

We *hoped* (tho didn't really believe) that would be it, that we'd just wait out the bruise and he'd get better in a more or less linear fashion. To THAT, however, Charlie said "Ha! Hold my beer!"

that special sort of feeling when your horse's foot blows bubbles

Everyone who works at Charlie's barn has been taking his condition on a day-to-day basis for 4 weeks at this point, and generally they've made pretty good choices about whether to turn him out or keep him in. But... The funny thing with abscesses is... They get VERY acute, VERY fast. 

And poor Charlie... He might not have made the best choices of his life upon being released to the wilderness anyway. And then, by the end of the day, found himself unable to keep up with the herd when they migrated back down to the gate for dinner.

full notes for the curious

In other words, Charlie allowed himself to become separated from his group, and basically just stayed out in the far reaches of his pasture... hoping for the best, I guess. 

Generally, I tend to think of that sort of behavior as... a very very bad sign. Basically a horse has to have given up, possibly even accepted death, to willingly be left behind. Tho. Let's not get dramatic here, guys, LOL --- Charlie is that certain sort of Sir who just KNOWS he will be rescued, of course!

she was a ripe one, y'all

And rescued he was, by my poor beleaguered barn mate who was scared half to death that she'd have to get a trailer out into the pasture to transport his lame ass back into the barn. Because naturally.... the one day Charlie goes DEFCON 1 was the first day I couldn't go to the barn in like... ugh, a while. 

Luckily, tho, he eventually accepted my barn mate's hand-delivered invitation to walk in under his own power on all four legs. Slowly, sadly, clammy and sweating and frankly exhausted from pain. 

So... My extremely pragmatic and practical vet, upon hearing this news, determined that it was time for x-rays just to be sure. Like... Yea, we kinda already knew he might abscess again. And this was probably an abscess.... But, ehhhhhhh let's just be sure, yes? 

believe it or not, this stance is actually an improvement -- he's actually putting some amount of weight here vs holding the whole thing afloat

And ya know. It IS an abscess. Bc it turns out, critical injuries like broken bones or ruptured tendons don't generally have "good" and "bad" days. Abscesses do, tho. And this abscess, confirmed via radiographs, is a real doozy. It's basically the whole foot, with every expectation that he'll end up with that bizarre "false sole" situation before the whole thing sloughs off. 

the abscess is basically everywhere, and he'll eventually slough off his entire sole

Charlie was super relieved too, when we got the shoe off and the thing instantly ruptured, spurting out blood and puss and all manner of ooey gooey rank nastiness. 

Like he's still super lame and super sore, and super disinclined to do much in the way of moving... But you could literally see the quivering tension in his muscles and posture melt away as the thing started draining. Poor guy, honestly not sure I've ever seen him in this much pain :( 

plz stay clean!!!

We'll get through it, tho, following the protocols outlined in the notes above. And hopefully avoiding any complications like infection along the way. Bc ya know... We do what it takes for this sweet pony. 

It's funny bc one of our newest barn mates has only really been around since this summer -- since right after Charlie got caught up in that high tensile wire fence. Meaning, she's seen a lot of Charlie being out of commission, and requiring high maintenance care, etc, and.... Not a whole heckuva lot else from him (tho as you know, we did squeak in a couple shows last fall!).

flashback to just a couple weeks ago <3 <3 <3

And this friend, who knows her stuff, has good judgement, is a trusted, valued resource.... Basically said to me, "You're spending a lot of money to not be riding." Charlie's new farrier hinted at a variation of the same thing, riffing on folks who turn themselves inside out for a horse that isn't really even great to ride.

Another long time horse friend, Charlie's chiro / acupuncturist, who herself breeds horses, suggested that maybe I need a second horse, or should at least think about succession planning -- and would I maybe want her to breed something for me? 

Which... Ya know. Yea, obvi I wish I could ride right now. It would be awesome to have a second horse. And... Ok, agreed, I probably *do* need to think a little bit about succession planning for Charlie, who is 14 this year. And maybe a homebred bebe would be fun?

But damn, guys. Charlie is kinda the best, ya know? He's my favorite horse, he's the animal I describe when I talk about "what I'd want to breed for" or "key criteria in a young horse" or whatever. Sure, it's been a rough six months for him... but I'm pretty confident he's got more to do, more to give. 

It's just an abscess lol. He'll be fine. Probably lol. Might just take a while haha, plus a few pretty pennies along the way.... But c'est la vie, right? So if you need me, I'll be shopping around for appropriately sized hoof boots, and NOT for fancy baby horses haha... (probably).