All I Want for Christmas...

...is a sound horse.  Yes, you read that correctly.  Yesterday morning when I did barn chores, Jackson was completely sound, with perky ears and bright eyes.  He looked at his halter, then at me, then at his halter.  I promised to ride him today because there wasn't time before work yesterday.  I was SOOOO excited.

Last night as I was driving home, stuck in traffic, in the middle of a two and a half hour commute (which should have been an hour less than that), Brett called me.  He had just finished feeding and Jackson was "don't-make-me-walk" lame.  All the joy of the season (what little there was left after being stuck in the car for so long) flew right out the car window and sailed off towards Palm Springs.  I choked back tears and thought pessimistic, fatalistic thoughts.  "I'll never ride him again."  "He's never going to be sound."  "If I want to ride, I need a different horse."  "I don't want a different horse."  I got home.  Brett gave me a big hug and I dissolved into tears. 

I did some research after visiting Jackson in the barn.  I'm not alone, apparently.  Horses with thin soles and crappy hoof walls are prone to abscesses in the wet months.  This will probably be my life from October through April.  I pick his feet twice a day, apply hoof hardening products, supplement, and he has pads on the front.  Brett keeps his turnout as dry as possible with wood pellets added after it rains.  There really isn't much else I can do besides locking him up in a stall on shavings 24/7.  And that is not going to happen.  His mental health is as important as his physical health.  I'll just deal with it.  Occasional pity parties and all.

This morning, he was still hopping lame.  I could tell the minute I saw him standing in his turnout.  His eyes say "my feet hurt and I don't want to move."

On the other hand, I hear the hay cart coming down the barn aisle.

He managed to hop inside his stall for breakfast.  At lunch time, he was back outside standing in the sun.  And he had rolled.  I told him about the competition with Abbe at Skoog Farm and he isn't about to let a girl beat him in a Dirtiest Horse contest.

The big lunchtime news was herd integration.  I talked to Kalvin's owner and we decided to release Kalvin from his paddock and let him be part of the herd.  He's completed his year of paddock rest, and he's back in light work.  He's very social and wants to be with the other horses in the worst way.  After spending over a year getting to know each other over the fence, the integration was pretty blasé.

Tis the Season

...for abscesses. 

Jackson lost a shoe last week as a big rain storm was moving through.  Our farrier was out of town so I managed to pull the shoe and then put on an EasyBoot.  That worked well until Jackson broke the EasyBoot and I found him wandering around his stall barefoot.  Great.

Our farrier came up Tuesday and put the shoe back on.  He also took a look at Tuffy who was lame and in pain.  He pronounced it a probable abscess so I slapped on a poultice and a diaper and wrapped him up good with vet wrap.  He had a lovely green foot to hop around on.

Wednesday, Jackson seemed a bit off.  Not a lot.  Just a bit.  I figured his foot was sore from being barefoot and then getting the shoe back on.  I gave him some bute and some GastroGuard to settle his nervous stomach.  Jackson is a champion worrywart. 

Yesterday, Jackson was still sore.  Tuffy looked like he was getting around better.

This morning, Jackson was hopping lame.  And his manure was a mess.  More GastroGuard, more bute and a call to the farrier.  We suspected a hot nail.  Our farrier was able to come up this afternoon and pull the shoe.  It was not a nail - Jackson was not at all sensitive in the hoof wall where the nail was.  However, he was big time sensitive on the sole.  Probably an abscess.

I soaked his foot and washed his manure stained tail.

Then it was his turn to get a poultice, diaper, duck tape boot.

Meanwhile, Tuffy was walking normally so I took off his hoof wrap.  It was full of stinky abscess stuff and Tuffy walked normally with it off.  He smelled his clean hoof thoroughly, then went for a roll in the dirt, and celebrated by chasing Finessa around the pasture twice.  He came over to offer his condolences to Jackson.

Actually, I think he looks a little smug.  Flash thought so too and chased Tuffy into the donkey stall.  Tuffy felt good enough to throw in a little attitude on his way.  Don't blink or you'll miss it on this video.

Tuffy's Turn

Tuesday morning when I went down to feed, I found Tuffy standing on three legs.  He held his front leg off the ground and didn't move.   I felt the leg -- no heat, no swelling.  But, it was obviously excruciating.  Tuffy would barely touch the ground with the hoof and then yank it quickly back into the air.

I left work early so I could check on him while it was still light.  Jackpot!  Our farrier was here when I got home, tacking shoes back onto Jackson and Flash.  He offered to take a look.

Tuffy hates the farrier.  I don't understand why since there has never been any pain involved in having his hooves trimmed.  Tuffy will let me hold his feet and clean them all day long without a complaint but he won't let the farrier near.  I got the halter on Tuffy and the farrier tried getting close enough to give Tuffy some scritches and scratches.  Tuffy wasn't having any of it.  He loves the vet who gives him shots... why not the farrier?

We finally got Tuffy to stand still and after a few minutes of love and attention, Tuffy relaxed and buried his head in my stomach.  Our farrier was able to pick up the foot and trim away the sole without further tantrums.  We're pretty sure it's an abscess; the sole is very tender in one spot even to finger pressure.

I wrapped Tuffy's hoof in epsom salt poultice, part of a diaper, and vet wrap.  I usually use duct tape but we seem to be out of it at the moment.

Poor little guy.  I hope it bursts soon.  In the meantime, he seems to have mastered the three-legged hop.

Discouraged

When we got home from our weekend getaway, Jackson was walking almost normal.  I attributed his slight gimp to the fact that his hoof was wrapped with so many layers of gauze and tape.  The vet said the wrapping would wear off in 5-7 days.  Today is day 5.  This morning the remnants of the wrapping were flapping around Jackson as he... limped along. 

I peeled off the bits of remaining hoof wrap and soaked his foot while he ate his morning bucket of vitamins and carrots.  Then I checked his clean sole for bruises.  No bruises, no breaks, a little soft and tender but nothing visible.  Dragnammit!

I called the vet.  Continue with bute, continue with soaking, wait.  How long I ask?  My other horses have always burst their abscess within a few days.  She says - could be two weeks.  I had a horse that took 3 months once.   Three months??!!!  It was highly unusual.  But it may take awhile.  Call me in 3 or 4 days. 

AAAAAARRGHHH!!!!