Bored now

My poor horse is officially bored. After ten days of stall rest, I think he's ready for something new. He's not crazy or explosive or anything, but ... when I got to the barn this evening, I was greeted with this: "So I hate to be the one to tell you this, but your perfect horse is learning to crib."

"Oh no ... no, nuh-uh ... really? Gah."

Pony is officially bored. Sigh. I walked him for 40 minutes this evening, both in the indoor and outside for a while, over some ground poles and onto the grass. (That was funny - he pulled at that grass like he was starving.) I am going to have to think up some entertainment for him. Maybe I'll hang the nibble net and keep the hay out of the pee spots in the stall at the same time.

I want to turn him out, but a) logistically that doesn't really work and b) he's officially on stall rest for the rest of the week. Poor pony.

Pictures!

(There's also a longer entry one back.  Read all about the call you never want to get at 9 AM.)


Meanwhile, pictures of the 'Pollo pony in his nifty Five Star bridle!

Apollo is unimpressed with the picture-taking at first.

Still unimpressed.  See bandages ... and IMPRESSIVE TAIL.

Ahhh, now we're getting somewhere!  Handsome fellow.

Hi!  What's that?  Is it edible?  Is it time for me to have a treat now?
(seriously, omgfuzzysoftnose!)

The noble steed surveys his domain.

The best shot of the day.  How can you not adore this face?  This nose?  This kind eye?
Gorgeous, wonderful animal.  I love him.  :)

Wake-up call

Of all the thousand and one ways one doesn't want to wake up on a Saturday morning, a text saying "Are you coming to the barn?  Your horse looks really bad, worse than yesterday." is pretty high up there.

I wasn't exactly sleeping, but I wasn't fully awake either, kind of that slow stretch wakeup kind of thing.  Didn't last.   I was expecting absolute catastrophe waiting for me, leg the size of a giant pumpkin, non-weight-bearing, fever, et cetera.

Thank God it wasn't catastrophic.  Just more yellow ooze.   More than is healthy, yes, but not more than I've seen on the wound.  I am glad Kelly called me, though.  She's a pharmacist, and she was kind of alarmed by what she saw.

Anyway, first thing I did when I rolled out of bed was call the vet and get the 15-20 minute callback clock started.  Got to the barn, immediately got some Banamine going even before I looked in Apollo's stall.  Assessed wound, jammed Banamine down the poor guy's throat, and we got started with the scrubbing and the hydrotherapy.

One of the main vets called me back, rather than an intern on emergency duty.  I really, really like this particular vet -- I trust his judgment.  More, I have to say, than an intern's, even though I did like the vet who came out.  Still, Dr. Knox is someone I feel comfortable with.   I explained the issue -- still lame, still swollen, lots of yellow pus, some proud flesh, etc -- and that I'd talked with the intern on Thursday about changing the antibiotic.   After the discussion, Dr, Knox said that indeed, we ought to change the antibiotic, start giving him Banamine for a few days, and go back to wrapping him, keeping up with the hydro and walking.  Looks like he might have some cellulitis going on around the wound as well, so yay for abx.

THIS I feel comfortable with.  THIS advice feels right to me.   And, judging from how the wound looked even at 1 when I picked up the medicine and went back to dose him and hydro him, I think it's the right thing.  Apollo's looking better.   The Banamine helps him walk -- he's even tracking up! -- and the wound wasn't terribly oozy or anything this evening.

Anyway, hooray for Doxycycline!  (which, in an ironic turn, I am allergic to. I have to avoid breathing it in when I grind it.)

I think he'll heal.   :)

OH AND!   I got some pictures.  :)

Hang on while I upload.

Better.

Well, for the first time since this started I'm not feeling too worried about Apollo's leg.  He's still lame and swollen, but I think it's going to heal.  It does have some proud flesh on it, but I got some ointment from the vet, and we'll see how that goes.   I have options.

Thank heavens for feeling less stressed.

Progress?

So I called the vet today.  I wasn't really happy with the way the wound was looking and how lame Apollo still was.  Vet consulted with other vet and came up with:

* Take the stitches out
* Unbandage it
* Let it heal as an open wound
* Hydrotherapy 3x daily
* Walk him 3x daily
* Take him off the SMZs
* Turn him out in a small, controlled area
* Two more weeks off

Okay, can do.  Stitches: out.   Bandage: off.  Hydrotherapy: done twice.  Walking:  done twice.  SMZs: stopped.  Work: still off.

Turnout?   Well ... I did turn him out today in the round pen.  The round pen has sand footing.   I wasn't real sure about it, seeing as the wound is still wide-ass open and we've done all this work to keep infection out, and now I'm to turn him out into the dirt?   Eeesh.   So he was out for a couple-three hours today, long enough to roll and get filthy.  Long enough to loosen up the leg and kind of enjoy walking around.   One good, one not good.

I decided that yknow, in the end, my horse's welfare is my decision, and I'm just not comfortable turning him out just yet.   Once the wound has scabbed over or dried out some, yes by god please let's turn him out for a while.   But while it's still open and bleed-y, I would rather keep him in and just walk him.

So.  Once the stitches came out and he got hosed and walked, the wound was looking way better.  It's not oozing yellow any more, more like kind of blood and serum.  Not thick blood, just seepy blood, if that makes any sense.   I hope that what I saw around the edges wasn't proud flesh.  It is bulgy, but not hugely grainy ... I think.  I hope.  We'll see tomorrow morning what's developed overnight.   If it looks proud flesh ish at all, we have to deal with it tomorrow or not until Monday.  I can't soak one more emergency call.

BUT.  He's looking pretty good.  After his turnout, I washed his leg pretty well, so I think we're okay there.  I put Swat around the area to keep the flies off, and he's got a nice clean stall.  Which will now get cleaned three times a day, not just two.  Spoiled pony.   I mean, I might as well, since I'm there and all.  Exercise = good.   (I am incredibly lucky to be allowed to work from home for the next week and a half.  Thank you, work!  I wouldn't be able to take good care of Apollo if I had to go to the barn, come home and get ready, go to work, come back to the barn, change, hose/walk/re-standing-wrap, change, go back to work, come back to the barn, change, etc ...!  There just wouldn't be enough hours in the day to do everything.  Without commute and wardrobe changes, I can do everything I need to do: work, take care of horse, take care of dogs and cats, and even get to the gym to take care of me. And laundry.  So much laundry.)

I'm really looking forward to this being healed and to being able to ride my guy again.   I'm looking forward to non-stress.   ... well, having said that, I'm reminded of a saying that I need to keep in mind:

If you're depressed, you're living in the past.
If you're stressed, you're living in the future.
If you're content, you're living in the present.

I'll argue with "content," because there are a whole lot of hungry people out there not content with their present, but you get the gist of it.  I shouldn't borrow trouble, and tomorrow's not here yet.  Let's worry about tomorrow then, okay, self?

Better.

Yknow, having TW around is a huge boon. I'm feeling way better about life, the universe, and my horse after talking to her this evening. The gist of the conversation was "here's how to do some things better, here's what you're doing okay, and quit worrying. It's not all that bad."

All things I needed to hear. I mean, I can know something intellectually but not really grasp it, not really assimilate it into my whole brain. Sometimes I need to be told in no uncertain terms by someone I trust. Like, say, TW. :)

Anyway, I'll be making some small changes to Apollo's care routine, like wrapping both hinds to handle the stocking up, using a Telfa pad to stick the antibacterial goo on, hydrotherapy, and a couple-three more doses of Banamine. Poor guy's hurting.

And I am going to quit worrying so much. A little, but not as much. :). He looked so much better after hydro and walking that I am much encouraged.

Meanwhile, I took the time for myself this evening after pony care to go work out with my trainer at the gym. We did a sort of dead lift type exercise as part of the workout. His comment on my form after the first set? "Okay, when you come forward, don't lean forward. Open your chest, flatten your back, and move your butt back. Kind of rock back on your heels, rather than put your weight in your toes."

Sound familiar?! Heh. :)

State of the mind.

It's true, I'm supposed to get pictures.  Especially of Apollo in his nifty new Five Star bridle.

However, I'm just not the sort to get pictures of everything.  Even the interesting stuff like horses and tack and vacations.  I'm generally just too busy doing things or experiencing the riding/vacationing/whatever to think of pulling out a camera.  Even when things are normal and calm.

When I'm busy and rather emotionally overwhelmed, doing anything but the task at hand is challenging.

Right now?  I'm busy and rather emotionally overwhelmed.  

I know horses come back from injuries amazingly well.   I know horses have come back from worse injuries than this. I know horses that have gone Advanced after worse injuries than this.  I know I'm worrying too much.  

But at the same time, it's incredibly stressful to see my horse hopping lame.   It's really distressing to see the wound not closing like I'd want it to and still oozing.   It's distressing to see the wound close to the hock ... I am terrified that an infection will set in and move into the joint capsule, at which point the game changes completely.

We're on day 5 of 7 of antibiotics, and there's still heat, swelling, and ooze.   I'll give it the full 7 days, then give the vet a call if it's not significantly better.   TW suggested that we may need to use a different antibiotic, because there have been some bugs resistant to SMZs around.

I'm trying to keep focus on the task at hand: the next bandage change, the next abx dose, the next stall cleaning, etc.  I'm trying to not look more than a day or two into the future -- which is a compromise in itself. Avoiding worry and stress completely isn't going to happen, but at least I'm trying for mitigation.  I'll say it again: I know I'm worrying too much, but I'm not sure how not to!

Meanwhile, a funny Apollo fact:   He adores rice bran.  Adores it.  He jams his face in his bucket for beet pulp/rice bran/mineral salt/hoof supplement/vitamin supplement, but I actually don't have any rice bran.  (nor money at the moment to buy any!)   So currently he gets just beet pulp/salt/hoof supplement.   He pretty much turns his nose up at it!  He ate it eventually, at some point last night, but ... he wasn't too enthused either.   Silly horse.    I'll have to get some rice bran and make baggies for him.   :)    Silly, spoiled horse.

What we did today

More exciting in pictures than words.


Well, okay, a few words. :)

I discover that I hate cotton batting with the burning passion of a thousand fiery suns. It sticks, it's lumpy, it's a pain to handle, et cetera. I happen to have four too-thin-for-no-bow wraps that my mom made me many years ago, however. They're the perfect size and thickness to fold over and wrap around Apollo's thigh! No sticking, no lumpy, good tension control, clean ... Winner!

Apollo is the most adorable, best-natured filthy stall pig ever. Cleaning his stall is a pain. But it's rewarding work. :) Pony has a clean room, and flies are mitigated.

And his mane is now done. Nice and short and neat!

And? He's finally labeled correctly. Instead of being labeled Daybreak Reveille. Now he won't be confused. ;)

24 hours later

Apollo's leg looks pretty darn good!  The swelling is down considerably, and although the area is hot, it's not nearly so tight as it was.   He's moving around better, too, and looking chipper.

I re-sweated it tonight, and I'll switch to just regular wraps tomorrow evening.   My wrapping skills need -- and are going to get -- practice.  :)

Meanwhile, I'm making plans about what we'll do for hand walking and ground play while he's off.  :)   And working on his mane a little, and grooming him and cleaning his stall twice a day.   Nurse Rinsie, on the job.  :)

Firsts

There are all these firsts when you buy a new horse: first jump, first lesson, first bath, first show ... first after hours emergency vet call ...

When I went out to catch Apollo today, I discovered that he had a very nasty cut on his right hind leg, about 5-6" above his hock.  It was oozing, swollen, and hot, and he was three-legged lame on it.  Thank goodness MR and Mary were hanging out, getting ready to watch the BSU game -- somebody had to be calm and collected, because I wasn't doing a very good job of it.  I wasn't out and out panicked (that would have required no one to be at the barn at all), but I wasn't exactly Madam Cool either.

He wasn't really interested in moving much at all, so we got a hose out to where he was in the pasture (thank God for small miracles -- he was right near the gate) and cold hosed him for a while.   He was funny: as I got the hose on, he wiggled his nose and generally said "OMG thank you! That is SO itchy!!"   It was really, really oozy.  Enough that the vet suspected at first that it was a tiny puncture wound that'd abscessed and blown out.  Which wasn't the case, but you can imagine the ooze.

Eventually he figured out how to move a little better, and of course the more normally he moved the better it felt.  Stiffness is bad, mmkay?  So we got him in, and MR got in touch with TW while I flailed around at calling the vet.

Argh.  Just ... argh.  Our regular vet just wasn't picking up the phone.  At all.  I called him seven or eight (jillion) times, then gave up and called Idaho Equine's after hours number.  It took them a while to get back to me, too, but they eventually did.  While we were waiting for the vet to call back, TW had recommended getting some SMZs and some bute going.  We -- and by "we" I mean MR and Mary, while I hovered and mentally freaked out, then made myself stand back, out of the way -- mixed up a syringe and managed to get most of it into Apollo's mouth.

Since the vet was a ways away,  I went to grab some food -- I was starving, and I needed something to do other than fret.  Got good noms from Matteeo's and brought it back to eat while sitting outside Apollo's stall. However, I don't think I chewed the food much, judging from the stomachache I currently have.

Vet arrived and proceeded to sedate the poor pony so he and his tech could get the wound really cleaned out and clipped.  It was wild -- the bute had done quite a bit to reduce the swelling, but wow was it oozing.  It oozed when the vet squeezed near it, not even right next to it.  Surprising.  After poking around way farther than I would have thought possible -- deep cut -- the vet said that the cut didn't seem to have impacted the tendon much at all, only a nick on top, and that it won't affect his performance when it's healed.  Whew.  He said he didn't feel anything gritty or whatever left in the wound after they cleaned it, either.

The area is pretty swollen and tight, but the vet thought suturing was a pretty good bet, and a better idea than leaving it as an open wound.  Apollo might pop the stitches, but we hope not.  The vet used a particular type of suture for this kind of thing, to allow for tension, so should be good.

One tetanus shot and a lot of cotton gauze later, 'Pollo pony is settled into a stall for the night.  Going forward, I'll need to give him SMZs twice a day, banamine for three days, change the wrap and re-apply the sweat tomorrow evening, then just wrap it for a while, hand-walk him as tolerated for a while, then every day, and in two weeks the sutures come out.   With any luck we should be back to work without a hitch after that.

Anyway, I'm really over this vet emergency thing.  Bleah.  I may yet throw up, not because of grossness but because of stress (and perhaps bolted dinner).  (Not to say it wasn't gross, because it was, but ... you know how it is.  You watch because you have to, because it's your horse, and you have to know what's going on and what to do.)

A friend said that it's like horses do this kind of thing right after we pay lots of money for them, like they're testing our commitment or something.  Sounds about right!!  "Do you love me, hoomin?  I mean, REALLY love me?  Like, call the vet out after hours kind of love?"

Sigh.  Poor 'pollo pony.