I left off the easyboots and immediately regretted it when we found ourselves on some rock and Mara was doing her best to bushwhack us off trail to avoid it. I let her for the most part, and realized there was something wrong with her stride when she was on the trail. I got off, expecting to find a rock in a hoof, but didn't. When she acted spooky, we leg yielded, but it was very rough, very difficult for her.
We got to this one gentle slope and I asked her to trot up it. She refused. I leapt off her immediately - refusing to trot has never happened before so I was sure something was really wrong.
I took her to a grassy field and lunged her at a walk (my driving line works great for lunging). She was fine at a walk but the trot showed something weird going on in her hind end.
I drove her home and she seemed off and on lame until we hit pavement. She was in serious pain and refused to move for a bit. A lady walking her dog told me there is something wrong with my horse. Oh really? (It really irritates me that every time I took Baasha out for a walk, people would notice something about his gait, and let me know. Every time. Germans are so nosy.)
I got really scared when Mara started dragging her right rear toe, and limping badly on her left hind. The look in her eye as I basically dragged her home was so horrible, I clucked to her to please make it, don't make me leave you in the street to call a vet!
Once home she put her left leg up in the air and kept it there. I called the vet. He said try cold hosing for 30 minutes. No change, I called back, "Her leg is totally frozen and still up in the air."
I said, "She cannot stand on 3 legs all night" to which he replied, "She can lie down" to which I said, "She never has, so I doubt she will." He was like, "Never?" "Not in the stall, no." "Well in that case..."
In 10 minutes he was here. (wow)
He had hoof testers and a hoof knife. He got a reaction to the testers and started digging a tiny spot of her sole out. He found a black dot, but he dug it out, finding no blood, and found that it didn't penetrate too deeply. He says she stepped on a nail. What?
He wrapped her hoof, gave her a shot of bute and a shot of penicillin. Poor Mara really hates injections now that she's had 4 in that many weeks. She certainly has no love of vets. Baasha used to cuddle every vet who visited, placing his forehead against their chests, saying, "I love you. You are here for ME." And if you tried to get him away from the vet, he'd slowly creep back just so he could make body contact with him again.
I couldn't sleep again last night, thinking how I'd find my horse in the morning. Would she try to lay down and find herself with her bad leg under her? Would we have to try to get her to her feet? Would all three other legs be horrifically swollen?
This morning before dawn I ran out there, expecting the worst, and she was just standing there nickering for food, in the same exact place I saw her last, but with....get this.....bedding in her mane and tail. Mara had lain down, and gotten up again!
She had a tiny bit of weight on her bad leg, and all three other legs were fine. Slightly stocky behind, but nothing horrible.
I squirted 9 ml of bute solution into her mouth and fed her.
An hour later I went out there with a watering can full of refrigerated yellow antiseptic and poured it into the bandage, what the vet assures will not destroy the bandage (really?).
I was delighted that Mara walked away from the cold sensation - and she walked on that leg. I poured the rest in, and started cracking up laughing at her expression. She had her head hanging low, almost to the ground, and her eyes glassy, gazing inward, at the odd sensation. I was so relieved that she had 4 legs on the ground I couldn't help but laugh and laugh at her, "Your face! Look at your face!" which didn't help her snap out of it. Then I cuddled her and she was better.
She's actually standing in her stall right now by choice, which is not normal for her, but the footing must feel nicer to her than the hard geotiles. I have a blanket on her in case she has body soreness.
I have never been so happy to not have a job.
You're all bandaged up, you pitiful thing! (I really need to get a medical/soaking boot. Until today I've never needed one. I also want a hoof tester.)
It kills me to see her fetlock stretched like this but that was only last night.
So, Mara, what's next?
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7 comments:
Damn! Scary, a nail? I was just going to comment on your previous post, which was so great and uplifting to read. I really hope everything will be ok, the vets there don't seem as proactive as the ones I've encountered here in the states, which can be good or bad I guess.
If you don't have a soaking boot will she stand in a bucket, or riding boot and plastic bag? I've done both. Get well soon Mara!
Glad the vet made it out. Those sorts of injuries usually heal up without incident, although in some cases will result in an abscess along the way.
I know this wasn't the first time you had to beg for a vet to come out. That's frustrating that you have to convince them that it is a serious situation. Well, hopefully the good that came out of this is that Mara learned that it is okay to lie down and relax. Do you think the boots would have prevented the nail from pushing through?
Fee will stand in a bucket or in a rubber mash pan...or in anything else. I'd love to take credit for that but she came that way.
Okay, it's a nail puncture, you got it treated right away, and she asked for you to comfort her. Not entirely bad!
Irish, nail, hm. I don't know, it's the vet's theory. I will never know.
My question for the vet (and you) is how would you get a horse to put its leg in a bucket when the horse is unwilling to put its leg on the ground at all from pain? oooh, riding boot and plastic bag..I like that. May use it this week!
Kate, thanks for reassuring me: )
NM, I think easyboots would have prevented this but I'm still not sure it's a nail. It was amazing to see Mara take care of herself despite not liking our stall.
Aarene, I deserve a good night's sleep now.
Whether a nail or not... a puncture. I'm with others - a soaking boot - or get her to put it in a bucket - lots of treats maybe? Epson salt soak?
Ouch! Poor Mara! I had a horse step on a nail... like it was hanging out of her hoof when I found it and she never made a lame step at all! It must not have quicked her, but I don't remember for sure where it was because this was almost twenty years ago. This makes me want to use easyboots even if Chrome doesn't need them when out on roads or public trails because you just never know. I hope she healed up quickly with no infection.
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