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| Where did we go?To a new blog spot! You can continue to read about Curly and our adventures together at:
www.ourhorsecurly.blogspot.com
Thanks for reading!
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| Hoof health update...Curly is finally putting his full weight on his injured foot. The abscess is healing but there is still a large hole in the bottom of his foot - kinda disturbing to see, actually. We took him to the vet on Monday for a follow-up and were told that all is going as it should. Curly was not too happy to have Dr. Kress digging around his hoof and was not cooperative about holding his leg up. In fact, he nearly kicked the helper in the head! So glad he doesn't react that way to us! But then, we are much gentler in our ministrations than the staff at the vet's office.
Part of our conversation with the vet centered on different bandaging options for Curly's hoof. He goes through the duct tape very quickly and we have been changing it daily to insure that the bottom of his hoof stays as dirt-free as possible. After some brainstorming, Dr. Kress came out with some used IV bags to be used as the layer next to the gauze (they are made of a very heavy plastic). We covered this with tape, hoping that he wouldn't wear through the whole thing so quickly. Seems to have worked pretty good. Curly was able to stay in the same bandage for a few days this week, which was great because we were not able to come out to the barn due to illness around our house.
So, in summary, all is going well. Curly will be ridable in approximately 2 weeks. We are on the mend in the house, as well. And I'm thinking about buying stock in the company that makes duct tape....
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| Duct-tape bandages...Yesterday I learned how to make a bandage out of duct tape for Curly's hoof. What did people do before that stuff was invented?!!
The tape is used to keep dirt and other nasty stuff away from his wound. It is still pretty yucky and he doesn't put much weight on that foot yet. This healing process is going to take months. He was allowed out in the pasture for the first time since going to the vet - and promptly tore the bandage off his hoof. Actually, 'wore through his bandage' would be a better description. He desperately wanted to run around with all his herd-mates! So we will be going to the barn daily to check on the bandage and replace as needed.
E. had her visit with the podiatrist. Her ankle wound is a bit more than a fracture. She broke a little section on the outer bony part and it's going to take a long while to heal completely as well. She has been wearing regular shoes for the past couple of days but is still unable to get her boots on.
So my two gimps were hanging out, getting brushed and learning to french braid yesterday. Curly may be lame at the moment, but he sure did look great!
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| Punctured frog...I got back from my trip to Missouri to learn that Curly did not have a pulled hamstring. The vet actually uncovered a puncture wound in his frog. (For those who are wondering what the heck a frog is doing on a horse, it's a part of the underside of the horse's hoof.) We don't know how it got injured. (Sharp rock? Stick? Nail?)
His hoof is now completely wrapped with something similar to duct tape so that it can heal without infection. Curly is currently being confined to his stall and dry-run...and is very bored. Our visit yesterday made him quite happy - the carrots helped, of course!
The tape will be removed on Saturday, new medicine added and then we will re-wrap the injury. He will be out of commission for about another week, which is okay because E. is still out of commission too! She goes to the podiatrist on Monday to take more x-rays. The ankle is still slightly swollen and still pains her in the evenings. She tried to put her boots on yesterday but couldn't point her toes enough to slide the foot into the boot.
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| Quick injury update...E.'s ankle has now turned a wonderful shade of purple - dark plum to be exact - and the swelling is still quite significant. She is able to move around fairly well with the boot on but is tired by the end of the school day and does feel some pain.
Curly might have a pulled hamstring. He is favoring his hind right leg but does not appear to be in any great pain. (We can tell because usually the more pain he is in, the closer to his stall he poops. Extreme pain causes him to poop in his actual stall. So far he is pooping near, but not in, his stall.) The barn manager has graciously offered to take him to the vet for us. (He favored this same leg a week or so ago but then appeared to be fine. I don't think the fall caused this injury, just maybe exacerbated it.)
I don't think I can say enough how lucky we are to have A., the barn manager, in our lives. She is a great blessing in so many ways!
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