This morning the farrier chipped away at the sole of Xena’s hoof, and quickly diagnosed an abscess. The outside half of the sole was darker in colour, and he said it would begin draining through the sole later this morning. I’m relieved that we finally know what we’re dealing with.
Susan (our barn owner) removed Xena’s leg wraps from last night, and taught me how to poultice and wrap her foot. Susan slathered the UpTite Poultice cream on the sole of Xena’s foot, covering the abscessed area. Then she used a large-sized, disposable baby diaper as a covering. I thought this was an ingenious idea, because the diaper fit perfectly and the side tapes held it in position while Susan reached for the duct tape.
Tonight we removed this morning’s bandage and again soaked Xena’s foot for 10 minutes in an Epsom Salt bath. I redressed her foot with the poultice, diaper and duct tape. I think Susan used 5 pieces of tape this morning; somehow I couldn’t get by with less than 9!
Photos
1. Susan cuts away this morning’s bandage — 2. My handiwork; not bad for my first time.
3. Xena’s sole, after soaking tonight. The white cream is leftover from this morning’s poultice.
Xena is doing so much better tonight! She’s walking almost normally, even on the concrete floor. She’s also able to do tight turns in both directions, almost without hesitating. The combination of the farrier filing away a bit of the sole, two Epsom Salt baths, the poultice and the soft stall seem to have worked wonders. She’s more alert than yesterday and interacts with me enthusiastically, especially when I bring out a special treat — a molasses stud muffin!
Afterwards Xena and I spent some time in her temporary soft stall, because tonight she’ll stay in the barn again. I combed her mane and tail, and played our old Grounded Rider Game while she ate her hay. As I was getting ready to leave, we played cookie hunt, with a handful of sugar-free peppermint cookies. I was happy to see her so animated as she searched for each cookie.
Update: Lame — Day 10, Doing Better
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