How to Wrap a Hoof Like a Vet, Still Hoping For an Abscess, and Blog Update

Previously on Saddle Seeks Horse, Knight, the dashing ex-racehorse, struggled with a mysterious lameness. It first was apparent a week ago Monday when Susan picked up the trot during what was supposed to be a jumping lesson. The right hind foot seemed to cause discomfort that evening and then progressed the next day to more intense pain, A reluctance to bring the right hind underneath him in a normal stride and the telltale head bob were enough of a concern to seek veterinary care.

Simultaneously the strapping bay steed developed an odd case of hives that resembled bizarre mosquito bites. This was disconcerting to Susan and led to farfetched thoughts such as, “I can’t believe I just bought a new saddle for a horse that is ruined,” to, “If he has to be put down, at least I’ve only known him a few months and haven’t had years and years to get attached,” to, “If he can only be used for walking, maybe I can give him to my husband.” (That wouldn’t work as Susan’s husband has made it clear he is going to jump.)

Strange Timing?

It seemed odd that both the lameness and the skin condition flared up at the same time two days after vaccinations and deworming.

The vet conducted an exam and based on the flexion tests and hoof tests, believes the mysterious lameness is potentially being caused by an abscess that is presenting atypically. After deliberation as to whether to do X-rays to see if there is an internal problem like ringbone or hope for an abscess, with the help of her vet and trainer, Susan opted to treat it like a potential abscess.

And so the veterinarian commenced digging and cutting away at the hoof in an action that made Susan think of a bad experience getting a pedicure when the pedicurist ripped out the big toe cuticle like stripping the string out of a celery stalk.

In a tiny corner spot a black dot appeared in an area the vet said is a lot of times where abscesses occur. Satisfied that this could be the answer, the vet then began the process of treating and wrapping the foot.

Step One was to duct tape her thigh to create one large duct tape rectangle.

Step Two was to apply the poultice to the hoof using a tongue depressor. She used Mag-60 Paste (smells minty!).

Step Three was to place a square gauze pad over the hoof.

Step Four was to place the duct tape over the hoof

Step Five was to trim off tape so it did not come into contact with any soft tissue.

Step Six Now horse has ultra hip, metallic gray hoof!

Now the reality is that a veterinarian can complete all of the aforementioned tasks in less than one minute and make it look easy. (Point of view switch up here). It’s not that easy! I tried it today for the first time as my trainer is out of town for a few days.

Let’s just say that I followed the above steps from memory as my cell phone with the pictures had died. Somehow my experience was very Three Stooges.

The good news is that Knight was very cooperative for his hoof soaking. The bad news is that I forgot to use the water heater to make the water warm. The other bad news is that I am not an octopus, therefore I did not have enough hands for the duct tape and the towel to dry the hoof before putting the tape on it and the gauze pad.

And there was a woman who asked me how long I thought I would be in the wash rack. She had just finished a ride and I said something to the effect, “He has five more minutes to soak and then I have to put medicine on the hoof and wrap it. I think it’s going to be a while, I haven’t done this kind of thing in years. Maybe you should use the other wash rack.” To which she responded that it was too far to walk (so she stood in the hot sun with her horse for about 15 minutes–she could have walked, hosed, walked back and her horse would have been dry). I felt bad that she was just standing there waiting while I was all thumbs and kept adding more layers of tape to try to make my very amateur duct taping look more like the ideal.

A Bit of News

Finally, I am biting the bullet and switching this blog from WordPress.com to a self-hosted WordPress.org site (which is daunting since I’m not into coding, but at least I’m married to a Computer Science major). If you don’t know what that means, no biggie. Transitioning to a self-hosted site is a way for me to have more control over the layout and activities on this blog. For example, keep your eye out for some exciting guest and sponsored posts as well as a new blog design.

If you’re already a subscriber (thank you for subscribing–you rock!), I’m assured that you will be seamlessly transitioned with me to the new site. The reason I’m giving you a heads up is that if you see Saddle Seeks Horse in your WordPress Reader, you will still be able to comment and give me an occasional star if you’re so inclined, it’s just that you’ll have click an extra time to get to the actual post. Sounds easy enough.

While I’m at it, if you have laughed, learned something fun, or had a deeper insight into the world of horses and the crazy girls who love them as a result of reading this blog, I would be so honored if you spread the word and recommended Saddle Seeks Horse to a friend.

And before I run the risk of sounding like the folks on NPR during pledge week, if you are on Facebook, please like the Saddle Seeks Horse page and if you are on Twitter (my favorite social media platform!), I’d be honored for a follow on Twitter and Instagram.

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Check back later this week and hopefully I’ll report that Knight just had an abscess and everything will be back to normal.