With one step forward....it seems I am taking 5 ginormous steps backwards.
Yesterday, Chester had next to Nil in the heat area. There was a little on his coronary band, but that was it. Yessss, I thought to myself progress. That was until I showed up this morning. He was stocked up over his ankle, heat was permeating out of his poultice wrap and he looked, well, like he was mopping. It was awful. He was pretty much a gimp when I took him out of his stall and when I put him into the indoor - he literally just stood there with his nose to the ground. It. Was. Heartbreaking.
It took me 5 minutes to get him into the wash stall so I could soak his leg. Which really frustrated me...never, not once, not even the first time I took him in there, did he ever refuse to set foot into it.
I feel sorry for him. He is bored out of his mind, has had no mental challenges in the past week and he is not comfortable. It is tough to look at him knowing what he is going through.
At this point, I am starting to second guessing myself: Did the abscess actually burst? Was it an abscess in the first place? What else could it be when it ALL points TO an abscess? The barn owner told me this morning that she had to poultice for 2 weeks once with an abscess...one of the other boarders was also there this morning and she said it took her 6 weeks end to end for her guy's to fully clear. Sigh. Heartbreaking. So, we are back to soaking and wrapping with the poultice pads. We will give it until next Thursday - which will make it the 2 week mark - and if we get no change, then we will have to move on to the next option.
Send good thoughts to Chester...he could use them right now more then I could.
Like the song says: Yeah, I could use a dream or a genie or a wish, to go back to a place much simpler then this...
Aww poor dude :( that really sucks. Maybe he has a second one brewing in there, or the first one closed off before it was done draining. Have you continued soaking the foot even though the abscess burst? If not, that might be a good option for you. Continuing to add Epsom salt is really good to get things extra clean and if there is another abscess it will expedite the process. If not, it will keep the exit site of the first abscess clean and healing properly. I'm really sorry he's so ouchy :( :( and I'm sorry you have spent so much time rehabbing him. Good thing these horses make our hearts sing on occasion because all the shit they put us through is really taxing!
ReplyDeleteNo kidding! That is what my vet said - there could be another one or it didn't fully drain in the first place. So we are continuing with the soacking and poulticing...sigh. Poor Dude...
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