Those of you following social media have probably noticed a rather whiny tinge to my latest content. That’s because the Golden Boy has decided that he wasn’t quite ready to get back to work. Here’s the timeline of recent events.
Tuesday 8/14
Get out to the barn, ready to finally attack that full 35 minutes of walking (woohoo!). Pony has a fat leg with some heat (womp womp). Much pouring over said leg discovers this particular large nasty (below) attached to his fetlock, and obvious aggravation to the area it was latched. Some bute and icing and the creature was turned out again.
Wednesday 8/15
I get a text saying his leg is looking somewhat improved, and that evening discover that the swelling is only 20% of what it was Tuesday. There’s no warmth, and he’s fine with be handling it, so I wrap him up in polos and get on for a walkabout. Post ride the leg looks almost normal again, so he gets chucked outside without much thought.
Wednesday morning
Thursday 8/16
Thursday morning, the leg is looking pretty A-OK. Thursday afternoon when I arrive, I find my friend holding him and explaining that she had hoped she could get him walking before I got there. Er, what? Turns out his leg looked more like a pool noodle than a leg. And now he was sporting a graze behind that left fore knee. Since he somehow did this while he was in his stall, I can only imagine that perhaps he was trying to scratch his itchy tick spot with his hind leg and ended up hurting his knee.
Thursday PM
Since Thursday
Since then, I’ve been attempting to get that leg down. He’s been started on antibiotics in case it’s cellulitis at this point, and I’ve been wrapping/poulticing/icing like a madwoman. It’s come down quite a bit, and Saturday almost looked totally normal after spending a whole day in a standing wrap with poultice.
Saturday evening – post wrapping, poulticing, cold hosing
And then yesterday after a day standing in a stall sans wrap, it was up again. So I don’t bloody know, but I’m going to keep fighting the good fight. I slathered poultice on him again yesterday before turnout, and I’m hoping this evening that he will look a lot better, or at least good enough to walk around in tack.
Confound these horses.
Does anyone else have experience with such a thin skinned creature? How do you deal with bumps and grazes creating utter physical chaos?! Halp!
Red on the Right 
Ugh what a roller coaster! I am sorry you are going through this and fingers crossed none of it is serious.
Yes- like, can I get off this thing now?
My lord, he is taking this vacation thing to the extreme isn’t he?
Apparently so…
I can totally sympathize to his reaction to ticks, because my body does something very similar, lol. But good grief, fingers, toes, and legs crossed it’s nothing serious 😦
Oh no, really???? That’s awful! I had a Lyme scare some years ago, so I can only imagine.
Ugggggggggggggggghhhhhhhhhhh. I vote more wine. Because at this point, what else is there to do but drown your sorrows?
You’re a wise woman, Tracy.
BOOOOO! Stop it BDH! I hope you have a whole BOTTLE of Red in that Right hand.
I like the way you think!!!
Ugh! So annoying. I have no suggestions other that add more wine to your daily ration 😛
Hahahaha yesss bring on the enabling! LOL because really how sober do you have to be to ice a horse….
ugh horse. stop now.
Tho i do the same (NO I don’t hurt myself scratching) with a reaction to ticks. Hopefully he is better this week.
Special he is 🙂
Ugh Jack! He’s really trying to milk this “time off” thing isn’t he? I’m so sorry this has been such a roller coaster!
One good thing about living in the land of 6+months of winter a year is we don’t have to deal with bugs like this. I wish you luck in getting his leg sorted out!
Ughhh! My barn has been going through a rash of stuff like this too. Hope he’s doing better soon!
Jaaaaaaack come on! So frustrating. Fingers crossed you can get him ship-shape soon! Also. That tick is disgusting.
Jack. Quit being a buzz kill man.
Sending all the best to your BDH!
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