Sunday, December 28, 2008

Disaster! ? !

Friday 26 December.
Decided that as the wound had developed a bit of proud flesh despite my best bandaging efforts, and added to the fact that the bandaging had irritated the skin, I would dispence with bandaging altogether.
There was a little bit of a bobbly look to the front of the leg below the wound itself.

However, several hours later it was not the front of the leg that concerned me but the back!
It looked to all intents and purposes that the tendon had completely gone....very bowed at the bottom end and decidedly squidgy feeling, as well as being very hot and very very sore.

Spent the night berrating myself (and using up my body's store of salt water). Seems so much worse when it is your own fault, and he is such a nice horse.

Next morning the whole leg right up past the hock was VERY tight and very swollen. Gave it a bit of a hosing and applied salt to the proud flesh, which by now resembled a little cauliflower, along with ointment onto the irritated skin areas.

Swelling had reduced considerably by evening, and he now had a dark purply red cauliflower growing out of his leg.

Sunday morning, swelling up a little again, but not too bad. Another hosing, more salt, and more soothing ointment.

Sunday evening, repeat. Also felt down the back of the tendon itself....no discernable difference anywhere, and definitely no area when pinching down where the pony reacted at all, so starting to feel a little better.

Monday morning, swelling a little reduced, but probably still too early to determine if I have indeed damaged the tendon. After hosing and putting ointment on, left pony in front paddock to graze. Midday, watched while he played and reared and trotted and cantered along the fence line trying to get the others to join in.

Evening: Proud flesh GONE. It was lifting at the top this morning, and tonight it appears to have simply fallen off leaving a skin level wound that doesnt even look yukky. (I guess his playing helped it along).

The swelling has further reduced, and the back of his leg is itchy. I watched him back up to his feed dish and rub his leg on it, then use his other hind leg to flip the dinner dish up the right way when it turned over, before again itching himself on it. (Clever pony!)

Now feeling quite a bit better about his recovery, but not prepared to feel totally relieved till I see a straight tendon once swelling totally resolved.

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