After checking on Milo on Saturday, and even having the chance to round pen him a bit to watch him move at all three gaits, I believed he was on the road to recovery, and even told Boyfriend I suspected he would be sound enough to ride on Monday.
Boy was I wrong.
I found Milo standing in the mud with the left hind leg relaxed. Hmm. Well hes been relaxing both of them so no biggie, I thought. I haltered him up and led him out of the pasture. He was oddly different in demeanor - I suppose you could say "down". He just wasnt his happy upbeat self. I asked for a trot up the driveway and there it was - those lame steps again. Oh man. I felt down his leg: the fetlock area was cold and tight, his pasterns were cold as well, but the coronet band was quite hot.
So I led him to the barn anticipating a hot epsom soak for what I could only assume actually is an abcess. As he soaked, I tried to find a digital pulse, but could not. I thought that was rather strange. After the soak, I ditched the Ichammol and used a recommended minty green Mag-60™ Paste, the active ingredient being magnesium sulfate, or epsom salt. I had used it before, but could not find my own stash (nice), but the BO allowed me to use hers.
I diapered, duct taped, and booted Milo up and led him back down the dark driveway to his pasture, grain awaiting.
Im dismayed. I thought we had ruled out an abcess after having my farrier check on him. But I suppose at that time it could have been benign or deep enough that the hoof testers didnt show anything?
In any way though, I really hope that the daily salt soaking, paste packing, and booting will help draw out the abcess quickly so we can all move on with our lives, and Milo wont look at me so sad and depressed anymore.
But on a brighter note, here are some adorable photos I took of Milo on Friday. Enjoy.
Coincidence that those buckets are Jake's? I think not! Bad Milo!
I didnt do nothing, Mom! Honest!
4 comments:
Nice pictures! Could be an abscess, could be a soft tissue strain inside the hoof capsule - the tendons and ligaments end up inside there - Dawn had one of those last fall and it took a while to get better.
Last summer one of our horses went lame...like really, really visably lame. His owner suspected an abscess, but when the farrier used the hoof testers, it looked like he didn't have one. The farrier did say it could just be a "deeper" abscess, and lone behold a day or two later it blew out and the horse looked way better. Net (BO) always says that she likes abscess for that reason: they look really, really bad when they form, but once they "blow," it's an almost immediate difference.
Sending good, healing thoughts to Mr. Milo!
Abscesses are interesting little creatures... both of the ones Lilly had made themselves quite obvious, but it sounds like Milo's are less so, at least in the beginning. Do you think you'll ask your farrier to come back out, or maybe the vet?
Here's hoping he's feeling back to his old self again soon!
The pictures are adorable, by the way!!
Im hoping to have my farrier out again, so maybe now that Milo is more obviously uncomfortable, he can locate a specific site. I sure hope so too, its odd seeing Milo in his less then happy demeanor.
Milo has a way of being adorable in his photos ;)
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