Another Adventure In Horsekeeping

You know you're a horseperson when:

You watch thick yellow pus streaming out of a hole in the sole of your horse's foot....

And celebrate, celebrate!

Yes, poor Ben has had an abscess in his left front foot for over a week now. Not too bad at first, but very painful since Friday, despite regular soaking and wrapping with drawing agents, so on Saturday I got the vet in (emergency call rate$$$$, sigh), who found a spot, carefully excavated till he got some drainage, then soaked it, rewrapped it, and said if Ben wasn't markedly better by Monday it would be time to do some x-rays to try to pinpoint the abscess.

Monday rolls around, Ben's still very lame, and so it's another vet visit, a set of x-rays (that was fun; we had to get Ben to put both front feet up on blocks; good thing he's so mild-mannered, well trained, and willing) and: ta-daa! There on one shot, a shadow around two sides of the coffin bone, its pointy end heading down toward the sole. The vet excavated carefully, and....

Yes! Pus! Lovely yellow pus running out!

The vet expressed as much pus as would emerge, then Ben had another good soak in Epsom salts and betadine, followed by a good slather of drawing salve and rewrapping in the usual fashion -- a pad over the salve, then the absorbent part of a disposable diaper, thoroughly strapped on with vet wrap, and finished off with a duct tape bootie.

Ben's still ouchy, which is to be expected, but he's way more comfortable, more willing to move, and more at ease doing it. He got a gram of bute in his midday beet pulp mash, and will for the next few days of stall rest while we wait for the drainage to finish and the healing to proceed. More soaking and wrapping! When he's finally ready to go out again we'll probably boot him rather than putting his shoe back on, at least for a week or two.

Ben and I are both so relieved!