Saturday, February 8, 2014

Don't ever let them see you sweat

It's all my fault. Last month, I paid off my vet bill. Then, in a stunning act of d'oh, I announced it in front of my horses.

Frostie promptly scraped her cannon bone on her right hind leg. It was a tiny cut, so we just cleaned it.

A week later, the cut was gooey. This time, we disinfected it carefully, sprayed that purple stuff on it and wrapped it.

Two weeks later, the hair around the cut began to crust over and peel off - with the skin. Soon, the quarter-sized injury was growing longer and wider.



I'm sure you can see where this is going.

Day after day, no matter how we cleansed the area, the skin continued to peel away, leaving a gooey surface that crusted over. I did what any responsible horse owner would do.

The good news is, the leg did not seem to cause her any pain.



I panicked and called Dr. Brigid (Murphy) to come out and look at it.

She diagnosed it as being either bacterial or fungal, and we hit it with antibiotics and antifungal cream. The area responded almost immediately. For the next ten days, I dutifully schlepped to the ranch to treat her leg, unwrapping it, washing and drying before reapplying the cream and re-wrapping.



I'm happy to report Frostie's leg is looking like normal skin again. The hair is even growing back. But I swear, I'm never going to let the horses know I've paid off the vet.

How about you? Ever have something little blow up into something huge?

2 comments:

Alison said...

Great story! It's kind of like my own tooth (and no dental insurance.)

Now don't mention to them that spring is finally coming OR you'e paid off the hay man.

Kate said...

This fall I paid off my vet bill, the next day my horse severely injured his eye,which left him blind in it. Needless to say I will never talk about what is or isn't paid off near the barn or horse people ever again.