Doing Much Better

by Melody Sundance
(20-year-old Tennessee Walking mare)

I had a rough few days (My hoof hurt!), but I'm doing much better now.

Me in the stall. I'm wearing a flymask, so you can't see how pretty my face is.

Last week, my human caretaker thought I had injured my shoulder because I was really lame and I was covered with shavings where I'd rolled in the run-in shed. She figured I'd either gotten cast (stuck against the wall and unable to get up, for you non-horsie folks) or that I'd gotten my leg caught in the woven wire when I mashed down the fence to get some grass on the other side and maybe twisted my leg.

Since this happened a week ago Saturday, she figured she'd have to wait until Monday to call the vet. I was lots better on Monday. In the meantime, she'd contacted the really nice lady who has done body work on me before and made my muscles feel really good, but the nice lady is in Michigan for a couple of weeks.

Last Saturday, I was really lame, and Sunday I was really really lame. My human called Dr. N early Monday, and he came to see me. As soon as he saw me walk, he figured I had a hoof abcess, so he started paring away the bottom my hoof. It's kind of like a manicure, but on a much larger scale. I stood very still because I knew he was trying to help me.

Finally he found a tiny hole where some pus came out. He made the hole bigger and a lot of pus came out. What a relief. You could almost hear me say, "Ahhhhh!" Then he packed the hole with some icky stuff and bandaged my whole hoof with lime green Vet-Wrap. It looked kind of pretty, but he soon covered the bandage with a Davis boot so the bandage would stay clean.

A Davis boot is a big blue rubber thingie. The blue color looks very nice against my bright chestnut hair, don't you think?


Although I felt a little better, I had to stay in the stall for a whole day. I hate that. It's actually Cupcake's stall and she hated that I was in there, too. I really wanted out. I hated that I had to take some medicine, too, but at least it made me feel better.


My human had to come and take me out a few times so I'd stop rattling the gate so much. I got to eat grass on the lawn and Cupcake didn't, which made Cupcake mad that I got special favors.

By Tuesday morning, I was walking so much better! When Dr. N. came Tuesday afternoon to check my foot, he was glad to see how good it looked. He re-bandaged it and said I could go out as long as it wasn't raining and I didn't get water in my boot. I have to wear the bandage until Friday when Geoff the farrier comes to trim my hooves. Then the bandage can come off, but I will still have to wear the boot another week so bad stuff doesn't get in my hoof-hole and make me limp again.

Here I am back in the pasture Tuesday evening.

I am so glad to be out again! I do not like staying in a stall!

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