Awareness of my outside world. A week ago, we ate lunch out & attended a local sporting event. I spent last week under the weather. Tired. Achy. Immune system battling the onslaught of strangers. When I say I don’t get out much, I am not speaking metaphorically.
~~~
Short Version
At the beginning of the week, Milton showed up with a low-grade injury somewhere high in the hindquarter. Fluid migrated down over the week. Swelling. Stiff steps. No heat or pain.
Why Milton doesn’t absorb the gunk instead of sending it down his leg, I have no idea. He’s done it before. [When Zoomies Go Wrong 2023]
Long Version
Day One, Monday.
Dragging toe of right hind at the walk. Did not ask to see him at trot. No heat or swelling anywhere in leg. No reaction to palpitation or modified flex test. It rained the day before. We suspected shenanigans.
He moved *extremely* awkwardly while turning around in the barn. I saw the walk first and had already decided the situation was not dire. Other Barn Minion saw the bad steps first. He was harder to talk down.
Since there were no markers of underlying problems and we had a reasonable explanation, we elected to watch and wait.
Bute & rest.
Day Two, Tuesday.
Better. Toe came off the ground during walk step.
Bute & rest.
Day Three, Wednesday.
Better. Maybe still quick to get the sound leg back on the ground. Might not see if one wasn’t looking.
No bute. Light exercise.
May be done with bute for now. Not amused. About a third of the bute applesauce mixture is coming back out. Since Mathilda, we mix up DIY oral doses. Don’t wanna mess with dinner.
Day Four, Thursday.
Woe is Milton.
Gravity had dragged the inflammation down as far as his stifle. Swollen gaskin. Stone cold and not painful, but hard to flex with that much swelling.
As before, we’ll get to watch the mass slide down his leg.
Put a cooler on to warm up his muscles. Tried not to laugh too much as his demonstration of pitifuless. Other Barn Minion claims the cooler is therapeutic. It does not count as the first blanket of the winter.
Bute. Light exercise.
Day Five, Friday.
Inflammatory gunk slid down to top of leg. Also, eye slightly swollen because why not. Eye fine by evening.
Bute. Light exercise.
Day Six, Saturday.
Hock is huge. Would be ghastly if we didn’t know exactly what it was and we hadn’t been watching the bulge slid down his leg.
No bute. Light exercise.
Day Seven, Sunday.
Lower leg a balloon, stone cold and only on outside. Reminder to self, since the leg has run out of room, the blob will harden over time before it dissipates.
No bute. Light exercise.
Future
I’d say full recovery is expected, but horses. Given a projection from current constitutions, return to status quo ante is anticipated. Is that sufficiently hedging?
Onwards!
Katherine
