Groundhog Day

Remember the movie where Bill Murry keeps coming back and doing the same thing over and over?

Friday felt a little bit like that.

It started with T undergoing general anesthesia to have four wisdom teeth removed. Although this was not his first surgery involving being put out like a light, there are always risks and my stress level was pretty high. They took him back into surgery about the time I was driving to drop off the prescriptions so we would just be able to pick them up on our way home. I had just gotten back to the dentist office when my BO called.

My blood pressure spiked.

She told me Ashke had ripped open his left hind leg again. And that it looked just like the first time. Only this time he was in his stall when it happened and she couldn't figure out how he had done it.

I wanted to cry.

She cold hosed him for a little bit and then put him back in his stall until I could get out to tend to him. In the meantime, I had a very drugged and hurting child I had to take care of first. We got him home and settled with applesauce and pudding, plus got good drugs on board and I headed to the barn.

 This is what it looked like when I got there.

Close up pic

K was there and opted to forgo her ride on Eddy to help hold Ashke and had given him a dose of banamine prior to my arrival at the barn. He was very good at standing still while I got him clean. I had to use the clippers to get the hair out of the way, since his fetlocks are getting shaggy already. He got washed out with Betadine and then wrapped up with antibiotic ointment. The vet opted not to stitch, fearing that the scar tissue from the earlier wound would not hold stitches, but gave me antibiotics to give him for the next eight days.

Washed clean but before the betadine.

We still have no idea how he did it. My two theories are 1) he cast himself in the stall, struggled to get free and kicked himself right at the point to the original scar tissue, tearing it open. This is my most likely scenario, since he also had a bump and scrape on his face in addition to the leg. or 2) he managed to wedge his hind foot under the pole at the bottom of his outside gate and ripped it open when he was freeing himself. That scenario does not explain the bump on his face. And you can also see where the scar tissue of the original injury is bloody in the above picture. I really think the first scenario is the most likely, and although I am really glad he freed himself and didn't die, I could hope he doesn't do it again in the future.

Four days later, the skin seems to be holding itself in place and he is just a touch off at the trot. There is no additional bleeding when he moves (that is a good thing) and I am holding my breath hoping the flap of skin actually scabs up and heals. It would be so much easier and shorter if it would do so. He gets ten days of fresh bandages and on/off in the BOT quick wraps I got to help protect his leg, before I rinse it again. It will either be healing properly by that point or the vet will have to come out and remove the offending piece of skin. The wound is clean, there are no signs of infection and very little heat in that leg.

I pulled out of the show that's suppose to happen in two weeks but am holding off on HCWE's show at Circle Star arena. I am hoping that he will be more sound and we will be able to show on that Sunday. 

I am ready for this year to be over.