Now don't get me wrong my vet comes out every year floats my horses teeth and gives them their shots but this time it was different.
It all started Friday when I went out to ride my horse with my trainer. As we were getting our horses tacked up she noticed a huge swelling on my horses upper inner leg. I should have noticed it but when it comes to horses I'm still learning. I felt around it with my fingers and it felt like a balloon full of water. At first my trainer said we should call the vet because she had never seen anything like it before. But then she decided to call her dad who has quite a bit of knowledge regarding horses. He came and looked at it and decided it needed to be drained so he slit a small hole in it and we let it drain out. Ever puncture a small hole in a water balloon and watch the water pour out? That was exactly how it looked like. We then went for a small easy ride to get it to drain more. She was in no pain and appreciated the exercise.
On Saturday as I was getting our motor home ready for camping a nagging feeling came to me so I called our vet. She told me to keep an eye on it and her mobility and that she would see me Monday. Before she got off the phone she told me don't worry it won't cost you an arm and a leg. I laughed and relaxed a little. This was my baby girl who I had just recently started to make a break through with. I didn't want anything to happen to her.
So Monday morning came and to tell you I was a little worried. Our vet put my mind at ease right a ways when she told me its going to be okay. The prognosis was she had a hemotomon. In most cases the body handles it on its own. Over time the body will absorb the fluid and she'll be all right. The only thing we did wrong was opening up the wound it should have been left for her to do it? Why because it was done with a non-sterile tool which could have put bacteria in the wound. If we had left it the need for antibiotics would not be necessary. Also in most cases the vet does not open it unless the body does not absorb the fluid. What does it come from? It comes from trauma. A kick from another horse, a bang against a fence, anything. But in my horses case inside of her thigh is two bite marks. We think she might have been attacked by something possibly a coyote or a neighbors dog. I know its not my dogs because they are scared of my horses. My horses have bitten them when they have gotten too close. If it is indeed a coyote then we have another issue we are going to have to deal with.
Back to my horse she is now on an antibiotic and a anti-inflammatory and I need to cold shower the area once a day. Over the next two weeks I need to be able to keep a close eye on her to make sure she does not became lame or look like she is pain. How am I going to give her the medicine? I'm going to mix the antibiotic in her cob and give it to her out of a bucket. The anti-inflammatory well I am going to give it by syringe and hope she doesn't spit it all out. This should be loads of fun
In every situation I try to look at what life is trying to teach me. This time it is let the vet do her job and don't intervene when you don't know what you are doing. I do not blame my friend for his actions because he thought he was doing what was right. Really the only difference is the cost of the antibiotic. I still needed the vet to look and she would have still been put on an anti-inflammatory for the pain and swelling. But I still am taking away from the situation that I need to call in the professionals. A lesson well learned it could have been worse. So the morale don't be afraid till you have a reason to be it just might not be that bad after all.
