[RC] Shots, infections, and diapers (long) - David & Maggie
What a weekend! We were invited to participate in
the Ohio Bicentennial parade in Chillicothe, so off we go Saturday am with two
endurance horses, two sidesaddles and two period costumes.
I have been less sore after a 50. I think it was
all the stop-go-stop-go and bracing myself for an expected blow-up (never
happened). Other than a few Saddlebred moments, Secret did really well in her
first parade. Must be the ridecamp experiences. I didn't think until I was on
her and yards of fuschia fabric arranged that she had never carried a
sidesaddle. She was no goofier than she usually is.
Here's what came up, though. Since I don't usually
comb out tails and shine them up, we hadn't noticed a sore at the very tip of
her tail. It had been there awhile from the smell. It covers the entire end of
her tail and up maybe a half inch on the sides. Then there is a LOT of yellowish
scaly material farther up. If she were human and in a nursing home, I would say
it was a stage 4 decub of the coccyx.
How would she get something like this? She hasn't
been rubbing her tail, no one has been chewing on it. It was as thick and full
as usual. Just raw to the bone on the very tip.
Anyway, we trimmed all the hair away from the area.
She lost a significant amount of tail hair with this procedure. Then, washed it
in antibacterial soap, debrided it, rinsed it in warm water, braided the rest of
her tail out of the way and put it in a sock.
Last, I filled a diaper with the yellow stuff
(fura-something), put it so that it cupped the sore and taped it
on.
We gave a shot of penicillin in the pecs. She's
usually awful about shots, but she stood perfectly still. Have to remember
this.
Today, I changed the dressing. The diaper was full
of bloody drainage, but the sore looked a little pinker, less dead.
She acts normal. She chases the rest of the herd
around the field at a dead gallop for hours at a time. No different than
usual.
We had planned on an LD ride in two weeks. What do
you guys think? Like I said, she acts fine. No temp, pulse normal for her. Will
the pcn be out of her system by then? We plan on keeping her on a shot a day for
two more days. And any ideas what this is? Could a tick have started
it?
