They say when we rescue an animal it heals us as much as we heal it, and while that sounds trite, it’s also very true. While my budget has taken a hit, having the two new rescue horses, Polly and Kitty Kash, here has really warmed my spirit. If nothing else, their additional care requirements forced me to get into the pasture with them (as opposed to treats/nose kisses and pats over the fence at feeding time and throughout the day) and get moving again. It helped me feel more ME again.
We’ve also reached another milestone. The first was when Polly, a senior mare, no longer had visible ribs showing. I’ll get some updated pictures and share her progress next week, because it truly is a miracle what groceries and care can do for an animal. However, the other milestone is that Kitty Kash’s injury has healed.
I still don’t know what it is. Whether it was a hoof abscess that decided to pop out the coronary band/top of the hoof or something else. However last week I pulled some kind of icky mucus plug from what appeared to be a perfectly round hole. My thought? That she stepped on a nail or was poked with a nail/tool while getting her hooves trimmed and it never healed. Since September I’ve been rinsing it with a diluted betadine solution and distilled water, adding some wound ointment, and covering with a baby diaper, vet wrap, and a couple of strips of duct tape.
For being a flighty girl, she’s taken this quite well. Of course the fact that she got treats and a flake of good hay (I used to buy directly from the dealer who sells to the feed store. It’s primo horse hay!) to eat while I fussed with her hoof probably didn’t hurt at all. She’s now as tolerant of horse hugs and nose kisses, though she’s still not quite sure what the heck is happening. (Who is this crazy lady? At least she feeds me!)
And in the end, not only has her hoof healed, but I think I’m healing too. Feeling a bit like my old self again, not worn down by seven years of the move, the drama, and mom’s illness and death. I just checked Kitty’s hoof before writing this, and it looks great. But don’t worry, I’ll still make sure she gets her share of the horse treats!
