vet visit & diagnosis for Ringo

Well, after several horse friends looking at Ringo and a number of different opinions, I decided to call the vet out yesterday.
Poor Ringo could barely walk and I felt very anxious.  Crazy how I can barely function when faced with a health issue!  I'm very good at fretting and I try to slow down my quivery energy, breathe deeply and ask myself "why?"  Anyway, not the time to psycho- analyze myself ... it's the donkey who needs care!

The vet is wonderful and she checked all his joints (we had been thinking it was a tendon or ligament injury) and determined that he indeed has a hoof abscess.  She popped it at the coronary band and now I have to soak all the pus out twice a day.  Ringo is terrified of standing in water and so far I have tried a pail, a feed tub and a Ziploc bag reinforced with duct tape.  no go ... I am trying to work in baby steps, asking him to target each new thing, the having him stand in "it" without water, adding water, etc.  As soon as he feels the water, though, he heads for the hills.   That means, if I am in his stall with him, I get squished against the wall (dangerous!) and run over (dangerous!)

So all I have managed to do is wrap a warm compress around his hoof.  1/2 cup Epsom salts to 1 cup warm water.  He will stand with his knee bent and rest on mine as I squat beside him but this is supposed to be for 20 minutes at a time and I'm ... um, er ... not that young anymore!

The ferrier should be in here in about half and hour ...

behind in my reporting ...

It's been too long since I logged in with some notes.  Monty has been here last weekend for a clicker training clinic with the donkeys and I have yet to process my notes from that great session.
I always learn so much!
But in the meantime, here is a picture of Dorica who has learned to stand with her front feet on a stump:

I'll get to the clinic notes soon.  In the meantime, I am very preoccupied as Ringo went lame last Tuesday (it is now Saturday) and it's so difficult to figure out what is wrong.  It's his left front foot and he's obviously really hurting as he'll go back to the barn and lay down in the breezeway during the day and when he does walks it's with great difficulty, limping heavily.  Today though I did see some improvement - more weight bearing on that hoof.  I have been checking and rechecking for heat and/ or swelling - I don't feel much of either but can easily convince myself that I do!

Expecting the ferrier on Monday morning - he'll be able to tell if it's either an abscess or founder - I doubt either - I think it's a knee or fetlock joint injury.  He had been galloping the day before and we have so many stones ...

I have been applying an ice pack to his knee, followed by Traumeel creme and today gave him 4 x 30cc of Arnica.  The girls decided to have a little romp at about 5 PM and silly Ringo tried to join them.  Now he's REALLY sore!  Boys!

Hard for me not to get extremely stressed when something like this happens.  Especially since I don't know what's wrong.  Last night I decided to try soaking his foot in a pail of Epsom Salts + warm water but it upset him and he wouldn't stand and became suspicous.  Good lesson that we need to teach them these things BEFORE we need to actually do the procedure.  Always so much to work on!

One more day before a professional (ferrier) looks at him, so hopefully I'll get a better idea.  Poor Ringo!

visitors

Wonderful visit today from Wendy and her 2 little girls, Madigan and Ivy.  Little Ivy didn't make a peep the whole time but just watched the fun from her vantage point in a cozy front-pack.

But Madigan had a great time.  We started in the hen house and said hello  to L.C. our 5-year-old Rhode Island Red and observed another two birds hunkered down in nesting boxes.

Then, stepping carefully over the electric fence, we went to meet the donkeys.  I had secured Ringo in the barn paddock as I thought it would be safer without such a big donkey towering over such a wee girl.
Dorica, who loves kids, ambled over and immediately presented her butt for a scratch.  Deenah joined and gave Madigan a good sniff.  We all visited for awhile and Dorica proudly showed how she can trot on command.

Ringo was a little miffed at being on the other side of the fence, but was awfully good about it. And Madigan, who is only two years old, really seemed to enjoy herself!  I even plunked her on Deenah's back and then briefly, on Dorica (who has never held a child.)

Dorica is listening to us behind her.