All in a box of Crayons
Box of crayons, strawberries, and horses
Hi Dear Reader,
How are you doing? Can you believe that it is already the end of April?
I feel like time is flying by this spring. The grass is greening up in the backyard, robins are here, and the flowers are starting to bud. I’ve felt antsy for the warm weather.
This week, the girls and I went on an “adventure” to our local farm store that has a garden center. Little Bock 1 has been reading about red strawberries and she wanted to grow some. Strawberry plants were out along with some early potted flowers and seeds. We picked up strawberry plants, leaf lettuce seeds, spinach seeds, and dwarf bush sugar snap peas seeds.
We are going to attempt to container garden in our backyard. The kids and I filled pots with soil and they put in the strawberry plants and seeds into the pots. A whole packet of seeds went into each pot, most likely I’ll have to thin the seedlings if they come up. The girls are pretty excited about it. I’ve always had a regular garden so this will be an experiment for us. Do you garden? What’s your favorite thing to plant?
The other thing the girls are into is coloring. We have crayons and coloring books all over the house. Did you know that on the back of the Crayola Crayon box it says “Contents and colors may vary.”?
I thought that it was very interesting. How much variation is there in crayons? But things in life are kind of like that. On the outside it looks the same but it really turns out a different way due to the variations possible.
The reason it came to mind is that tonight as we were cleaning up from the gardening adventure, I received a call from a client with a horse acting funny. They sent me a video and we had a discussion about what it could be. We suspected that the horse was working on a hoof abscess.
Hoof abscesses in horses are common with similarities between horses. The horse is very sore on the affected hoof. Most of the time the hoof is hot or has increased digital pulses in that leg. There are two large veins and arteries that run to the foot and when there is inflammation or pain, the pulses get strong and pound fast.
But hoof abscess are like a box of crayons. There are different reasons that can cause an abscess such as stepping on a nail, a stone bruise (just bruising to the hoof, not always caused by a stone), laminitis/founder (inflammation of the connective tissue inside the hoof), or even some systemic sickness. Most of the time, I can find a cause of the hoof abscess, but not always. Also, coffin bone fractures (fractures of the bone inside the hoof) can look like an abscess. An xray will tell me if it is a fracture or an abscess.
Once it is determined it is a hoof abscess, I try to “dig” it out from the bottom of the hoof. Sometimes it is not mature enough or it is going to track out the top of the hoof. Treatment for an uncomplicated abscess is to soak it in warm water and epsom salts, give pain medications, keep it clean, and try to keep the horse walking to push out the infection. Complicated ones can be a headache to solve. Most horses have uncomplicated abscess and can return to their jobs in a couple of weeks. I never know which type I’m dealing with until I look at the horse and see what’s in the theoretical crayon box.
In My Cowboy of Convenience, Erin is a veterinarian and she has to deal with a horse with an abscess. Below is the excerpt.
I watched the cowboy trot his horse up and down the alleyway in the back. The head bobbed up whenever the horse landed on his right front foot.
“That’s good. Let’s look at Charlie’s foot.”
“Yes, ma’am.” The cowboy stopped the horse a few inches from me. The gray gelding blew out his breath into my hair when I rubbed his forehead.
I grabbed my hoof testers and ran my hand down the back of his right front leg. The horse lifted it up. The hoof testers pressed along the sole of his hoof. He stood still as a statue until the end of the exam. He flinched but never jerked his foot from my grasp.
“I think he’s working on an abscess in here.” I pulled out my hoof knife and parred away at the sore spot until a black spot appeared. “Just a little bit more.” One more swipe with my knife, pus squirted out from the spot and landed on the floor a foot away.
“That’s a good one.” The cowboy chuckled.
“Yep, he should feel better in no time.”
I packed his foot with a drawing salve and wrapped it up. “Now, leave that on until tomorrow and then take it off to soak his foot in warm water and Epsom salts.”
I straightened up, rubbing my hand over my lower back.
Charlie placed his hoof on the concrete, testing to see if it hurt. His eyes relaxed when he discovered the pressure in his hoof was gone.
“Well, look at that. He’s walking better already.” The cowboy led him forward. “Good job, Doc.”
If you want to read more, it is available in ebook, paperback, or ask your local librarian!
I hope that your week is as colorful and joyful as a box of crayons and I’ll talk to you next week!
Hugs,
Allie
PS If you have any container gardening tips, send them my way!