Trigger's Bandage Change

Ayyyy look at me go! Lots of content this week, shockingly enough, haha. We accomplished our first hoof wrap change on Trigger earlier this week, and it went better than expected! I mean, I didn't really expect him to misbehave, he's such a good egg, but I assumed that I would probably muck something up in my rustiness at any kind of wrapping, particularly hoof wrapping. 

Out handgrazing with DH

I made a trip into town over the weekend for supplies -- I knew I had enough vet wrap for a change or two, but I had forgotten that DH exposed the entire packet of gauze I had planned to use to a goat infection over the summer, leaving me scrambling for some gauze to put in my chlorhex solution for scrubbing. Of course, our local TSC was out of the gauze I wanted (pretty sure we bought the last package they had in stock in like JUNE and they just... never ordered more? Nice). The other farm store in town was also a bust, so I ended up having to make an unplanned Walgreens stop for people gauze, which is annoyingly far more expensive ($10 for 50 pieces of 2x2). On the drive home from that, I placed an Amazon order for more gauze ($10 for 200 pieces of 4x4, bless) and another CASE of vetwrap, since I have no idea how long I'm going to need to keep wrapping this (plus can you ever have too much vet wrap? You cannot). I also grabbed two different kinds of duct tape. I felt about as prepared as I could be!

This is vaguely reminiscent of the piles and piles of supplies I had to use when Topaz lacerated ALL FOUR LEGS one year, although that was pre-blog. I had a whole station set up every time she had bandage changes lol. 

I built the duct tape lattice square in the house before we went outside (mostly because it was annoyingly cold and I didn't want to be outside longer than necessary), and then enlisted DH to help hold/hand me supplies. I cross-tied Trigger and wrestled the existing wrap off his foot (note to self, buy sharper scissors), then put his foot down on a fresh towel. The old wrap looked good, a little drainage onto the poultice pad they put in there, but nothing unexpected. The whole sole is a touch soggier than I'd like, so I imagine we're going to be looking at a lot of Durasole once his foot comes out of the bandage, but that's a problem for future Leah I guess. 

I got a much more in depth look at the hole this time, and I think it looks pretty good. The hoof as a whole, less so, sigh. His feet tend towards wanting to be crumbly anyway, so this prolonged moisture is not helpful. But I guess we heal the hole and then worry about the rest!

Trigger was a champ for the scrubbing, as I fumbled around with the gauze pads and then poured the crushed up pills into his foot (I cant remember the name, met-something?). I slapped the piece of poultice pad on and then positioned the duct tape. DH wanted to help finish the wrap, so I let him add all the exterior around the toe duct tape, lol. 

So bored with this. 

I topped the whole thing off with a roll of vet wrap -- the vets used elasticon but of course I struck out finding any locally. 

In conjunction with the velcro boot I did find, I think it should hold up fine. We will see at the next change, and if I need to source some elasticon, I will :)

"Put me back in my stall and bring me alfalfa, I am done with your shenanigans for the day, peon"
- Trigger, probably. 

I'm glad he is being a relatively cooperative patient, as long as he gets his twice daily alf and time scrounging for leftovers in Jack's stall (while I clean his). Aside from a little calling on the first few days, he's been relatively quiet and chill about things, as long as I leave ESPN talk radio on for him. The one day I didn't, he TRASHED his stall. Duly noted Trigs, you want to hear the radio.