We left the hoof alone yesterday - and I switched to my other homeopathic "abscess" remedy yesterday afternoon since the first one didn't seem to be acting. This morning things with Cody were holding steady, but by mid-day I noticed he was not moving as much as he had been. I picked the hoof and flushed it with hot epsom salt water, and gave him another dose of the new remedy. Within moments he began to act very strangely - licking the arena footing, pawing with the off hoof, and then simply refusing to move.
I got his halter and lead rope and brought him into the grassy barnyard, and although he really didn't want to move, he walked out with me. But then resumed the licking on the grass! He was also jerking his hoof up periodically, as though it was hurting him. And then he seemed a bit wobbly. I gave him water, and he took a long drink. I'm really not sure what was going on - I came inside and called husband and we talked it through while I watched Cody from the back deck. After only a few minutes he stopped the licking, dropped a nice, normal pile of manure, and turned himself to face me!
I went back out and did some chores, keeping an eye on him. He was not moving as much still but had stopped the odd licking and jerking and went back to eating hay. In retrospect, I think the remedy might have "kicked in" - I usually give 3 doses total and sometimes the action doesn't start with the first dose. I've had the human equivalent of an abscess before and was given this same remedy - within minutes of taking it, I could feel the infection drawing tighter and getting more painful, and with the second dose, the "abscess" burst. Cody is fairly sensitive to physical things - although laid back in many ways. I wonder if today's dose, the second, triggered a drawing action that just plain felt weird.
In any case, late this afternoon he asked to go out with his herd and since I was out mucking I decided to trust his judgment. He walked carefully to the back field and stood with his best buddies, relaxing and clearly feeling good about being with them again. I decided to go ahead and give the third dose before I had to leave to take son to his class. Only a few minutes after we left, my husband called to say that the abscess had opened and was draining, and that Cody was moving almost normally again.
Thank goodness!
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life and lessons on November Hill Farm
Good news - it's always a relief when abscesses burst.
ReplyDeleteBillie, what a relief on all fronts. I understand those abcess things are truly a nightmare. Doc had one years ago and he said it was unbearably painful - and he is what Jack would call a tough cookie.
ReplyDeleteHomeopathy is so powerful. What a great description of Cody's reactions to it. I wonder are animals more sensitive to it than we are. Of course, you do need to get the remedy right to start with.
ReplyDeleteKate, total relief!
ReplyDeleteSheaffer, our only experience with abscesses has been with Salina, up to now. She is quite experienced in managing herself as she seems to understand that the pain will resolve at some point, but Cody was a surprisingly good patient given this is the first time he has experienced this. (and hopefully the last)
ReplyDeleteMaire, exactly. I am a sort of tyrant about insisting on classical homeopathy, where the choice of remedy is very very thorough and specific to the patient. It's absolutely been my experience (both personally and with animal and human family members too) that when you get the exact right remedy you see profound healing.
ReplyDeleteI always feel the action of the remedy - my homeopath has said that I would be perfect to do provings with, as I tend to notice every tiny detail of my body and its reaction. I really felt like Cody was doing that yesterday.
Good news! Glad to hear the abscess is draining and healing. It's amazing how quickly he could feel the remedy working and let you know.
ReplyDeleteAnd how long (hours) it took me to put things together!
ReplyDeleteI have since realized that the remedy I gave him is derived from silica - found in most rock. It makes me wonder if licking the arena footing (stone screenings) had to do with the remedy itself. It would be an equine reaction more so than a human's so that particular behavior isn't anywhere I can find in the repertories.