Notes from Maine - 2026/09/27
Lilly (darling little filly) scraped her leg this week. Actually, she scraped it at the tail end of last week, but it looked like a minor injury that would heal on its own. It didn’t. I was cleaning and wrapping it, but it just kept weeping and then started to show the start of “proud flesh.” The medical term is Exuberant Granulation Tissue (EGT), and it’s pretty common in horses, especially on the lower legs. The vet said, “The farther down the leg, the more likely you’ll get it.”
Treatment is pretty simple—there’s a dust called “Wonder Dust” that makes the wound clear up. After cleaning, you just poof it on the wound. Still, I had the vet out to make sure there wasn’t an infection or anything else to take seriously. Today, the spot looks much better. The swelling is gone and it’s nearly scabbed over. Lilly doesn’t mind having a wrap on her leg. It can slip down when she runs around outside, so I’ve had to watch her carefully the past few days.
Earl (Shire horse) got his final shoe on Monday. The farrier came last Thursday, but one foot had an abscess that needed soaking before the shoe could go on. His feet are now complete. Maybelle (spotted draft) has never required medical attention aside from routine care. She’s our rock.
Meanwhile, my friend Albert (dog) has another dentist appointment this coming week. His regular cleaning suggested that his upper molars need intervention. We’re going to a board-certified veterinary dentist on Tuesday for an expert opinion.
We’re supposed to be getting a decent rain event right now. I think the storm wasted all its energy getting here. There’s hardly any rain to speak of. I woke up expecting a downpour and found that we’ve only seen light rain so far with maybe some more this afternoon. I know you can’t cure a drought with one heavy rain, but it wouldn’t hurt. I was looking forward to not seeing the dust kick up when Albert chases after his frisbee.
I’ve had a lot of appointments recently, vet and otherwise. The vet and farrier visits were good—no serious issues, just routine problems. It’s good and bad, I suppose. On one hand, when the horse vet comes out it’s another set of discerning eyes on my equine friends. On the other hand, sometimes it feels like vet visits lead to more vet visits. One small disruption in the status quo appears to invite the next. We’ll cross that bridge if necessary. At the moment, there’s nothing concerning. I mean... if I was forced to worry, I would mention that Earl doesn’t want to have his left rear foot picked up at the moment. The farrier said we could wait a bit and see if maybe he just felt a little sore that day. It might resolve on its own. Horses are always favoring one leg or the other for all kinds of reasons. It’s just really obvious when the horse in question is the size of a small house. Earl’s feet are changing at the moment. Since he’s wearing shoes, the farrier is free to correct Earl’s toes, moving them closer to ideal. I imagine that the transition is a little uncomfortable. He’s never had great feet. Hopefully, they’re getting better each time they’re trimmed.
It reminds me of my thumb.
When I was a kid, Mom had an orange stick for cuticle maintenance. I got the idea that I should be pushing back my cuticles or else they would get out of control. At some point in my late forties, I asked my doctor about my rippled, dry thumbnail. They said, “Yeah, your cuticle bed isn’t healthy. Do you push them back?”
“Sure,” I said.
“Oh. Well, don’t,” they said.
Turns out that was the whole issue. I haven’t pushed back any cuticles in a decade. Not only did they not run rampant, but my fingernails are stronger and look better. I don’t think that Earl has been pushing back his cuticles though, so I don’t think I can apply the same logic. My farrier is trained on draft horses and thinks we’re on the right track, so I’ll trust that process. Time will tell.
