Thursday, June 05, 2008

An Update

Again, it seems I only posted a couple of days ago.

I have been going full tilt for the last little while; firstly learning the ropes of the new job I started last week (home care nursing), and secondly nursing poor Buck. He has a very nasty leg wound which he sustained from pushing the fencing down and then tripping and getting tangled in it. I found him down and motionless on Monday after work. Rupert quietly kept vigil, offering some comfort, I'm sure. Buck was incredibly good and quiet while I made an emergency phone call for help and while I cut the fencing away from him. I had to break off a fence post, and then he was able to get up just as Nadine arrived. Bernie and Cliff came next and soon we had Buck medicated for pain and had his wound cleaned and covered, and Bernie and Nadine patched the fence back together. I was so grateful for their help.

Our vet Gord came by within the hour, sedated Buck and examined the wound. It is deep and nasty with bone, tendon and artery all visible, but thankfully intact. Gord elected not to suture the wound as the stitches would almost certainly tear out, based on the location (just below left hind fetlock). So my afternoons all week have involved wound care and dressings, and giving huge injections of penicillin. Buck is very tolerant of having his leg messed with, but not so much about getting needles in the a$$.

The weather has been mainly cool and wet for the past days. The garden is slow to get established, but the weeds grow rampantly. The back meadow remains under water, and the standing water left after snow melt keeps getting replenished, so we have several temporary ponds on the property.

Things are good today, and I am content.

3 comments:

Cicero Sings said...

Thanks for the weather update! I didn't ask anyone to water while we are away ... trusting that the weather would be damp enough to keep things growing.

Sorry to hear about Buck's mishap. Always something isn't there?!! Glad you were able to come by some help and PDQ. Whew! Hopefully that gash well heal well and good. He's no dummy, he's got his own private nurse on the job!!! ... and all for the odd nuzzle or two ... thinks he's doing you a favour being so tolerant and all ... when he, the rascal, pushed the fence down. I think he's got you wound right around his little fing .... errr, hoof ... and feeling sorry for him to boot. These critters ... they've got our number.

Berni said...

Sorry to hear of Buck's accident. Thank goodness you are able to give him his shots and fortunate that help arrived quickly.

We expect 2C tonight so we started up the woodstove again. What happened to global warming?

Amy said...

Oh dear, I'm so sorry to hear about Buck's injured leg!

It's been cool and rainy most days here too and I can definitely see things slowing down in the garden (well, what I can see on my crutches!) But yes, it doesn't seem to be slowing down the weeds...argh!

My mother-in-law used to do home care nursing, but recently retired.