W
ell, that’s right in the joint,” I said to no one
in particular, and sighed in frustration as I pulled my sterilized instrument free from the wound on the big mare’s hind leg. My assistant, Kelly, looked at me in dismay from her position at Dottie’s head. The owners were not present, as they’d had an urgent dinner party that they needed to attend, so it was just the three of us.
There was guaranteed to be bacteria and other contamination in the wound, which would flourish and destroy the delicate structures within the joint. Wounds like this required prompt and costly surgical intervention. To make matters worse, it was at least a week old, and no one had called the a vet despite the obvious injury and presence of joint fluid draining down Dottie’s leg.