SON OF A %&$#@!*&&%$@#, &^$#&!!!! UPDATED

I am in tears writing this.  I have to come here and write it because my mind won't stop and I need to do something.  I am supposed to just sit here and wait for the next two &%*$*$# hours until I can load up and take Steady to the vet.  TWO #$*&%@& HOURS!!!!  I am NOT happy about that but what can I do but come when the vet tells me to.  Why do I need to rush him to the vet ASAP???  You may ask.  Get ready for a self-abusing post.  I am SO pissed off at myself.

Here is the story.  Yesterday I sent my daughter out to feed Steady his breakfast as I got ready for church.  We went to church, came home at lunch then friends came over.  At about 2 pm my husband was sitting on the new deck we just built and when I walk outside he says, "you know your horse is walking on 3 legs??"  I am like, shit!  I go out and look at the leg and it is the same one that was giving us issues a couple weeks ago.  I didn't think a whole lot about it because it looked the same as last time.  I mean I was worried but no need to have an emergency vet call.  So I made sure he was comfortable had food was completely covered with his fly gear and spray.  We had friends over that are quite the city folk and I didn't want to spend much time out in my field messing with the animals since they don't enjoy those things and we never get to see them.  So I proceeded through my day.  I checked on him that evening and no change had been made but I guess now I can see  when I go to turn him out in the back pasture for the night that that he was favoring a bit more than last time.  I thought I will give it over night then make a decision in the morning as to what to do.  I woke a few times throughout the night worrying about it and when I couldn't get back to sleep at 4 am I made the decision that he needed to go the vet to be checked out.  The first time it got better pretty quickly but he came out of it nicely and was completely fine within a week but the fact that it recurred this soon after I had suspicions that this could be more serious. 

So I was eager to go check him out once it was daylight and the kids were off to school.  So I go out there this morning and was VERY disheartened when I saw that not only had it not gotten any better but it was actually worse.   I immediately knew something was very wrong because if it was the same issue as a few weeks ago it would have not gotten worse over night.  I then took the time to investigate further.  All it took was picking up his hoof and my heart sank and ran to the house to grab my phone and call the vet as fast as I could.  What was it that caused such an immediate response?  A rusty piece of wire embedded into his hoof crease of his frog.  My heart is sick with worry and guilt.  The heat in his leg has moved up and I am so afraid of how far it has gotten.  I am almost certain it is infected and now it is just a matter of how seriously.  Blood stream??  Oh I feel like a big stupid *^%$!  It gets worse.  Now I am thinking back and realizing this could have been in there since Saturday.  I fed him Saturday morning and I then took my daughter and a lesson girl to a horse show all day and didn't return until that night and I had the girls give him his dinner.  So that means the last time I had actually stopped to take a good look at my horse was Saturday morning.  I am such a stupid idiot!  I am so pissed off at myself right now and the tears that are flowing are half because of my anger and myself and half for fear of my poor horse.  UGH I want to throw up.....


UPDATED:

My two hundred dollar Monday morning surprise!  The short side was the part in his hoof.  It was about 1 1/2 inches deep.

So called the vet back and said I was freaking out can I please bring him in before noon??  He said, "yes, bring him right now".  So that is what I did.  Upon further looking it was piece of old rusty fencing that most likely worked it's was to the surface of the ground and found it's way into Steady's hoof.  After x-rays to see exactly where it was, he came out with the good news that it did not touch the navicular bone.  But it was close and very close to the tendon but didn't appear to do any damage with any major areas.  THANK GOD!  He cleaned it pulled it, cleaned it again, cleaned it some more soaked it, packed it and wrapped it.  Gave antibiotic Genamiacin and Penicillin to cover all the bases.  Steady did not have a fever!  So no signs of infection as of yet, more good news.  So he showed me how to administer antibiotic into the vein and muscle and he will be on them for 5 days.  I am to repack and wrap in four days.

All doctored up.

My sexy boy is all gimpy :(

Thank you ALL for all of your well wishes and assuring me I should not start banging myself upside the head for this.  It helps that there was hopeful news from the vet.  We are by far not in the clear now it is a watch and wait.  Just to clarify I do not believe that there random lameness a few weeks ago had anything to do with this.  That they are completely separate incidents.  Thanks again everyone!