Ideas to keep aircast clean at farm?

[snaffled]

I sprained my ankle stacking hay on Saturday and I’m in an aircast for at least 2 weeks. Just wondering what some of you have done to keep your aircast clean and dry while at the farm. Doctor says I’m fine to do most things as long as I wear the boot when weight bearing. I usually turn out/in, feed and muck stalls on Saturdays and am planning to go this Saturday and just do as much as I can.

The premade covers for aircasts that you can buy, either don’t cover the bottom of the boot or are made of flimsy looking plastic and I’m afraid the bottom will tear open with me walking around on the concrete aisles and then will be useless for mud/dirt protection.

Have any of you come up with something that is both waterproof (at least repellent) and is somewhat strong on the bottom so as not to rip?

[allons-y]

I always just got two (insert various sorts of casts) apparati. One for the barn, and one for ‘normal people’ exposure. Wore my “dressup one” to my daughter’s wedding. There is no way to keep the barn one fit for ‘polite society’ IMHO.

[allons-y]

Oh, and I wrapped my barn one in a shavings bag just to keep the maintenance down. Bag and duct tape, easy-peasy

[csaper58]

@snaffled

I sprained my ankle stacking hay on Saturday and I’m in an aircast for at least 2 weeks. Just wondering what some of you have done to keep your aircast clean and dry while at the farm. Doctor says I’m fine to do most things as long as I wear the boot when weight bearing. I usually turn out/in, feed and muck stalls on Saturdays and am planning to go this Saturday and just do as much as I can.

The premade covers for aircasts that you can buy, either don’t cover the bottom of the boot or are made of flimsy looking plastic and I’m afraid the bottom will tear open with me walking around on the concrete aisles and then will be useless for mud/dirt protection.

Have any of you come up with something that is both waterproof (at least repellent) and is somewhat strong on the bottom so as not to rip?

The boot covers they give people at the vet school…the ones to cover their shoes so they can step in disinfectant… are very sturdy and cheap.

ValleyVet has them item #14797

These look like the ones at the vet school www.pbsanimalhealth.com/details/Elastic-Top-/36-220.html

Otherwise I’d take several of the ForceFlex garbage bags to the barn

[AKB]

Can you wrap it with vetwrap?

[Zu_Zu]

[HR][/HR]GLAD - [B]Press 'N Seal …

I’d wrap first with PNSeal then bag with heavy bag and reinforce the bottom with [/B]
GORILLA Duct Tape !

[PintoPony]

Get a cheap, throw away foil pan in a size big enough to cover the bottom of your boot. I’m guessing a large loaf pan would be about right.
Place the pan over the bottom of the boot, bending it as needed and use vet wrap to secure it to your foot.
If you need more waterproofing, add silver duct tape over the vet wrap.

This is a variation on a wrapping technique I saw used on a horse with severe founder that had a restructuring done. A throw away pie plate was put over the hood dressing and then secured with vet wrap and reinforced with duct tape. Held up very well, even when he was able to be turned out.

[snaffled]

You guys are brilliant!! The only thing I came up with on my own was a thick grocery bag, which I used to walk to work in the rain yesterday. Needless to say it had holes in it by the time I got to work (only a 10 min walk, well 20 now that I’m moving at half speed;))

I’m surprised how tiring walking around in this thing is! Thankfully only have to wear it for 2 weeks but doctor says I can’t ride for at least a month Feeling pretty sorry for myself lol

[red_mares]

Look at it this way…2 weeks, a few more easy weeks and you’re done; good to go.

If my idiot doctor had done that with my grade 3 sprain, I probably would have avoided about 5 years of pain, 4 surgeries and a permanent handicap parking tag.

[Luseride]

Good luck. I fractured my talus bone last summer and had a severe sprain. After a few days of an aircast and crutches I wrapped it tight, put on a paddock boot which I laced tight and used a cane. Or course it still swells more days than not but the thought of being in the barn without a boot on drove me crazy.

[snaffled]

It probably wouldn’t have been so bad if I had of gone to have it looked at right away or at least taken it easy. But no, after the initial pain subsided a bit, I decided to ride and then turn in the horses. My theory was, if I could zip up my half-chap, I was ok to ride. It actually didn’t hurt much to ride but once I got off (carefully slid off at mounting block, didn’t vault off) I could barely walk.

Anybody reading this, learn form me and listen to your body!! Especially if like me, you live in Canada, and the only thing stopping you from going to the doctor (emergency clinic) is not wanting to waste time!

[Kottbulle]

I fractured my foot and had to be in a walking boot for 6 weeks, in Spring time in Michigan!! I too couldn’t find anything that full enclosed the whole thing. I ended up using a Tribute feed bag… by the time the 6 weeks were up, I had it quite pimped out… I did end up reenforcing the bottom with lots of duct tape, and even added "laces’ up the front with bailing twine which helped keep it from sliding down and rustling so much, which the horses appreciat… i just punched holes in the bag. and threaded the twine thru like on a regular boot. It held up great and kept me clean and dry. And i was feeding 5 horses in a muddy paddocks, and cows too!

[Willesdon]

Sorry, but I had to laugh! That is SUCH a horse-person heading. Most ‘normal’ people would be inside with their leg elevated.

[Scribbler]

Very timely. I am ending week 5 of 8 in a soft cast boot for a minor foot fracture and am cleared to.hobble around on my heel after 4 weeks of crutches. I am just an ammie so I sent my horse out to full training board and have been obeying the doctor.

I am planning to visit the horse for the first time since the accident and have been thinking about plastic bags for n that foot. I can just see coming home with shavings and hay embedded in the Velcro! I think a bag over the foot with a gap for the heel.

[snaffled]

I ended up using a shavings bag with duct tape wound around the heel area to reinforce, trim the top of bag down a bit so it ended just above cast and then use a few strips of tape to keep the top secured and not flapping.

My ankle is healed now but still building up strength in physio. Unfortunately the bunions on both of my feet that didn’t bother me before the sprain, are now very painful. I am seeing a podiatrist now for laser therapy, in the near future; orthotics and in the (hopefully very) distant future; surgery

On the positive side, I’m riding again and it doesn’t hurt when I ride Haven’t really got back to where we were before the injury but I’m taking it slow and besides, its freezing here right now so I’m in no rush.

[RMJacobs]

@snaffled, can you explain more about what your podiatrist is doing for your bunions? I have them on both feet as well, and have just taken the denial approach so far. That doesn’t work so well, especially since I already had neuropathy and RA joint damage in my poor feet.

Rebecca

[Scribbler]

@snaffled

I ended up using a shavings bag with duct tape wound around the heel area to reinforce, trim the top of bag down a bit so it ended just above cast and then use a few strips of tape to keep the top secured and not flapping.

My ankle is healed now but still building up strength in physio. Unfortunately the bunions on both of my feet that didn’t bother me before the sprain, are now very painful. I am seeing a podiatrist now for laser therapy, in the near future; orthotics and in the (hopefully very) distant future; surgery

On the positive side, I’m riding again and it doesn’t hurt when I ride Haven’t really got back to where we were before the injury but I’m taking it slow and besides, its freezing here right now so I’m in no rush.

Glad you are back in the saddle! Now of course my old shavings bags and duct tape are all down at the barn!

[snaffled]

@RMJacobs The podiatrist is doing laser therapy on my bunions to reduce swelling plus a topical anti-inflammatory which is really helpful. He suggested to try the topical vs oral since its a very specific area of pain and to avoid damaging my stomach long term.

The laser therapy is not a cure but just to reduce swelling/pain. After a treatment he tapes up my feet with a pad in my instep to help keep big toe aligned correctly. The taping and pad are similar to what the orthotic will do once I am fitted for them. I notice a difference after treatment, there is still pain but its not as sharp and does not come on as quickly, though I think it is as much the tape and pad keeping things straight as much as the laser.

I have only had 2 treatments so I really can’t say if this is a good solution long term, I’m thinking its effectiveness will lessen as I age. Hoping that once I have the orthotics and am using them regularly, it will at least slow things down so I won’t have to have surgery too soon. From what I’ve been told, surgery is the only thing that will really “fix” it.

I also highly recommend making sure you are wearing properly fitted shoes/boots that support your feet! Before the sprain I would just wear whatever was comfortable (off the farm, on the farm I always wear good supporting footwear). For example my “non-farm winter boots” were these down filled things I got on clearance, they looked ridiculous but were so warm and comfy! No support whatsoever, my feet would slide around in them, which wasn’t a problem until the sprain, I wore them for 4 winters. The first snowfall this year was enough for me to go buy new boots immediately, my feet were in so much pain just from walking 3 blocks to work!

[RMJacobs]

@snaffled, thanks so much for the detailed explanation. Hmmm, I’ve been wearing orthotics for 15 years or so already–they do make a big difference. I also wear orthopedically correct shoes always–I don’t own any that aren’t as I can’t walk at all in anything else. And I take daily antiinflammatories. This is all due to the neuropathy and RA damage, not the bunions, but I would guess it would be good for the bunions. The disappointing part to all this is that I developed the bunions after wearing orthotics for five years. It didn’t prevent them. But I’ve got so much going on that my experience isn’t really pertinent to other people’s.

I hope the bunion treatment works well for you.

Rebecca

[Scribbler]

I finally went to visit my horse this week after 5 weeks. I put a big plastic bag over the aircast and my friend drove me right into the arena where there was a wheelchair waiting. Got to watch my coach do a schooling ride.

At one point talking to horse, she saw the plastic bag and tried to rip it off. I think plastic bags mean treats.

Apart from that it worked fine. But I wasn’t trying to muck stalls with the bag over the cast.