Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Petrucchio and Scooby
So, briefly, here is what happened with the 2 boys...
Petrucchio was over 15 years old. That is VERY old for a goat. He had almost no teeth left, very bad arthritis, and trouble staying warm in the winter to name just a few of his issues. He was always loving and enjoyed all the attention he could get, but he had really slowed down a lot. Moving was hard for him and last winter he only left his stall a few times. Because of his teeth his grain was soaked to soften it but often he still would not eat. His favorite thing became cereal, he had Honey Nut Cheerios, All Bran, Puffins, Life, and Corn Flakes to name a few, and he loved them all. He could not have made it through another winter, he was tired and ready to go.
Scooby.... Though we don't know his exact age, we know that he was not a young horse. The EPSM was getting worse and the muscles were deteriorating/breaking down. He had lost a lot of weight this year and I think there may have been something else going on inside (cancer?). He was really feeling the cold this fall, I saw him shivering for the first time since he came here. Then of course there was the foot. That was much worse. The hoof capsule had completely detached and the bone had dropped and rotated more. He was in pain, you could see it with every step he took. The farrier's were amazed he could walk at all - I think it was pure heart that kept him going, but he too was tired. He was the boss of his herd, but it took a lot out of him to keep all those mares in line and there were days that he didn't want to come out and join them, but just stayed in his stall/run and relaxed in the sun. He touched so many people while he was here, there was no one who did not love Scooby.
They are both missed more than words can say.
Petrucchio was over 15 years old. That is VERY old for a goat. He had almost no teeth left, very bad arthritis, and trouble staying warm in the winter to name just a few of his issues. He was always loving and enjoyed all the attention he could get, but he had really slowed down a lot. Moving was hard for him and last winter he only left his stall a few times. Because of his teeth his grain was soaked to soften it but often he still would not eat. His favorite thing became cereal, he had Honey Nut Cheerios, All Bran, Puffins, Life, and Corn Flakes to name a few, and he loved them all. He could not have made it through another winter, he was tired and ready to go.
Scooby.... Though we don't know his exact age, we know that he was not a young horse. The EPSM was getting worse and the muscles were deteriorating/breaking down. He had lost a lot of weight this year and I think there may have been something else going on inside (cancer?). He was really feeling the cold this fall, I saw him shivering for the first time since he came here. Then of course there was the foot. That was much worse. The hoof capsule had completely detached and the bone had dropped and rotated more. He was in pain, you could see it with every step he took. The farrier's were amazed he could walk at all - I think it was pure heart that kept him going, but he too was tired. He was the boss of his herd, but it took a lot out of him to keep all those mares in line and there were days that he didn't want to come out and join them, but just stayed in his stall/run and relaxed in the sun. He touched so many people while he was here, there was no one who did not love Scooby.
They are both missed more than words can say.
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Sunday, October 4, 2009
October is here! What happened to September? We've had some nice weather, and more rain too, so riding has been hit or miss. The leaves are changing but the colors aren't as bright as usual, maybe because we haven't seen the sun too much this year? Dolly and Tapper show off the foliage nicely I think...... 
Sparkie is doing well. Dr. Heather (the vet) was here last week and give most of the horses their fall flu shots. While she was here she removed the icky growth on Sparkie's sheath. He still has cancer, and the growth may return, but at least it's gone for now and won't keep breaking open and bleeding everywhere. Sparkie is definitely feeling GOOD and still has plenty of attitude as you can see from the pics below!
Sparkie is doing well. Dr. Heather (the vet) was here last week and give most of the horses their fall flu shots. While she was here she removed the icky growth on Sparkie's sheath. He still has cancer, and the growth may return, but at least it's gone for now and won't keep breaking open and bleeding everywhere. Sparkie is definitely feeling GOOD and still has plenty of attitude as you can see from the pics below!
I know the photo below is not very clear, but I just had to include it anyway. Who says Dolly can't move when she wants to?!?
The farriers were here in September, and are due again mid-October. The horses all are very well behaved for them. I went a little crazy with the arrows in the photo below left, what can I say.... I was having fun! So I did not put any arrows in the other photo, that shows Jazz getting shod with Tapper in the background.
Ziegy has been doing pretty well. We've been working with him a lot on de-sensitizing his ears and he's much better than he was about that. He was even good for getting blood drawn and his flu shot! That's amazing progress for him!!! His feet are still an issue, he still limps occasionally, but the new shoes have helped his movement tremendously. He did get another abscess last month, I don't know what it is with him and abscesses! It was a nasty one that blew out at the back of his frog - but it's all better now.
Scooby and Petrucchio are not doing so well. They are both old, tired, and have various health issues. Sadie (beagle) and Tootsie (cat) are also having lots of problems. I'll warn you now, the next blog post will probably not be a happy one....
Saturday, September 12, 2009
Yes, we are still here...
Hello Everyone!
I know, I know it's been AGES since my last post, but here - at last - is an update.
So...... this summer........... it rained.
What? The whole summer??? Well, yeah, kind of. June and July were some of the wettest months on record, and though August was better, it was still not wonderful. So far September has been pretty good, and since fall is the nicest time to ride we are hoping for good weather lasting at least until February (well we can hope).
The vet came several times in spring/summer. She did everyone's shots, teeth where needed, and chiropractic treatments on several of the horses.
Other news:
Autumn was sold this summer. She now lives in MA with new owners who absolutely love her and ride her all the time.
Ziegy was diagnosed with navicular and pedal bone issues. He's got to wear eggbar shoes and degree pads. The navicular is very mild right now, he's moving well and feeling fine (a little too fine at times)... This is Ziegy, Scotty and Jazz.
Tapper has arthritis in her hocks and has been sore in her back and hindquarters all summer. The farriers are trimming her differently and it seems to be helping, but she can only do short rides for now.
We've been riding in between raindrops whenever we can. So far our longest ride is about 2 1/2 hours. Jazz and Scotty have been taking us pretty much everywhere because the other horses all have "issues". Most of the time I ride with Carla, but Kate, Kathi, Jean, and Tracy have all been out on rides with us.
We had a multi-stable barn sale here in the spring. It went well for a rainy day. Most everyone sold at least some stuff, and it was worth all the effort - but we are NOT doing it again next year!
There was a new person around the barn this summer. Amanda is a college student who wants to learn about horses so she worked in exchange for lessons. She has gone back to school now, but is still coming on weekends when she is home. Most of the time she rode Dolly, though she also had lessons on Sparkie and Scotty.
We've had several visitors this summer. My friend Deborah stopped by (on a visit from Florida) with her husband and daughter. It had been about 18 years since I had seen her!!! The most recent visitor was cousin Mary and her grandaughter Caylie. Mary got a ride on Dolly and Caylie rode both Dolly and Sparkie. Caylie also helped with chores, she got herself up bright and early so she could go to the barn with me first thing in the morning. Now that's motivated! We have also been visited by a lot of wildlife this summer including deer and turkeys.
Tracy and Starlight have been working with Kate. They have been out on a few trail rides, and are becoming more of a team.
Kathi has been out on several trail rides with us. Cami is doing great and really seems to enjoy going out, especially if she can stay near Jazz!
Scooby continues to hang in there, his foot is not good but he's had a pretty good summer. We'll see how he is in the fall....
I will try not to let so much time go by before the next post. And yes... I'll add more pictures!
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
You asked for it....
So.... I've been getting requests for a new blog post. No photos this time but here it is - my Monday.....
Up at 5:30, put the dogs out, fed the cat, let the dogs back in. Off to the barn!
Fed the horses, put out hay and turned everyone out. No time for chores because I had an appointment so back to the house.
Got home about noon with a migraine, took a couple of migraine tabs and rested while they did their work. Out to the barn about 3:30 to get those chores done.
Ummm..... OK, where's Starlight???? She's not with her group....... oh, there she is, out in the riding arena eating grass all by herself. How much grass??? I don't know. How long has she been out there??? I don't know that either.
Grabbed her halter and lead and headed out to get her (yes, I called her a few creative names under my breath as I went). Of course she saw me coming and decided to - as usual - put herself in the deepest, wettest, muddiest spot she could find (a few more creative names). But I got there, haltered her, and led her back to the gate. By now the other horses were all waiting at the gate thinking they were going to get to go out too so I had to shoo them all back to get her through, left her halter on and let her go. Then I had to chain the gate back up and while I was doing that, Scooby spun around and kicked at Cami (didn't connect). It's very muddy there, and when he planted his front feet and twisted in the mud, he lost his acrylic foot and shoe! Great, now he's walking around on half a foot!!!! So I picked up his foot (the fake one) and took it back to the barn. Checked Starlight for tummy sounds and heat in her feet - yes to the first and no to the second, good!
By now, it's almost dinner time and chores are still not done! Put a call in to the farrier and to the vet (not taking any chances with Tracy's baby). Did the bare minimum (water, feed, hay). Chad called back and said they wanted us to put a styrofoam pad on Scooby to protect his sole until they can get here (they are coming Wednesday night). Jean happened to call then and I asked her to come help because Scooby is a 2 person job. While waiting for her I fed Petrucchio, dropped some hay, brought in Sparkie, Tapper, and Dolly. Jean arrived and we brought in Scooby and went to work. It took a while to do because he was not being very cooperative (he wanted his dinner), but we managed to give him a duct tape and blue board foot! Jean helped me get the rest of the horses in and we re-checked Starlight. Heather called and said no grain for Starlight for 24 hours (I had already planned on that and gave her no dinner). She told me some things to watch for which Jean and I had already done but better safe than sorry. She said to call her if there was a problem but Starlight is fine today (not too happy that she got no breakfast but - oh well...) Jean helped me finish up chores, and left about 8 after checking Starlight one last time.
Scooby kept his space age looking foot on all night and was rather upset (understatement) that I wouldn't let him out this morning. He was making it very clear (cantering and trotting along the fence line, pushing against the fence, etc.) that he was going to go out whether I let him or not so I moved him to Autumn's run and he settled down. I switched the girls and boys paddocks today so that (hopefully) Starlight would not escape again, and after some running around and silly antics everyone seemed to settle down.
Oh.... you want to know how Starlight managed to get out and set off the whole chain of events??? Well, she took down the rope fence next to the gate (yes it's electric, she must have been determined), then she did the limbo to get under the wooden rail and out. Fortunately none of the other horses followed her example. Hmmm..... maybe that chiropractic treatment has her feeling a little too good!!!
Up at 5:30, put the dogs out, fed the cat, let the dogs back in. Off to the barn!
Fed the horses, put out hay and turned everyone out. No time for chores because I had an appointment so back to the house.
Got home about noon with a migraine, took a couple of migraine tabs and rested while they did their work. Out to the barn about 3:30 to get those chores done.
Ummm..... OK, where's Starlight???? She's not with her group....... oh, there she is, out in the riding arena eating grass all by herself. How much grass??? I don't know. How long has she been out there??? I don't know that either.
Grabbed her halter and lead and headed out to get her (yes, I called her a few creative names under my breath as I went). Of course she saw me coming and decided to - as usual - put herself in the deepest, wettest, muddiest spot she could find (a few more creative names). But I got there, haltered her, and led her back to the gate. By now the other horses were all waiting at the gate thinking they were going to get to go out too so I had to shoo them all back to get her through, left her halter on and let her go. Then I had to chain the gate back up and while I was doing that, Scooby spun around and kicked at Cami (didn't connect). It's very muddy there, and when he planted his front feet and twisted in the mud, he lost his acrylic foot and shoe! Great, now he's walking around on half a foot!!!! So I picked up his foot (the fake one) and took it back to the barn. Checked Starlight for tummy sounds and heat in her feet - yes to the first and no to the second, good!
By now, it's almost dinner time and chores are still not done! Put a call in to the farrier and to the vet (not taking any chances with Tracy's baby). Did the bare minimum (water, feed, hay). Chad called back and said they wanted us to put a styrofoam pad on Scooby to protect his sole until they can get here (they are coming Wednesday night). Jean happened to call then and I asked her to come help because Scooby is a 2 person job. While waiting for her I fed Petrucchio, dropped some hay, brought in Sparkie, Tapper, and Dolly. Jean arrived and we brought in Scooby and went to work. It took a while to do because he was not being very cooperative (he wanted his dinner), but we managed to give him a duct tape and blue board foot! Jean helped me get the rest of the horses in and we re-checked Starlight. Heather called and said no grain for Starlight for 24 hours (I had already planned on that and gave her no dinner). She told me some things to watch for which Jean and I had already done but better safe than sorry. She said to call her if there was a problem but Starlight is fine today (not too happy that she got no breakfast but - oh well...) Jean helped me finish up chores, and left about 8 after checking Starlight one last time.
Scooby kept his space age looking foot on all night and was rather upset (understatement) that I wouldn't let him out this morning. He was making it very clear (cantering and trotting along the fence line, pushing against the fence, etc.) that he was going to go out whether I let him or not so I moved him to Autumn's run and he settled down. I switched the girls and boys paddocks today so that (hopefully) Starlight would not escape again, and after some running around and silly antics everyone seemed to settle down.
Oh.... you want to know how Starlight managed to get out and set off the whole chain of events??? Well, she took down the rope fence next to the gate (yes it's electric, she must have been determined), then she did the limbo to get under the wooden rail and out. Fortunately none of the other horses followed her example. Hmmm..... maybe that chiropractic treatment has her feeling a little too good!!!
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Monday, January 26, 2009
Good News - Bad News
Bad - The sole of Scooby's bad foot dropped more. Chances are good that the bone has rotated more also (but we can't tell for sure without doing x-rays). He was hurting a lot, limping badly, and not moving around too much. His foot will continue to get worse, but hopefully we can slow the progress and keep him comfortable for as l
ong as possible.
ong as possible. Good - Carla and I were able to replace Scooby's protective padding twice so he would be comfortable and his sole would dry out before the farriers came back. In fact, our padding stayed on better than the one put on by the farriers! They (Chad and Tim, that's Tim holding Scooby's foot) came back last Monday to trim everyone and work on Scooby. Tracy was here the whole day to help (Thank You!!!) and Carla took a long lunch break to come help (Thank You too!). They had made a special egg bar shoe for Scooby and planned to put in a pour-in gel pad to protect the
sole. When they removed the old acrylic filler they found an abscess! I know, I know... you are probably asking "an abscess is good news???" Well, yes... because it is fixable as opposed to all his other problems which are not. It had blown out and was clean and all drained, but that is why Scooby was so ouchy! It may also be the reason his sole dropped again, but at least the worst pain is gone. They were able to clean up the foot, put in new acrylic filler, and get the shoe and pad on and Scooby is MUCH more comfortable. He's back out with the other horses and bossing them around as usual.
sole. When they removed the old acrylic filler they found an abscess! I know, I know... you are probably asking "an abscess is good news???" Well, yes... because it is fixable as opposed to all his other problems which are not. It had blown out and was clean and all drained, but that is why Scooby was so ouchy! It may also be the reason his sole dropped again, but at least the worst pain is gone. They were able to clean up the foot, put in new acrylic filler, and get the shoe and pad on and Scooby is MUCH more comfortable. He's back out with the other horses and bossing them around as usual.
Bad - It has been cold. cold, COLD! The coldest morning was -16! The horses have had to be in more and several have needed blankets (like Dolly) when out. This of course means more work for me.
Good - Carla and Tracy have been here to help out whenever they can. The horses are all healthy, and spring will get here eventually...
Bad - Sparkie's hair is so long that it was getting all matted. He has started to shed his winter coat (that's normal), and the long hair and shedding made the mats worse. He would lie down or roll and get wet and the mats held the moisture in by his skin so he was getting sores. As horses get older things like this are more likely to happen. The hair gets longer and can take a very long time to shed out. Sparkie is now about 27 years old!
Good - I used scissors to cut out the worst of the mats, and Kate came on Saturday to help clip the smaller mats. Sparkie loved the attention as Kate and I spent over an hour working on him with the electric clippers and a curry brush. We were able to get almost all the mats out and still leave him with enough hair to keep warm! This is Sparkie after his trim...
Good - I used scissors to cut out the worst of the mats, and Kate came on Saturday to help clip the smaller mats. Sparkie loved the attention as Kate and I spent over an hour working on him with the electric clippers and a curry brush. We were able to get almost all the mats out and still leave him with enough hair to keep warm! This is Sparkie after his trim...
Bad - Someone (not the police) was shooting in the gravel pit late Saturday afternoon. They were hitting something metal (maybe the police storage trailer?) and it sounded very strange. The horses are used to the target practice, but this was a very different sound and they were all uneasy. The worst was Sparkie. He was out back next to the goat pen (closest to the shooting). Kate was visiting for the day and we were in the dining room when the shooting started. I kept an eye out the window and saw Sparkie running, then heard another shot, and saw him go right through the fence and in to the area with Jazz and Scotty. I quickly put on boots and coat and ran down with Kate not far behind. I was just in time to keep Scotty from beating Sparkie up! Poor Sparkie was so scared that he was shaking and almost ran over me to get into the barn. I put him in his stall where he feels safe and he quickly calmed down. Kate had started assessing the damage to the fence, but she was freezing so I sent her back to the house to call the police and took over fence repair. Sparkie had taken out about 70 feet of double line electric rope, one fence post snapped off at ground level, and one small tree that the fence had been attached to was uprooted.
Good - Although all the horses were nervous and silly after all this excitement they were all OK. Sparkie was not hurt by Scotty, nor by breaking the fence. I was able to replace the fence temporarily, a new post will have to wait until spring. Fortunately, the shooting stopped quickly so things calmed down.
More good news...
Esther has been working with Starlight a couple of days a week, and she may start working with Maggie and/or Autumn soon.
The hay guys brought in 550 bales today!!! Hooray - the loft is full again!
The horses are feeling good, playing, napping, and for the moment all are well! Above is Ziegy playing with Sparkie, and Maggie sleeping while Scooby and Starlight hang out. Below is Sparkie playing with Scooby, and Tapper taking a quic
k nap.....
The chickadees, nuthatches, etc., have found the bird seed wreath I hung for them and they are enjoying it - especially on these really cold days!
January is almost over! That was fast! Let's hope for an early spring!!!
Thursday, January 1, 2009
Happy New Year!
Here's hoping that 2009 is a great year for everyone. Unfortunately the end of 2008 has been rather difficult. Let's recap what happened in December......
We had ice, rain, ice, snow, more snow, more rain, and more ice. Oh, and don't forget the high winds. The first ice storm knocked down trees and limbs and knocked out power. (See the ice on the gate below - everything was covered like that!) We were fortunate that the power was out less than a day - and I have a generator. Some people had no power for over a week! The temperatures in December varied from a low of -4 to a high of 50!
Well, obviously with ice like that, no one was going out anytime soon. I had 12 horses in 10 stalls (sort of) for 5 days!!!!! I rotated them in the run-in stalls so they each had a chance to get outside, but even those were very icy and I had to rope off most of the outdoor areas. In all, 4 horses fell. Maggie, Autumn, and Starlight fell that first day. The next day I tried putting Scooby out in one paddock because he has winter shoes (with cleats) on his front fee
t. BADDDD idea! He fell too! Thank goodness none of them were hurt - they were all very lucky. All the horses were bored and grumpy, and I had a few fences broken (thanks Dolly!). Of course, those 5 days were a LOT more work for me, but it was worth it to keep them all safe, and Carla helped out when she could - thank you! Once we had a couple of snow storms the horses were able to go out. I just hope there is not a repeat of that!
Tracy was here one evening helping with chores, and she said that something seemed wrong with Autumn. I went to look and yup - something wasn't quite right. Got everyone else taken care of and then brought Autumn out in the hall. Checked for signs of colic but there were none. Figured out that she was choking - not really bad like Blackberry, but no choke is good. So I walked her, and rubbed her throat, and walked some more. She was able to clear the blockage herself so we didn't need the vet - yea! Tracy helped me get the hay cleaned out of Autumn's stall, and I fixed her a mushy dinner of soaked grain with a gram of bute in case there was any inflammation. Autumn was fine.
On the other hand.... this last Tuesday evening we did need the vet. Scotty coliced - really bad - and the vet (Heather) had to come. Gail was here helping with chores and she and I took turns walking him until Heather arrived. She gave him a couple of shots for pain and to relax his muscles. She did a rectal on him and could not feel an impaction or any twists in the intestine that she could reach (they have about 170 feet of intestine!!!). Then she tubed him. What that involves (for those who don't know) is passing a tube up his nostril and down his throat, then pumping in a mixture of warm water
and mineral oil to lubricate his intestinal system and hopefully move any blockage. Gail helped by manning the pump - I'm glad she was here because it's a lot easier to do with 3 people. Heather left me with more pain killer to give if needed and then we prayed. It was not a good night, we came very very close to losing him. I talked with Heather at 8:30, 9:30, and 11:00. Scotty was not improving and was in a tremendous amount of pain. I gave him 3 shots of pain killer, at 8:30, 11:00, and 1:00am. I was also keeping Carla posted. She had come to see how he was after she got out of work, and was also very concerned. Scotty was a little better in the morning, not in as much pain and a little more interested in food, starting to get some stomach sounds on both sides but by no means normal. Carla stopped by before work to see him (I'm talking 6:00am!), and Heather came back to check him at about 11. By then he had improved a lot more. He is still not quite himself, it took a lot out of him but hopefully he'll be back to his mischievous self soon. I won't be sure he's completely out of the woods until then. The pic shows Scotty (on the right) with his buddy Jazz - before Scotty got sick.
So those are just the highlights (or are they low lights?) of December 2008. The good news is that we all made it through the month - barely, but we made it. Let's hope for a much happier/healthier 2009!
We had ice, rain, ice, snow, more snow, more rain, and more ice. Oh, and don't forget the high winds. The first ice storm knocked down trees and limbs and knocked out power. (See the ice on the gate below - everything was covered like that!) We were fortunate that the power was out less than a day - and I have a generator. Some people had no power for over a week! The temperatures in December varied from a low of -4 to a high of 50!
One morning I went to the barn to bring in the outsid
e horses and give everyone their breakfast. It had rained on top of ice that night, and the paddocks were a solid sheet of very thick ice - you could have skated on it! So Maggie, Ziegy, Jazzy and Scotty could not walk on it. Poor Maggie tried to come in for breakfast and fell down. The 3 boys didn't even try. Fortunately Maggie was OK and able to get up and make her way back to the run-in shed. I put hay out for the 4 of them to keep them busy until I could get them in, fed everyone else, then headed for the tractor. I filled the bucket (on the tractor) with salted sand and drove down to the paddock. Then I started shoveling the sand out to make a path for Ziegy and Maggie. I had about half the hill done when Jim came to help (in answer to my distress call - kind of like a bat signal...). We finished and I haltered Maggie and led her part way, then she figured out that the path was safe and went the rest of the way by herself. Ziegy followed a few minutes later. Then we made a path for Jazz and Scotty. I led Jazz part way, Scotty came in on his own. Thank you Jim!
e horses and give everyone their breakfast. It had rained on top of ice that night, and the paddocks were a solid sheet of very thick ice - you could have skated on it! So Maggie, Ziegy, Jazzy and Scotty could not walk on it. Poor Maggie tried to come in for breakfast and fell down. The 3 boys didn't even try. Fortunately Maggie was OK and able to get up and make her way back to the run-in shed. I put hay out for the 4 of them to keep them busy until I could get them in, fed everyone else, then headed for the tractor. I filled the bucket (on the tractor) with salted sand and drove down to the paddock. Then I started shoveling the sand out to make a path for Ziegy and Maggie. I had about half the hill done when Jim came to help (in answer to my distress call - kind of like a bat signal...). We finished and I haltered Maggie and led her part way, then she figured out that the path was safe and went the rest of the way by herself. Ziegy followed a few minutes later. Then we made a path for Jazz and Scotty. I led Jazz part way, Scotty came in on his own. Thank you Jim!
Well, obviously with ice like that, no one was going out anytime soon. I had 12 horses in 10 stalls (sort of) for 5 days!!!!! I rotated them in the run-in stalls so they each had a chance to get outside, but even those were very icy and I had to rope off most of the outdoor areas. In all, 4 horses fell. Maggie, Autumn, and Starlight fell that first day. The next day I tried putting Scooby out in one paddock because he has winter shoes (with cleats) on his front fee
t. BADDDD idea! He fell too! Thank goodness none of them were hurt - they were all very lucky. All the horses were bored and grumpy, and I had a few fences broken (thanks Dolly!). Of course, those 5 days were a LOT more work for me, but it was worth it to keep them all safe, and Carla helped out when she could - thank you! Once we had a couple of snow storms the horses were able to go out. I just hope there is not a repeat of that! 
Tracy was here one evening helping with chores, and she said that something seemed wrong with Autumn. I went to look and yup - something wasn't quite right. Got everyone else taken care of and then brought Autumn out in the hall. Checked for signs of colic but there were none. Figured out that she was choking - not really bad like Blackberry, but no choke is good. So I walked her, and rubbed her throat, and walked some more. She was able to clear the blockage herself so we didn't need the vet - yea! Tracy helped me get the hay cleaned out of Autumn's stall, and I fixed her a mushy dinner of soaked grain with a gram of bute in case there was any inflammation. Autumn was fine.
On the other hand.... this last Tuesday evening we did need the vet. Scotty coliced - really bad - and the vet (Heather) had to come. Gail was here helping with chores and she and I took turns walking him until Heather arrived. She gave him a couple of shots for pain and to relax his muscles. She did a rectal on him and could not feel an impaction or any twists in the intestine that she could reach (they have about 170 feet of intestine!!!). Then she tubed him. What that involves (for those who don't know) is passing a tube up his nostril and down his throat, then pumping in a mixture of warm water
and mineral oil to lubricate his intestinal system and hopefully move any blockage. Gail helped by manning the pump - I'm glad she was here because it's a lot easier to do with 3 people. Heather left me with more pain killer to give if needed and then we prayed. It was not a good night, we came very very close to losing him. I talked with Heather at 8:30, 9:30, and 11:00. Scotty was not improving and was in a tremendous amount of pain. I gave him 3 shots of pain killer, at 8:30, 11:00, and 1:00am. I was also keeping Carla posted. She had come to see how he was after she got out of work, and was also very concerned. Scotty was a little better in the morning, not in as much pain and a little more interested in food, starting to get some stomach sounds on both sides but by no means normal. Carla stopped by before work to see him (I'm talking 6:00am!), and Heather came back to check him at about 11. By then he had improved a lot more. He is still not quite himself, it took a lot out of him but hopefully he'll be back to his mischievous self soon. I won't be sure he's completely out of the woods until then. The pic shows Scotty (on the right) with his buddy Jazz - before Scotty got sick.So those are just the highlights (or are they low lights?) of December 2008. The good news is that we all made it through the month - barely, but we made it. Let's hope for a much happier/healthier 2009!
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