1. This morning I rode Lucy for the first time since she had her hocks injected this past Monday. After our walk warm-up, I asked her to trot.
No, I can't trot. Remember it hurts.
It won't hurt Lucy. Try it.
Okay, but I'm not sure.
Just try. Once. For me.
-- Lucy trots off; initially head high but then relaxing.--
I'm sure it's going to start hurting any minute now.
Let's do a few transitions while you are waiting for it to start hurting.
It doesn't hurt anymore. But I'm still not totally convinced.
That's okay. We're just doing some easy trot work today. No canter. Nothing fancy. Let's just be happy and enjoy the morning.
Works for me!
2. Lucy's blood work came back pretty darn close to normal. Her thyroid and insulin levels looked good. We will check them annually but in the meantime Dr. Linda said "I think life with you suits Lucy."
3. There has been a bit of a shuffle in the mare pasture herd. Lucy remains queen bee (of course). But Jackson has moved up to second in command; pushing Pistol down to the bottom. Lucy stills hangs out more with Pistol and it is Pistol who is allowed in the run-in shed but Jackson pushes ahead of Pistol for his bucket of vitamins. Jackson also has advanced in his ability to access the run-in shed -- head only. Often, Lucy is inside with Jackson and Pistol standing outside with just their heads poking in. It reminds me of the guards at Buckingham Palace. Jackson and Pistol are perfectly lined up, each at a corner of the run-in. Of course, real guards face outwards.
4. Flash isn't doing so great. He's been moving slow, or not at all. He stands in the pasture, immobile, while Mufasa trots around. His temperature is normal; he's eating and drinking and pooping normally. Brett gave him bute this morning. We're hoping its just his arthritis flaring up.
5. Tomorrow Brett's younger daughter and her three children are coming to visit. It will be a short visit before they, and Brett, drive to Utah to meet up with his oldest daughter and her family. They are going to watch Chris, one of the grandkids, compete in a baseball tournament there. This is the first visit to our new ranch by any of Brett's kids so we are very excited. We hear that the kids are excited about seeing all the animals too. The last time they visited, the kids were quite small. Now they are old enough to really have fun.
Friday, July 17, 2015
Monday, July 13, 2015
Lucy Visits the Vet
This morning we took Lucy to the vet; the same vet that took care of her while she was at Sandy's barn with her previous owner. I led Lucy into the exam room and Linda broke into a huge grin.
Dr. Linda: She looks fabulous!
You don't think she's too fat?
Oh, no. Lucy was hard to keep in good weight. She had ulcers when she arrived at Sandy's and even after we took care of that, she was still a worrier. Look at her eye; look at how soft it is. She's a different horse.
She continued: I'd rather see a horse like Lucy at this weight than too thin. The only thing that concerns me a bit is how the fat is distributed. Her neck is a bit cresty; the fat is laying down consistent with her thyroid being out of whack. She is still on her thyroid meds, right?
Me, blinking: Um, no. She isn't on any thyroid meds. She wasn't on them when I bought her and I didn't know.... (feeling horrible)
Dr. Linda: Okay, so we'll do a blood work to check her thyroid and her insulin levels. I'm not going to do too much today until we get her metabolism stabilized.
On the lunge, Lucy was definitely sore in her hocks and stifle. Her left hock was significantly more sore than the other. Linda injected the left hock and the right stifle. The hock is the "elbow" looking joint on the back leg and the stifle is up higher where the leg joins the hip. While Lucy was coming out of the sedation, she also received an acupuncture treatment -- the trigger points for her hocks and stifles. The blood work results will come back in about a week but, based on her history, she will start on a low dose of thyroid meds tomorrow morning. The dosage will be adjusted based on the test results and when she has stabilized we will take her back to have the other hock and stifle done.
When we pulled into the driveway at home, the horses were all down by the corners of their pastures close to the gate. Mufasa called to Lucy first, and then Pistol chimed in. Lucy answered. Back in the pasture, Lucy immediately pinned her ears and lunged at both Pistol and Jackson. She was in a pissy mood all afternoon. Getting stuck by a bunch of needles will do that to you -- and being in heat doesn't help matters. After a few days of rest and recovery, we will get back to work and see how she feels.
In the meantime, I'm feeling pretty warm and fuzzy about having a happy horse.
Dr. Linda: She looks fabulous!
You don't think she's too fat?
Oh, no. Lucy was hard to keep in good weight. She had ulcers when she arrived at Sandy's and even after we took care of that, she was still a worrier. Look at her eye; look at how soft it is. She's a different horse.
She continued: I'd rather see a horse like Lucy at this weight than too thin. The only thing that concerns me a bit is how the fat is distributed. Her neck is a bit cresty; the fat is laying down consistent with her thyroid being out of whack. She is still on her thyroid meds, right?
Me, blinking: Um, no. She isn't on any thyroid meds. She wasn't on them when I bought her and I didn't know.... (feeling horrible)
Dr. Linda: Okay, so we'll do a blood work to check her thyroid and her insulin levels. I'm not going to do too much today until we get her metabolism stabilized.
On the lunge, Lucy was definitely sore in her hocks and stifle. Her left hock was significantly more sore than the other. Linda injected the left hock and the right stifle. The hock is the "elbow" looking joint on the back leg and the stifle is up higher where the leg joins the hip. While Lucy was coming out of the sedation, she also received an acupuncture treatment -- the trigger points for her hocks and stifles. The blood work results will come back in about a week but, based on her history, she will start on a low dose of thyroid meds tomorrow morning. The dosage will be adjusted based on the test results and when she has stabilized we will take her back to have the other hock and stifle done.
When we pulled into the driveway at home, the horses were all down by the corners of their pastures close to the gate. Mufasa called to Lucy first, and then Pistol chimed in. Lucy answered. Back in the pasture, Lucy immediately pinned her ears and lunged at both Pistol and Jackson. She was in a pissy mood all afternoon. Getting stuck by a bunch of needles will do that to you -- and being in heat doesn't help matters. After a few days of rest and recovery, we will get back to work and see how she feels.
In the meantime, I'm feeling pretty warm and fuzzy about having a happy horse.
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