Wednesday, November 16, 2016

"To Everything There is a Season"

When Mom told me the news that Byrds song came to mind. We know the time will come for all our horses but it is still sad.
So big, but so sweet

For Dottie, she has moved into the next season of her life: Retirement. The sad fact is that these big horses age faster and gravity is much harder on them. Mom had the chiropractor out to work on her and Deliah. We worried about the fact that Dottie had not been rolling as often and was stocking up more. We know she has issues in her neck and hind end. And everyone knows that "no hips" means "no horse." Not surprising the chiropractor found arthritis in her neck. What was surprising was that the arthritis in her neck was causing ataxia in her hind end. This causes her some instability and the end ridden work. The kids can still play with her, but no more adults. Plus the ataxia has probably lead to the loss of muscle we have been seeing. My sister, who is Dottie's main rider, worried she caused it by not riding very often. Our chiropractor made sure to tell her that was not the case.
Dottie was full of acupuncture needles and they must have released some blockage because she peed in the aisle. That lead to another revelation when the pee had mucus in it. The muscle loss has caused her girly part to recede and create a shelf, so she must have some back wash. Fortunately, the vet today said there is no infection. Anyway the chiropractor said the needles stay in longer for Dottie because she is an Earth Horse. Ha, I pinned her right. Some definitely were painful at first, but Mom said she relaxed as the pathways opened up.
We don't have to make the tough decision, but it is closer than I would like. This winter will be telling. The vet today put her on Previcox to help her feel a little better. Unfortunately, the pharmaceutical companies have figured out they can get twice as much money from us by making an equine formula. Thanks a lot for making it harder to provide pain relief. I am going to try and order a bunch of Previcox before Winston's prescription expires so that the cost is lower.

So Dottie moves into the purely pampered pony category and will hopefully feel much better. She already has rolled more. I was never so happy to see a dirty horse before.
Dirty Dottie :)



On other news, the entire barn is now fighting the cold virus. As ugly as it is, we can only just keep doing the supportive care and let it run it's course. Ember was checked out by the vet today and got a thumbs up except for a wormy belly. A fecal will help us fix that problem.

Nothing cuter than a baby in a blanket
And finally Roscoe's oldest foal, Castleberrys Debonair, finished the Royal in Canada as Reserve Champion Cob. He came in second to an awesome mare who was bred in PA and used to show against Roscoe. The funny thing is, he seems to dislike baths. That is a trait he shares with Daddy. Roscoe has improved over the years but it will never be his favorite activity. PC for photos: friends of Debonair's Owner



10 comments:

  1. Helping our horses as they age is sometimes a sad experience for us that's for sure!

    Just wanted to mention that I couldn't even get my previcox refilled a couple weeks ago because of the equioxx pill being available but the pill was the same exact price so it was fine. If the place you purchase from is not that way then search elsewhere. I use Farmvet. The only real issue is that you can only get the 57mg pill so if you were buying the 227mg and splitting it to save money you are out of luck unless you have a vet who will prescribe it to your "other dog".

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    1. Yeah I noticed the size availability and that is why it is double the cost. I have hope it will work to order, but we will see. Our vet won't risk prescribing previcox, she is too honest.

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  2. I guess I'm lucky- my vet continues to give me the previcox. I have seen good results in Irish so I hope it works for her.

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    1. Equioxx isn't available in Canada yet.

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    2. Lucky you! And yes Dottie already seems to move more easily after just a couple days.

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  3. Babies in blankets are the cutest! I hate that previcox is so $$ now, just seems like greed to me.

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    1. Yep I agree on both comments. The pharma company saw that equines use less than the dogs and were getting a deal, so they jacked the price of the equine version up to cover the gap.

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  4. that's hard news for Dottie, but sounds like you have a good plan and system for continuing to keep her comfortable and happy in her retirement!

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    1. Hard but not unexpected. She is now an in hand trail buddy for Ember and seems happy as long as there are treats.

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  5. I'm so sad to hear about Dottie, but glad you're able to do right by her <3 And congrats to Roscoe!!

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