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Monday Morning June 2, 2003 Not sweating this morning and seems to be doing great!
Evening A new development however and it could be one of any number of things...he has a lump or mass growing on his breast area--I think it wasn't there a day ago...it is about the size of a pear cut in half transversally...and it is soft...not oozy, but just softish. I am very eager to figure out what it is. Yikes! Water consumption is up ( I put salt in his grain) and he seems to want more food than two flakes a day so tomorrow I will take some supplemental hay over there...He gets to graze at least once a day when we take him out on the halter. He is a big boy...he is filling out nicely. Last night and tonight I visited him late...about 9:30pm. All was quiet and so serene. His paddock overlooks the trails with hills, trees, and creeks...it faces west so the dusk colors were still low in the sky...so pretty. I was in his paddock looking out at the scene and he came up behind me and began to mouth my shoes and my lower leg (both last night and tonight)... I was a bit nervous he would start to groom me with his teeth! I hope this means he takes comfort in my presence and that some level of bonding is taking place!
Tuesday June 3, 2003 I will call the vet to do a ranch visit...I can't deal with the trailering thing for this. Now you all can start praying it rains money. It is official...my hubby is passing out and we are broke! Later same day Vet came out and think it is a muscle that is inflamed. Gave me an antiinflammatory to put on it topically and she also drew blood for a pigeon fever test. The vet thinks it is likely Doc pulled a muscle when he got up. Whew!
Weds. June 4, 2003 Doc must be feeling a lot better. He is really eager to eat a lot. I will have to confer with the vet at this point. I don't want him agitated because he isn't getting enough to eat and I don't want him "hot" because he has so much energy and no place to spend it. He could end up injured! For instance, yesterday morning at 7am, he got his flake of hay given by the ranch hand. By noon when I was there for his vet apt. he had inhaled every last crumb out of the feeder. I gave him another flake to see what would become of it. By 5pm, he had inhaled every last crumb of *that* flake. He was fed by the ranch hand by 5:30pm. By 9:30pm he had inhaled every last crumb of *that* flake and I fed him a fourth flake of hay. By 6:30am this morning his feeder was totally empty again! So...I am wondering if he is eating out of boredom? (Do horses do that? LOL!) He sure didn't at first! I am sure he is feeling better. All that hay along with about 2 pounds of the grain split into four servings...it isn't really grain, but a feed that I have given him since he came home so underweight. He isn't underweight now. It is LMF and is recommended by the vet...or was previously. Some of you have asked when we will know if fusion is taking place. That is a tough question. They will do ex-rays again after two months. We hope to see clear indications then. However, the vet said, we should have a better idea at 6months and then not really have a clue if things have "taken" until a year has gone by! So, please DO continue to pray for fusion...I would love nothing more than for the vet to see radiographs at 60 days out that show amazing progress with the fusion. That would be TOO wonderful for words! I have been telling everyone what a great bunch of people I have on the net routing Doc on and praying for him! LOL! If I were you all, I would be curious about the costs of all this. Some of you are so sweet and have diplomatically and sympathetically asked me how much my Arizona Grullo has now cost me...well, we aren't done yet, of course, but the surgery was the cheapest of all the expenses. The surgery was about $1500 give or take (that counts anaesthesia and the vet's fees). The board while he was there varied from $31 a night to $19 a night...he liked no roof over his head the best and that was cheapest. Add to that the blood work, the administration of his bute 2x a day and so on....and between the initial ex-rays, the medications and all the wrappings we have had to buy to keep his legs protected, we are into this for about $3500-$4000 so far. Of course there are more ex-ray and examination expenses ahead. Now you can see why I am praying it rains money! By the time we are done, I have no doubt we will have ourselves a $10,000 horse who is absolutely priceless to all of our hearts in our family. No one could pay me enough money for him even now... let alone after this ordeal is behind us.
Friday June 6, 2003 I have decided to slow down his feeding a bit. I will still give him food as often, but only half a flake for his additional meals. I will also be cutting down the LMF feed ration. He is no longer thin--that is for sure. He looks pretty good. He has been enjoying the two times out each day grazing on the grass. He didn't even see so much grass in Arizona! LOL! I take him out for about 15 minutes in the early morning as the sun is coming up and again as the sun has just gone down in the evening. It has become a very special time for me. When he sees my car pull up he either peeks his head over the top of his paddock fence all perky (cute as can be! LOL!) or he starts weaving back and forth. He clipped his back leg with a hoof, so this morning I had a new wound to give attention to. Nothing too bad. My bandages on his hocks have lasted longer than ever. YAY! One of them became unwrapped yesterday after three and a half days...that is pretty good! I will change the other today sometime. He isn't sweating as much even though it has been hot. I assume that means the pain is reducing, as that seems to be what would set it off before. He will go off bute next week...or we will try him off the bute next week to see what happens. He is drinking plenty of water, rolling in his paddock, nickering occasionally when he sees us coming and generally being a very good patient! Next Friday his rent is due at the ranch, but I hope to bring him home to our house. Thing is, we have to have a flat area that gets shade ready for him. We have lots of shade and some flat, but not in the same place during mid-day. So that may require some fancy footwork. The fencing for all the horses won't be done until the end of next weekend...my husband says Fathers Day is the deadline for the fence being finished. I still hope to have a section that is small and away from the other horses ready for Doc. I have some thoughts on that and will have to see how it works out. I continue to pray that fusion is taking place and that he will begin to put more weight on his hind quarters. His muscles have atrophied back there so much. I know that if things start working well back there we will begin to see a bit of muscle development, but I am sure old habits die hard, too. Thanks for your continued prayers, concern and encouragement. You all mean so much to me.
June 7, 2003 Spoke with one of the vets about Doc (she is the one who came out to see him about the pulled muscle). She said the amount I was feeding Doc, given how tall he is and his weight, is good. She said 50% of his food could be alfalfa or a bit less, too. She said the feed amount was good and grazing him the little I was doing was good (about 15 minutes 2x a day). I await to hear back regarding what the surgeon wants for Doc's housing after the two week period. Also, when I can begin walking him around. I have read that mobility actually stimulates the fusion process...When I asked the vet I spoke with about that, she said I was right and she would check with the surgeon. Doc is getting feistier. LOL! When he sees me coming he has added pawing the ground to his many antics! I can't wait to have him home. I only hope we can bring him home without upsetting him. Off to change his bandages in a bit. Thanks again for caring.
Sunday June 8 Today he added a new antic. When he saw us coming, he did his weaving thing, then a wonderful nicker (I love that)...then I dumped some alfalfa hay into his feeder from the plastic bag and while I was doing that, he spun around, bucked a small buck and kicked out both his back feet at the far end of the 24 foot paddock. I took it as another sign of eagerness and glee...AND a sign that he is feeling better! I saw the young horse I have dreamed of--frolicking! Just as I have hoped he would! It was a great thing! Anyhow, all is well today. I will change his other bandage tomorrow for the last time I guess. By Wednesday he will be bandage free! Please continue to pray for fusion. Also, hubby says we have to keep Doc at American River Ranch another two weeks, as we don't have a solution yet to his need for a flat area that has shade all day long. The area that we have that is flat has no shade for a few hours each day. On a scorching day it might be too much. We are waiting for the surgeon or one of the other vets to return our call answering the question about if Doc has to be on a totally flat paddock 24 hours a day or if a slight grade for a few hours each day will be ok.
Monday June 9 Tonight's bute dose for pain didn't happen. In other words, when I left home with the grain for "just in case" I decided if he was sweating, I would give him the bute. If he wasn't sweating, I wouldn't give him the bute. He wasn't sweating! YAY! Tomorrow morning I will have a good look to see if there is dried sweat on him...a sure sign of pain having occurred during the night... maybe from all that bucking! Regardless, it sounds like I need to call the vet about what to do for our bucking boy! LOL! I don't want him to hurt himself. For SIXTY days he is supposed to be as "confined as he can tolerate." I think that he is telling us he can't tolerate 12x24 any more. What do you guys think? LOL! Please continue to pray for fusion. I am looking for a miracle!!!! I want the vet's jaw to drop open at our follow up appointment at which time I will tell him that there was a great group of people praying for and routing Doc on! And please continue to pray that he will be pain free and void of any additional injuries given that he is launching himself into the air these days! Thanks so much!
Tuesday June 10 Anyhow, this morning, he was full of spit and vinegar. He kept popping up his head while he grazed...verrrrrry alert. At one point he just took off trotting. It didn't appear that anything startled him...I let go of the rope rather than fight him to stay put. I couldn't win the battle anyhow. He was fine, just wanted to move! Since he had the energy and since I figured it was better than him trying to get it out in a 12x24 paddock, I took him to the round pen that they have there where he boards. I took the lead rope off. I stood back and watched. Oh my goodness! The antics!!! He galloped around the ring, bucked, kicked his back legs out, reared up...and generally snorted and frolicked and had a great time! I was a bit concerned I would get in his way, so I eased myself out of the round pen and watched from outside. He kept it up for probably the better part of 10 minutes. I thought he was going to roll, but he heard the guy who feeds everyone start up the tractor and got very distracted. At that point I brought him back out and he had gotten some of his pent up energy out of his system. This was ALL without any bute in his system! The last dose he had was yesterday morning!!!! I actually giggled and laughed out loud while he was kicking up his heels. I *was* a bit concerned that he might hurt himself. And I will watch to see if he is in pain today. I think I need to find a good source for GRASS hay, as he is getting a bit "hot." He has 50% of his diet from grass and the other from alfalfa hay right now. But what I figure is he is NOW the five year old (he will be five in a couple of weeks). I think for the first time, maybe in his life, he is experiencing what it is like to be a youngster and a horse both. I love it. Even if catastrophe were to hit today (and I pray it doesn't) I will know in my heart that I was able to be a part of giving him what I so wanted to give him...and I credit your prayers with much of it, too...I am convinced that this quick of a good response is due to your prayers and our faithful God answering them! The one who cares about the sparrows cares about this guy, too. I delight in knowing that Doc has experienced some joy, glee, and painfree moments!!!
Later same day Taking him for short walks is ok, so I think we may have to try that...if he will allow it. Meaning.... Doc may decide that if he isn't eating he is kicking up his heels. It will be tough to stop him. She also told me not to give him bute if he is in pain after this morning's frolic. She said that if he feels some pain in there that he will be more likely to slow down and not get hurt. Boy, talk about the lesser of two evils. Anyhow, I am still of good cheer in spite of the surgeon's "no play" stance. I know that it is for Doc's own good. 6 weeks total is better than 60 days total.
Later Same Day It is too boring to walk, I guess!...Gail, one of my new barn friends, thought I was run over. I felt the lead go slack, heard irregular foot falls on the ground, turned and there was my big guy in my face...and Gail, white as a sheet looking at me..."Are you OK?!?!?!" Uh...sure...Later I found out why she was so concerned. LOL! She thought I had been trampled! For those of you concerned, I have cut Doc's supplemental feed in half and will likely cut it completely as we started it when he came to us so underweight. I plan on taking Doc for short walks each of the four times I visit him... so he begins to remember that the lead is a lead...intended for the human in his life to... uh...lead him. Well, you know. I think once we get Doc less "hot" (hyperactive for you non-horse people) we will begin to play some mellow ground games in the round pen. I think he needs the mental stimulation...I know I need a distraction from being scared out of my socks that he will kill me!:-D
 
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