taking care of my horses

My goodness, there is always something that comes to the peak of needing my attention. I am sure glad I am in California right now & able to take care of my babies......& wouldn't you know it....not one but 2 have a problem at the same time.

I was lucky to move my horses back to the ranch where I previously had them boarded. I only moved them because the new husband hit the same trigger several times right after my going through the trauma with my Mother......so decided to take care of myself at that time......1 1/2 years ago.

I posted about the problem with the ranch I was currently boarding at & that problem led me to the perfect decision to move my horses back to where I had them previously boarded. (I am much stronger now also & know I can take care of myself without leaving). Izzy is now 3 & I needed to know what potential she has for being a dressage horse before moving her back to my farm in Kentucky. She is definitely not the dangerous horse I was told she was by this last ranch owner.

Just before leaving that ranch, my old man (Mister) wasn't eating well & snot was running out of his nose. Thought it might be the heat, or teeth problems with the not eating & maybe a cold......who knew.

I got all 3 horses moved last Wednesday & we started observing Mister because of the not eating. My first question was should I call my vet.....but that was a wait & see. My gut feelings about his amount of blindness was also confirmed by the move. We knew Mister had some problems, but then cropped up a lump under Izzy's jaw bone. Couldn't figure out that because she had already had a mild case of strangles 2 years ago on her 1st birthday & that is supposed to be a once in a life time illness like mumps for people.

Well, the watch on Mister showed up that there was a hole or something running from his mouth into his nose......go figure. Everytime he drinks, the water comes out his nose with the snot. That seemed strange, so I gave him tinny bites of carrot & sure enough....out came orange snot. Finally had the vet come on Saturday night to check him out. Mild bacterial infection & sure enough, there was a broken tooth or tooth that had fallen out....or something....but there definitely is a hole there. In some ways, that was a very lucky thing because the other options were much worse & more difficult to treat. As things are constantly going well for me right now, the timing for the horse dentist at the ranch was arranged for tomorrow.....so all I have to do is give him injected antibiotics to keep the infection from going systemic.

I have been spending all my spare time & even time that isn't spare with my horses. Sunday evening, I went to the ranch to take care of both my sickies. I tied Mister to the pipe coral & we gave him the shots. I mixed the bute (horsey asprin) with molasses & put in in a suringe & put that into his mouth. He flips his head all over, splashing the molasses all over everything....so the flys love this.

After washing off the molasses from all over him & the railing & myself, I went on to treat Izzy's strangles. Strangles is a type of absess & it hasn't burst open yet. To treat it, it gets rinsed off with a mixture of iodine & hydrogen pyroxide......then topped off with a black gewy drawing salve. I tied her up like I did Mister & had a measuring cup with the iodine mixture on it & a cloth to apply it with. She was standing real peaceful & I started applying it. I must have hit a very sore spot because she pulled back & started flinging around. There I was between her & the pipe coral as she banged my head into it. It seemed like a forever until she calmed down, but sure is was only a few seconds. My head didn't hurt, but there was a wierd tingle.....no blood....that was a good thing. However, the iodine mixture was all over me. She calmed down almost immediately & I couldn't release the rope because she had pulled it so tight. I was able to release the rope from her halter & she immediately started nuzzling me & rubbing her face on me & I was telling her that is was ok & that I was so sorry I had hurt her. Luckily is was all quiet at the ranch so no one was making a fuss out of what happened & she just held her head next to me where so I could put my arms around her neck & hug & kiss her. I was so surprised because usually when horses scare like that, they stay that way for hours afterwards. She came right to me wanting love & maybe wondering if I was ok......It seemed like that to me. What an awsome bond I never could imagine in my life. After a few minutes I was able to get the salve onto the sore & everything was great with her.

I was surprised that the fence hadn't gotten bent with all her weight pulling on it. My head was still tingling...it felt like it had been squished together on both sides but nothing hurt. I put everything away & went to my car...looked in the rear view mirror & found huge red marks all over my face....above my eyes. I must have been banged into the railing so many times....but the amazing thing was that my glasses didn't have a bend in them.

I am praying that she doesn't have future issues with being tied up & that her scarry time will be gone from her memory as soon as it was over.....one never knows with horses. I went home & showered off the iodine & put an ice pack on my head. Luckily, the next morning, there is no black eye.....just some really read bumps. That was definitely a major lesson in that I don't tie her up (being so young) when I have to care for her. She needs an escape route for her to feel safe & that is the most important thing.

I am so glad I have been here to care for my babies......but the best part is that they are now back at a ranch where there is care available while I am back in KY. Taking the time to focus on my horses & getting them settled & having them at a healthy baseline before taking them to KY is a most important part of the move. They always have something new wrong with them to take care of.....I hope that being alone in KY, I will have enough knowledge & wisdom to care for them myself.

This is why I have been away for the past few days.......if anyone was wondering,
Debbie

I'm glad you weren't seriously hurt treating your filly's strangles. Just wanted to say I enjoy reading about your horses. I grew up riding hunters and did a little low-level eventing years ago, but haven't owned a horse since I got pregnant with my second child (also a long time ago), so reading about yours is a real treat.

Cheri,

Horses are definitely a treat.....even though they are a lot of work. Hunter/jumper riding is rather fun, but I ended up with such anxiety attacks just going over cross rails that I realized that wasn't for me. I do think eventing is awsome....it pulls together all of the english riding....jumping, dressage, & cross country. When I was looking for my farm in KY in April, they had the Rolex eventing show at the horse park. I enjoyed watching the cross country.

I got my first horse at the age of 50+. It was something I wanted all my life, but my parents couldn't afford it, so when my career ended & depression hit....all the therapists & pdocs told me to find something I always wanted to do in my life....HORSES. That was when I purchased Mister.....he was only 16 then & a wonderful sound thoroughbred that had some dressage training. We have stuck together from that point on.

I then went in on the ownership of the stallion & purchased a mare....that was where Izzy came from.....the only successful breeding out of 5 trys.....thus the name "Itssabout Tyme". That bond is an amazing one. I never knew how loving horses could be....she is just like a puppy dog (a huge puppy, but a puppy). That was definitely reinforced after our Sunday night experience.

I realized even more how lucky I was not to be hurt more than I was......especially when I found sore spots all around my head that didn't show up immediately. Those pipe rails don't give at all with a 1200lb 17 hand high horse shoving you into them....think my head bounced around a bit between the pipes. I sure learned a lesson on that one.....don't tie a baby down when something might hurt them. Poor baby, she is now in an isolation pen away from all the other horses......she is definitely boared, but it is the safest thing since strangles is very contagious especially to young horses & there are quite a few babies at the ranch.....the stallion is always quite busy & so are the mares. We have a bucket of bleach to wash off with everytime we touch Izzy & I make sure she is the last horse I am with before leaving. That absess is really grose looking & nasty to keep clean. I took a swab & am taking it in to be cultured so we can know exactly what it is....but I am sure it is strangles which is the strep for horses. It isn't catching, but heard that the nasel vaccination with the strep can cause some human problems. My vet was telling about one of the vets who gave the nasel vaccination & the horse sneezed.....the vet was bald & somehow the strep made sores all over his head where the vaccine hit.....how strange!!!!

Tomorrow morning comes the horse dentist & Misters oral surgery.....that is going to be a long day for sure. Horses are a lot of work, but worth every minute of it.

Debbie

Debbie,

Thank you so much for sharing your stories about your horses. I, too, enjoy listening to your narrations of how they are doing. You are concise and detailed, I get like a video in my head of how things are happening. Please keep us updated.


Dee

(((((((((((( Eskie and "children" (the horses) ))))))))))

Sending y'all good,warm wishes for better days, to come soon. I haven't been here much, my 3D world has kept me hostage, away from the internet, these days.
I enjoy reading your posts about you and your pets.
I feel our pets can be the best things (they are not "things") in our lives, I love my 2 weims, they are my "girls" and I, their "mommy".
That's what they know me by, "mommy". When someone at home, tells one of them to, "go by mommy" or "go get mommy", they come to me.
Such a beautiful bond, beyond words.
Take care now,
Rosanne

Dark eyes,

What a wonderful bond....it is something that can't be explained or understood with out experiencing it personally.

The dental appointment for my horses was moved to tomorrow.....all 3 are going to have work done so this will be a perfect starting place for their move to KY.

I am very glad that the antibiotics are working on Mister.....the infection is almost cleared up but the teeth need so much work....I am sure he will be feeling much better after it's all done. I was able to take a culture on the strangles abscess....so I turned that into the vet today to get the results back. I can't get over what a loving horse Izzy is. Everytime I come up to her, she softely rubs her head against me......my other horses push me around with their heads but she just softly leans against me.

I know that Mister hates the dentist as much as I do, but tomorrow will come....like it or not....just a matter of how bad the teeth are.
Debbie

Debbie, what will they do for the hole in his mouth? Will it heal on its own, or will they have to repair it somehow? Was that caused by the infection or an abscess?

I remember when strangles went through a barn I was boarding at. Fortunately, my horse only got a mild case, and it cleared up quickly, but a couple of the horses really got severe abscesses that drained forever (seemed like). That has to be one of the more disgusting horse care issues (well, that and cleaning smegma).

Here's hoping everything goes well with the dentist today.

This note sends prayers for Dr. Debbie, and your beloved Izzy to heal real soon.

EJ

Thanks for all the prayers & good wishes.

Cheri,

It looks like the hole was caused by a broken tooth. It seems that the antibiotics cleared up the infection, so all the geeewww quit coming out of his nose....& the tooth shifted enough to block off the water & food from going from the mouth into the nose......this happened before the dentist got into the mouth.

He hadn't had a dentist appointment since Sept 2004 & when they got into his mouth, they found all kinds of points that had been ground into being just from chewing his pellets & alphalpha.....who would think points sharp enough to cause sores in the cheeks could be caused by eating soft food like that???? They sedated him & got him into the trailer they have set up to do the dental work. The first step was to grind down the points.....then they went on the search for the bad tooth (we knew where it was). They were trying to make him a first in using the x-ray equipment.....but with his dislike of the dentist....no way would he stay still even with the drugs. When I saw what a bad reaction he was having with his stress, I was going to step in & comfort him, but the owner of the ranch was the perfect one for that position. She was able to talk him through the finishing touches of the floating of his teeth & especially through the pulling of the broken one. I have to admire how she handles the horses. She was able to talk him out of his head & listening to her calming soothing telling him it was going to be ok & he was going to be feeling so much better & that it was almost over. I could see his eyes look at her & take his mind off of what was going on inside of his mouth. It was a beautiful sight to see.....because his stress level was so high, his neck was actually twitching to the point he couldn't hold it still for them to work in his mouth. She is really a very gifted horse person......that isn't appreciated as much as she should be. I guess that would happen unless you are one that actually gets the chance to see her talent in action. Her talent with horses that goes beyond the normal. She has patience, She knows the timing on when to push & when to back off. She can talk to them & they listen. It was just awsome to watch her handle my old man with the dentist. I was standing there hoping that when I have to go to the dentist...I can have someone there helping me through it like she did with my horse.

They finally got the tooth out & filled the root areas with a clotting substance.....that was supposed to help fill the hole into the sinus area. They couldn't understand what had been going on with him because it didn't look as bad as it actually had been.....guess there had already been some healing done. Once he was done, it was a liquid diet for a day, then only soft foods to follow for the next few days. Today, he was looking much better & not so mad at me anymore.

My mare had dental work done also & she wasn't wanting to leave the field with the stallion. We got her to the trailer & I was holding on to her.....the wind had come up (& I mean wind!!!!). They were lowering the awning & spooked her. She spun & flung me to the ground....where in the world did that come from....in just one instance. I have been pretty lucky with all my horse oops....this was just a twing in my neck which I knew would be stiff the next morning (after having neck fusion....I get a bit nervious with neck problems however). She had quite a bit of dental work that needed done & then they removed her 2 small canine teeth that had become loose. Who knew that horses had canine teeth???? Guess that goes along with the Wolf teeth that have to come out before having a bit put into their mouth???? Canines & wolf teeth in a horse???? Always something new to learn.

They decided not to do any dental work on Izzy since she has the strangles. The problem being that it's a very mild case with her, but the strep virus could get into another horse & be deadly. I wouldn't want to be responsible for even that being a possibility, so was glad when they decided against doing anything with her. Her abscess isn't bad. It had started out being a mild swelling & then absessec into a circle about the size of 1/2 a racquettball (which is smaller than a tennis ball). It finally started draining from 2 small spots about 3 days ago. I was able to catch it this time & get a good sample of the puss so I turned it in so a culture could be run on it. Since this is the second time she has had this (& usually horses don't get it more than once ....if ever) I really wanted to know exactly what is going on. This way, I can also call the previous ranch & tell them what Izzy was infected with at their ranch. The initial swelling was already there the day I moved her, so I know it didn't come from her new home.

I feel so sorry for her....she has been isolated into a temporary pen away from all the other horses. She stands over there calling to the other horses & looks longingly at me everytime I drive up. I can't touch her until I am all done with my other horses because of how infectious the strep virus is.....but she gets my full attention at the end of the day & that gives me a chance to play & have some fun with her after treating the abscess. I had fun with her today because it was so windy, I decided to water down the dirt around & in the stall. She loves water & we were playing in it....spraying her & running through the water.....then I got the wet nuzzles with water running down her face. Her training is going well even with the strangles.....she is being trained in the field outside of the ranch. The ranch owner constantly laughs at "what a dangerous horse I have". She is just a huge puppy dog.....a very huge....huge.....huge puppy dog....but a gentle giant.

Everything is going well & I am so happy to be back at this ranch.....my horses are going to be much better off there while waiting for my to get my KY horse buildings ready.

Debbie