Sickie Fonzie?

This ol boy is not feeling good. Fonzie has been moving slower than usual this week, but I did not chalk it up to anything significant because it seemed pretty hit and miss. Honestly, I figured he was the only one smart enough to be on to me--he quit running to greet me when I pulled in the driveway. Those two other fools had not yet figured out that I was not graining them, so there was no need to hurry. I figured Fonzie had figured it out.

Until tonight, when I really did give them a hit of Strategy and still Fonzie did not come running. He does not get his own, as he hardly needs it, but Twister usually shares with him. I watched him from the house driveway for a few minutes--long enough to see he was not moving right. I turned around and went to the other driveway, unplugged the fence and crawled through to see if he would let me get close enough to see what the problem was.

Fonzie does not get caught. He just does not do it. After you catch him, he is perfect, but the catching is the hangup. It is usually a two man job--you have to lure him in the barn, then slam the door on him, then corner him in a stall. Then he will give in and let you have him.

Not tonight. Tonight, he almost let me touch him before he turned and slowly moseyed off. I tracked him as he made his way to Twist, where he may have taken a bite of feed or not, but he let me run him off from there and he went in the barn. Regular Fonzie would never do that--the only way I can get him in there is if I hide--he will not go in there if he knows I am around, as he does not want to be caught. Tonight he went in there and stood still long enough for me to find a halter and truss him up.

By that time, I was really worried. He was standing square on all fours, and there is no heat in his hooves, and no pulse in his leg at all. I tied him and picked his feet--that was fine with him. He looks good, other than he had what appeared to be dried sweat on his top line--that may be from the morning's rain though, as I later noticed that Twist had it too.

This behavior was so odd, that I went to the farm to get him some banamine. I did not know what was happening, but a little pain killer could not hurt. When I got back he was standing exactly as I left him--although he ties well, he also gets bored easily and on a normal day, he would have found something to do in there. I gave him some electrolytes (which he tried very hard to avoid, the only thing normal about him tonight), although he was not dehydrated, and 3 cc of banamine and turned him back out. He moseyed off, past Sly who was all up in our business. I watched him walk, and he seems stiff. He made one turn where he rocked back on his hinds a bit to do it and may have parked out a hair when he settled--but surely if he was foundering (and why would he, nothing has changed and if anything he has lost weight--I am really careful about his weight), I would have seen some sign when I worked him over and I just did not.

About an hour and a half later, I went back out. It was raining pretty good, but he was standing out in the rain on the hill. He turned to come to me---I do not know why, but Sly and Twist did, so maybe he just wanted to be part of the family. When he got near, I approached and he moved off more quickly than he had before. Ultimately, Sly tried to play their game, biting him on the withers, which usually causes Fonz to wack him in the chest. Eventually he did that, but it was not with his usual aplomb. Sly aggravated him enough that he ran from him, but it was not his usual speed racer darting about--he ran to a nearby pine tree that is too tall for Sly to get under, and stood there. By then, I was soaked so I came in.

I cannot imagine what is wrong with him. He was grazing when I last looked, so he has interest in food. He is just travelling very slowly, and did not care enough to run from me--something that has never happened in all the years I have had him---five of his 12, assuming he was really 7 when I bought him like I was told.

Any thoughts? He is not snotty at all, and there are no other signs of illness--just this weird behavior and slow gait. I have not yet taken his temp, but I will if I can catch him in the am before I call the vet.

I like the little bugger and I am worried about him. Who would think that I would long for that ass on fire little dude I normally have?