Updates are pouring in

I guess this will come as no shock to anyone, but my poor dead Ghostie is evidently an interesting case. The pathologist is wonderful, he is keeping me so updated on things as he discovers them, so I can make adjustments to what we are doing to protect the rest of the herd.

Yesterday, his main thought was Colitis X. That is essentially horrid colitis with no known cause--or impossible to pinpoint. An acute case can die from it in three hours. The path said she was a very acute case based on the condition of her colon. He even took pics to share as it was such a mess. That breaks my heart.

Today, he has isolated some salmonella, which may or may not have had anything to do with it. That was the info we were looking for though--to know whether to worry about everyone else. Fortunately, we were already taking steps to isolate any problems. I cannot tell you the effort that took-as soon as he called yesterday, I had to leave work, go home, strip the stalls, bleach them out and bring in all the babies that had been penned with her. I also have in two yearlings to feed up..so that brought me to ten horses in stalls. You can imagine what a pleasure that was to do in 20 degree weather. But I was fired up to get it done and get it right.

Dad came out to help me with odds and ends like run to buy out the shavings store. Evidently my sawdust delivery is not ever coming, and that makes me crazy.

I worked my ass off, knowing I had Christmas at my mom's later that nite. Dad got on to me for working in no coat, and just workout clothes, but I was working so hard, I was sweating!

I got all the babies put up, groomed up the best I could under the limited circumstances and confirmed no one was having any bad tummies yet.

Of course the rest of the world does not slow down just because I have yet another mess on my hands. Daisy had been running a fever that we thought was a reaction to her rhino booster, so I have been monitoring that. She is right at 101 tonight with no Bute is almost 30 hours. Yay her--that likely confirms it was a reaction to the shot, but under the circumstances, I was scared. Bam Bam has been drooling like a rabid cat, and I was sure it was the clover hay. I took him off of it and have been monitoring his temp as well, as he did not look right either. It hung around 101.4 but is down to 101.2 tonight. Good deal. By the way, do you have any idea how funny I must look chasing these babies around the stalls to stick a thermometer up their little hineys? Funny stuff.

As of tonight, I see no iindication that anyone else is sick. Dr Miles thinks I will not, based on the path's indication that Ghostie has always been a sickie. He found signs of a previous kidney infection that had healed itself, and her general failure to thrive, suggests that she was never strong enough to withstand any sort of weird attack.

On another note-- I think Rock has lost the vision in her one good eye. Either that or she is senile--I am moitoring that situation closely as well. Every time I go to the farm--three times a day--she is in the bull shed. AS soon as she hears me, she starts raising hell to be fed. I feed outside of the shed and she cannot seem to figure it out. Not good. She tore her blanket up already so I had to find another one in good shape and go put it on her in the dark tonight. She was in the shed with Playmate and Foxy--both spirited ladies, and I had no problems at all changing Rock's dress in the dark, with cold hands, and with every strap needing to be adjusted, all while they stood in a pile on top of one serving of hay meant for Rock. There is a round bale out but I wonder if she ever leaves the shed. Still, with all that working against me--I was able to get it done without a flinch from them at all--I had to crawl around in the dark, underneath Rock, in between the other girls to avoid getting into the runoff area where it is still wet and disgusting. I have already been knee deep into that nastiness this week and was not about to repeat that experience.

What I am trying to say is that these older ladies bring so much to my horse-owning experience. They are not always nice. In fact, Rock is hell on wheels to other horses. They are not always easy keepers. ..that is why they are separated right now--their winter feed requirements would suit royalty. Costs that much too. They do all ride amazingly well, not that I often ask them to any more at their ages. But there is something to be said for what experience brings, and trust --and I trust those old girls with everything I have. It is going to kill me to have to make the call on Rock--and we will be evaluating this weekend if it is time. Just the thought of it makes me sick. But spending some uninterrupted time with her will give me a better picture of what is going on--I did not see any problems with her at all when she was in the middle pasture, but since she moved to the front one on Sunday, I have seen some weird behavior.

Man this post is a downer, isn't it? Oh well, that is what my life has been like lately. It will turn around. That is more than I could say for me tonight--since my car battery died at the farm and I had to call for help to get home. Edward came out to jump the car for me, thank God.

On a good note, I had a good training session today on my lunch hour, so I feel less like a hog than I have. The Beast told me to quit grabbing my fat, I was making him ill, and that I was imagining it. Huh. My ass. Which is a whole other problem.

On another good note, BS is en route to moving to St Louis. That was sprung on him today. He should be home by midnite, with his truck full of his stuff from his apartment--and has to work in St Louis tomorrow. It is a nice surprise for him to come home in the middle of the week!