Project Rebound--Foxy Update Week 3

This week, I have slowed down on the Foxy feeding program. Her antibiotics are over, and she is just almost finished with her ulcer meds and her Visorbin. Then we will wait a week and draw more blood and see where we are.

But I do not need a blood test to tell me that she is so improved. There may still be some infection in there, but it is not slowing down her weight gain. I did not really expect a great jump this week, since she had already made so much progress.

She still needs weight in her butt, but there has been improvement there as well.


She needs a little more padding here as well.

But her tailbone is not protruding even as much as it did last week.
Here you can see some left over scalding, but more importantly, you can see that her thighs are touching now. They sure were not when we started this--there was about a hands width separating them when this all began.
This pic makes her back end look the worst. That tells me we still have work to do, but honestly, she does not look this bad in real life.

So I have two ideas. Is it time to switch her from all-Senior all the time to Strategy, twice a day? Or maybe three times? Or should I keep up the Senior program another week or longer? Thoughts on that?

Also, she clearly needs exercise. My options are very limited of course---it is winter in Illinois and the barn is full of round bales so no indoor round pen to work in. The footing outside is either mud or frozen all the time. I do not think it is quite time to start riding her to fit her up--that little bit of spine sticking up would be uncomfortable for her. And she is so short backed that any saddle will wack her there. And it just occurred to me that the only one not in the trailer which is still at the dealership is my barrel saddle--that might work--and Barry's heavy roper which is way too long for her. I am thinking using the Gator to trot her up and down some hills when it is not muddy or frozen, or perhaps even trotting down the road a little might be a good idea. Any thoughts on that? Suggestions on how to build some muscle up there on her topline?

I do not think it is too early for some workouts. Do you? Just how and what is my dilemma. Keep in mind that I do not have a lot of daylight hours, but could do it as I water over my lunch hour most days---I could do 20 minute sessions at first, then build up. Ideas?

In other news, dad came home from the hospital this afternoon. He managed to avoid the skilled care facility in favor of home health care. But I caught him on Facebook tonight, so he must be feeling way better than when I saw him last.

I am so looking forward to the weekend--I cannot wait to get Barry home to help me gut this barn here at the house. Sly is playing Houdini in there, while he is under supervision for his peculiar behavior yesterday. That mostly means he is making a mess playing with everything. It is long overdue for a gutting anyway, so it will be nice to get that done. Now to hope the weather holds so we can do that and replace a water spigot at the other place