Echo's off

There has been some weirdness around here lately. Echo and Squiggy are on the fatten up program. Its working on both of them, although Echo here is taking longer because she is just less interested. Being out on lush grass helps keep her full, so she does not always finish her dinner. That is fine, as I am really pouring it to them, feeding 4 pounds or so every time I go to the farm. I know she will have that weight on before I know it though, so this does not concern me.....unless it is for a reason other than that she was just getting bullied off the round bales when she was still in the back pasture.

She has been up for a month or so and is doing well. I notice though that she is ALWAYS laying down. She takes her time getting up to come eat, but she comes and eats with Squiggy and Playmate. I mentioned to the doc about two weeks ago that she was just so lethargic--you should have seen her getting her feet trimmed. She just stood there and hung her head, like she just did not feel good. Since then, she has gotten two shots of B-vitamins, and definitely is acting better than that.

Yesterday though was a whole other deal. She was three legged lame. She acts like she has a bad abcess brewing, and I am sure that is what it is. We had to fetch her in the pasture, and push pull and drag her to a stall. We cannot get a reaction in her left front which is the one she is favoring, but she did get fussy when her forearm was palpated. I gave her a Bute yesterday in case it is not an abcess, but all three times I have been to the farm today, she has been laying down in her stall. She really did not want to use that leg to get up for dinner and from the looks of her bedding, she has been down there a good part of the day. Plus most of her hay was left and she had not been overloaded on it. The three steps to the food bucket took several minutes--that is how much she is not willing to use it.

So I guess it is an abcess. I hope so. I diapered her foot with iccthammol and taped it on as she ate. It occurs to me that she might not be drinking enough either, if it is that hard to move--the stall is so big it might not be worth it to her. Guess I will go back over there. Ugh.


The vet will be here tomorrow for some other stuff, so he will take a look at her. He already weighed in that its an abcess and he is always right---I just do not remember one ever hurting this bad with one. Its pathetic.

Cross your fingers she feels better soon