Saturday, November 28, 2009

Lilo – 11/28/09

This will be Lilo’s last post on Rescue Recoveries, at least until she sheds out in the Spring.  I wasn’t even intending to take pictures of her today, but I just love the light in these shots and wanted to share.

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So long Lilo, see you in the Spring!

Summer – 11/27/09

When I picked up Summer, her owners told me that they had owned Summer and Traveler for two years.  I seriously doubted that and didn’t look at their teeth to confirm, but I also didn’t think that people could own horses and not know how long they had had them.

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I feel so naive.  When Doc was out last week he said that Summer’s teeth put her between 8 and 10 months old.  She still has all of her baby teeth, which are chipped and broken from eating rocks and trees.  Her gums are receding, most likely from malnutrition and what she chose to chew in place of actual food.

Fortunately, there doesn’t appear to be anything else wrong with her, except for the serious rain rot.  She’s gaining weight and has proven to be quite the little talker!  Every time she sees someone she greets them with a nicker and comes walking to the fence.  A couple of weeks ago, I put up some temporary fence behind the workshop and moved her in there so I could keep a better eye on her.  She’s very happy there since she gets attention from everyone that happens by.

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The rain rot is starting to peel off and she’s putting on weight quickly.  I wormed her last week with a 300lb dose of Anthelcide and will start her on Strongid C next week.  I didn’t want to overdo it with the wormer, but I still think she’s got a bit of a worm load that needs to be eradicated.

Traveler – 11/27/09

As with Summer, Traveler’s previous owners said that they had owned him for two years.  According to Doc, his teeth put him at barely over a year.  He still has a few baby teeth left in his mouth, and the top two middle adult teeth are just starting to come in.  Yet, they had tried to ride him anyway. 

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The unlimited ignorance of some people truly amaze me.

Doc also found that Traveler has a heart murmur.  On a scale from 1 to 6, 6 being the worst, his is between 2 and 3.  Hopefully, like Ellie, the murmur is because of him being so underweight and will go away once he’s healthy.  Unfortunately, it will affect his weight gain and it will take longer for him to get back up to a healthy weight.

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Traveler was also castrated last week and did really well.  He recovered quickly and has had no infection and very little swelling.  He hasn’t gained much weight, but I’m hopeful that he’ll start gaining soon. I gave him a 350lb dose of Anthelcide last week and will start him on Strongid C next week with Summer. 

Shane – 11/27/09

Shane has still not had his teeth floated.  I was hoping to get him done when Doc was here castrating everyone, but the problem with not having electricity in the barn is that we have to rely on natural light and that ran out as the last castration was just completed.  Now Shane will just have to be first on the list next time Doc comes out.

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Shane has put on some weight, but very slowly.  He’s on 2qt beet pulp, 2 qt Strategy, and 2qt Equine Senior twice a day. 

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Timmy – 11/27/09

Timmy started looking better after the first week he was here, but the next week he didn’t seem to put on an ounce.  Then he was castrated and that set him back a little more.  This past week he not only seems to be losing weight again, but he’s also started to crib.  It would not surprise me to learn that he has gastric ulcers, considering his breed and history.  With that in mind, I’ve changed him over to a low sugar diet:  4qts Purina Strategy and 2qts Rice Bran three times a day.  It took a few days to transition him off the beet pulp and senior, and he’s only been on the low sugar diet for two days.  He’s already stopped cribbing, so I’m hoping he’ll start putting the weight back on soon.

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Timmy is also fighting infection from the castration, so he’s on 20cc of penicillin twice a day.  It’s difficult for an older horse like him to be castrated and is usually a lot more stressful than it is for a youngster.  But he’ll be much better off in the long run!

Sunday, November 8, 2009

Summer – 11/08/09

Summer is between one and two years old and she’s been starved for quite some time.  She’s a sweet little mare that’s just dying to get some food and affection.  She was turned out with a stud colt (Traveler), so we’re hoping she’s not pregnant.   Considering her age and health, it’s not likely.

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She wasn’t strong enough to go out with the main herd when she got here today, so she’s out in the back pasture with Flo, Stride, Sadie, and Shane.  They sniffed noses with her, then ignored her.  She was doing her best to become invisible, but after eating dinner around everyone she warmed up to them and now she’s out there eating hay next to Stride.

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I gave her a 250lb dose of Ivermectin when she stepped off the trailer and will follow up with another 250lb dose in a week.  I’m starting her out on 2 cups soaked beet pulp and 2 cups senior feed.  The poor girl is covered in rain rot under that winter coat, so it looks like I’ll be picking up some more antifungal spray tomorrow.

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The idiots that had her apparently didn’t realize that young horses grow.  Imagine that!  You mean if you’re stupid enough to leave halters on 24/7 that you actually have to adjust the halters as the horse gets bigger?

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The first thing we did when we got her on the trailer was to take off her old halter and give her a bigger one to wear.  I took that one off her once she was here and I’ll clean up and treat those sores tomorrow.

Hopefully because of her age, she’ll be back up to a healthy weight and hanging with Kenzie and Maggie in no time!

Traveler – 11/08/09

Traveler is a two year old stud colt.  We have no idea what his breeding is, but he’s probably a Quarterhorse or QH cross.  He’s also starved and full of worms, but is otherwise a very sweet boy.

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He’s in the quarantine paddock with the other gelding wannabes for now, and so far he’s getting along great with Timmy. 

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I’m starting him out on 1qt beet pulp and 1/2 qt senior.  He got a 300lb dose of Ivermectin when he got here and I’ll follow up with another dose in a week.  I will probably also put him and the other three that came with him on Strongid C for 8 weeks, just to make sure we get everything.

His halter was way too tight and he has the same sores that Summer has, just not quite as bad as hers.  His halter had plenty of room to adjust, so that’s the first thing we did once he was on the trailer.

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Isn’t that the cutest little marking you’ve ever seen??

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Friday, November 6, 2009

Timmy – 11/06/09

It’s only been one week since Timmy arrived here, but I think he’s looking a little better already. 

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He still has a long way to go, but the fact that he’s doing better after a week is a good sign.  He’s up to 2qts beet pulp, 2qts equine senior, and 1qt rice bran four times a day.

The love affair between Timmy and Maverick is over and the two no longer play together.  Maverick and Sky are best buds, and Timmy seems to think Buddy and Quill are the bestest little buddies he’s ever had.  He even let them share his meal the one time I forgot to tie them up before I fed him.  He’s such a big sweetie!