Post by tierra madre on Jul 29, 2008 13:55:44 GMT -8
Update: Tarzan, Dawnie & Charlie 2
Doc was here yesterday to follow up on Tarzan's eye & little Dawnie's hooves.
Really good news on Tarzan....Remember, a few weeks ago Doc had to scrape away a large area of the membrane that covers the surface of Tarzan's eyeball (his blind eye) because that's where the infection was. Two weeks ago, Doc saw some evidence that the capillaries were beginning to regenerate themselves, but there was almost no re-growth of the membrane. At that point, he'd scraped the membrane again to promote the new growth (sort of like when you have a scab on a wound - if you take the scab off, the skin will regenerate itself more quickly).
Well, things seem to be working because the new growth of the membrane is now in the 50-60% range. In other words, it's beginning to grow back pretty rapidly. Doc said it was the best thing he'd seen since the beginning of this ordeal, over a month ago.
And good news for me & Tarzan, too. Doc cut down one of medicine applications, from three times a day down to two. So - now I only have to do it seven times a day, down from eight. BTW - I figured it out this morning: to date, I've put medicine in his eye 264 times during this process. So far. Doc'll check on him in another week or so. Oh - every time I put the medicine in, Tarzan gets 4-5 treats as part of the process. That means he's had 1,056-1,320 treats. That's like a 50-lb. bag! He ain't complaining, though.
Doc & Jackie the farrier went over Dawn's latest x-rays. Her left hoof is rotated 9 degrees & her right, 6 degrees. Not great, but not horrible. Fortunately, she has plenty of sole depth, so Jackie was able to trim her according to Doc's exact specifications. The idea here is to trim her so the rotation rights itself naturally. But any rotation comes with its own set of problems & her right hoof has a little wall separation & an abscess was trying to form. God, I hate to see my little girl so sore.
Anyway, Doc outfitted her with a pair of rubber booties with hard rubber heels that will make the slow, painful process of righting the rotation a little easier to take. Because of the small abscess, & to prevent any others, I have to work on her every other day for the next week: put icthamol over her entire soles, wrap them both with vet wrap, put the booties back on & hold them in place with elasticon. Also, to get rid of & prevent any further abscess, she gets 12 SMZs (sulfa) twice a day in some food. That's in addition to the 15 isoxuprine she gets twice a day already. Can't give them at the same time, so little Dawnie'll get four small helpings of Mare & Maintenance, bran & sweet feed a day for a while. Also, a gram of bute twice a day 'til her soreness subsides.
Today, we'll put more grindings into Dawnie House & wet them down a couple of times a day to keep the heat down (the heat doesn't do her hooves any good). I'd put her in one of the stalls in the barn, but you'll remember she went absolutely crazy being away from the herd when I tried that a week or so ago.
We'll get her fixed up. And she's resigned herself to the absence of her beloved alfalfa - at least 'til this whole thing clears up. Bermuda & Timothy are welcome any time, thankyouverymuch.
Charlie 2 has had some loose bowels lately. (Don't tell him I'm telling you this - I don't wanna embarass the poor guy.) Remember, he ain't no kid - he's about 28 years old. I think the alfalfa/Bermuda blend I've been giving him is a little rough on his digestive tract. So - today I'll start him on the regimen that turned Akira's similar problem around. One (plus a little) flake of hay a day & two 4-lb. helpings of Equine Senior with a daily dose of Palatec - an Omega 3 supplement. We'll see how that works for a few days. If it does, we'll continue it. If it doesn't, we'll have Doc look at him next week.
As you can see, there's a lot of veterinarian care around here. And it's expensive as all get-out, even though Doc is very generous whenever & wherever he can be. But remember, these guys haven't come to a sanctuary because they're the picture of health. If they were, they'd still be racing or in the show ring or in the rodeo or on the ranch or being ridden across trails or something. No - most of 'em are here because they've outlived their 'usefulness' to a whole slew of two-leggeds. And with them come the problems that caused their lack of 'usefulness' in the first place.
And - very simply - I won't let 'em hurt or be sickly.
A lot of people are under the misconception that, once a horse is rescued or goes to a sanctuary, his or her problems are solved. Far from it. We inherit those problems. And all the emotional & spiritual & - importantly - the financial costs that come with them. To the tune of at least $1500 a month. Average.
So don't hesitate to open up your wallets & help me help these guys get & stay healthy, okay?
Oh - the local Fox affiliate is sending a crew out tomorrow morning to interview me & the horses at 8AM. So tune in if you're in the Phoenix area & I'll try to post the url once it hits their website.
And if you happen to see it, I'll be the skinny one in the hat.
Jim
Doc was here yesterday to follow up on Tarzan's eye & little Dawnie's hooves.
Really good news on Tarzan....Remember, a few weeks ago Doc had to scrape away a large area of the membrane that covers the surface of Tarzan's eyeball (his blind eye) because that's where the infection was. Two weeks ago, Doc saw some evidence that the capillaries were beginning to regenerate themselves, but there was almost no re-growth of the membrane. At that point, he'd scraped the membrane again to promote the new growth (sort of like when you have a scab on a wound - if you take the scab off, the skin will regenerate itself more quickly).
Well, things seem to be working because the new growth of the membrane is now in the 50-60% range. In other words, it's beginning to grow back pretty rapidly. Doc said it was the best thing he'd seen since the beginning of this ordeal, over a month ago.
And good news for me & Tarzan, too. Doc cut down one of medicine applications, from three times a day down to two. So - now I only have to do it seven times a day, down from eight. BTW - I figured it out this morning: to date, I've put medicine in his eye 264 times during this process. So far. Doc'll check on him in another week or so. Oh - every time I put the medicine in, Tarzan gets 4-5 treats as part of the process. That means he's had 1,056-1,320 treats. That's like a 50-lb. bag! He ain't complaining, though.
Doc & Jackie the farrier went over Dawn's latest x-rays. Her left hoof is rotated 9 degrees & her right, 6 degrees. Not great, but not horrible. Fortunately, she has plenty of sole depth, so Jackie was able to trim her according to Doc's exact specifications. The idea here is to trim her so the rotation rights itself naturally. But any rotation comes with its own set of problems & her right hoof has a little wall separation & an abscess was trying to form. God, I hate to see my little girl so sore.
Anyway, Doc outfitted her with a pair of rubber booties with hard rubber heels that will make the slow, painful process of righting the rotation a little easier to take. Because of the small abscess, & to prevent any others, I have to work on her every other day for the next week: put icthamol over her entire soles, wrap them both with vet wrap, put the booties back on & hold them in place with elasticon. Also, to get rid of & prevent any further abscess, she gets 12 SMZs (sulfa) twice a day in some food. That's in addition to the 15 isoxuprine she gets twice a day already. Can't give them at the same time, so little Dawnie'll get four small helpings of Mare & Maintenance, bran & sweet feed a day for a while. Also, a gram of bute twice a day 'til her soreness subsides.
Today, we'll put more grindings into Dawnie House & wet them down a couple of times a day to keep the heat down (the heat doesn't do her hooves any good). I'd put her in one of the stalls in the barn, but you'll remember she went absolutely crazy being away from the herd when I tried that a week or so ago.
We'll get her fixed up. And she's resigned herself to the absence of her beloved alfalfa - at least 'til this whole thing clears up. Bermuda & Timothy are welcome any time, thankyouverymuch.
Charlie 2 has had some loose bowels lately. (Don't tell him I'm telling you this - I don't wanna embarass the poor guy.) Remember, he ain't no kid - he's about 28 years old. I think the alfalfa/Bermuda blend I've been giving him is a little rough on his digestive tract. So - today I'll start him on the regimen that turned Akira's similar problem around. One (plus a little) flake of hay a day & two 4-lb. helpings of Equine Senior with a daily dose of Palatec - an Omega 3 supplement. We'll see how that works for a few days. If it does, we'll continue it. If it doesn't, we'll have Doc look at him next week.
As you can see, there's a lot of veterinarian care around here. And it's expensive as all get-out, even though Doc is very generous whenever & wherever he can be. But remember, these guys haven't come to a sanctuary because they're the picture of health. If they were, they'd still be racing or in the show ring or in the rodeo or on the ranch or being ridden across trails or something. No - most of 'em are here because they've outlived their 'usefulness' to a whole slew of two-leggeds. And with them come the problems that caused their lack of 'usefulness' in the first place.
And - very simply - I won't let 'em hurt or be sickly.
A lot of people are under the misconception that, once a horse is rescued or goes to a sanctuary, his or her problems are solved. Far from it. We inherit those problems. And all the emotional & spiritual & - importantly - the financial costs that come with them. To the tune of at least $1500 a month. Average.
So don't hesitate to open up your wallets & help me help these guys get & stay healthy, okay?
Oh - the local Fox affiliate is sending a crew out tomorrow morning to interview me & the horses at 8AM. So tune in if you're in the Phoenix area & I'll try to post the url once it hits their website.
And if you happen to see it, I'll be the skinny one in the hat.
Jim