The phrase "ups and downs" pretty much characterizes the time period since we moved into the new barn. After Bestie's diagnosis with cellulitis, things seemed to moving quietly along, until Labor Day, when I arrived at the barn to find BOTH of her legs swollen. Although she and Molly had seemed to be on the way to becoming bestest of friends, they apparently had a super huge falling out on Monday during which both of them took a few well-placed kicks to the legs, resulting in chunks out of both mares. While the chunks weren't huge, the newly developed swelling really concerned me. Call to the vet on a holiday, yay!
Bestie got an injection of bute and an antibiotic, and ended up on ramped-up antibiotics, stall rest, and hosing 2x per day. Today was my second day of driving to the barn in the a.m. and p.m. It's not too bad except that when I get to the barn I tend to fall into the black hole of barn puttering, resulting in late arrival at work on both days. I just have to BE STRONG and cease and desist on the puttering. The routine is to arrive in crappy clothes, graze Bestie for 15 minutes, hose her for 20, muck her stall, change her water, change myself into work clothes, leave. That all takes about an hour.
Her new antibiotics are in thick paste form and have to be squirted into her mouth. First dose was given last night, me holding, Julie squirting. Bestie was not cooperative at all and then suddenly gave in and swallowed the stuff. Hopefully she'll be good tonight. Thank goodness that occurs only one a day.
She'll be in through Saturday most likely, and then we'll need to come up with Plan B regarding mare turnout; clearly the Battling Alpha Mares cannot go out together any longer.
On the same day the vet came out, Dude had a bite on his chest, but not bad (it's all becoming very relative). Yesterday he only ended up with a toothy scraping of hair off his rib cage. When we went to bring his field of geldings in, he came and camped out at the gate. His pasture master Maverick tried to get him to move, but Dude wouldn't budge. He was pretty clearly saying in horsey body language I AM NOT GOING TO MOVE FROM THIS GATE AND I DON'T CARE WHAT YOU DO. Maverick backed off and did a little halfhearted teeth baring at one of the other geldings; to save face, perhaps?!
At someone in the barn's suggestion, I bought a bottle of Vitamin E to rub on the teeth scrapes to encourage hair growth.
On the positive side, enjoyed a really nice barn picnic on Sunday and met more boarders. Have used the wrapping skills of several boarders and the barn manager since I don't trust my own. Horses are eating well and basically seem happy, despite the battle wounds. Can't even remember if I documented my nice ride on Dude through the field ... this week has been so full of Florence Nightingale activity my brain is mush. It WAS a nice ride, with no spooking, no panic over being separated/away from the barn, his little ears up, happy to be exploring the countryside. Hope to do it again this weekend, perhaps a bit further through the field.
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