The Bay Wonder Mare is a marvel. The way she was today versus on Saturday is worlds different. She felt so much better. When I went into her stall, she was very talkative. She nickered when I put my hand on her forehead, like she does in the field when I greet her. She nickered…
I just spoke with the vet. He said Isis is doing about as expected, which is pretty good considering everything her small intestines have been through. She had some issues with electrolyte levels today. That has been corrected and is being monitored. She still doesn’t have any motility in her small intestines and may not…
This morning I was in a good mood. I hadn’t heard from the vet clinic — and no news is good news. As soon as I walked into the clinic, the vet said that she was just about to call me. Isis had had a minor colic episode that morning. Not much, but enough to…
Anyone who has dealt with hospitals knows the daunting mixture of needing medical care and the dread of finding out how much it will cost. I found that out today after her surgery was over. (Eep!) Just like with people, before she was taken to the veterinary hospital, I had to notify her insurance agent…
Five second summary: Isis had colic surgery today (VERY BAD). I had written a long post about Isis being in the hospital with colic and a slippery-finger mistake caused me to delete the entire entry. It’s too raw to rewrite now. She was okay at breakfast this moring. The barn manager called me at 9:30…
Okay, I knew Isis’ supplement helped her. The past few weeks have really highlighted just how much she needs it. For about the past month, Isis has not been eating her supplement. She gets a low-starch pelleted grain and 2 ounces of Grand Meadows Complete, a powdered supplement. She decided that she didn’t like the…
I think I should expand my consulting business to include “horse health specialist.” With all of the special requirements Isis has for managing laminitis and insulin resistance, I’ve learned more with her than all of the years I’ve had horses. Low carb grain. Grazing muzzles. For months, last year through the beginning of this year,…
Isis’ new shoes arrived today. They were more expensive than the last pair of shoes I bought for me. Regular steel horse shoes cost about $4 each; these were $14.50 each. When you are used to the burnished silver of regular horse shoes, seeing translucent green and yellow shoes is a bit of a shock….
I’ve always had horses who were easy keepers — only taking them off grass would make them lose weight. Isis was no exception. Metabolism? What’s that? I’ve managed her weight as best I can through nutrition and exercise. It’s not always enough, I can’t get out to the barn as often as I like. The…
We’ve had some cold weather, so Isis is in a small pasture with grass. Her grazing muzzle is put on every morning. Her new pasture has only a little grass in it, most of it is that light shade of tan that happens after several heavy frosts. The diet paddock she had been in had…
Good news. Well, kinda good news. Isis’ lameness was caused by an abscess and not by a flareup of her laminitis. The vet’s examination showed a sore spot on Isis’ front right foot. Boy was there a lot of nasty gunk in her foot. No wonder she was so sore. Isis wll be on bute…
Some good news at least. I went back to the tack shop last Thursday to pick up a saddle to try on Isis. It’s a wide-tree all purpose Spanish-made Zaldi saddle. Lovingly taken care of by the previous owner. It’s very soft. Unlike the other four saddles I’ve tried on Isis, this one settled perfectly…
Poor mare. She is still lame. When the farrier came out today, I asked him to watch Isis move before trimming her. We brought her into the ring and asked her to trot and walk (briefly) both directions. Clockwise, she bobbed her head slightly and was obviously limping. Counterclockwise, she flung her head and trotted…
Isis is not a dainty mare. She is built like a tank; something inherited from her Crabbet breeding. Her sire takes a regular tree, as did her mother. Isis has to do everything in a special manner, and that means she is difficult to fit with a saddle. At the tack shop the other day,…
Isis is still lame today. We’re going to give her a bute tonight and tomorrow and see how she does. The liniment seems to be helping. The lameness is very strange. It is worse going counterclockwise in the ring, and barely noticeable going the other way. Hard to pick out what is causing it when…