I felt like cursing the snow when I looked out my window first thing this morning. Before I opened the curtain, I sensed that it was there. Ugh! Will this winter ever end?!!! I caught myself quickly, though, and instead thought about the past 6 days of fairly good March weather that had made it much easier to care for my 28 year old, ailing horse. She had colicked on Saturday, and if that had happened in the middle of winter, she most likely wouldn’t have survived. I probably would have given up.
Once I dressed and headed out to feed her, though, I found more reasons to count my blessings! The manure piles I needed to look for, were easier to find! I just had to follow her tracks in the freshly fallen snow.
The 50 degree weather that we had days earlier this week had been so very nice and extremely needed. It made caring for my sick mare far easier. After surviving the long hard winter like the champ she is, she had started a mild colic suddenly, seemingly out of nowhere. I recognized the signs immediately, after noticing she hadn’t finished her breakfast. I had given her a dose of Banamine which I have learned to always keep on hand, for just such occasions. And then I called the vet. I don’t claim to know all there is about colic in horses, or any other ailments. I only know what I have lived. And I had lived that a few times now.
“Do you have any Banamine to give her?” she asked me after listening to my concerns.
“Yes, I just gave her a 1000 pound dose,” I responded relieved that my actions were OK.
“Good!” She answered excitedly...more relief for me.
Long story short, the vet that had answered the emergency line, was able to get another vet out to see my horse, Juliee, within a few hours...It was a longer delay than usual, but I think she wanted to see if Juliee responded to the Banamine and changed anything. It didn’t by much.
When the vet got to our place, she did all the things I expected and wanted after having gone through this a few times with the aging of this horse. It is TMI. Too Much Information! Pretty sure you don't want to hear all that so I won’t go into it too much.
Before starting all the treatment, the vet walked Juliee and took some steps with her to see if she could determine if anything else might be occurring. There were some problems with her back feet on turning and some stiffness in the neck, but nothing that really screamed anything neurological. Cautionary relief from me! She also took a blood sample to see if there might be anything else going on with her. She then gave just enough anesthetic to Juliee to keep her from falling down, while proceeding with her treatment.
When her exam and treatment was complete, she cautioned me, “Don’t feed her anymore tonight, unless she show signs of perking up, and then just give her a very watery mash.” “Look for 4 or 5 manure piles overnight and call me in the morning,” she instructed. It reminded me of the old medical solution: “Take two aspirin and call me in the morning.”
All kidding aside, this equestrian veterinarian office has always delivered the best of care and always with patience, concern and kindness. And they know their stuff. They show as much care for an aging horse like mine, to an expensive race horse.
I gave her her breakfast, but still made a very watery mash. No more hay for this girl. She is missing 8 teeth. It will be strictly a mash of Timothy/Alfalfa pellets and a coffee can container of Senior Feed.
I watched her throughout the day, but she just wasn’t bouncing back as much as I thought she should be. So I made another call to the vet. They are amazing! Even on a Sunday, they called me back within minutes. Just enough time for the vet on duty to speak with the vet who had treated her on Saturday. The vet on Sunday duty spent 40 minutes with me over the phone, listening patiently to my every concern; answering my every stupid question. She was at a slight disadvantage though, as she had never seen the horse and one can’t always tell just by word of mouth what exactly is going on. I had given them another disadvantage too. I just couldn’t keep putting a whole lot of money into this pretty girl who had old age and no teeth against her. Plus, I wasn’t sure she could continue to be ridden. So somewhere along the line, one has to become practical. I just couldn’t justify taking her into the clinic for x-rays, or any other tests.
“It may be time to put her down”, the vet gently prepared me. After being assured it would be alright to give her another dose of Banamine, I felt very thankful that I had the previous vet leave me another tube when she was here on Saturday. I hadn’t expected to need it so soon, because I thought she would bounce back this time like she did the other times. I now had 4 doses of the medicine left. I told the vet I would give her a dose and see how she was by evening. If she hadn’t improved by then, I would call for euthanasia. I was prepared and ready mentally after speaking with her. I thought.
But low and behold, Juliee had other plans...or at least the medicine did. I saw a bounce back. She got her wet, soggy mash that evening, instead of a shot to euthanize.
I can be the worst worrier. I worry so much, that sometimes I tell God, “Could you just count my worry as prayer? I really mean it as prayer.” ;-) And of course I asked family for prayer and a friend I knew would understand giving a 28 year old, toothless horse every opportunity. Those prayers would see us through.
Morning came once again, and she looked good. But after breakfast, she went down hill for a third time. This was now Monday. I made another call to the vet. They are saints who helped me tremendously on this roller coaster ride. The vet that saw her originally, had a day off. The one who I had talked with on Sunday, was tied up all day, but she asked her assistant to call me back and within minutes, I received her call. The assistant also listened carefully to my concerns. She couldn’t medically advise me, but I gathered it would be perfectly alright for another dose of Banamine. And then she helped me make a plan for an over the phone appointment for Tuesday morning with the original vet who had seen her physically. I wasn’t as worried now, because I knew the Banamine was getting her through the last 3 days for basically 24 hours each dose. We would be OK. Yes. Both Juliee and me.All the while, I would continue to give wet soggy meals, 4 times a day instead of two. And I would continue to count poop. The colic was behind us, but I wanted to be sure it wouldn’t happen again. That was more for me, than for Juliee or the vet. I wanted to be sure she was not getting bound up again. I continued to take her warm, grain flavored water to be sure she was getting enough fluid and I continued to worry and pray.
Tuesday morning came. The vet called exactly as planned. Of course I missed the call. But it wasn’t long before she called me back again. I apologized for being such a lame brain; for taking so much of their time and who knows what else I pleaded for forgiveness. She could not have been more gracious. She had a new plan, if I was agreeable: Seven days of a Steroid taper. It should help with anything neurological; or it would also help if it was an injury of some type. I could pick it up at the clinic that afternoon, and start it either in the evening or the next morning. I opted to give my girl another dose of Banamine, knowing by now that would get her through the night, and preferring to start a new med in the morning, so that I could more easily monitor.
Just as a humorous side note: Juliee likes to fight me a bit when I give her her medicine. I hold her head back to make sure she takes the full dose. But on this day, she was so agreeable with taking the med, I was sure she had received the full amount. But the stinker got the best of me! The moment I let go of her halter, she spit out the pretty white paste all over my jacket.
But back to the new med. I am a wimp. I can’t do injections, so I opted for the liquid form of the taper. But now I was going to worry if I could get her to take the entire dose without messing up somehow. You know, me the worrier. First dose went great. But I didn’t notice a change in her behavior as quickly as I did with the Banamine, and now I couldn’t remember how long the vet told me it should take before it would start to work and I would see some changes.
Needless, worry. By evening she was doing great. I think we found a solution! I had told the vet if she didn’t regress after she had taken the full 7 days, I could give her the rest of the summer to live out the last of her days in the sunshine and green pasture. However, I wouldn’t put her through another agonizing winter. It is just too hard on her at her age. If she regressed, I would put her down at the end of the 7 days. She had also given me the option of a daily dose to get her through the summer. But I wasn’t sure my husband would agree to that kind of expense for an aged, toothless horse that I could no longer ride…
But if we did continue with meds, she could be buried here. The ground is too frozen now, and she would have to be hauled away. You do not want to know where. But I think that thought did the trick in convincing hubby. He saw the sense in having her safely buried in the pasture. We would know we did all we could and we could keep her with us...and it would probably be less expensive.
The emotions of this ordeal have been trying to say the least. But more than that, the care I have been able to provide, has given me the feeling I needed to absorb – to know I had done my very best. “A righteous man (or woman) regardeth the life of their beast.”
Now, on this 7th day of illness, and 3rd day of taper, Juliee is once again waiting at the gate for her dinner, just as has always been her habit. I honestly believe she will make it. I will continue to do what I have been doing and we will ride this one out to the very end. (The circumstance, not the horse – I am afraid those days are behind her.)
Horses lives matter….and apparently so do old, gray mares...even this one. Because a whole lot of people stood with me in prayer, some very compassionate vets gave her the very best of care, and a benevolent, gracious God was faithful answering my request. Hubby said yes. I must matter, too. ;-)
