Just got the call -he is coming home!

Go Moosey, it's your birthday, We gonna party like it's your birthday. 

Sick Boy

It started on Sunday.

I went out to the barn Sunday morning in my PJs, bleary-eyed yet ready to do morning chores.

Moose mouthed his feed, let it dribble out and then turned away. 

Let me stop here –Moose is a P I G. If it is not nailed down, he will eat it. If the nails can be pried loose by pony lips then it is not nailed down. And he will eat it.

What is a savvy horse person to do?

Check gut sounds, color & capillary refill, take a temperature & respiration, check for injury or swelling? Did I do any of these things? Nooooo. I sprinted for the house to retrieve my phone. 

The call went something like this:

Me : HELP ME!

Doc: What’s going on?

Me: Moose is dying! DYING! 

Doc: So what’s going on?

Me: He looked at me funny. I think he might have colic. or Foundering. OMG he is going to die!

Doc: Did you take his temp? with the underlying  Did you actually look at him?

Me:  No.  Do you know where my thermometer is? Shit! What is a thermometer? Hold on.  I’ll do that and call you back.

Ring ring.

Me: He is DYING! 104.6!

Doc : OK…asked a few questions about color, gut sounds, etc (none of which I could answer). 

Me:  waaaaaaaaaaaaaah! HELP ME!

Doc:  Ok. Do you want to give some banamine and call me back in a few hours? 

What will make you most comfortable (Note-what will make me -not Moose comfortable...yup, I was pretty hysterical)

Me: I am most comfortable with taking him to a hospital and having at least 10 experts look at him immediately. Do you think Dean Richardson is available?

Doc: I am on my way.

(Huge shout out to Dr. Miller / Prairie River Equine for wading through my hysteria)

My poor boy

Moose was properly evaluated and given banamine with instructions for me to monitor temperature and silly things like color, gut sounds, etc.

Throughout the day and night, his temperature ping ponged. More banamine was given, tasty treats soaked in water offered (all to no avail).

And I think I gained 5lbs (at least).

8:00 

Temp 103. So I ate a cinnamon roll.

10:00 

Temp 104. I ate two cinnamon rolls.

12:00 

Temp was down. I called everyone I knew. “Hi! Moose is 98.7!!!!! “  um yeah….

2:00 

Temp 105 so I ate a pizza. A whole one.

You get the idea.

So Sunday the decision was made to take him to hospital so he could get intensive care and I could stop with the eating already.

Please keep him in your thoughts-he is getting many gold stars for being a model patient. I love my kind, generous boy. He always makes me so proud. Even when sick.

Getting Fluids

Fancy Ice Boots!

My Moose

Stifled...?

When I got Moose I figured we would spend the fall and winter training and by spring be ready to go beginner novice moving up to novice. That did not happen. Though our walk and trot work improved 200% our canter…resembled a canter. In the same way a barrel horse charging for home has a gait that resembles a canter.

I sought advice…transitions, circles, just let him canter, transitions, cavaletti, lateral work, backing, transitions, just improve the trot and the canter will come, transitions, lunge with side reins, lunge without side reins, transitions.

After all that our trot and lateral work improved another 100%. Our canter not so much. I began to look for other causes.

• Teeth
• Saddle fitted
• New girth
• New bit
• No ulcers

Check, check and check.

I did notice his stifle occasionally slipped…armed with google I began to suspect a stifle issue.

Our Symptoms

• No canter
• When asked to canter crowhops. A lot.
• Stifle slips
• Straight stifle conformation

One of the bestest vets ever (that sadly lives far away) confirmed my suspicion that it could be stifle or possibly an SI issue. Since I could not haul him to Boston (yes- I considered it) the vet search began.

I consulted the best of the best, checked references and loaded Moose up for an 8 hour round trip voyage. ..and the clinic was very good. But. I could not help but feel  a little bit as though my Moose was not quite fancy enough. The Doc kept saying “he is not lame”…and finally “I can’t make him an Olympic horse…that canter is what you have”. Almost the same line spoken by an Olympian coach. I refuse to believe that.  No-Moose will never rival Totilas….or get even an “8” on gaits. But this horse has a heart of gold and more try and willingness to please than any human or animal I have encountered.

Stifle and hocks were injected and home we went.

So far his canter has improved. The last 3 rides an actual gait has been developing…I have hope.

Moose at Hospital