Pasture Play

Monday brought another scorching day & poor Mama struggled in the heat. The heat is literally melting away her weight. Instead of putting the mommies & babies in the barn for the day, they were put out on pasture with the hope that between the shelter & trees Mama would find the best place for her comfort. At the end of the day she did look a little less heat stressed than when kept in the barn. This is such a hard struggle to maintain Mama & give her a quality of life. Hopefully this heatwave will soon end.

After 2 1/2 days the cuff has finally come off. It was so great to have it stay on that long. It definitely helps Filly so the longer it's on the better. The only problem now is that it's lost somewhere on pasture. CMK walked part of the pasture but the heat was too blazing to continue. When the weather cools down the search will begin again. In the meantime, Grandpa said he'd make Filly another cuff. Filly is so lucky to have such a wonderful grandpa.

Grey Girl is still battling diarrhea so was once again swabbed in Desitin & dosed with Bio-Sponge. Her legs are still a bit upright & tight but until her diarrhea is under control, she won't be given her next VE/Se shot. These fillies are fragile so care has to be taken to not overload their systems. Only one problem can be addressed at a time unless it's something life endangering. For now GG is doing well enough that her contraction isn't of major concern. She's a spunky little girl who runs & plays & laps the pasture, causing Mommy Dearest to get frantic. We think GG enjoys tormenting her mother.

Tonight DW's brother & niece came along for the evening re-splinting. It's always nice to have admirers for the fillies, plus an extra set of hands is always appreciated. Filly really enjoys the attention as she's a pocket pony who loves people. She's truly one of the sweetest foals ever.

To Hot Sprinklers On Time for Mud 06/28

Ugh 110* today & Mama isn't doing well. She was in a constant sweat with a distressed look on her face. She's loosing weight that she can't afford to loose. Sprinklers were kept on most of the day in front & behind the barn to help keep the air cooler. She drank 2 full muck buckets of water in less than 3 hours. All that can be done is to keep her as comfortable as possible & keep her hydrated. Multiple beet pulp mashes throughout the day supply not only calories & fluid, but the salt she needs per her blood work & Dr Kellon. This is going to be a long, hot week.

Hurray for Adhere! Filly's cuff has now been on for over 48 hours without having to be reset. It's stayed on through time in the paddock, the stall, on pasture & even through the water & mud caused by the sprinkler. The cuff staying on has sure made the re-splinting process much easier & quicker. In this heat a shorter time spent re-splinting is a very good thing.

Both mares & fillies were out on pasture for 5-5 1/2 hours today. The fillies had a good time investigating & tasting all the weeds (non toxic). Filly even managed to sneak a bite of corn plant that was sticking through the fence. Yum! She sure liked that so CMK had to do some fencing in the sweltering heat. If Filly eats the garden, what's CMK going to eat?

Grey Girl still has diarrhea so not only was her hinny covered in Desitin, she was given a dose of Bio-Sponge. Diarrhea can become a life threatening problem in a foal, especially when it's hot. Dehydration is a critical risk. Fortunately GG is not only nursing well, but she likes to drink & play in the water trough. Today was the first day that she actually approached CMK for a little attention. When she was getting her Desitin, she enjoyed some mutual scratching & is starting to think humans might just be good to have around.

Filly sure is a little piggy. She loves apples & this weekend she discovered that watermelon is delicious. She's also a very silly filly because she wanted to lick the spoon clean that was used to mix GG's Bio-Sponge. She's such a little character & never fails to put a smile on everyones face. What a wonder filly.

Mama Melting Cooler Weather is Needed

Hot hot hot! Oh was today hot. 105*. Mama had a really tough time today. Both mares & fillies were put out on pasture at 7:30am for 2 hours. Then they all went back into their paddock to finish breakfast. It was already so warm that neither filly did much running. Mostly they meandered around nibbling at dried grass. By 11am Mama was drenched in sweat & her nostrils were pinched. She was over heating. CMK brought both mares & fillies into the barn & out of the sun. While it was still hot, at least they were all under shade. Next she put sprinklers on in front of & behind the barn, trying to get some cool air circulating. Luckily there was a tiny breeze that blew the cooler air through the barn. Still Mama had a hard time. She dripped sweat most of the day. Both mares were given beet pulp mashes with plenty of salt to prevent dehydration. Poor Mama drank gallons & gallons & gallons of water. Please think cool thoughts because Mama needs cooler weather. She's already losing precious weight in the heat & with her health conditions, she can't afford to lose weight. Cool Cool Cool......

Yahoo, the cuff was still on Filly in the morning. This was really good news. The more time spent in the cuff the better. In fact, the cuff was still on when the night re-splinting took place. Thanks again Trimmer for dropping by with the Adhere. It's much appreciated.

Neither filly was happy about being stalled. They wanted out to play & they wanted freedom. Filly tasted her first watermelon & it was delicious. GG wanted nothing to do with getting close enough to CMK to try the watermelon. It was so hot that other than cleaning the paddock & barn, CMK spent most of the afternoon sitting in the barn with the fillies. There was a whole lot of scratching going on between CMK & Filly. It was a good day to relax & bond. Although I think CMK & Filly are already bonded, with CMK wrapped around Filly's little hooves.

Adhere to the Rules 6/26

Filly had a great day. She got to go out on a big pasture for 2 hours. She can't be allowed so much exercise that her legs get fatigued, but a little exercise is needed for strengthening. It was later in the day as it was cooling off & she had such fun. She ran & squealed & ran & squealed & jumped through the air. Poor Mama tried to keep up at first, then she gave up & just watched her silly filly. It was awesome to see Filly having such fun. While her left leg (actually just her pastern) is still "noodley", she never missed a step. Obviously the speeding exercise was good for Filly's mental health.

Grey Girl & Mommy Dearest also got to go out on pasture. GG ran & played but her mother wants to keep her close. She wore Mommy Dearest out trying to keep up with racer baby. Wow, what a gorgeous trot on GG. Even though she's still a little tight, she has beautiful gaits. This was the first time GG has been out of the 60x50 paddock. She investigate all the boulders, weeds, fences, & water trough. She had so much fun & is such a curious little girl. While the mommies wanted in for dinner, the fillies wanted to stay out & play. CMK was on the mommies' side so the silly fillies had to come in for dinner.

The wonderful trimmer stopped by & dropped off Adhere. She also loaned her pony nippers so CMK can have an easier time trimming Filly's hind feet. Her hind feet are too upright with high heels so now the job of trimming them this weekend will be much easier. Thank you!

DW managed to get the heel extension cuff glued on Filly without getting it all over. Then the cuff was wrapped really well in tape in an attempt to keep it from being pulled off. DW had a great idea & made a pseudo bellboot out of the tape. It looks like it'll work. Hopefully the cuff will still be in place tomorrow morning.

Wishing For Cooler Weather Hot is Not Better

A slight down turn today brought a few frowns. Both of Filly's fetlocks wanted to "pop" forward as she walked. During the night she had gotten both wraps & splints a little loose, which allowed too much play & not enough support for her legs. Tonight's splinting & wrapping session made sure that nothing could loosen. Filly also needs her cuffs back on for added support & to keep her hooves landing correctly. Fortunately Trimmer will be dropping the Adhere off tomorrow. Work has been started on trimming Filly's hind feet, which are getting heel high as a result of her contraction. Little by little, day by day she's getting a few rasp strokes to lower her heels. Because she hasn't been able to run & play on pasture, she hasn't kept her hooves worn down. Last night she even needed a little nipper work on her hinds. Hopefully soon she'll be able to live a normal foal's life with pasture footing working it's magic on her feet. Until then, CMK will continue to wield the rasp.

Grey Girl is still battling a bit of diarrhea. It's better than it was & now that Mommy Dearest is out of season, we expect GG to be back to normal within days. She sure is a feisty little girl. When CMK went to catch her to put Desitin on, she (GG not CMK) leaped in the air to avoid being caught. Don't ask how, but CMK's arm hooked out & it was a perfect catch. On went the Desitin. Once caught GG is a good girl. Catching her is the hard part. Hopefully Mommy Dearest will settle down soon so GG can learn that people are good.

The big concern for the upcoming weekend is Mama. The temperature is suppose to be over 100* for the next 5 days & Mama does not do well in the heat. Unfortunately for Filly, who loves being outside, she & Mama will most likely have to be stalled during the day to keep Mama out of the heat & sun as much as possible. The last time it was over 100* Mama suffered heat exhaustion & CMK had to sponge her with cold water to get her vitals to return to normal. It was very scary for a while. For Mama & Filly this is not going to be a good weekend. Everyone stay cool & wish for cooler weather.

Filly and GG With a New Learning Experience

Filly is just the most loving little girl & she wants to be friends with everyone. She would really like to be friends with Grey Girl. As she approached, Grey Girl stretched to sniff noses. GG's ears were up & inviting, seemingly wanting to be friends also. Filly stepped closer & all of a sudden GG's ears pinned & CHOMP she bit Filly. Seems Mommy Dearest is raising Baby Dearest. Poor Filly was so dejected. She's so sensitive & her little feelings were so hurt. She sadly walked away looking a bit like a forlorn Eeyore.

A second day of the 12 on/12 off went really well. Filly's legs are getting stronger & her left pastern is finally showing signs of the tendons & ligaments strengthening. While still loose & wobbly, the pastern is beginning to stiffen. It's hard to explain but Filly's left pastern has been like a limp noodle when manually manipulated. It's slowly losing the excess flexibility & now offers slight resistance. Such an encouraging sign.

Today for the very first time Filly was observed trotting with no mechanical bobbles. It was such an awesome sight. She only trotted for a few strides, but what a gorgeous trot she's going to have one day soon. Those few normal trotting strides make all the daily struggles worth the effort. Someday Filly is going to be the trail horse extraordinaire she's meant to be.

The cuff was off once again & the decision was made not to bother resetting it. The daily preparation of the hoof to glue something that doesn't stay on can only weaken the hoof, & is a potential for more problems. When the Adhere gets here on Fri the cuff will go back on. Even with the failure of the glue to hold for any real length of time, the short time wearing the cuff has shown that the cuff is improving the heel stability. Filly's heels are severely under run & she had been walking on her heel bulb. While her heels haven't come back to where they belong, her heel bulbs are off the ground. Every other day or so Filly gets a little rasp work to encourage her heels to get back underneath her where they belong. Her toes also get a little work to keep them from getting to long & stretched forward. She's such a wonderful filly to work on & is already a little pro for her trims.

Wow, Horse.com has the fake vetwrap for only $16.99 for a case of 18. This might be better than buying stock in the real vetwrap. I'm sure CMK will be buying a few cases at this price. Way to go DW for finding this great deal.

A Whiskery Face Warms The Soul

It was cute seeing the two fillies laying close to each other in the early morning. They were about 3 feet apart, each laying close to their dams while they ate. At last Mommy Dearest wasn't pinning her ears & chasing Filly away from Grey Girl. WRONG! As soon as the fillies got up, Mommy Dearest made poor Filly leave. The mares will eat from the same pile but poor Filly has to hide behind Mama. Mommy Dearest is an over protective mare & still won't let the fillies play. Poor fillies.

Today was Filly's first 12 hour on/12 hour off day & it went GREAT! Her splints came off at 5:30am so she had all day unsupported. CMK was worried, but those worries proved unfounded because Filly's legs did really well. There was no sign of relapse & her legs appeared to be a little stronger. Her bones are even gaining density & growing in circumference as she's able to use them. Bones need exercise & mild concussion to grow & up until now, Filly's bones haven't been able to exercise because of the splints' support. It's wonderful to see that she's beginning to grow like a normal foal.

Once again the glue didn't hold & the cuff was off before the vetwrap was even dirty. When the splints went back on for the night the cuff went back on with even more glue than before. Glue was even smeared along the top edge of the cuff. The longer the cuff with heel extension stays on, the better. Filly's left heel is slowly coming up & needs the support of the extension. Trimmer will be bringing more Adhere glue over on Fri. Adhere seems to hold better than the Hoof It glue so it's back to using Adhere.

Grey Girl's foal heat scours are pretty nasty. Poor little hinny is dirty & itchy. Once again stock in Desitin is needed. It's an ordeal to get her treated because Mommy Dearest is dangerously nervous & protective. CMK & DW have to be very careful that neither they nor Grey Girl get hurt. Once the Desitin is on, Grey Girl looks like an appy. Probiotics are in order to help settle her stomach & to help clear up the scours. Hopefully this will pass soon.

Double the fillies, double the trouble, double the joys of watching them grow. It sure fills the heart to be near these little creatures who are so full of curiosity & life. Their little whiskers brush the cheek & their hot little breath warms the soul. Through all the hard times a bond builds between them & their human caretaker. Their life is truly amazing & it's a miracle these little girls are here. What joy they bring to all who meet them.

In The Tent with Two Fillies

Monday was a GREAT day. Filly was without splints & wraps for TWELVE hours. She did fabulous. She spent the day in a paddock with Grey Girl & their dams. Those 2 fillies would sure like to play if only Mommy Dearest would let them. Filly's bad leg is coming up off the heel bulb so the cuff with heel extension is working. Yippee! The new glue isn't working to keep the cuff on so it'll be back to the 2-part apoxies. Hopefully Adhere can be ordered with a quick arrival time. It seems to work the best. Filly's good leg is strengthening & very seldom takes a bad step. Her bad leg is also strengthening but is at a much slower rate. The tendons & ligaments in the pastern are still very lax, allowing the fetlock to drop down in the back & alternately buckle forward. But at least the leg is no longer knuckling over & the toe very seldom catches. Filly is using her heels & walking on her hoof bottoms just like she should, no longer walking on tippy toes. The splinting process isn't taking as long now. The good leg is now in a simpler wrap-around support that can be done with Filly standing. In fact after an hour or so from when tonight's splints went back on, Filly was acting like the good leg was bothering her. CMK took off the splint & wrap & repositioned it with Filly standing quietly. She's such a good filly with a super disposition. After that all was good & Filly was happy.

Poor little Grey Girl is battling foal heat scours. Sometimes it's so hard to be a foal. Mommy Dearest got panicky when CMK & DW put Desitin on her filly & it's a wonder no one was trampled. It's really hard to work with a foal when the dam is so nervously protective. It makes it dangerous for humans & foal a like. It also makes it very difficult to gain the filly's trust because she's learning from her dam to fear people. While Grey Girl is afraid & wary, she is curious & will sneak up behind CMK to investigate. Hopefully Mommy Dearest will settle down. Grey Girl's contraction is significantly better. She's still a bit too upright in her fronts & one hind is still on the toe some, but she's improved enough that she isn't going to need wraps & splints. Thankfully it looks like the VE/Se treatment, along with another in a few days, will be all that she needs.

So the start to another week is bringing hope that all will be fine with these 2 wonderful fillies. For Filly it's been a very hard road at times, but she's been such a little trooper. She truly does epitomize the arabian "in the tent" disposition.

Meeting New Friends 06/21

Filly & Grey Girl spent the day together, along with their dams. Of course Mommy Dearest wouldn't let the fillies play, but Filly sure wanted to get close to Grey Girl. Maybe one day soon they can be real friends.

Today was a long unsplinted day with the splints & wraps off for 7 1/2 hours. Filly did great. Her right leg is doing very well & went to a 1/2 splint. DW modified an Ace elbow wrap by adding a 1/2 cast & sheepskin. It works wonderful by providing just enough support without immobilizing the leg. This leg is ready to be weaned off the splints. Filly's left leg still needs the support of the full splints. The pastern is too lax & her hoof rocks back too much, but even this is ever so slowly improving. She's no long walking on her heel bulb since she's been wearing the heel extension. Her leg is learning to function more normal. While she needs the unsplinted time to strengthen, care has to be taken to insure the leg doesn't get too tired & relapse. So far her progress is in the right direction. In a few days it might be possible that she finally reaches the 12 on/12 off as recommended. We sure hope so. Her cuff was reset today with a Hoof It product that was supplied by her trimmer. It set up well although it might be that not enough was used. Another learning process through trial & error. Hopefully the cuff will stay on for at least 12 hours & if it comes off, it will be reset better the next time.

Something OT is a little news about a friend of CMK's who has a filly with carpal vargus. This sure has been a tough year for the fillies. This filly is crooked at the knee, with the inside growing faster than the outside. With the lessons learned by CMK & DW in splinting & wrapping Filly, Friend is successfully wrapping her filly. Filly's wonderful grandpa has made a cuff for Friend's filly that has a side extension & it will go in the mail tomorrow. When a foal has carpal vargus, the weak side of the leg needs an extension to provide support. Because Filly has needed toe & heel extensions, Grandpa has engineered a great system for making cuffs & has been able to modify them for individual needs. While Filly's odyssey has been long & trying, it's wonderful that lessons learned can be used to help other foals. So even with the bad, there is good. Hopefully every new day brings positive progress to all foals everywhere.

Relief From Mommy Dearest 06/19

Filly had a lot of out time today. She was turned out for 1 1/2 in the cool morning, wearing her splints. Later that proved to be not such a good idea because fox tails had gotten in the bottom of the wraps. After an hour of removing fox tails, CMK decided it would be easier to just get out another set of wraps & scrap the fox tail filled ones. Later in the day the splints & wraps came off & Filly was turned out for 3 hrs. Her legs are improving in tiny increments, sometimes hardly noticeable, but improving none the less. She was a naughty filly when it came time to put the wraps & splints back on. She kept struggling to get up. She almost kicked CMK in the head & did plant a hind hoof in DW's stomach. Fortunately she couldn't really kick laying down so DW just pinned the leg & kept on wrapping. This was the first time Filly has protested the wrapping & splinting. Her cuffs were both off & Grandpa had filed the old glue out of them. They were glued back on at the beginning of the re-splinting process. We think Filly was protesting the warmth of the glue as it cured. While it isn't warm enough to burn or cause damage, it would feel strange. After Filly got to her feet it was noticed that one of the splints & wraps had twisted. Maybe because in her struggles Filly had come close to putting her hind foot in it. Little Brat! CMK & DW decided to try redoing it with Filly standing. While not as good a job, this worked well & Filly was happy. She kept wiggling her lip in DW's hair & tried to scratch CMK's back. She's such a fun & lovable little girl & no one could ask for a better filly to work with daily.

The little Grey Girl has shown quite a bit of improvement. She's able to live in a small paddock instead of a stall. Her legs are still too straight & a little tight, but they are functioning normally with no more knuckling. We expect them to continue to improve & in another 10 days she can have another VE/Se shot to aid in her recovery. So far everyone is so happy to see that at this time, she isn't requiring the intensive care like Filly. Her dam is settling down some & no longer gets in such a frantic state that she attacks her own foal. What a relief! Those first 2 days were very scary.

Grey Girls Goin' Strong for 06/18

Today's pictures are of the little Grey Filly who was born on Tue. She's contracted in all 4 legs, knuckling over in both hinds. You can see that her whole body appears to be tense & tight with contraction. It was such a shocking & sad sight for CMK to see such a beautiful filly bent with contraction.

There was a bit of a bright spot when CMK got home from work today & saw that Grey Filly's contraction has improved. Just 48 hours after her VE/Se shot, the positive effects can be seen. While all of her legs are very tight & ramrod straight, today she isn't knuckling over on any leg. When she went out while her stall was being cleaned, she did a little running & trotting for the first time. Wow she's going to be a gorgeous mover. Mommy Dearest has calmed down some. At morning stall cleaning she would eat her breakfast as long as CMK didn't cross to that 1/2 of the stall. This evening she allowed CMK to pet her, but CMK didn't even attempt to get close to Grey Filly. It's too soon to push the mare's nerves. Grey Filly is curious though & kept trying to peek around from behind her mother. Her bent ear (either bitten or stepped on by Mommy Dearest) is starting to straighten & is looking quite pretty. She has nice, tippy ears. We hope she continues to improve so her mother isn't over stressed with all the handling it takes to splint & a wrap a foal. We know she won't be tolerant & sensible like Mama.

By this evening Filly had lost both of her cuffs. Tomorrow they will go back on with an adjustment in the procedure. Her hoof wall will be lightly sanded & a fingernail primer will be used. This great idea came from Caulderon & we thank you so much for your suggestions. We also look forward to a visit tomorrow by the awesome Trimmer, who will be bringing a new glue to try. This really is a team effort on behalf of a wonderful, loving filly who deserves all that can be done for her. She brings such joy even though there are dark times. There's a possibility that her right/good leg will be splinted with the long, immobilizing splint tomorrow. Her right fetlock wants to knuckle a little & her knee is beginning to go over. This leg has taken all the stress & strain of compensating for the bad/left leg & it appears to need some help. It's hoped that only a day or 2 will be needed as everyone would really like to be able to slowly decrease the splinting until Filly's legs are only in wraps. It sure is a long, slow process but Filly is more than worth it. She brightens the day, even on a bad day, with her cute, loving personality.

Thanks so much everyone for all your continued support & help. It means the world to us.

Cuffs and Stuff!!!

We thought we'd show you Grandpa's hands at work, as well as Filly's first trial of the cuff. You can see that the toe extension will prevent her fetlock from knuckling over by preventing the toe to roll under. While there are still some problems getting the glue to hold for more than 12 hours or so, the cuff with toe extension has made a definite improvement in Filly's left leg. Her right leg now also has a toe extensioned cuff because it's knuckling ever so slightly. In the picture Grandpa is working on the cuff with both toe extension and heel extension. This cuff is on Filly's left leg to help support the heel that is collapsing to the ground. Filly's problems seem to cascade as each troubled area responds to treatment. This is to be expected because her body is responding to new & different physical stresses with each gait/leg change. Even though it could be weeks, even months before Filly is healed, we are pleased with the little improvements. Every improvement moves her that much closer to being the dream filly she was meant to be.

An Apology

I am sorry that my updates are so late in coming I took a much needed break and feel up to the task of working and everyday life again. It makes me think that every now and then even the toughest of us need a break by ourselves. With that said here come the updates from last Friday on hope you enjoy.

The Return of Mommy Dearest!!!

For the second day in a row Filly was allowed out on the 1 acre pasture. She has found her running & bucking gears. Her poor legs fly in all directions at once & it's a bit scary watching her because you just know she's going to fall. But she's so athletic that she manages to stay upright, legs flailing everywhere. After an hour it was time to come in & she was still warm from playing. The little brat didn't follow Mama into the stall but went exploring in the yard. Finally she was herded to the stall. She had a cuff with toe extension glue to her good leg, which is wanting to ever so slightly knuckle. Her bad leg, which is now not so bad, had a cuff with toe extension AND heel extension glued on. This leg is no longer knuckling but it does need heel support. Filly is getting pretty big & strong. CMK & DW almost didn't get her laid down even though she was being a good girl. Time to get working on wrap-around supports that can be done with Filly standing. With luck, Filly will be splint & support free before summer is gone.

The little Grey Girl was showing a tiny improvement from her VE/Se shot. One of her hind legs wasn't as knuckled & she was moving a bit freer throughout her body. She's such a pretty filly with a lot of elegance to her. Her dam is somewhat of a problem. She's violently nervous, even to the point of trampling Grey Girl & making the poor little filly squeal. CMK has to be very careful when feeding & cleaning, not only for human safety but to keep the filly from being hurt. Bay Mare will bite & drag her filly by the neck to get her away from people so things are being kept dark & quiet. It sure takes a long time to clean a stall when you can only move one, slow foot at a time, extremely slow. They did get out in a small outside area for the evening stall stripping. Bay Mare won't let her filly even attempt to run & play. They were only out a short while & then back inside to keep the mare quiet. Poor little filly has Mommy Dearest as a mother.

Blood was drawn for SCID testing on Mama & Bay Mare. Hopefully they will both come back as clear. If they're clear, both fillies will be clear because their sires are clear. The results should be back in a couple of weeks.

Mama is such a sweet mare. It's such a shame she has severe health issues. She has improved though & we hope to have her stable soon. CMK keeps in contact with Dr Kellon about the progress of both mares & foals. They've been through so much & deserve the best care possible. Dr Kellon has been wonderful with her support & spot-on advise. We would recommend her to anyone who has a horse with health issues.

Once again we'd like to tell DW how much we appreciate all the help. We couldn't do it without you. And thanks C&C for help watering & feeding tonight. CMK actually got chores done before dark & that hasn't happened in quite some time. Thanks everyone for your continued support.

Crumpled Chrome and Another Contracted Baby

Tuesday should have been a joyful day with the birth of a new filly. But something had gone wrong, the filly was born with all her legs contracted. Her front legs are 2x4 straight & her hinds are knuckling over at the fetlocks. The poor little girl has trouble getting around but is as perky as she can be. What a nightmare! This mare came from the same place as Mama but she was in ok weight. Other than a parasite overload, which was taken care of, there were no indications that her unborn foal would have any problems. It was a dreadful shock for CMK when the filly got to her feet & those legs were all wrong. How could this have happened to yet another filly?

The new filly is grey with lots of chrome & is just beautiful. She was given a VE/Se injection in the hopes that her contraction is a selenium deficiency. Within a few days we should now if she's going to improve or not. If she doesn't, she'll be started on the tetracycline treatments like Filly. We can only hope she doesn't need splinting because there really is a limit to what's humanly possible by CMK & DW. This is just such a sad, tragic thing to have happened. Why oh why? Please add this little Grey Girl to your good wishes.

Filly got some turn out time last night on a 1 acre pasture. She had so much fun & was finally running like a normal foal. Hopefully the additional exercise will help her front legs strengthen & her hind legs stretch. She is still slightly contracted in the hinds so they're still a bit worrisome. The cuff with heel extension was suppose to go on but the glue wouldn't set up. Back to the drawing board once again. Grandpa will be doing another modification by drilling holes that will allow the glue to seep through. Once the glue seeps through, it's hoped that tape can be used to wrap the cuff on & the glue will adhere to the tape. If anyone has any ideas for glue that will bond pvc to hoof, please let us know. We've come so far with Filly & hate to fail her now.

There were 3 visitors last night & she basked in their attention. She stole the heart of one visitor & CMK had to tell him NO, he couldn't have Filly. All who meet her fall in love. It was great having so many visitors because they were put to work swatting flies while Filly was resplinted & they helped with some stall cleaning. It was nice to have extra hands, especially when it came time to draw blood on Grey Girl for her IgG test. Her dam was frantic & had to be held to keep her from trampling her filly, CMK & DW. It was a little scary in that stall. Visitors are always welcome.

It's going to be a long, hard summer at the ranch. Everyones continued support is greatly appreciated.

Heel Toe and Dosie Doe

Sorry the update is a little late today. CMK was up on foal watch all night so didn't give me an update until late. A grey filly was born early this morning. Her dam came with Mama in late Mar, but she wasn't in the same sad condition as Mama. Other than a worm overload, she was in decent shape. This is another big filly who is also suffering from contracted tendons in all 4 legs. Let's hope that she's the normal contraction that self resolves with a few days of movement. CMK can NOT deal with 2 babies in splints. I'll give an update on the new filly as soon as I know more.

Monday was a smiling day at the ranch. When the splints & wraps were removed from Filly's legs, both of her legs held steady with NO knuckling at all. She & Mama were put out in the paddock & not once did CMK see Filly knuckle over on her left fetlock. She didn't run & play because she's a very smart & careful filly who made sure she took no bad steps. It was so awesome to see her walking almost normal. Her legs are weak & the fetlocks a little soft from the splinting, but other than that she was pretty close to normal. Yahooooo! This was definitely a high on the manic roller coaster. It was noticed by DW that Filly's hind hooves are growing too much heel & starting to look like they want to club. Yikes! All the focus on the front legs have made for neglect the hinds. Out came the rasp to take a little hoof off. For the next few nights the rasp will take a couple of swipes to keep the heels down & balanced. We can't have gone through all this to save her front legs, only to lose her hinds. Tomorrow it's planned to glue a cuff with both toe & heel extension onto the left front. The cuff needs to be expanded a little because it was a bit too tight. Once the heel extension is on, it's expected to support the fetlock & have Filly walking on her hoof correctly instead of on the heel bulbs. She will continue to get dosed with probiotics until her manure is normal for at least a week. She's eating like a little pig & it's hard to keep her out of Mama's bucket, which she is not suppose to be eating. She's so full of personality & is just a love. Not to be too optimistic, but it's starting to look like Filly is on her way to a wonderful, happy life.

Jun 13th & 14th

Saturday was pretty uneventful. Mama & Filly spent 2 hours turned out in a 60 x 100 area. They enjoyed nibbling on a little grass & Filly napped in the sun. The splints & wraps remained on because no one was available to lend extra hands.

Off came the splints & wraps for 5 hours on Sunday. Filly was finally able to walk most steps without knuckling over. Smiles everywhere from everyone. She steps very carefully & doesn't try to run & play. She's a very smart little girl, knowing that she needs to be careful. She nibbled at grass & sniffed noses through the fence with her future herd mates. She & Mama were only out for 1 1/2 hours before going back into their freshly cleaned stall. Filly's leg can't be allowed to tire so there's a fine line as to how much exercise is too much. At the end of 5 hours, Filly found it easier to just let her left leg knuckle over while she was standing & relaxing. Time for the splints to go back on.

There was a visitor who came to watch CMK & DW re-splint Filly's legs. The visitor is a friend who has a filly with carpal vargus, an angular limb deformity, & she wanted to learn how to splint her filly. The visitor was quite impressed with Filly's wonderful disposition. She was also amazed at how well mannered Filly is for her re-splinting procedure. The visitor even pitched in with a little rasp work to balance Filly's hooves. She also added an extra set of hands to act as a fly swatter. It's always great to have help & Filly loved the extra attention. She's such a "pocket pony" & loves being scratched by everyone.

The toe extension cuff that Filly's grandpa made has done wonders. He spent a few hours Sun creating a cuff with a heel extension that will be glued onto Filly's hoof in the next day or 2. The heel extension will give support to the tendons that are now ready to start strengthening. It will also help keep Filly's hoof from rocking back onto the heel bulb. To fix the contraction her tendons had to be relaxed & now they need to strengthen. Seems fixing one problem creates another, but with Grandpa's expert help we expect that Filly's problems will eventually resolve to normal. Grandpa has generously offered to make a cuff with side extension for Visitor's filly. She needs the side extension to support the weak side of her leg, helping the knee to grow normally. Grandpa is such a wonderful person with a heart of gold. Thank you Grandpa.

Mama's new diet is already showing healthier signs in Mama. Her diet now consists of digestive enzymes & amino acids, as well as the probiotics & aloe vera juice. She readily eats all that's put in front of her so her special supplements are easy to feed. She's loosing the gaunt flank look, the big bellied appearance is gone & with it her ribs & back have taken on a softer look. Her manure is also no longer smelling as foul & it's appearance is normal. It's taken 2 1/2 months of hard work & special feeding, but it's well worth seeing the light come back into Mama's eyes.

Wrapping Up At The Expo!!!

JUNE 12th

A fun day was spent at Horse Expo where CMK bought 30 rolls (12-15 days worth) of fake vetwrap (yes the vendor was false advertising it as Vetwrap & didn't like CMK saying it was fake) for 90 cents each; probiotics from Equerry for Mama; & a dog toy for Filly. Also brought back to the barn was quite a few pounds of free samples ranging from different grains, hay replacers & 2 types of rice bran, to pelleted electrolytes.

Back at the barn Filly was worked on by her future trimmer, who glued on the cuff with toe extension. There was immediate improvement & Filly was able to walk & control her knuckling over much better. In fact, while the fetlock still knuckled forward a bit, the hoof did not fall under & Filly continued to walk on the bottom of her hoof. She was putting a number of good steps together & even used that leg when she cantered up & down the barn aisle. Until the cuff, she was cantering on 3 legs with the left leg dangling off the ground. She does rock too far back on her heel but her trimmer said she'd fix that later, once the contraction has resolved. Filly's going to be so lucky to have such a good trimmer.

It was nice to have someone who doesn't see Mama & Filly every day come out to see them. The trimmer had seen Mama when she first arrived at CMK's & she can see the amazing difference. It was fun to have her watch the procedure CMK & DW have for resplinting Filly. She complimented Filly on the fact that most foals would not tolerate all Filly goes through every day. She said most foals would try to jump up & struggle while Filly just lays nice & still while her legs are redone. When she gets up she does it quiet & non-hurried. Filly really is very special with a wonderful disposition & temperament.

The bloodwork results for Mama have been looked at by Dr Kellon. It's her finding that Mama has pancreatitis with liver inflammation, most likely caused by a parasite overload. It's such a shame that something so simple to control was allowed to devastate Mama's body. She will be going on a specially formulated diet in the hope that she can recover enough to live well. With the improvements that she's already made, CMK is optimistic that Mama will recover to a level that is supportable through diet. Pancreatitis is not common in horses, therefore rarely tested for & found. Dr Kellon did an awesome job in suspecting this disease & requesting the tests specific to pancreatic problems. We are so glad she did so Mama can have a chance at life. Some positives from the bloodwork results is that some blood values showed that Mama was on the mend in some areas. Her malabsorption values are such that it's believed she's recovering from that & with the right diet she'll be able to use her feed efficiently. The trimmer commented that until today, she hadn't realized Mama had such a pretty head. Amazing what a little weight & better health can do for a malnourished horse.

All in all Friday was a really good day.

A Cuff Away From Healing!!!

The high for Thursday was that Filly's manure had finally changed to a normal color. It was such a great way to start the morning. Stall cleaning had never been such a joyous occasion as when that little brown, no longer grey, manure landed in the manure fork. Oh happy day!

We thought we'd share a photo of the cuff that Filly will soon be wearing. It will glue to her hoof & the toe extension should help keep Filly's leg from knuckling over. It will block the toe from rolling under, & therefore stop the fetlock from falling forward. We're all excited to see her in her new cuffs.

A friend stopped by with family to visit Filly. Boy did Filly love having all those people scratching on her & telling her she's so pretty. She's become Miss Popular & would surely win Miss Congeniality if she were in a beauty pageant. She did show one of her visitors her teeth, but it was only a little nibble.

We haven't yet heard from the vet reading Mama's bloodwork results. There are a few areas that concern those of us who are laypersons, but hopefully the vet will tell us all is well & there's no need to worry. Surely Mama is on the mend & those worrisome areas are just the remnants of her hard times. Please send good thoughts to Mama & Filly for continued progress.

Wheaties For Me!!!

Even the teeniest of improvements is cause to celebrate. When the splints came off Filly's left leg was just the tiniest bit better. She didn't have to adjust her stance to get the leg to stand correctly. She was also able to put 2-3 steps together, correctly using her leg. It was so wonderful to see a few steps without any knuckling. It wasn't many, but each of those steps was huge. The hoof cuff with toe extension prototype was tried on & only needs to be opened slightly for a perfect fit. Tomorrow a cuff will be made for the other hoof as well. While the right leg is close to normal, it needs the same support as the left leg so it doesn't get any excess strain.

It was such a relief by day's end to see that Filly did not have another bout of diarrhea from the worming. It was really feared that worming her would throw her into an intestinal tailspin. She's really becoming quite the little chow hound & it takes quick actions by CMK & DW to keep her from diving into Mama's beet pulp & oats. Mama is given her bucket while Filly is getting her splints redone. Sneaky filly tries to get to the bucket before CMK can get hold of her. She's getting to be a big girl & it won't be long before she's too big to hold. CMK & DW might need to start eating Wheaties!

Mama also had no ill effects from the wormer. While she's lost a little weight nursing Filly, she's looking better over all. Her coat is now shiny & her bones aren't sticking out quite so sharply. Her bloodwork looks to have a few issues but until the vet gets back to CMK, we don't want to give out any misinformation so will wait. We can say that she's beyond the anemic stage.

A Little POO For You!!!

Woohooooo, today was the first time since birth that Filly's manure actually looks like foal manure. While not quite the right color, the formation is awesome. Ok, so not everyone gets excited about poop, but this poop is very special because it means Filly's intestinal tract is on the mend.

Mama & Filly both got wormed. Hopefully the worming won't give Filly's tummy a setback. She was given probiotics to help keep the good bacteria working, hoping to ward off another bout of diarrhea from being wormed. It's definitely been a challenge to keep the diarrhea under control.





CMK gave Mama & Filly a few apples. Filly was so cute to watch as she tried to figure out what to do with that rolly thing. Finally she managed to actually take a little bite. You should have seen the look in her eyes. Boy did she get excited & go back for more apple. She really enjoyed her treat, even if she did only manage a few bites. It's so much fun watching a foal explore its world & experience new things. There is so much wonder in an innocent foal's eyes. CMK says there's so much joy from sharing life with Filly that it makes all these hard times worth it.

The casting material for Filly's new splints have arrived; the prototype hoof cuff with toe extension is ready for fitting; now the wait is for the support boots arrive. When all materials get here, the creation of a wrap around, easy to put on splint will begin. Hopefully by the end of the coming weekend Filly will be in her new "legs".

If anyone has any spare Vetwrap or probiotics they'd like to gift to Filly & Mama, please contact me. Thank you everyone for your continued support.

Lights at the End of The Barn Aisle!!!

A whirlwind of email activity & CMK is now in a 3 month consultation with Dr Eleanor Kellon. It was heartening to hear that CMK has been on the right track in caring for Mama. Dr Kellon thinks that since Mama has actually managed to gain weight, there's a good chance her intestinal tract can heal. She might always be higher maintenance, but she can be supported & fed to live normally. What a wonderful & much needed uplifting opinion. Dr Kellon says that getting Mama well is essential to Filly's well being & that Filly will heal best if Mama can provide the best milk for her. Of course she had to temper this high by asking CMK if she knew anyone with dairy goats, just in case. So if anyone knows of someone with dairy goats, please have that information handy. If we have that information we're sure it won't be necessary.

Instead of electrolytes, Mama will be getting 2 tablespoons of salt twice a day. The amount will increase in a few days & then decrease to a maintenance level. This will help Mama with her water consumption & inability to tolerate heat. It will also help her kidneys. Good thing because hot weather is on the way once again. Starting today she will be getting 6oz aloe vera juice 3 times a day. This will be very good for her injured intestines. It's soothing & will aid in healing. She will also be getting probiotics 3 daily. Looks like CMK needs to invest in probiotic stock. Rationplus has been ordered. Once again Mama will go back on beet pulp, only now she'll be getting a 50/50 mix of beet pulp & oats. She's sure going to love that. Blood was drawn yesterday so tomorrow the results should let us know if there's anything else to be done. On the weight tape Mama is now at 794. A loss of a little weight, but that's to be expected since she's nursing & trying to heal at the same time.

Filly will also get Rationplus when it arrives. She will be on twice daily partial doses of probiotics. Looks like CMK will need to get up earlier in the morning. Since she isn't allowed to eat any of Mama's beet pulp/oat/salt/aloe vera mix, CMK will have to keep Filly entertained. Hopefully the changes to Mama's diet will help filly get the nutrition that she needs. Tomorrow she'll be wormed for the first time as we know she & Mama are wormy. The wait to worm has been because their conditions were not strong enough or healthy enough to worm. It's felt Filly can now be safely wormed. There sure will be a lot of changes in the next few days.

Filly was funny to watch last night. She was given an apple to play with & you should have seen her licking that apple with her eyes lit up. She was so excited she almost fell trying to chase & lick that apple. What a joy to watch her having fun.

A friend stopped by to check on Mama & Filly's progress. It was so nice to have someone who doesn't see them daily assess their condition. He thought both looked so much better than 2 wks ago. He not only saw Mama's coat as shinier, but the look in her eye is better. He was happily surprised to see that Filly is at last starting to act like a normal baby. While the splints restrict her movement some, they sure don't dampen her spirits & she's really starting to play. He said he thought she looked healthier with a sparkle in her eyes.

While Monday was a very busy day, it was also a day that brought hope, & maybe there really is a light at the end of the barn aisle.

Food For Thought Or Let's Eat!!!

What a busy day Sunday. Filly got to meet her little 1/2 sister's mom & a friend, who had come 1 1/2 hours to see Filly. Filly's future trimmer was also out, as well as another trimmer who works at CMK's. Everyone thought Filly was quite the little girl.

CMK went to Tractor Supply & bought 10 bags of shavings. Shavings are so much easier to clean than straw & they smell so nice, but they are harder to work on while resplinting Filly. Her tail kept tossing shavings all over CMK, DW, & the bag of wrapping supplies. Shavings were everywhere. Filly loves to paw & paw & paw the shavings. She loves to roll in them, but does not like them up her nose.

Filly's legs were doing better with the left leg finally stepping somewhat normally. The fetlock still knuckles forward but not completely over. It's so uplifting to see improvement, no matter how minor. When it was time for Mama & Filly to come in from the outside paddock, Filly did not want to go in her stall. She kept trotting (with a bit of a hobble) up & down the barn aisle. She had great fun ducking inside another stall & calling to Mama. Poor Mama would run looking for her baby. Then she'd go back to her stall to eat, only to have Filly once again hide & call. Mama sure has a bratty filly. It was finally time to feed the other horses so CMK had to catch filly & put her in her stall.

Today was the first day for Filly to wear a halter. She was such a good filly. She didn't care & stood perfectly while the halter was going on. She looked so cute in her little red halter. Her halter matched her Vetwrap. A filly must be color coordinated.

At the suggestion of Filly's future trimmer, CMK has contacted Dr Kellon for a nutrition consultation. We sure hope Dr Kellon doesn't delete the lengthy email as too confusing, but CMK wanted to give her as much information as possible. We're hoping Dr Kellon can tell us how to feed Filly so she gets the nutrition she needs without causing her contraction to relapse.

The Vitamin B treatment gave Filly diarrhea again, but a dose of Probiotics seems to have taken care of that. It sure is a juggling act to keep Mama & Filly healthy while having to feed for two different nutritional needs. Both are doing as well as can be expected.

A Bit of A Pain in The Good Sense!!!

We have progress today! Just a little but any progress is such a welcomed thing. When the wraps & splints came off today, Filly's left leg was better after wearing the long splint. While it still wanted to knuckle over, Filly was able to slowing use it correctly. If she tries to play she can't control it, but if she slows down & concentrates she can bear normal weight without the fetlock knuckling. What a great sight.

Mama & Filly spent 2 hours in the little outside area so they could enjoy the sunshine & fresh air. When it came time to go back in their stall, Filly was quite the brat. She did not want to go in & ran up & down the barn aisle. Then, much to CMK's frustration, Mama slipped out of the stall & ran into the yard. That was not good because Filly ran with her & she should not be running. Poor CMK brought up the rear, hobbling to catch them. That sneaking Mama ran past CMK & out into the area behind the barn. If CMK had had a gun....... Finally Mama & Filly were back where they belong. Filly had a nice fresh bed of shavings, Mama had a huge pile of hay, & CMK had an energy drink.

Oh that filly can be trying. Dancing Winds & CMK were getting ready to resplint her legs when they noticed she was chewing on a piece of leg tape. Next thing they knew, she was actually eating it. YIKES! DW grabbed Filly & CMK had to reach almost to her tonsils to get that piece of tape. Silly Filly is never boring. Tonight her right leg was put back in the 10" splint to give it a little more support since the left leg is immobilized in the 20" splint. The right leg needed a little more support so it won't have a setback. Today was a decent day with positive progress. Hopefully everyday from here on out will bring more improvements until Filly is the normal, frisky foal we know she'll be.

Tomorrow will be a big day for Filly. She'll be meeting her trimmer for the first time. Wonder what little tricks she'll play?

Little Chomper

Mama & Filly have both received their first Vitamin B treatment. We're hoping to see an improvement within a few days. Filly's left front leg is back in the long splint, covering & immobilizing the leg from above the knee down. She took having her entire leg immobilized a lot better than expected. Everyone was worried she'd go through depression again but she didn't. She's sure a little trooper. Hopefully the longer splint will get Filly's hoof landing correctly & the fetlock to stop knuckling over. Of course she can't knuckle over with the splint on, but when the splint comes off it's hoped the fetlock will begin to function normally after being held in the correct position. Her left fetlock has a rub sore that is getting better because Dancing Winds is very creative & made a donut to lift the bandages off the sore. Filly is so lucky to have DW as a guardian angel.

What a great filly to work with. She's so good no matter what's being done to her. She enjoys it when CMK removes the wraps & splints every day. It's so much fun trying to chew on CMK's hair. Even more fun trying to grab CMK's shirt. It won't be long before Filly figures out how to use those little teeth to bite CMK's back. Oh what fun that'll be. NOT! One plus that will come out of all this wrapping & splinting is that Filly will be such a good horse for her trimmer someday. Either that or she'll have figured out every way possible to pick on her trimmer like she's learning how to pick on CMK.

Rough Roads!

NEVER wrap elastikon tape over polo wraps. It seemed like such a good idea Wed, but it was definitely a very bad idea. When CMK tried to get the wraps & splints off, the elastikon wouldn't come loose. It just pulled the polo wraps apart. It took about 15 minutes of careful cutting to get the mess off poor Filly's leg. The polo wrap was sacrificed as a lost cause. Filly was such a good, patient girl. Of course she was having fun chewing on CMK's hair so she didn't care if she had to stand still.

Once again Filly's right leg is showing some improvement. She can use it completely normal as long as she isn't in racer mode. The left leg however, is the one giving the most problems. It has not come back around after Monday's setback. When the splints are reset tomorrow, the left leg is going back in a longer splint for less mobility. The fetlock has got to be held straight because it continues to knuckle forward. CMK has mini support boots on order in the hopes they can be modified as wrap around splints that one person can use. A cast/splint sheeting is on order through the vet's office to make custom fitted splints. There has got to be an easier way than cotton quilts, polo wraps, pvc splints & vetwrap (NO more elastikon!). The process now takes 2 people & that's stretching it. Grandpa is making pvc cuffs with toe extensions to be glued on Filly's hooves. These will help prevent the knuckling over because the toes won't be able to buckle. CMK has also been consulting with her wonderful trimmer who has some ideas on how to build toe extensions. Filly is sure lucky to have so many wonderful people working to help her. All their help is truly appreciated.

The concern over Mama's health continues. She's no longer gaining weight & appears to have all the symptoms of malabsorption. There is a test to confirm a diagnosis, but because she would have to fast for 12 hours for 2 different test runs, it's just not feasible with a nursing foal. Food cannot be withheld because she will eat the bedding that Filly needs. So at this time Mama will be treated as if she has malabsorption. She will be treated with vitamin B shots & fed as much high fiber hay as possible. Because Filly has contraction the best hay of choice, alfalfa, cannot be fed. Instead a good, high protein, low starch grass hay is the next best choice so a hay shopping spree will take place this weekend. The beet pulp that has helped put weight on Mama will be removed from her diet, along with the rice bran. Beet pulp is a fast digested feed & Mama needs feed that will remain & ferment in the gut longer. Filly will also receive vitamin B because her nutrition comes from Mama, who at this time has no nutrition to give. It sure is going to be hard to support Mama & get the necessary nutrients into Filly without overloading her with calcium, which could be devastating to her contraction. While the past month since Filly was born has been rough, the road is nowhere close to ending. We can only hope that it ends in success.

ThunderStorms and Brave Souls

There is no 6/2 update because CMK took a much needed mental health break from everything but riding & grooming horses. Phones weren't even answered. Good for you CMK!

Wednesday started on a little up note with Mama & Filly getting to go out in the sunshine for a couple of hours. Filly had to wear her splints but she was back to her bucky, spunky self. She had so much fun playing. She even took a nice sunbathing nap. While she was out playing, CMK disinfected her stall & doused it with fly spray. The flies are unbelievably bad this year.

After an hour of being back in her stall & resting, Filly's splints & wraps were removed. Her right leg was once again flexing normally. The left was trying but would still knuckle over if Filly wasn't very careful with how she placed it. At least her legs were once again showing some improvement, no matter how slight. Her left fetlock has a tiny sore spot so is now being treated with antibiotic ointment. It's critical that any sore not be allowed to infect. It's also critical that the splints & wraps be redone daily in an attempt to prevent sores. It's such a long process.

It's not known how much longer CMK & DW can lay Filly down for her daily splinting session. She's getting to be quite a big filly, now standing 41" tall at just 4 weeks old. DW has been pouring though pet catalogs, trying to find something that will work as a simple to use, wrap around splint. If anyone has any ideas, please let CMK know. It's going to be a long time before Filly is ready to live splint free & in the meantime we need something that is effective, simple to use, & that will allow one person to do the daily changes alone.

There was some drama when it was time for Filly to get up after splinting. She was groaning, nostrils were pinched & she didn't want to get up. Definitely NOT her normal behavior. When she finally got up, with prodding, she kept pawing the ground & then lay back down. It was quite scarey with CMK thinking her beautiful filly was colicking or maybe worse, had twisted a gut while being laid down. No matter how gently horses are handled, they are fragile & so many things can go wrong. CMK had just given Filly her first baby trim with the rasp & was hoping she'd just gotten a little short. Please don't let her be colicking. CMK & DW kept watching, worrying & then realized Filly was limping on her better leg. Hmmmmmm, could it be that the splint was pinching? DW started cutting the Vetwrap & tape off, repositioned the PVC splint & sure enough, Filly's respiration slowed, her nose & eyes softened, & she was once again a happy baby. Poor little girl. Good thing her human protectors keep a close eye on her & caught the problem. It sure would be wonderful if there was an easier way to splint.

Late last night there was a massive thunder & lightening storm in the area. CMK was out in the pouring rain, hugging against the barn because the lightening was so close, bringing horses in off the pasture. Filly thought all the excite was quite fun. She was calling to all the other horses as if to say Ha Ha I'm dry. She wasn't spooked by all the excitement at all. She's going to be one bold horse someday. She really is very, very special in so many ways.

One Step Forwards A million Steps Back....

The highs & lows of daily life with Mama & Filly are almost manic. There were so many highs, laughter, & smiles over the weekend. Then Monday brought the heavy hearted lows. Filly's legs are unbelievably worse. Poor little thing can't walk normal on either front leg. The right front had been so strong & stable that it was only support wrapped to provide protection from the splinting of the left leg. Now both are collapsing over when she tries to walk. Actually they now even collapse as she stands still. She was only without her splints for about an hour. It was just too heartbreaking to watch her flounder around. Her wonderful grandpa will be making new splints for her tomorrow. They will be shorter & less cumbersome, hopefully allowing for more movement & ease of mobility while still holding the fetlock rigid for support. Hopes of having her out of the splints in the near future have faded away. If there's any chance of success, it's now obvious that it'll take many, many, long weeks in the making. There is now a fear that Filly's bones are not growing properly & that they aren't getting the density they need to function normally. It's just so devastating to see all the progress totally fail in less than 24 hours. Why oh why?

The cause of the regression is unknown, but the suspect is the nutritional devastation of Mama. It's highly probable that her "out-of-whack" body isn't producing the nutrition that Filly needs. So not only did Filly not get what she needed for normal growth within the womb, she's most likely not getting it now as well. There was discussion of doing bloodwork on Mama, & maybe even testing Mama's milk would be a better plan. If Filly has no improvement by tomorrow, it will be time to explore other options & hopefully a successful solution will be found.

Please keep Filly in your thoughts. She's such a darling & has tried so hard. She can be spunky & full of life, not knowing that she's missing her normal foalhood. After she was re-splinted tonight, she got a few minutes of outside time & she was running, bucking & kicking, having a good time. She seemed to be relieved & happy to have her splints back on. Please keep her in your thoughts as she so deserves this chance at life. Thank you everyone.

The last day of May, hard to believe summer is almost here. Worry about how to keep Mama & Filly cool is already a concern. Mama seems to have trouble in the heat, with excessive sweating & weight loss. She's getting electrolytes twice daily & it's really helping. But what to do when the heat really gets here?

Filly is back wearing a splint & wrap on her left front. That leg is still too weak to be without support. The right leg is only wearing a tiny, wrap around, elbow brace that Dancing Winds was smart enough to think of for support. Way to go DW! Filly is so cute in the little black support wrap. It'll be so wonderful when her left leg can also only be in an elbow wrap. How easy that will make things. It will mean no more laying filly down to have her splints & wraps redone. It'll mean that CMK will be able to do all the care single handedly. Yahooo, can't wait for that day to come! In the mean time, Dancing Winds is the wonderful extra set of hands & we THANK DW.

Filly has a huge personality that has come out. She's become a PEST & insists on picking on everyone. She's pretty fearless & bold. Poor little girl has got to be bored locked up in a stall all the time with her boring mother. She enjoyed playing with an old soda bottle, having fun make it crinkle as she bit it. She was given a Jolly Ball but it's really too big for her. With Expo coming next week, I'll bet she gets one in her size. Oh is she going to be spoiled! It looks like the diarrhea is one again lessening. What a relief! The last day of May was a good day in the life of Mama, Filly & CMK.

Fun Days

5/30:

By Saturday morning the filly's diarrhea was worse. A trip to town was made to replenish the probiotic & Vetwrap supplies. Poor little girl with her dirty hinny, now covered in Desitin once again. After a few swishes of her tail she looked a bit like an appy. The good news was that she was otherwise normal in attitude & she wasn't acting sick at all. Maybe Mama is coming back into season & that's the cause of the diarrhea? Let's hope.

The wraps & splints were removed by 7:30am. Time to see how Filly would do with an entire day without support. It was such a surprise that by mid day she had gotten a personality & decided that CMK was her new toy & playmate. Until now she'd been standoffish, withdrawn & easily sent into flight if anyone went in the stall. Sat was a HUGE break though day. Filly started by sneaking up on CMK & nipping her. In no time at all Filly & CMK were involved in a scratching session. The silly little girl even tried to paw her new friend. Hmmmmm, behavior that wouldn't be so cute if she were bigger, but for now she's allowed to be cute. What a personality developed. It was such a fun day to have a filly who wanted to be friends. Her legs did fabulously well without the support of wraps & splints. It was decided to leave the splints off over night. The thought of depressing Filly by resplinting her just wasn't a good thought. It was so wonderful to see her bright & happy. So despite battling diarrhea again, Sat was a very fun, joyful day.

A Kind Word and A Small Set Back

Friday was a mixed emotion day. Mama & Filly were allowed into a larger paddock, about 40' x 70'. Oh did Filly run & play. Even with her splints she's quite athletic. She didn't get the splints off today because no one was available to help with the re-wrapping & it's definitely a two person job. Her mood was much improved & she had great fun scaring the other horses. The splints are clunky & make funny, clunky sounds. Filly seemed to know that her "legs" were scaring everyone so she ran & bucked even harder & closer to the fence. It was fun seeing her enjoy herself so much & even funnier to see the grown up horses snorting & fleeing. To keep her from getting too tired, she was only out for an hour. After a nap & a snack it was noticed that Filly once again had diarrhea. This is a terrible setback. Hopefully the Bio-Sponge & probiotics will once again do their job. Such an emotional roller coaster to see Filly acting so good, & then to see her begin having problems again. She's such a plucky filly & deserves for life to start being kinder to her.

A friend stopped by to see Filly for the first time. This friend is someone who used to show with the "big boys" & who had some pretty high dollar horses. Oh did he like Filly. He gave her a rave review & CMK was grinning. It's always nice to have someone so experienced give such a favorable review. Especially when that review is of a foal as special as Filly.

Time to Wrap Up

Thursday was another positive day for Filly. By taking off work early, CMK was able to have the splints & wraps off her for 3 1/2 hours. An hour of that time was spent in the small paddock behind the barn. Filly sure enjoys her time out of the stall. When it was time to go back inside, Mama went in to her dinner. Filly wanted nothing to do with going back inside. She called & demanded that her mother go back outside. When that didn't work, she started bucking in place. She's gotten really good at bucking without tripping or stumbling. She did a few running laps up & down the barn aisle way. When Mama still didn't respond, Filly started to chew on the halters hanging on the wall. She was very curious about everything outside her small 12x24 world. After 25 minutes she decided it was time to eat & take a nap.

Dancing Winds came over before dark to help with the rewrapping & splinting. With all the practice, the procedure goes quick & smooth. When DW & CMK left the stall, Filly lay still for a few minutes & then got up. Oh how her mood had changed. She was so depressed to have her legs wrapped up again. She stood with lip hanging, ears droopy, & a listless look in her eye. Poor little girl had enjoyed her freedom. When she finally moved she would only drag her feet. It was heartbreaking to see her so sad. Hopefully she'll continue to strengthen so she can soon be without her splints. Thursday was a great day because Filly no longer has diarrhea. Yahoo! At last it seems her little stomach is finally normal. What a relief.