Happy Fourth and More....

The 4th of July & Independence Day brought some freedom for Filly. About 1/2 an hour after she'd been re-splinted that evening, she was limping on her good leg & waving it in the air. She was very uncomfortable & didn't want to weight her leg. CMK removed the splint (which is a half cast molded to fit Filly's leg) & reset it. Still Filly wasn't happy. After 3 tries to get the splint comfortable CMK gave up & just wrapped the leg with quilts & the brace. Filly was much happier. She had decided it was time to be free of the 1/2 cast on her good leg. Of course that leg will continue to be wrapped for support until the left leg is also free from wearing wraps & splints.

On Sunday Trimmer was out & Filly got her first official trim. Oh what a difference it made. Filly now has a better base of support & she's weighting her hoof much more correct. It will take quite a few trims over the next few weeks to get her hooves normal, but every little improvement is met with smiles. She was so good for her trimmer, behaving better than most grown horses. She even had a little halter on for only the 2nd time. What a wonderful filly to work with. When her trimming was done she was turned back out on pasture. It was fun watching her take little steps as she discovered her new leg & hoof. She now moves mechanically correct & there has been no popping of the fetlock for 3 days. She's a very careful & thoughtful filly, having learned that if she isn't careful she'll stumble & fall. After she had practiced & gotten used to slowly walking correctly, she added a few trot steps with a shake of her head. Until now she has done very little trotting because she's been unable to use both front legs for support. She'd been cantering a little, always with her left leg dangling or barely touching the ground. You could tell she was enjoying her new found freedom of motion because she was even cantering on BOTH leads. What a joy it is to watch Filly as she approaches a normal foal's life. She's such an amazing survivor.

K & J came by to see the fillies. Filly loved the added attention. Grey Girl is still shy & Mommy Dearest got very nervous having strangers looking at her filly. Poor little GG was confused & spooked because she didn't know why her mother suddenly spun in circles, bumping into her & calling frantically. Fortunately she no longer acts that way with CMK & DW. K volunteered to help with the daily splinting. She was nervous because she's been having back problems, but Filly was such a good little girl & never even made K move a muscle. Filly truly is a once in a lifetime filly, amazingly good no matter who handles her or what has to be done. Everyone should be so lucky to have a foal like Filly.

A Cuff For You!

What a great day Fri turned out to be. First thing in the morning the wraps & splints came off filly's legs. Her very first step with her left/bad leg was almost normal with NO popping. It was a sight to behold. She took 1/2 doz steps before her fetlock popped. Throughout the day she continued to do well with a lot of her steps having no popping. Maybe, just maybe, there will be a happy ending to this odyssey. When the mares & fillies came for the night, CMK thought Filly's left hoof looked different. The toe didn't look long & wasn't turning up. Filly was standing on her hoof normally. She wasn't rocking back on the heel. What a welcome sight. CMK & DW were both smiling. While this normal stance didn't last long, it was long enough to know that Filly is getting better. As DW said, Filly's learning how to use her leg, and/or how NOT to use her leg incorrectly. Finally it appears the long days of splinting are paying off.

CMK walked the one acre pasture in the heat, searching for the lost cuff. Grandpa had made a new one, but it really would be nice to find the lost one. Having a spare would be very good. Finally, the lost cuff was found. Back to Grandpa it went to have the old glue sanded off. The toe extension was completely removed. Filly no longer needs the toe extension. She's improving one filly step at a time.

Grey Girl once again had to be given Bio-Sponge for diarrhea. Just when it was thought she was over it, it's back. This heat isn't helping. At least she's her perky, ear pinning little self. Her hinny was coated in a lavender baby cream (store was out of Desitin). Boy did she smell good.

Mama is holding her own, even in the heat. She does sweat excessively but she's not losing any more weight. The salt added to her feed twice a day is working. She will even run with the fillies every now & then so we know she's feeling better.

Happy 4th of July everyone. Stay safe & cool.

Head Shoulder Knees and What?

Filly is such an AWESOME little girl. There was no one to help with the evening splinting so CMK had to manage alone. How was it going to be possible for CMK to lay Filly down & then get both legs wrapped & splinted? It seemed an impossible task considering the patient is a 2 month old foal. Foals are not the easiest to work on, always lively & evasive, struggling to get away from anything unpleasant. Knowing there was no way to lay Filly down, CMK could only hope to get some sort of wrap on the left leg, the leg with the problems. Armed with the bag of wraps, tape, ointment, scissors, fake vetwrap & splints, CMK entered the stall ready for battle. Filly stood with wide eyes, wondering why there was only one person coming for her. Did she know she had the total advantage? CMK went down on bended knees beside Filly & rubbed up & down the itchy little legs. Oh did Filly like that. Next a quilt went around the left leg. More rubbing & Filly never moved a muscle. The polo wrap went on & secured the quilt. It was quite amazing that Filly stood perfectly still, just rubbing her lips in CMK's hair. Then it was time for the hard part. How to get the pvc splint on & vetwrapped? Wonder of wonders, Filly continued to stand & scratch CMK's head & back. Occasionally Filly received scratching back to keep her happy. The right leg was actually the harder leg to splint & wrap, although it's the good leg. There are 4 pieces to the wrap, plus the vetwrap. It took some masterful hand coordination (well maybe that's an exaggeration) but at last both legs were wrapped for the night. Filly is truly an AWESOME foal. How many other 2 month old foals would have stood while both legs were wrapped & splint? I'd be willing to bet not many.

Clickity Clack and Yackity Yack!

The last day of June already & finally the heat has lessened. The delta breeze sure helped Mama have a much better day.

Filly's legs are growing. The casting material of her 1/2 splint for the right leg was getting too snug. Water had to be heated in the microwave to soak the cast so it would soften. Once it was soft, it was once again form fitted to Filly's leg. This made Filly much happier as she really is a very picky little girl about how her splints & wraps fit. It's wonderful to see some circumference of bone finally begin to grow. Even the left leg has gotten a little bigger, although not nearly as much as the right. Hopefully as the left continues to strengthen, it will catch up in density. Filly's new heel extensioned cuff will be ready for sizing tomorrow. Maybe this next weekend her other cuff will be found. It can't be lost forever, can it?

CMK got a surprise last night while filling water troughs. Filly kept inching closer & closer to Mommy Dearest. What was she up to? Slowly she inched her way next to MD & then she stretched her neck out, positioning her head in MD's flake. Was she really going to try to nurse on MD? Was she crazy?! Yes! She even managed to get her lips on MD's udder before MD moved. What a turn around for Mommy Dearest. She even allowed Filly to eat out of the feeder with her & Grey Girl. Now that's a switch! Of course she kept laying her ears back to tell Filly to go away, but Filly paid no attention. Seems she's even managed to wiggle her way into the heart of Mommy Dearest.

Grey Girl is the boss of the babies. She & Filly will stay close together & follow one mare or the other. The fillies will even sniff noses & stand together. But if Filly gets closer than GG thinks she should, oh does GG's little ears pin flat & she gets the nastiest look on her face. Poor Filly clacks in baby talk, lowers her head & dejectedly walks off. What a bossy brat GG is!

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.