Happy Sixth Birthday Granite

Six years ago on April 13, little Granite hit the ground. He has been causing trouble ever since. I've been blessed to love him and laugh at him for over 4.5 of his 6 years. 

Here is to many more years of memories. Happy Birthday Handsome Pants, I love you!

Then and Now

Six years old. 17h. 

Happy Holidays

Granite had his third vet visit on Friday. His temperature has stayed normal and he seems to be responding really well to his pain meds (now on once daily previcox). The treatment plan is to keep him in his stall and small paddock for another month when we will ultrasound again and pull more blood work to make sure his spleen has gone back to normal and the ab muscle has repaired. Although I basically called off purchasing any more Christmas gift the bills have set me back so far, but this was the best case diagnosis and the big guy is feeling better now. So, I'm a relatively happy horse mom.

I'm really looking forward to the holidays. After work this week I'll go to my parent's house on the Outer Banks. The best part is that TK will be with me for the first time this year. We'll return to our home for his birthday on the 27th. He will be 29. Where does the time go? The next day, we pack up with his family and head to Asheville, NC to spend 4 days enjoying the family's company and the beautiful mountains. To top off the great vacation, TK and I will spend new years eve with my favorite band: The Avett Brothers. I. Can't. Wait. But, 11 days without my Granite will be tough. I'm just glad he has our amazing Barn Owner to watch after him and that he is feeling better going into the holidays.

I'm sorry I've been absent most of the year. I guess I just didn't have anything moving to write. I'm glad I've been able to follow along with your lives.

Wishing you all a Happy Holiday!

From Me, Granite, Little Daphne Dog, and TK <3

Mystery Solved.... Hopefully: The Diagnosis.

I'm writing this with a (large) glass of Merlot in my hand.... just sayin. 

It was a stressful day, but I think it turned out as best as it possibly could.

I couldn't coerce my horse in the trailer without feeding or working/upsetting him (two things I was instructed not to do). So ,my (amazing) vet already had a back up plan. She, another vet and two vet student interns rolled up to the barn with the ultrasound. The other vet, whom I had never met, we very sweet but I nearly cursed when she said "this is such a fascinating case." I was all "oh no sweetheart, this is scary, not interesting!"

But anyhoo. They gave granite a really cool hair cut (bless his pea pickin heart). And ultrasounded his lower belly (the suspect of much of the pain). After lots of srunched noses and Hmmm and Ummms. The verdict was that there were no foreign bodies in his tummy. But there appears to be a torn abdominal muscle, swollen spleen, hematoma, and a possible bruised rib. She pulled more blood work to be sure that nothing else had come up since monday. She did another rectal exam and the only thing she could feel was the swollen spleen, everything else was normal back there. 

We are guessing he was kicked or wiped out reallly hard playing in the pasture or fell ON something (rock or stump or something). It started fairly mild so perhaps it got worse while he was playing in the pasture. 

Either way we are doing some strong antibiotics to prevent abscess, low-dose ulcerguard and banamine. Oh yeah, and 6 weeks restricted turn out (in a small lot, by himself). He gets more antibiotic shots on Monday and then a re-check with the vet on Friday (assuming the second blood panel comes back normally).

I'm SUPER broke after these two visits and meds and the like but this is basically the best possible scenario. No surgery or lingering/reoccuring issues. Just G being a goof-head and hurting himself.

He was such a champ today for the whole thing. Very patient and tolerant even though he wasn't feeling good. 

I'm just glad that I think (hope) that we have our answer and my boy will start to feel better soon.

Thanks for all of the suggestions and mostly the thoughts and prayers. I think I will actually maybe get some sleep tonight and not have nightmares of waking up to my horse being dead. 

A Riddle-- Also Known as 'Stump the Vet'

Granite is sick.

Want to help try to solve the puzzle... or maybe just put bets on what the vet finds?

here is how it went down:

2 weeks ago, Monday the 19th. I hopped on bareback at dusk to get a short ride in after work before it got completely black (we don't have lights). We walked to the right and when I asked him to bend to the left he pinned his ears and tried to bite my foot (Granite doesnt do that). We repeated that twice before I jumped off and called it game-over. He was hurting. He got a new buddy in his pasture that day (not new to him or the farm, just to the pasture) and I had heard that they were all running around that day playing. I assumed maybe he had gotten kicked. No marks. Just sensitivity at the girth on the left side. We keep him in the stall overnight to monitor, just in case he is colicky.He came through just fine.

He got the next day off, I worked late.

Wednesday the 21st, repeat same situation. Dusk bareback ride, not happy with left leg pressure. Trainer was there to witness this and said "maybe ulcers." Still seemed to only have sensitivity to pressure on the left. His back felt fine. No reactions.

I monitored the situation the rest of that week and even managed to ride for 15min (just walk/trot) that weekend. He didn't like being girthed and was a bit irritated at upward transitions, but nothing violent or ill-willed.

The next week, I start to notice both sides getting a negative reaction when pressed. And now moving more toward the lower belly with little reaction near the girth.

Is it his sheath? Last winter he had very similar issues but with a good cleaning (we last cleaned in July), they resolved.

Cleaned his sheath and couldn't come to the barn the next day but I made it out Friday the 30th. He is OUCHY. All near his groin, flank, lower belly. He is eating, drinking, pooping, peeing, grazing, playing in the pasture normally (all along) but is very sensitive in the low belly.

Saturday (the 1st) I try the Maalox test for ulcers. No improvement. At. All. I monitor him for a few hours. Plays in the pasture, eats, does normal horsie things. Normal stool.

Sunday morning I get a call from the Barn Owner. G just isnt right. His eyes are dull. He is in pain. I call the on-call vet. Fortunately, its "our" vet at the practice. She asks for his temp. Its normal. I tell her about all the other normal things he is doing. She determines he can wait until Monday (my credit cards says thanks).

Monday the 3rd of December she does a thorough exam finding the pain in the places I do. She does a rectal exam, and oral exam, sedates and cleans sheath (finds nothing-- compliments me on doing a decent job myself). She determines that we will treat for ulcers with gastro guard and run blood panel and stool sample. After a few days we will reevaluate and possibly scope for ulcers.

Tuesday morning Blood work comes back perfect. No signs of infection. Electrolytes are good. No high white blood cell count. Other medical stuff I dont understand is all good. No sediment or worms in the stool... lovely. Continue treatment with gastroguard.

Tuesday evening I'm at a late meeting for work. I get a call that G is pacing and while he ate his grain, he wont touch his hay. I rush out and call the vet. We see him poop (its normal) and his temp is fine. We have no banamine on hand but she suggests bute for pain bc he doesn't have diarrhea. She decides that he needs to be scoped asap.

I dont have a trailer and my big horse won't fit in the barn owners (who just started her new job last week anyway). I can't get a ride for today (Wednesday). So, the vet says thats OK. I go pick up banamine. She says we will keep gastroguarding. He goes in for scope and (ultrasound maybe?) tomorrow (thursday the 6th) at 11:30. He hasn't loaded in a trailer in a long time and he can't eat before hand. So that and the fact that I have no idea how I'm going to pay for it is an entirely different world of worry.

But for now.... any bets on whats wrong with my horse. ANYONE had something similar. Pain is is only symptom. I'm at a loss. Maybe he ate something (there is a double-sided  latch missing from his stall door)?

Keep your fingers crossed for us. He is miserable. As of lunch today he had also not had any water since last night. That worries me too.

Dog Found. Shoes Lost. Bell Boots Devoured. Car Sold.

Sorry to keep you all on the edge of your proverbial seats. After 5.5 of the WORST days of my entire life, my dog came home. At 12:30 in the morning. During a huge thunderstorm. To the door of our apartment. After spending hundreds of dollars and countless hours and lakes of tears on trying to find her and get her back, she just came home 5.5 days later and scratched and whined at the door. We had our small animal vet friend check her out and other than having worn out paw pads, some tape worms, and a few fleas, she was no worse for wear. She turned 5 yesterday, at home, safe and spoiled. Thank heavens.

That week was the week from hell. My grandma Dorothy passed away, TK got a concussion at football practice (yes, he is the coach.... but he still managed a concussion), and I got a speeding ticket on my way to my hometown for the funeral. I'm still in debt from the dog search/ speeding ticket/ unexpected 10 hour round trip home. But, its over now and for at least 1 week after it all life has been calm.

Of course, that doesn't mean I've been riding. Granite has a mystery swelling in his left hind that would come and go. Of course, he wasn't lame, just mysteriously swollen for a week. And then, he kicked off his shoe. His feet look AWFUL. Crumbly from the weather and every time he managed to pull a shoe off, he takes more wall with it. I've gone through three sets of bell boots this month trying to keep his shoes safe from his klutziness  but he eats them all! Our SuperFarrier came out yesterday and concurred that we should pull the shoes and let his feet rehab a bit. He has been on supplements for 3 months, so that will take many more months, but hopefully if he doesn't have shoes to rip off, his feet can grow a little. The farrier also said he felt comfortable with me riding him moderately without the shoes (because of his "special hoof" our farrier has always suggested keeping him shod while in work, but he thinks the angles are holding up well and we can proceed). So MAYBE, we will get to ride a little bit before my week-long trip to Oregon/Washington over Labor Day and the week to follow. I literally think I've ridden twice in August. As my best friend wisely stated yesterday, "there's always next year."

And finally, I sold my Red Car last week. After 7 years and some change with me (covering most of college, grad school, my first two big kid jobs, 1 major wreck, many minor boyfriends, a year of commuting, and countless trips home to see my parents), it was time to let Red Car take care of someone else. At nearly 187,000 miles, I just didn't trust her to make the journey back to my parents house any longer and it was getting unfair to TK to have to borrow his vehicle any time I wanted or needed to travel more than 1 hour on the interstate. So, we kept Red in the family and sold her to my fairy-horse-mother (Dianne)'s son. He is thrilled with her and I am happy to see her still loved and useful. Toyotas are GOOD cars!

And the search is on for a replacement. Fortunately, TK's little brother is hiking the Appalachian Trail (yes, all 2,200 miles of it), so TK is driving the little brother's car while I drive his until I find something to call my own. I was thinking small SUV, but we are (yet again) moving in October and will have a bit longer of a drive to the office and the barn. And I really don't want to be too bogged down with car payments and cost of ownership, so now I'm back to searching for a super-fuel efficient car to last me a good long while. I can't afford anything to haul Granite's big rear end yet, so I may as well try to be as economical as possible until I can. I'm hoping to go procure a new-to-me 2010ish Toyota Corolla this weekend. We shall see.

So that should about get you up to speed on my very exciting (NOT) life :) Cheers and happy trails to all as I look forward to HOPEFULLY getting some time in the saddle soon!

Missing Dog Burlington NC

Motivation Missing: Reward Offered

I skipped the barn tonight. So not cool, considering that I can't go out Friday-Tuesday of next week. FAIL! It has just been so super hot out and my mind has been SO elsewhere!

TK and I are strongly considering a new rental house:

So cute.

I also think I'll be purchasing a vehicle shortly. I wish I could afford something with which to haul the pony-boy, but it just isn't in the cards quite yet. I test drove this today:

2006 Toyota Rav4. I'd rather a Highlander however.

TK's mom and I are also planning a trip to Portland/Seattle for September 2nd - 7th. I know some of you out there are rep'in the PNW, so let me know, what do we HAVE to see??

Finally. TK and I and his parents are going to visit my parents and their best friends back in my home town. The twist (as if it wasn't twisty enough already)? We are going to my hometown yet staying in a beach rental house like total tourists. This is going to be SO trippy for me-- a girl who grew up hating tourists! Perhaps I'll be eating my words?

home.

Granite kicked off his shoe again Sunday and my saintly farrier tacked it back on Monday evening. I rode bareback in the pasture last night. He was bit of a turd (really avoiding the bit at all costs), but I tried not to concern myself much with that. I slacked tonight and opted for running and workout and making a nice dinner for the boy. Tomorrow, I will attempt and easy ride and lots of pony love before we head off for our beach weekend. Granite ate his bell boots, so I'm trying not to push it until my next order comes in (I ordered a back up pair, just to be safe). 

Cheers!