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01-03-2017, 09:18 AM
(This post was last modified: 01-03-2017, 09:19 AM by MosesBrowning.)
Sorry about your friend's horse, Nan. =( That is tough to take.
I took a few hikes with the goats & dogs this week, & will venture out again today on the snowshoes if the temp goes up just a little (it's currently -15). There was very little snow a few days ago, but it's been snowing the last 2 days, so there's a good 5-6 inches of new snow. No packs on the goats, because we're all a little out of shape, & need to get back down to fighting-weight.
The goats & their "guardian" puppy, Rio. She's a 9 month old Great Pyranees/Border Collie cross. She loves her goats, especially Lenina, the brown doeling. They were born a few weeks apart last spring, & she always overnighted in the goat pen from day one. (She has free run of the ranch during the day, as do the goats, but I lock them up at night because we're in bear & lion country...)
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Beautiful pictures! I love that happy goat in the second photo!!
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(01-03-2017, 10:18 AM)Nanno Wrote: Beautiful pictures! I love that happy goat in the second photo!!
Thanks! That's Mr. Eugene M. Stoner The Goat, aka Eugene. He's a jolly soul. =D He enjoys alfalfa/grass & long walks in the snow. LOL!
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Apparently it's a very bad year for colicking horses. The vet said so when she came to attend my friend's mare. She said she had thirteen consecutive days around Christmas when she couldn't do her normal routine because she was rushing from one colic to the next. I think it's the crazy weather swings we've been having. We've had days in the high 50's/low 60's turn to nights of 15* or less in a matter of hours. Then it swings back up again two days later.
Last night was my Jet's turn for a bellyache. Thank goodness it was a mild case and I noticed. In fact, Jet made sure I noticed! It was after dark and he kept following me as I went around my chores. I didn't take much notice until he walked ahead of me, parked himself directly in my headlamp beam, turned to look at his belly, then gave me a very pointed stare. It was pretty obvious what he was telling me, but to make absolutely sure he wasn't just itchy, I walked off and waited for him to do it again. He did it two more times right away, and he was very sure to stay in my headlamp beam so I could see. I finished chores and took him to the house so I could get his temperature. It was only 102*, but if a horse has an elevated temperature when it's as cold as it was last night, you know something is going wrong. I could hear only a few slight belly sounds. I walked him up and down and kept an eye on him for a couple of hours. He never looked distressed, but his temperature went up to 103* and he started pinning his ears at me when I touched his belly.
So at around 10:15 I hitched up the trailer and took him for a ride on dirt roads for about 20 minutes and then checked on him. I've heard that a trailer ride on dirt roads can loosen up a horse with a minor obstruction or some gas, and I'm happy to say that it worked! There were two piles in the trailer when I stopped to check on him, so we turned around and went home. There was a third pile by the time I unloaded him. His temperature had already gone down to 101.8 despite the fact that he'd gotten pretty worked up about being dragged away from home late at night. I toweled the sweat off him and left him blanketed for the night and he was right as rain this morning. Thank goodness the episode was mild and was over quickly! I hope I get better sleep tonight. Naturally I was up watching him until after 1:00, and then I was up to check him a couple more times after that. I'm a little tired.
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I'm sure happy Jet pulled out of it with the trailer ride!
I've only had one horse colic and it was in the middle of the winter in Cheyenne, WY. The vet tubed her with oil and it took hours before she pulled out of it. We walked that mare all night long. It was freezing cold and she wanted to lie down.
It's always so hard to see an animal in pain.
Goatberries Happen!
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(01-04-2017, 03:28 PM)Nanno Wrote: So at around 10:15 I hitched up the trailer and took him for a ride on dirt roads for about 20 minutes and then checked on him. I've heard that a trailer ride on dirt roads can loosen up a horse with a minor obstruction or some gas, and I'm happy to say that it worked! There were two piles in the trailer when I stopped to check on him, so we turned around and went home. There was a third pile by the time I unloaded him. His temperature had already gone down to 101.8 despite the fact that he'd gotten pretty worked up about being dragged away from home late at night. I toweled the sweat off him and left him blanketed for the night and he was right as rain this morning. Thank goodness the episode was mild and was over quickly! I hope I get better sleep tonight. Naturally I was up watching him until after 1:00, and then I was up to check him a couple more times after that. I'm a little tired.
I'm glad your Jet is ok!
That colic is a scary thing, especially if they're turned out & you don't have eyes on them all the time. Haven't had it happen yet, but I know it happens eventually if you have horses long enough.
It's horrible when one of our animal friends is in pain & suffering.
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I've never heard of the trailer cure for that kind of thing - I'm so glad it worked! It just goes to show how valuable forums like these are for picking up ideas
Happiness is a baby goat snoring in your lap
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Yeah, I heard about that one a couple of years ago. I'm not even sure where. But it makes perfect sense--the vibration on the dirt road can shake gas bubbles out and break up minor impactions. It's the same idea as walking the horse only it's more stimulating to the gut and less tiring for both of you. Besides, if you take a horse for a trailer ride and he doesn't poop, you know he needs to see a vet!
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(01-05-2017, 07:01 PM)Nanno Wrote: Besides, if you take a horse for a trailer ride and he doesn't poop, you know he needs to see a vet!
^ This is 100% true & brilliant.
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I'm beginning to feel like I've moved back to the mountains of Colorado! My goats are getting a taste of what a real winter is like! While I was filling water tanks yesterday (I hate hauling hoses in the winter!) I had the goats out wandering around. Joules and Bourbon zeroed in on the bird feeder full of sunflower seeds while the others munched on the knockout rose bushes.
I'm enjoying this taste of winter but am happy it won't stick around until late spring like it did when we lived in the mountains.
The snow pile is from clearing the snow in the driveway between my younger son's house and mine and where we park our vehicles. Maybe 40' across x 75' long. The 2nd photo is of the whiteout blizzard we had yesterday. The flakes were HUGE!
a little snow.jpg (Size: 49.51 KB / Downloads: 42)
blizzard.jpg (Size: 14.47 KB / Downloads: 41)
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