Shhhhhh. Don't tell.

Shhhh. I should be finishing up gathering all the documents and receipts to get the taxes done, but am taking a bit of a break from the paperwork. Like most people tax time is no fun and stressful. Yuk!  



Yesterday morning Arnold didn't want breakfast and that is an immediate red flag that he is on the verge of colicking again. So, out to the pasture armed with halter, lead rope, mineral oil and Banamine. After a few minutes he was all taken care of. When I went out to check on him he was passing a good healthy poo.  Seeing that I knew he was okay. By dinner he was feeling much better. Like you, I pay close attention to the poo part of owning animals. It tells you a lot!



Have no idea what type of flowers these are, but with this super mild winter we have had, the plants and trees are thinking it is spring time.


My horse decided to somehow darn near shred his blanket which I found in the pasture. So, the next warm day we have I'll be out there sewing it back together.

This may sound gross but I'll tell you anyway. The outside cats have been very very good at catching rodents and birds. So much so that I now have a bucket designated for all the dead bodies. Everyday I take the bucket up to one of the hills behind the house to feed the fox up there. If the fox knows food is up there, he or she will stay away from my chickens. Well, that is my thinking anyway. So far so good.

Grace is doing wonderfully. 

Oh, oh, I just noticed that I have 100 followers now! 100!!! How sweet! I am honored! Thank you to all 100! 

Okay, I suppose I had better get back to tax time paperwork. It's not doing it by itself even though I did mention to that pile of papers it was more than welcome to finish itself up! It appears the papers listen as well as the dishes do!  

Until next time.................

Arnold Update

My farrier came out this morning to look at Arnold. And to trim other donkey feet. I told him what I suspected what was wrong with Arnold, either laminitis or abscess. After checking and trimming his feet he came up with the same conclusion. It is one or the other. Now that Arnold has been trimmed, if it is an abscess, then it should blow out in a few days. 
So, being on the cautious side I have started a sugar and betadine solution on his feet to help with the abscess if in fact there is one. As for if it is laminitis, well, a schedule of anti inflammatory medicine and strict diet. And that means he has to come closer to the house ( in the breezeway) so I can monitor him. I have also noticed that Arnold has been sad which also concerns me. So I have been making it a point to spend time with just him throughout the day which seems to brighten his spirits up. 
I know as soon as we all get into a regular routine like we had at the other house, he will feel better. With him having such a rough life before we got him, maybe moving to a new place he has anxiety now for fear of what has happened to him in the past and that it might happen again. 

I get up before the sun rises to start the day. This morning on my way to let the chickens out there was Mother Nature showing a beautiful sunrise.



Another pic of the sunrise.

Mother Nature sure does know what she is doing when it comes to beauty.

Until next time......................



Vet Out Again For Arnold the Donkey

Oh my gosh these past three days have been concerning. In the blog before this one I talked about having to have the vet out for an emergency farm call for Arnold, one of our beloved donkeys.


Well, on Monday Arnold was feeling better and I thought we were out of the woods. Turns out I had to call the vet yesterday ( Tuesday) morning because Arnold was laying flat on his side and not feeling well. Arnold rarely if ever lays flat so I knew immediately something was wrong.

He was poo'ing so I knew it wasn't colic anymore. But now I suspected the first stages of laminitiscaused from the stress of his colic.

The vet first scheduled an appointment for 4:30, then he called me back and said 12:30 was the earliest he could come out. That's fine. Well, he showed up at 11:00!

Arnold was once again on his side when the vet arrived.

After an examination there was no signs of laminitis or colic. Okay, then what the heck is going on! The vet gave Arnold another shot of Banamine to relieve his discomfort. He also drew some blood for blood work.

In a few hours Arnold started feeling better. I let him out of his stall, watched his every move and he started to act like his old self. Yes, the Banamine was helping.



I called a very dear friend who knows donkeys through and through. She suggested that now the physical part of Arnold was on the mend, I needed to address the psychological side of it now. He had been in his stall for two straight days being poked and prodded and watched over and......

My friend mentioned that maybe Arnold didn't like all the extra attention and it was making him feel like an outcast with the other donkeys.

Okay, it was worth a shot at working on the psychological side of it.

I went back to 'treating' him normally on and everyday basis.

Hmmmmm, it started to work. As soon as he sensed I wasn't treating him 'special' he started acting normal.

In the meantime the vet called and said Arnold's blood work came back abnormal and he needed to come out in the morning ( Weds) and draw more blood.

Geez, what the heck is going on?!

The vet was out again this morning, drew more blood ( 4 viles worth), went back to the office, ran some tests, called me late this afternoon and said...............

Arnold's blood work is normal!!!! He couldn't explain why yesterday's blood work was abnormal, but today's is great! Yay!!!!!

In case anyone would like to know how to tell if your donkey is not feeling well here is what to look for:

Donkeys are stoic by nature. They generally do not show signs of illness until the problem is well advanced.

Normal adult donkey temperature is 98.8. Their pulse rate is about 44 beats per minute. Anything above that may indicate illness and what level pain they are in. A pulse rate of 60 is extreme pain and distress.

Normal gut sounds are gurgling and rumbling and even some squeaking. To hear gut sounds just place your ear towards the flank and listen.

Normal poo is moist balls that break apart easily. Examining poo is very important. Poo tells you a lot about the health of your donkey.

A big red flag is lack of interest in food. Donkeys LOVE their food.

Also, if you notice your donkey staying to themselves , not acting normal ( for them), drinking a lot more water than normal, pay attention to what is going on.

I am thankful for a great vet, my dear friend Kelly and for the encouraging words from my friends.

Until next time...........................

Emergency Farm Call

When you have animals in your life you just know when they aren't feeling well.



Yesterday morning when I fed breakfast to the horses, donkey and goats I noticed Arnold hadn't eaten his supper. Oh oh, highly unusual!



I went ahead and gave him his breakfast since he acted like he was kind of hungry.



When I went out later to turn everyone loose he hadn't eaten his breakfast.



Hmmmm, not a good sign.



My first thought was colic ( stomach ache which is not good). Colic can sometimes cause the gut to twist which is very, very serious!



I went ahead and turned him loose with everyone else and watched him. He drank water, was walking around and not showing any signs of distress. Okay, maybe it isn't colic. No tell tale signs.



The day worn on and he was still not acting right.



I emailed a very dear friend who knows Donkeys inside and out. Instead of emailing me back she called me and told me to get a vet out asap. It was serious. Arnold was colicking! And it could be deadly!



She said after I called the vet to put a blanket in him, lock him in his stall and give him some pain medicine. Which I did. Arnold has never had a blanket on ever! I was expecting a struggle, but he knew we were trying to help so allowed me to put the blanket on.



Called the vet. He would be here in twenty minutes.

When the vet arrived I explained all of Arnold's symptoms. I also mentioned that I was looking for colic signs that horses show if they colic.



Come to find out Donkeys do not show signs of colic like horses do! Donkeys are very stoic and hide their pain very well.



After almost three hours out in the freezing cold at night, mineral oil put into Arnolds' stomach and some more pain relief, the vet said Arnold's chances of survival were high. All we had to do now is make sure his water stayed lukewarm and watch for when he poo'd.







All through the night I kept checking on him.

This morning when it was feeding time Arnold didn't get his breakfast. Had to make sure he poo'd. Also rechecked the water temperature.

This afternoon there it was! The poo I had been looking for!!! Yay!!!!

I know it sounds gross and funny, but poo tells you a lot! I even took a picture of it to send to my friend. Yes, she was happy to see it! No worries, no pic of the glorious poo!

Arnold is out of the woods and in a few days should be just fine.

Thank you dearest Kelly! And thanks to Dr. Benson for coming out on a very cold, freezing Sunday evening.

Until next time........................