As mentioned in a previous post: it was time to check up on 'Mr F's teeth. It has been just over a year since the last check up, well over due. I didn't want anything that might even mildly upset 'Mr F' and therefore I decided to skip one 6-monthly checkup. This decision was also based on the fact that his teeth have been very good so far.
'Suzie' (our equine Vet) was due at 15:30. At 14:30 I gave 'Mr F' a small bite to eat; half his evening feed. It had been a cold, windy and wet day out there and the boys were all hungry. I made myself a cup of tea to warm myself up.
She was pretty much on time.
'Suzie' (our equine Vet) was due at 15:30. At 14:30 I gave 'Mr F' a small bite to eat; half his evening feed. It had been a cold, windy and wet day out there and the boys were all hungry. I made myself a cup of tea to warm myself up.
She was pretty much on time.
Upon seeing her get out the car 'Mr F' already makes a few steps backwards. He knows someone is going to so something to him.
While 'Suzie' was getting her gear out the car and into the stable, 'Mr F' stood absolutely still and just stared, giving me the odd 'Do we really have to' - glance. He knew what was coming. "Do you just want to do the teeth?" she asked. Initially I had wanted her to do teeth, sheath check and another routine blood test. Looking at my budget earlier I was now dithering for a moment. "No, could you please check out his sheath, clean it and his penis and check for the bean." I have done this myself in the past but I find that considering his age I want to make sure all is OK and a VET knows more than I do.
"OK, I will have to sedate him a little to check his sheath - it needs to drop." And of course it will be safer for 'Suzie' to work on 'Mr F's private area with a little sedation. "Fine. But he has had some feed about 40 minutes ago." - "That'll be fine."
While 'Suzie' was getting her gear out the car and into the stable, 'Mr F' stood absolutely still and just stared, giving me the odd 'Do we really have to' - glance. He knew what was coming. "Do you just want to do the teeth?" she asked. Initially I had wanted her to do teeth, sheath check and another routine blood test. Looking at my budget earlier I was now dithering for a moment. "No, could you please check out his sheath, clean it and his penis and check for the bean." I have done this myself in the past but I find that considering his age I want to make sure all is OK and a VET knows more than I do.
"OK, I will have to sedate him a little to check his sheath - it needs to drop." And of course it will be safer for 'Suzie' to work on 'Mr F's private area with a little sedation. "Fine. But he has had some feed about 40 minutes ago." - "That'll be fine."
I always worry when giving sedative to horses; it seems although they are such huge animals, everything inside them is highly sensitive and I keep saying to 'Suzie' "He will wake up won't he?" "He won't fall over, will he?" By now she knows me and my doubtful questions. "We have done this many times now, have you ever seen him fall over?" - "No, but you know me, over cautions. Nothing personal." Both smile.
Teeth are fine. No complications there, I am relieved. Whatever it was that bothered him for a few days, it's gone. No cracked teeth, nothing except one front molar being almost worn away. But that's one, he's got many more. He is keeping his weight nicely so from that point of view his mouth works well and chewing ability is sufficient to allow him to get all that he needs from what he eats.
Next up was the sheath ... it had dropped now and was ready to be cleaned and examined. It did need a good clean indeed. A tiny bean also was removed. "Everything is fine 'down there', no growths, all fine."
'Suzie' repeatedly comments on 'Mr F's good condition and how beautiful his coat is. She is also amazed at how his fracture has healed. The bone is solid again and altough out of place, the displaced muscle mass also adapted. While she is packing up her tools we have some chit chat about who well 'Mr F' has been recovering etc.
"Don't let him eat anything until he is awake. Give it a good 30-40 minutes from now." - "OK. I remember from the previous times."
All tools loaded back in the car, 'Suzie' leaves.
I cover up 'Mr F's haylage bag and the grass block with his rug so that he cannot pull it off. Just a precaution while I quickly leave the stable to put the kettle on and to answer a call of nature. I keep checking on 'Mr F' every minute while making tea. Eventually he moves a little, now standing at the front of the stable but still all groggy.
I join him in his stable and sip my tea while waiting for him to wake up. A good while later 'Mr F' begins to take part in this world again and tries to get some food but I stop him. 'Not yet, another 10 minutes chicken.' 'Mr F' gets irritated because I won't let him have food. He walks about in the stable but still a little wobbly. It's been now at least an hour since he has had that little dose of sedative and he looks still quite groggy. I let him have a tiny handful of haylage. He is chewing OK and swallowing is fine too.
But instead of wanting more, 'Mr F' wonders off to stand in the far corner of his stable where he often stands when he is chilling. Meanwhile I make myself busy by fluffing up his bed.
According to the imprints of 'Mr F's body in the straw when I muck out in the morning it is appears that he likes to sleep with his back against the wall, but with considerable padding. I stack up some straw against the wall, forming an oversized and long stretched pillow.
According to the imprints of 'Mr F's body in the straw when I muck out in the morning it is appears that he likes to sleep with his back against the wall, but with considerable padding. I stack up some straw against the wall, forming an oversized and long stretched pillow.
'Mr F' is moving again, he comes over to check out what I am doing but he is still quite wobbly and is giving me an odd look. He is still not quite awake and somewhat uncomfortable. Perhaps he needs a wee after the sedation. I move to give him room, he has his preferred position for urinating.
But now he starts digging the ground just like he does when lying down to roll. I have not seen him lie down in his stable this early. It's usually around 4am when he lies down. He lowers his body veeery slowly to the ground. I was surprised at how well he was able to control his body's slow descent into the straw, almost like yoga. He is normally much less subtle.
'Odd, well perhaps he is just taking longer to wake up'. I wonder. But 'Mr F' gets back up after just a few seconds, only to then lay down again on his other side. I am beginning to hear mild alarm bells in my head. He lays there, looking quite out of sorts, curled up like a cat. Nothing unusual about being curled up, he does that in the field all the time. However, I am not liking the look of his eyes. It is now that I notice his whole body is shivering - this may be because of it being only 2 degrees together with a chilly and quite strong wind. He has been sweating up because of the sedative which he always does hence why I removed the rug. But then 'Mr F' looks at his belly, then back at me, then back at his belly. He always 'points; at what bothered him. In fact it is as though he is trying to bite his belly.
Oh no, is that a colic?! But aren't colics usually when horses groan and stamp at the ground and go crazy? Are there different types of colics? There must be.
He clearly was tired too. But if he was having a colic there was only one thing to do so I had been told in the past, he had to move around. "Get up, come one, get up!" I grab 'Mr F's head-collar and lead-rope and put it on. "Come on! Up you get! NOW!" Trying to say this as calmly as possible.
While trying to get him up without success I call 'Suzie'. Eventually I get hold of her and explain what I am faced with. "Breathe. Get him up and move him for the next 30-40 minutes. Take him up to the menage and trot him for 10 minutes at a time if you can. Ring me after that or anytime you have a problem. I can come up now if you do think it is serious. It is difficult for me to judge the situation purely from your description. Do you want me to come back?" - "No not just yet. He's is standing now, but very sleepy." - "OK. Do ring me any time please. Let me know how he does in about 30 minutes."
He clearly was tired too. But if he was having a colic there was only one thing to do so I had been told in the past, he had to move around. "Get up, come one, get up!" I grab 'Mr F's head-collar and lead-rope and put it on. "Come on! Up you get! NOW!" Trying to say this as calmly as possible.
While trying to get him up without success I call 'Suzie'. Eventually I get hold of her and explain what I am faced with. "Breathe. Get him up and move him for the next 30-40 minutes. Take him up to the menage and trot him for 10 minutes at a time if you can. Ring me after that or anytime you have a problem. I can come up now if you do think it is serious. It is difficult for me to judge the situation purely from your description. Do you want me to come back?" - "No not just yet. He's is standing now, but very sleepy." - "OK. Do ring me any time please. Let me know how he does in about 30 minutes."
It is now 5pm and there is just a little daylight left. It takes me a while to coax 'Mr F' to follow me up to the menage as he isn't interested at all in leaving his stable.
"No discussions here - get moving!" Of course tug of war between 50kg and 550kg ends only with one result but have my ways of getting him to move and finally we get to the menage.
We are exposed to the elements up here, a biting wind greets us; quickly my fingers loose all feeling. I get us walking around at an acceptable speed. After about 10 minutes I make him trot altough there is no way we can keep this going for 10 minutes. It's now no longer light enough to lounge so I run along with him (luckily I am fit!). We do that for some time, he quite willingly follows. Despite the exercise I am still freezing in the icy wind and 'Mr F' is without his rug. If fish around in my jacket pocket looking for my phone to check the time. Blinded by the strong light of the screen I can just make out that 30 minutes have gone by since I checked last. Time to return to the stables to put on his rug and to grab my gloves. Having stared at the bright screen I of course can now see nothing in the pitch black dark. I wait a few seconds for my eyes to adjust. 'Mr F' gives me a nudge. 'Yes OK, we are going.' Once we get back down to our stable the youngsters are greeting us and 'Mr F' goes straight for their haynets that hang at the front of the stable.. "NO!' No food for you yet, wait."
"No discussions here - get moving!" Of course tug of war between 50kg and 550kg ends only with one result but have my ways of getting him to move and finally we get to the menage.
We are exposed to the elements up here, a biting wind greets us; quickly my fingers loose all feeling. I get us walking around at an acceptable speed. After about 10 minutes I make him trot altough there is no way we can keep this going for 10 minutes. It's now no longer light enough to lounge so I run along with him (luckily I am fit!). We do that for some time, he quite willingly follows. Despite the exercise I am still freezing in the icy wind and 'Mr F' is without his rug. If fish around in my jacket pocket looking for my phone to check the time. Blinded by the strong light of the screen I can just make out that 30 minutes have gone by since I checked last. Time to return to the stables to put on his rug and to grab my gloves. Having stared at the bright screen I of course can now see nothing in the pitch black dark. I wait a few seconds for my eyes to adjust. 'Mr F' gives me a nudge. 'Yes OK, we are going.' Once we get back down to our stable the youngsters are greeting us and 'Mr F' goes straight for their haynets that hang at the front of the stable.. "NO!' No food for you yet, wait."
I put on his rug and give 'Suzie' another call. "He still looks pretty much out of it but he wants to eat again. He no longer looks at his belly nor is he trying to lie down." - "Take him for another walk, see if he wakes up a little more." - "OK. I shall text you later with an update or ring if I am concerned."
Meanwhile 'Mr F' manages to 'steal' a few mouth fulls of haylage from 'Rookie's haynet, I sometimes misjudge just how long 'Mr F's neck is, especially if he wants something! "That's enough, lets go."
After yet another tug of war 'Mr F' and I are once again off to the menage. We now mostly walk, in circles around the menage. I do that with him for another 30 minutes. As we are wandering in circles I notice how beautifully bright the stars shine above us! And the age old question comes back up "where does it end? Where did it begin? We are 'floating' in infinite matter. All that exists is made up of atoms, everything. Hold together by energy. Are we really 'real'? Or is it all in our heads? Does 'Mr F' see stars? If everything is just made up of energy basically, nothing can really die either. The shape will go, the energy will still be here?' I get distracted by my wandering mind by 'Mr F' blowing his nostrils, followed by a what sounds like a big sigh of relief. He is definitely paying more attention now and has his usual 'I am bored in this square pen, can we do something else please?' - look which I can just about make out now that the eyes have adjusted to the dark.
Meanwhile 'Mr F' manages to 'steal' a few mouth fulls of haylage from 'Rookie's haynet, I sometimes misjudge just how long 'Mr F's neck is, especially if he wants something! "That's enough, lets go."
After yet another tug of war 'Mr F' and I are once again off to the menage. We now mostly walk, in circles around the menage. I do that with him for another 30 minutes. As we are wandering in circles I notice how beautifully bright the stars shine above us! And the age old question comes back up "where does it end? Where did it begin? We are 'floating' in infinite matter. All that exists is made up of atoms, everything. Hold together by energy. Are we really 'real'? Or is it all in our heads? Does 'Mr F' see stars? If everything is just made up of energy basically, nothing can really die either. The shape will go, the energy will still be here?' I get distracted by my wandering mind by 'Mr F' blowing his nostrils, followed by a what sounds like a big sigh of relief. He is definitely paying more attention now and has his usual 'I am bored in this square pen, can we do something else please?' - look which I can just about make out now that the eyes have adjusted to the dark.
The boys greet us again, this time with an almost cheery neigh. I lead 'Mr F' into his stable, although he at first hesitated and looked towards the drive. "What, you want to go for a walk down the drive in the dark now?" He turns his head back to the stable and I gladly take this as a No, making steps towards the stable. 'Mr F' follows me quite willingly.
Everything about him is now a little more awake. I take of his head-collar and rope and watch him for another 20 minutes. He makes no further attempt to lie down nor does he show any other colic like signs, instead he slowly munches away on his haylage while getting used to his 'new' teeth. He also drinks some water. While standing there watching 'Mr F' I realise that I have to get a bite to eat as I am getting dizzy. I don't tend to eat during the day except for the steady supply of carrots in my pockets. Yet my work is very physical. 'Mr F' is now fairly relaxed. I send 'Jackie' a text, roughly explaining the situation and that I would come back again in an hour. I suddenly remember that I also have to prepare for tomorrow's move, moving into a different room in a house nearer to the stables. Not really wanting to leave but also realizing that right now there is not much else I can do I get on my way. 'Mr F' was now quite contently munching his haylage.
After having fed myself I return to 'Mr F'.
I park the car outside the gates so that I can sneak up on the boys. All is fine. 'Mr F' seems quite content but his eyes are still a little groggy. 'Jackie' comes out and joins me for a little while. I tell her that I will stay for an hour, just to make sure. "But its freezing out here, why don't you come to ours". - "That's kind but I don't want to mix up your family time. I'll be just fine out here and want check on 'Mr F' every now and then without disturbing him. The tack room is out of the wind and I wear warm clothes."
An hour passes where I regularly check on 'Mr F'. I try to do it without him noticing so I have to dodge all the trigger points for the flood light. In between getting up to check I nod off for short moments. The sound of the wind accompanied by the steady rhythm of the horses and sheep chewing their haylage is extremely relaxing and homely. I know 'Jackie' does her evening check later in the night and she will text me if there is anything odd about 'Mr F'. I trust 'Jackie's animal health knowledge as she has owned horses, cattle and sheep for decades. For the time being 'Mr F' looks much more content, still a little sleepy but otherwise almost his normal self. It's 20:30 and I decide to return to my room for the night.
An hour passes where I regularly check on 'Mr F'. I try to do it without him noticing so I have to dodge all the trigger points for the flood light. In between getting up to check I nod off for short moments. The sound of the wind accompanied by the steady rhythm of the horses and sheep chewing their haylage is extremely relaxing and homely. I know 'Jackie' does her evening check later in the night and she will text me if there is anything odd about 'Mr F'. I trust 'Jackie's animal health knowledge as she has owned horses, cattle and sheep for decades. For the time being 'Mr F' looks much more content, still a little sleepy but otherwise almost his normal self. It's 20:30 and I decide to return to my room for the night.
Later that evening I do get a update text from 'Jackie': 'All are chewing happily and are relaxed.' OK, time for me to sleep.
The following morning I first off all I fill my car with the first load of belongings as I am moving rooms in between work. I try to do this very quietly as it is only 5am. I then go to attend 'Mr F' for 6:15am as usual. He is back to normal. And there is lots of poo in the stable. Funny to get so excited about poo ... but it means his interior is working as intended. Perhaps he had some form of constipation? Sedation will slow down his guts. Perhaps there is something else going on in there that triggered this reaction?
It is a very windy day again with the odd rain/sleet showers. 'Jackie' and I agree to bring them in early, just after lunch. They are turned out around 7:40 or as soon as there is some light. This way the boys get to stretch their legs and the youngsters can let off some steam. Although they are very well behaved in the stable, even when in 24/7. Our stables are approx. 15 x 15 feet so that is plenty room to stretch legs.
It is a very windy day again with the odd rain/sleet showers. 'Jackie' and I agree to bring them in early, just after lunch. They are turned out around 7:40 or as soon as there is some light. This way the boys get to stretch their legs and the youngsters can let off some steam. Although they are very well behaved in the stable, even when in 24/7. Our stables are approx. 15 x 15 feet so that is plenty room to stretch legs.
At 1pm I quickly go to 'Hill Farm' - I drive past it most days in between jobs - to give 'Jackie' a hand bringing them in but she is already ahead of me. And how well we have timed this; 15 minutes later the skies open with some torrential downpours. No point leaving the horses getting all wet out there, seeing that they are always happy to come in. And it prevents the wet fields from getting too messed up.
'Mr F' now truly back to normal and in control of things. I dash off to load move and unload the rest of my stuff.
I will return again later in the afternoon to feed them all as 'Jackie' won't be here.
As I return later in the afternoon to feed them all, 'Mr F' is definitely back to normal and eagerly anticipating his food.
Note to self foremost: 'Mr F' appears to be allergic to sedative now. I also let 'Jackie' know just in case she has to call out 'Suzie' when I am not in reach if there is an emergency.
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