Author Topic: ?? Kechi ??  (Read 4397 times)

Offline paintponylvr

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?? Kechi ??
« on: July 25, 2016, 04:16:01 PM »
I started this in the "Weather" Thread and decided to split it off...l

So...  Kechi has had issues since we brought her back home in February 2016.  I've downplayed them, but have kept our vet appraised of what's been going on AND she's been given basic checks/exams 2 times since she started losing a lot of weight (one before foaling and one since).  But after last Thursday's storm -

Kechi (the dam of Jynx) totally freaked out, completely quit eating (again - she's lost a lot of weight and I've tried many things with her) and then went down hill.  I turned her out on Friday with the other two - thinking that would be better - only to have them "hound" her pretty hard...  I think they ended up keeping her off the water as well as the hay (WAS spread out, but ...).  She curled her legs under her and went down mid- morning Saturday and I didn't realize right away that she wasn't just resting  :-[  .  When I fed them at noon again, I realized just how bad of shape she was in - I put a bucket of water in front of her and she drank.  Then I tried to get her up - she couldn't.  She and Jynx ate their feed from a shallow pan, set in front of Kechi. 

So, Larry, Sierra and I got her on the fiberglass cover that was on our truck originally (works great as a solid drag!) and moved her from the un-sheltered round pen, to the shaded area feed pen with the "Jr Mares" that they were out with before they foaled.  We then put 2 slings up on the pine tree (thankfully the branches are holding) with old riding horse girths & rope and got her on her feet.  She drank, ate feed, drank, picked at her hay and let Jynx nurse.  Every 2-3 hours, I've gone out and given her another feed, freshened her water & cleaned up around her - she's also been hosed off several times to cool her down and clean her up.  She is passing good manure w/o sand, urinating fine (nice yellow color - not clear and not brown) and other than when first found down, her mucous membranes have been nicely wet and pink. 

This morning and again earlier this afternoon - she is alert, not really happy about "hanging out" in the slings and whinnying.  For the first time since February 19th, she's cleaning up her feed w/o dumping it or "throwing it" every where.  The feed pan sits inside of our hay wagon along with her water bucket and it's in front of her - limiting her foreward movement.  Maybe we will now gain the weight back she needs and come all the way back???  I will be taking her out of the slings this evening for a couple of hours.  Figure I'll put her back in them for tonight - as I have to leave for work by 630 tomorrow morning.  I'll feed her/clean up before I go, then Larry will check on her about noon (he has a class tomorrow when he gets off his night shift) and Sierra will check on her before I get home when I will take over again...  PHEW.

O, and yes, she probably should have been seen by a vet and maybe put on IV fluids - except right now the cost is beyond what we could do since we are currently putting every extra penny on a surprise bill I got for the MRI I had last month (most covered by insurance, but).  I have been talking with the vet about what to try to get her to eat - we've done the different feeds - for at least 3 weeks at a time (to get her swapped over and then eating it by itself).  We hadn't treated her for ulcers and I'm picking up meds for that today.  Also, she wasn't totally dehydrated AND when offered water - she drank on her own.  I think that the combination of not eating her own feed regularly (she'd leave it - almost always seemed to have a partial bucket of feed and every couple of feedings I'd dump it out for the pasture ponies to pick thru), the heat and the humidity and then the running the other two were doing (KoKo has dropped a lot of weight, too - but nothing like Kechi).

Kechi has had issues in the past with eating, weight issues and general unthrifty-ness and plenty of vet visits.  Sometimes treating for ulcers when she was a weanling/yearling made a difference, sometimes it didn't.  The folks who purchased her had some issues with her overall health, too.  The vet and I are talking about doing a blood draw to see where we are health wise and see if that offers any clues (didn’t when she was a yearling - she was given a series of injections of Winstrol and suddenly started picking up). 

The family and I have already discussed the possibility of euthanasia and raising Jynx w/o her dam.    I'm really hoping that whatever happened to make her eat on her own w/o dumping it, is the turning point and we can get her better again from here.  Have I said in another post anywhere, that I've got a serious love/hate thing with this little mare??? :'(   

Paula Hoffman
LP Painted Ponys
Cameron, NC

Offline dcwolcott

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Re: ?? Kechi ??
« Reply #1 on: July 25, 2016, 05:07:45 PM »
I had a mare like that once.  She was a constant "fear" for me every time I got home -- never knowing where I'd find her or what condition she was in.  I brought her back several times from death's door, the vet said, and she was troubled with the high heat here in Florida, so put in a sprinkler above her stall and kept her under fans during the day -- only letting her out at night when she was able to get around.  Just seemed like there was a constant battle to see what was causing her distress each and every time.  The vet I had was great, and we did many things to keep her going, and praying for her improvement, but she never quite got "right".

She lasted for several years in that condition, but finally one day I came home to find her lying sternal in the pasture, and she was never able to get up again.  The vet euthanized her for me, but it sounds like with the help you have, she just may come out of it.  I'm sure it's confusing for the little one, but maybe that little one will keep her going!!

Praying hard for her and you.  Please keep us posted!!   ;pray ;pray ;pray
'Be kinder than necessary, for everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle.'

Offline Rocklone

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Re: ?? Kechi ??
« Reply #2 on: July 25, 2016, 05:59:57 PM »
Has her teeth been done? I knew a horse who was like this and eventually a dentist removed a massive ingrown infected tooth.

Offline Ryan

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Re: ?? Kechi ??
« Reply #3 on: July 25, 2016, 08:03:08 PM »
Sorry to read this Paula, Keep us posted , I hope she keeps on continuing to Improve  ;pray

This is the mare that you leased out and then got back, if im correct ? :)

Offline Chanda

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Re: ?? Kechi ??
« Reply #4 on: July 25, 2016, 08:18:11 PM »
she sounds like a candidate for ulcer meds and probably a maintenance product on a daily basis; I give them a good try.  And, perhaps a probiotic (and/or prebiotic) to help keep her gut as normal as possible.
I'd also look into something with her teeth, like someone else mentioned, something more serious such as an infected or impacted tooth.
Hope you can get it figured out and get her back on the right track.
Chanda
HC Minis

Stallions: Little Kings Cat on Top, Paper Mache`
Mares: Misty, Tana, Sophia, Bliss, Bonny, Dolly and Baybe
Geldings: Dakota, Monte and Manny, Spotty
Donkey: Tilly

Offline paintponylvr

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Re: ?? Kechi ??
« Reply #5 on: July 25, 2016, 09:35:10 PM »
She had her teeth done several times between March 2010 and Dec 2013, when I sold her.  In Feb 2016, when she came back home, she had her teeth checked when I was having issues getting her to eat - by both my regular vet and my farrier (who sometimes disagrees w/ our vet - but loves her anyway).  Neither felt that there are/were issues with her teeth and she is the one we plan on doing in Oct.  She even used a speculum to hold her mouth open and really looked around w/ 2 flashlights (1 on her head & one in her hand) to make sure.  I have had teeth impacted and/or broken off before - as well as a fractured jaw - one of the things noticeable with those is the smell!  No, I haven't had her checked by another vet though.  IF I do, will haul her down to our previous vet and right now, that wouldn't work - I don't think she'd make that trip easily in this heat.  If necessary - that vet has exray equipment that will work - w/o having to go to State (or I could find out where they are on vet student studies and see what would be needed to go to State?).

The feed store didn't have what I was planning on purchasing to start her on and will need to get another tube of probiotics, as well - which I forgot - head slap,  as the tube I had was bad after I left it in the barn in this heat (ewwww..).  My fault on that one  - the stuff is nasty as is, that was much worse.  Chanda - what pre-biotics?  I will have to go look at some now, because I don't think I've ever used prebiotics before.

When I went out for her 3rd feeding this afternoon, she was happy, alert, whinnying like I was late w/ feeding and standing steady enough to  paw with one hoof (and after a bit, she'd change feet).  She also started rooting her wet feed right out of the shallow pan - as soon as I put it down for her in the wagon.  GGGRRRRRR.  I had to turn away to clean up - I was starting to get mad!

BUT she looks better - visibly she's already put weight back on and her flanks have filled out, too!!!  Not enough, but it's one heck of a start.  I didn't end up taking the slings off - w/ the feed store run and with delivering some carriers to a cat acquaintance was gone too long...  didn't want to take her out right before this eve and take a chance she'd need to go back into it when I couldn't do it alone.  Better to leave her in it for right now.  Plan on coming straight home tomorrow from work and will take them off of her then to see how she is...  daughter will be able to help tomorrow eve if necessary (I'm thinking it won't be).

She also has a sunburn through her coat - which I hadn't noticed previously (I feel a bit terrible - really not an excuse for that). Of course, I don't have a fly sheet which would help protect that and none of our local stores carry anything that small.  Will have to order one.   Never had her do that before - but then haven't had her ever lose this much weight (well, did her first year-but during the winter and she DID have some other issues then too).  It was easier to blanket her and wrap her cold legs than to deal with this in the heat right now...

I will be going out again shortly to feed her again and top off all the water tanks tonight rather than in the morning.  Easier that way.

Diane - OI - if we get her back and this ever happens again - I would seriously have to consider quality of life as well as other issues for us right now.  First going against my judgement to sell her to this family and then all that's gone on since she came back.  And Larry hasn't forgotten she was the one we had so many issues with previously and he is not happy at all right now.  And he's very stressed and very unhappy about the fact we have talked about euthanasia.  I have a single stall.  Right now, it has all of my harness stuff and hadn't finished fixing it yet for all of our tack and equipment (not all will fit), so could, feasibly, do a stall w/ a mister, fans etc.  Would need to put a window in for ventilation, but I've done that before.  The rafters are not strong enough, however, to do a sling set up (I'd already thought about that).  This "barn" simply wasn't built that way.

Some of the sunburn is peeling (hair and scabs) - similar but not the same as rain rot.  WILL go ahead and do a fungal shampoo on her when we get her stronger, a little more weight.

Thank you all for your prayers and recommendations.  Maybe I should have asked earlier - this has been a problem since February and her foal and the heat made it so much worse, I think??  I am happy to keep you in the loop on what we are doing.
Paula Hoffman
LP Painted Ponys
Cameron, NC

Offline Chanda

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Re: ?? Kechi ??
« Reply #6 on: July 25, 2016, 11:34:47 PM »
I'm not 100% certain what prebiotics are, just know that often times they are recommended in addition to or instead of probiotics.   They are similar, but I think what they do is feed the good gut flora so that it's healthy and can reproduce as it should.
Chanda
HC Minis

Stallions: Little Kings Cat on Top, Paper Mache`
Mares: Misty, Tana, Sophia, Bliss, Bonny, Dolly and Baybe
Geldings: Dakota, Monte and Manny, Spotty
Donkey: Tilly

Offline Silver City Heritage Farm

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Re: ?? Kechi ??
« Reply #7 on: July 26, 2016, 02:54:47 PM »
Oh Paula, I'm so sorry to hear all of this! :'(  Haven't allowed myself to do much "fun" internet the last month, as I've been struggling to pass this module of my SEO course.

Is she stabilized and still in slings? How's Jynx doing? Has Tori adopted her--so to speak?

I'm praying she is recovering, she's always been my very favorite BECAUSE of her bi-polarish personality.

Be looking for an email and/or call after dusk today. Maybe I can scrounge up some additional suggestions along the lines of Chanda's, as well as some type of sunburn treatment.

Remember to take care of yourself first though...everyone suffers if you're out of commission. Prayers coming your way in the meantime.
Silver City Heritage Farmstead

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Offline paintponylvr

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Re: ?? Kechi ??
« Reply #8 on: July 31, 2016, 02:46:00 PM »
OK...  So she was out of the sling on both Tue & Wed when I got home from work.  On Tue, Larry had checked her around noon due to his online class and before he went to bed.  She was OK, then.  By 6:00pm, she was in the middle of the pen, all curled up sternal with  a bleeding lower lip.  Sierra was with me and we were able to get her on her hooves, back into the slings which we then hooked up with harness parts.  She was bright and alert, so I was happy.  She seemed content in the sling(s) once we got her back in them, though she is pretty raw where the slings sit (I have no idea how to combat this - no padding works well or long). 

She was fine later in the evening before I went to bed - around 11 pm.  She ate heartily and all of her body functions EXCEPT for standing alone, are working.

Standing on Wed morning - ate like a little PIG!  Larry checked her a bit earlier - he is ready to go to bed. She was good to go.  I arrived earlier than usual as I was off right at 5 pm and "flew" home.  I beat Sierra home from work but could see that not only was she down in the pen but this time in "trouble".  I didn't bother going to the house but swung into the pasture thru the gate and went up to take care of her.  She had again managed to get out of the slings (??), but because we'd hooked up a chest piece that didn't come loose this time and breeching with the crupper, she was hung up.  She was laying w/ 2 legs thru the panel fence, her head at a very strange angle and when I lifted it I was horrified to find the right side almost bare of hair w/ lots of scratches and a couple of bleeding cuts.  All superficial and will easily heal but just one more thing right now.  She'd dug a "crater" by the fence while trying to get up and I had to refill that after I got her moved around out of the way.  I tried my darndest - but she would first insist on struggling at a very BAD time when I needed her to be still while I worked slings and such under her OR she'd not try to move and just lay there when I needed some effort from her to get up!  Probably was only 15 minutes or so, but by the 5th attempt to get her up, i was in tears and frustrated and totally tuckered out with not a dry spot of clothing on me (scrubs stick when wet with sweat, YUUCK).  Then I started seeing stars and having trouble breathing so I sat down to just wait a bit...

Larry texted me from the house and I replied, but couldn't move yet.  He and Sierra (i hadn't seen her come in the drive while I'd been trying to get her up by myself) came on out and they got everything resorted (again).  At first, they thought she was dead cause her last struggle had almost bent her double with her bum in the air and her neck/head again bent weird - the last position I'd left her in when I couldn't do any more for a bit and she didn't move out of it at all.  Neither of them seemed to know what needed to be done to get her back up.  Sierra was holding the rope around her girth and chest and I bent over, grabbed her tail and hoisted - AND she was standing again.  As soon as she was back on her feet she whinnied!  Then she drank from her bucket and licked Jynx.  UGH I was so mad all over again... and soooooooo tired/whipped feeling.  Again she ate.  Soooo, we left her again.  I did get others semi fed (a few I didn't do, though should have)..

I checked her again around midnight and she was good.  Gave her more water and fed her again.  Not even sure how I made it back to the house but I passed out when there.  Larry woke me when he got home at 8 am to see how she was doing.  I went on out and took care of all of them - she was good to go this time.  I'd studied on the problem a bit - and realized she'd probably gotten out of the slings when she she started getting bothered by flies.  I'd run out of fly spray and not brought any more back over to the mares' shed, so hadn't reapplied any to her...  And they were biting me right thru my sweat soaked clothes and on any bare skin they could find!  Not out early in the morning, but from about 11 am onward until about 2.  Then gone again until later in the evening right around dusk.

She did great on Thursday.  On Friday, my farrier was out.  Kechi was due and we did end up doing her hooves - though not all the way.  She just had them lifted - very low to the ground while in the slings and I supported her, too.  They were not brought forward to the do the finishing part of the trim - but did have a pretty substantial amount of growth.  Rasping bothered her (but it always has, so we were prepared) and she rocked back and forth - especially when her fronts done. 

Then Saturday we had a storm that wasn't predicted!  OMG, I watched and she seemed to be ok when I could see her from front porch thru sheets of rain.  Temps did drop, though.  Eating was fine - each time.

Today is Sunday.  I'm getting ready to go out and give her her 2nd feed of the day.  She is cleaning up 3 lbs of Nutrena Safe Choice and about 3/4 lb of Southern States Alfalfa Supreme Green pellets - 4x a day (with her filly) - per feeding.  She is getting 1 full ounce of Mare Plus with her morning feed.  She has had 1/2 of a tube of Probiotics (much smaller doses than they recommended) so far - will finish it Tuesday.  She is eating quite a bit of hay daily (previous bale was approx 60 lbs - wen thru that in 4 days.  Today, pulled wagon to the new round bale and filled it with loose hay and packed it down and put more in.  Put that back in front of her, made a hole and put her water bucket back in it.  She also got a whole tube of Equi-Spot fly spray spot on put on her - that has helped BUNCHES to keep buggies at bay.

Sooo....  ????  That's where we are at.
Paula Hoffman
LP Painted Ponys
Cameron, NC

Offline dcwolcott

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Re: ?? Kechi ??
« Reply #9 on: July 31, 2016, 02:55:17 PM »
Sounds like you had a scary time, but things are better again now.  Keep us posted.  Hopefully, with the weight gain from her good diet, she'll be back on her own feet soon for you.   ;pray ;pray ;pray
'Be kinder than necessary, for everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle.'

Offline paintponylvr

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Re: ?? Kechi ??
« Reply #10 on: August 01, 2016, 06:55:36 PM »
Thanx, Diane.  She's done so much better today.  I work tomorrow - the only day this week and then have a dentist appointment in another town about 40 miles away (now) on Thursday. 

We've had a series of storms today, too.  Pretty soon, I will be going back out to see how she's doing.  she should be out of hay this time, too, and I'll need to replenish that.
Paula Hoffman
LP Painted Ponys
Cameron, NC

Offline Ryan

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Re: ?? Kechi ??
« Reply #11 on: August 01, 2016, 07:17:47 PM »
Paula sounds like quite the scary ordeal that you have ll been through and the stormy weather wouldn't of been helping much either.

My fingers are crossed that she continues to improve for you and that she continues to gain some strength back :)

Offline Chanda

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Re: ?? Kechi ??
« Reply #12 on: August 01, 2016, 07:46:23 PM »
Ok, just a random thought, could she be allergic to a common feed item or even not so common weed and it's manifesting oddly?   Just thinking out loud so to speak.
Chanda
HC Minis

Stallions: Little Kings Cat on Top, Paper Mache`
Mares: Misty, Tana, Sophia, Bliss, Bonny, Dolly and Baybe
Geldings: Dakota, Monte and Manny, Spotty
Donkey: Tilly

Offline Ryan

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Re: ?? Kechi ??
« Reply #13 on: August 01, 2016, 10:01:31 PM »
Great thought Chanda :)

Offline Silver City Heritage Farm

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Re: ?? Kechi ??
« Reply #14 on: August 07, 2016, 09:35:48 PM »
How's Kechi recovering? Is her sunburn clearing? Have you been hit heavily by the storms the last couple of weeks? How's Jynx doing?

I did a little googling and learned that liver problems can cause photosensitivity. I hope that's not her case! Vinegar water rinses were favored over aloe because of it's stickiness. Silver...gaah, I forgot!...cream you get from vet was also recommended as a treatment for the burn.

As Chandra suggested, ulcer treatment is a good idea. With her sensitive, pouty temperament it couldn't hurt. It might help her sometimey appetite.

Hoping no news means things are stable and that you're busy taking care of YOUR health.
Silver City Heritage Farmstead

Specializing in Heritage poultry, vegetables and cut flowers. Miniature horses for the everyday family, until they're ready to move up to the rated shows and programs!