Monday, September 16, 2013

GOOD DAY'S WORK, YESTERDAY



Well, I think yesterday went pretty good.  We got there in the early afternoon, which is about as early as we ever get anywhere...!!!  Morning chores has doctoring involved, which takes time.  I've just about got everyone with solar keratosis covered with polo wraps.  I must say it looks like a colorful rainbow when they are all standing around together.  I'm also questioning "my" diagnosis.  The problem is, vets don't have a definitive answer if you ask them what it is.  Each one has their own idea, and of course summer sores is the overall answer.  In summer the sores show up.  I get it......!!!  Since I have quite a few animals with IT, I would really like to know what IT is.  

As I read more about solar keratosis, it seems to have a raised crusty identity, rather than just a bloody circle, that makes the flies happy.  So I'm not sure that is what they have.  It is on the ones that seem to have immune problems, not sure what that means, but it's another little piece of the puzzle maybe.  

We got there with our corral panels, John and Sam unloaded them while Jo and I picked out a spot for the little pen.  John recommended under a shade tree.  Silly me, I was just looking for a flat spot.  So we found a shady spot, relatively flat, and John went to work.


This is John attaching the floating corral panel to the little pen we built.  He uses large hose clamps and leaves them loose enough so the panel will be able to move easily.


I was so shocked at how easily the big jack went in, I didn't even get a chance to take a picture of him.  He went in, Jo brushed him a little, we wormed him, gave him some treats and out he went.  No big deal. 


 I think this is the head jenny, not really sure.  She was our 2nd victim.  The jack was "very" interested in what we were doing to his girls, and stayed right by the pen, watching what we were doing. 

She was pretty good, not overly concerned.  The other 4 were a little more cautious, the jack has learned that people are good, they groom and give treats.  Consequently he was almost a nuisance.   The head jenny is still pretty stand offish, but the other 4 weren't really interested in interacting with us.  

That's OK, if it all went smoothly, Jo and Sam wouldn't see how to fix it.  They did real good and I think will be able to get the kids in the corral just fine.  We told them to spend as much time with the donkeys as they can, the more time spent, the better the outcome. 


This was our final victim, a little guy about Wister's age, maybe a little younger.  The other 5 really behaved well, but this little devil has probably never had to do much he didn't want to do, and it showed.  He squirmed, he wiggled, jumped and managed to get his hind legs outside the corral panels.  He used up a lot of energy in about 2 or 3 minutes of high energy "I'm not happy" behavior, before he finally stood still long enough, and we could let him out without him thinking he had won. 

Courtney is coming tonight, hope that goes well.  She's never trimmed Reba, Coquette or the indomitable Miss PennyPacker, the fear kicker.  She's much better, but that doesn't mean trimming will go well.  I've been putting polo wraps on her legs at liberty, but it's a big step to picking up a foot and doing things to it.  Her back feet really need trimming, they grow funny, maybe because she walks funny with her crooked back. 

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