YIKES.........I'm really getting behind.  This time of year is when I do a newsletter for Christmas.  I know, a lot of people HATE newsletters at Christmas, but that's the best I can do.  Besides I don't talk about who is at the top of their class, or has a new job  that pays twice what the old one did.  Like that's going to happen in our economy right now.....!!!  Or talk about people that unless you know them, really doesn't make a lot of sense.  I look at John he looks at me, & we ask, "who are they talking about"?  Anyway I talk about the animals & what they did this year it's usually more interesting than than what people do anyway.  So far I haven't gotten started.  But I have good intentions & nothing planned tomorrow, sooooooo.......!!!!!

The vet is coming out next Friday to test Rusty the mule for Cushings.  He is getting hairy & I don't remember him doing that before.  I have all my information printed out to back up my request for an ACTH test rather than the Dex test for Cushings.  Some vets are coming around to the idea of one blood draw & no threat of laminitis & using the ACTH test.  But it is vital that it be handled properly.  The last one I had done, had to be done over...........the lab didn't do it right.........!!!!!   Hmmmmm........as I recall we had a discussion over why in the world I wanted that rather than the gold standard Dex test..........!!!

While she's out, I'll have her draw a CBC on Cisco.  He's just not right.  We had his teeth done, but he still eats like he's got something going on.  We were going to haul him in for an endoscope, but since the vet was coming out for other animals, decided to get a CBC & see if it tells us anything, then we can do the endoscope later.  Buddy Brat has a small sarcoid on his sheath. I've been putting Equaide on it & it is holding it's own or getting smaller, but won't hurt to have it looked at.

And last but certainly not least is Jenny big girl needs to be re-evaluated for her foot.  We're still soaking, & poulticing, & fighting proud flesh.  I don't think it's any worse, but have no clue if it is getting better.  The proud flesh drives me crazy, which is actually a pretty short drive..........but the vet says we can always take care of it later, we need to try to take care of the oozing.  I don't see how the hoof wall can grow correctly, if it's got this blob of "stuff" in the way.  It does look like we are getting some hoof growth at the coronet, but below that what happens, when the growth reaches the proud flesh? 

So if I don't update for a few days, don't be surprised.  Patti left me with a "dummy" blog to play with.  I got into it a couple of nights ago, & I think it will be easier to set up another dummy blog than to try to straighten that one out.  It's amazing how much damage one person that doesn't know what they are doing, can do........!!!!!!  LOL

Just got a call from Mocha & Tucker's Mom.  You might recall that they also took in Missy the Great Dane someone dumped in our area.

It seems that during the night Missy knocked down the fence & attacked Tucker.  He's OK, but has a gash on his side, his ears have been chewed & he has some bites on his hind quarters, poor little guy.  She also killed the ducks & geese.  Missy's been there for a couple of months & none of us have any idea what happened to set her off.  Like January said we don't know her history, so we'll never know, but obviously she shouldn't be around other species, don't know about dogs.  January said she got into a fight with one of their other dogs, over food, but that's different.

She's already checked with a Great Dane rescue in El Paso & they will take Missy.   I feel terrible about this happening since I was responsible for putting Missy into that home.  As they say, no good deed goes unpunished, & in this case the ducks, geese, & poor little Tucker pay the price. 

MADDIE & ZORRO ARE HOME..............!!!

We delivered them this afternoon, let them out of the trailer, & they disappeared into the brush, well they did after Zorro had a dust bath in the powder dust that covers most of the open area.  He thought that was great.  Maddie was too busy running around trying to see everything.  

THIS IS WHAT MOST OF THE 20 ACRES LOOKS LIKE, THEY'LL HAVE TO MAKE TRAILS THRU IT.  

Bill got some hay pellets. to "chum" them in with.  We also took him a bell to use to call them in.  He has a bale of hay, but I seriously doubt that he'll need to feed them.  Maddie hit the ground with her head down chomping away.  It's all native grass which shouldn't be really high in sugar & starch.  Once they are there for awhile, they should eat more like a "wild" burro would & hopefully won't gain weight, they are both in pretty good shape right now. 

 

On the way home Bill called our cell phone to ask a couple of questions.  I asked if he'd seen them, & he said they kept coming thru the area by the house, & in fact Maddie was licking his arm, even as we spoke.  She really picked him out when he was here last week, followed him all over the place, & tried to put her head on his shoulder.  

Remember I said the road into their place was like a tank proving grounds?  We checked the distance & the time today.  It took us 15 minutes to go 1.4 miles, which works out to about 6mph.  I don't recall us going that fast.........!!!!  LOL  At least we got the donkeys there without bouncing them around.  

I was worried about how Chantilly would take Zorro not being here.  She was pretty much bonded with him, although he didn't seem to return the thought.  She came in with Tula's gang tonight, followed John into her pen, & seems to be just fine.  Donkeys are "in the moment" animals, so they don't carry a lot of memory baggage around with them, at least that's what the experts say.  But I would imagine they would recognize each other if they met again, I don't really know for sure.  I know Ruger was very glad to see his momma Ruthie after being separated a week.  And Ruthie latched onto her little boy & is busy mothering him & making sure the other donkeys don't get too close to him.  He's about a year old & almost as big as she is, but I guess she's still going to take care of him.  

Tomorrow morning we'll be taking Boaz into the vet clinic.  Courtney will meet us there, we'll get him sedated, so she can work on his nasty front feet.  They are cracked & split with quite a bit of damage to the coronets.  I hope it isn't permanent, but it looks pretty bad.  I'll probably have the vet look at his sarcoid on his leg & see what she thinks.  I think most vets inject chemo drugs into the sarcoid to get rid of them.  That can be quite expensive.  There are a lot of old time home remedies too.  It actually is smaller than it was when he came.  A lot of times sarcoids will disappear spontaneously, the general opinion is, the immune system goes into hypermode & attacks them.  If that is true, I think when he was gelded the 23rd of Dec, & he developed swelling on his belly, his immune system went after the infection from the gelding, & took a swipe at the sarcoid.  Two times after he came here the whole thing turned into a bloody mess & shrank in size.  But once I started giving him Tucoprim for the belly infection, we didn't see any more changes in the saracoid............SIGH.......!!!!!!!  

We only picked up 2 donkeys today, Ruth & Boaz the 2 older donkeys, older being 5 years or less.  The owner decided to keep 2010 their year old offspring.  I tried to talk the man into releasing him so he could go with his "herd", but it didn't happen.  His daughter thinks he might change his mind in a few days. 

They said Boaz was Ruth's husband in the bible.  I'm ashamed to say I don't know if that's true or not..........but I plan on looking it up as soon as I get a little extra time I don't know what to do with.  It might be awhile...........!!!! (G)

I'll try to get some pictures tomorrow, before we leave to take Rambo to his foster home.  I didn't take any when we picked them up, we were too busy trying to get them to load.  Wasn't what they had planned for the day, although Boaz, jumped in pretty good once, Ruth, FINALLY, gave up & went in.  They are friendly, but unhandled.............SIGH!  Seems like all the ones we've gotten recently are like that.  Guess it's better than UNFRIENDLY & UNHANDLED & at least the boys are gelded now. 
 

Chantilly is now going out after eating, & follows John back to her pen like she's been doing it for years.  Still no touchy, feely, although she will take treats.  It looks like tomorrow she will be eating with Cisco in his pen.  They both eat slow & Cisco is about the most non-threatening guy we have.  Here goes the pen assignment musical chairs for tomorrow.............

Rambo will go to a foster home with 6 geldings & Gus the donkey.  Gus is bigger than Rambo & is an "in your face" type of guy.  With no girls around to get Rambo going I hope he will settle down pretty quick.  

As I said Chantilly will go with Cisco, Zorro will go into her pen.  Ruth & Boaz will go  into Zorro & Rambo's pen.  BlackJack & Frijolita will get their pens back, that's where Ruth & Boaz are until Rambo leaves.  Tonight BJ & Frijolita ate in the outside bunk.  Not a good idea, both of them "helped" the golf cart & wagon go from pen to pen until it got to the bunk, which is about halfway thru.  Life is really easier when they are in pens, at least for us.........!! 

Boaz has some swelling on his belly, I assume from his gelding, the 23rd of Dec.  He also has a sarcoid on his left front knee about 4 inches in diameter.  We have had sarcoids before but nothing this large.  There are different types of treatments, his owner had gotten some x-terra from a vet & gave it to me.  It's very caustic & I'd like to find something else if I can.  I haven't even gotten a good look at it yet, it was almost dark when we got home.   

Still no ideas on why the blog isn't doing what it's done in the past.  I asked for help on the blog web-site, but so far no one has gotten in touch with me.  It's no big deal I guess, but it's a little more involved to have to go to the side-bar to look for older information.