STARTING TO FEEL LIKE SUMMER AROUND HERE

Not my idea of nice weather, but that's what happens as we move out of spring.  Hasn't made it to 100* yet, but it won't be long.  The nights are still getting chilly, so I'm waiting to body clip Daisy and Quilla. 

Looks like Wister and Ruger will be going to a new home up by Flagstaff this month.  Sounds like it will be a good fit, but it's a long way up there to do a home study.  So we will make one trip, and as I told Anna, if we didn't think it would work out for the boys, we'd have no qualms about turning around and bringing them back with us.   She has reining horses and says she's admired donkeys some of her friends have, so she isn't a total newbie to equine.

ANOTHER PICTURE FROM KARTCHNER CAVERNS EARTH DAY CELEBRATION

Lynn must have poked her eye last night, it was closed and dripping this morning.  Rusty the mule is limping on a normal looking cool front foot and Penny's legs are starting to look like a science project because of flies.  I wrapped her front legs in polo wraps a couple of days ago.  She lost one of them yesterday and I noticed the flies were just moving up her legs to above the polo wraps.  So this morning I put some IMMUNE ONE HEALING BALM on her legs and put men's crew socks on both front legs.

Thuja Zinc Oxide is my usual "go to" balm for cuts or anything that needs to be protected from flies, BUT, it is heavy and gets on everything.  Immune one balm is less sticky, gooey and all that, so I could put it on and rub in, so that it almost disappeared.  Then put a sock over it.  If I tried to put a sock over zinc oxide there would be zinc oxide everywhere, except where I wanted it.  And the Immune One seems to start healing and drying up wounds real quick.  Penny was actually pretty cooperative, although she refused to take an animal cracker from me.  She took them from John like no big deal, but I swear she pursed her lips if I tried to give her one. 

Gus' legs are already covered as is one of Rosie's front legs.  For some reason the outside of her knee on one leg gets all tore up when she lays down, guess she has bony knees.  Boaz's scarred knee is doing really good, so far it's holding it's own and hasn't gotten bloody thank goodness. 

Sounds like business as usual around here..............LOL

FINALLY........SPRING

I guess I should pay more attention to the passage of time.  I think this has been the longest I've gone without updating the blog.  The last week hasn't been all that busy, not sure what happened.

We've been in the 90's the last few days, the mesquite have leafed out like crazy and the weatherman says get use to it. Still not putting on fly masks although there are flies out, they just aren't bad enough to start with the masks...........yet........!!!  

It sure helps with Doug here to help with feeding and being here to let the donkeys out, when we come in late, like after the races.  This week-end when we got home at about 2am and I opened the door to get out of the truck, I heard this little tiny pathetic voice calling from the direction of Cheyenne's pen.  Sure enough she had gotten left in at 10pm when Doug let them out.  That isn't the 1st time someone has gotten left in, just the 1st time for Doug.......LOL  We have 4 pens that are actually a pen within a pen and it's pretty easy to forget, if you get distracted.  She was happy to get out and the other 3 minis were waiting by the pen for her, so they could go do donkey business.  

I've had to start keeping thuja Zinc Oxide on Cisco's sheath, even though he's getting benedryl every day.  That will be an all summer project, otherwise he gets itchy and scoots on the ground until it's bloody.  Of course that makes the flies happy............SIGH

It's about time to think about body clipping Quilla and Daisy, my 2 Cushings kids.  The last couple of nights have only been down in the 40's, so if we don't have any nights in the 30's for the next week, I'll probably get out the clippers and relieve them of that excess hair.  When Quilla came back from Claire's he had only been on pergolide a few days.  One thing I noticed was his hair was curly and sticking out all over the place.  We decided to up his pergolide as he was still on a minimum dose.  A few days after the change I noticed his hair was laying down, it's still long, but it didn't look quite so wild.  Must be the pergolide.

Tomorrow we are taking Cheyenne and I think Lynn to see the donkey dentist.  Cheyenne quids quite a bit.  She is fed a mush, John gives her a handful of hay for fun, but she chews it up and spits it out for the most part.  Recently both Daisy and Penny have quidded off and on.  Daisy is 30 years old, although she's always passed her check-ups and of course Penny has had a broken jaw.  But right now both of them aren't quidding, and John has found some quids in Lynn's bunk, so it will be her turn.  

Well the races Saturday night weren't too bad I guess, although my battery quit with 7 laps to go.  With the newer cars that have computers, the battery has to be working or the car won't run.  This is the 2nd time this has happened, last year at the dirt track it quit before I even got on the track........!!! John's tried new batteries, using the alternator, not using the alternator and even has added a switch, so we can disconnect the battery when the car is just sitting.  It will do just fine for awhile, which lulls us into thinking it's fixed...........then........SURPRISE...........!!!   Poor John, he felt so bad.  BUT, it might have been a blessing in disguise.  All the tires were brand new and you know how long it takes to wear out a new tire 30,000 miles or more......... It only took 18 laps on a 3/8's mile track to take all the tread off the outside of the right front tire, it was down to the metal cords.  It probably wouldn't have made 7 more laps without blowing out, which is a one way trip to the wall.  I'm really not interested in meeting the wall, if I don't have to........!!! 

We took the car into our son, Rod today.  He called tonight and said the spring on the right front is probably original and is very weak, which means the tire was rolling over on the side, especially in the corners.  John has changed struts many times, and after 3 years of pretty rough dirt track racing, probably should have thought the springs might need to be replaced too, but it's hard to keep track of all this stuff sometimes. Besides the stupid battery problem is very distracting.........

OBTW, we chickened out on the termite tenting project.  A friend had treated for termites and had studied the pros and cons of different methods.  She had even checked with the UofA and after all the rigmarole  of finding a place to keep 4 cats, and making sure all food stuffs were kept safe, and at least 3 days of major disruption, there is no guarantee that next week a swarm of dry wood termites wouldn't come in again.  Besides our house is not conventional, we don't have open spaces in the walls and an attic.  We have 2 foot thick adobe walls, and our ceiling is the roof, with a coating of painted foam covering it.  So there is no place that needs to be permeated by the gas they use.  We know of at least 3 different areas in the house, but they can be treated locally by a different method.  Need to call the company Susan recommended this week and get the little devils sent to termite heaven.....!!! LOL

TIS THE SEASON TO DOCTOR I GUESS......!!!

 WHICH IS WHY I DON'T RIDE ANYMORE......!!! 

I've got 3 in leggings or brown gauze bandages, and Boaz looks like he's been bathed in bright pink Thuja Zinc Oxide.  He's got "it" whatever "it" is.  He had a place on his shoulder yesterday, I globbed it up with zinc oxide and this morning it's dry..........but.........the hair has sloughed off.  That's one way to tell if you have it, the hair completely lets go.  I was rewrapping Quilla's legs and asked John to go down to Boaz and doctor him.  So he grabbed the zinc oxide and headed off to play nurse.  All of a sudden I hear yelling and all sorts of noise going on.  I yelled to see what was going on.  It seems Boaz prefers a more gentle touch, especially when dealing with his "boy parts" as John calls them.  Lysa is cleaning pens and we girls got quite a laugh out of the situation, John didn't think it was very funny, for some reason.  Boaz didn't kick AT John he just kicked, but it got John's attention. 

Pepper has a messed up eye.  He's had on a fly mask most of the time, so have no idea what's going on.  I washed it out and put some ointment in it yesterday and this morning it was dry but still closed.  I was going to use some penicillin (vet recommended in the past) 2cc's squirted in the eye, but discovered I don't have any.  I went thru all my goodies awhile back and threw out everything that was expired, I'm sure that's where it went.  

Gigi is finally letting John put her fly mask on and off standing in the corner where the squeeze is, but with it closed.  So she is accepting John actually standing in her space without a panel between them.  She's really walking good for her and her bulging shoulder doesn't seem to stick out as far as it did.  Tyler said it might have been broken at some time, I think it's deformed from walking oddly most if not all her life.  She will never walk "normal", but she certainly is walking a lot better than she was. 

30 DEGREE MORNINGS ARE GETTING OLD.....!!!

Considering it's getting closer to winter I better get use to it.......but I don't have to like it.  At least the days are warm and sunny, so far.

Chores have gotten a lot easier, without all the hot weather, and flies to worry about.  Right now, Boaz and his proud flesh knee is about all I'm doctoring, except for Jack the mini mule's nose.  Boaz's came back from his "gig" at weed control with his knee bubbled up with nasty looking over growth.  Over the years I have tried just about everything they recommend for proud flesh up to and including surgical removal 3 times............except for xxTerra......!!!!  I hate this stuff, it's primarily used to remove sarcoids, a type of immune tumor.  I'm not really sure his knee isn't a little of both, sarcoids and proud flesh.  The vet has never really said and they look enough alike, that I sure don't know.  Don't know if the vets can tell the difference without testing either. 

So I have tried using xxTerra for a few days.  It's certainly made a mess, it basically "melts" the area, so you have all this bubbly gooey mess running down his leg.  I think I'll clean it off and see what happens.  I can always have the vet debride it again, but hate to put him thru that.  He's a good patient and the knee is never going to look normal again anyway.  My main concern is to stop the over growth of cells permanently.  So far they keep coming back.

Jacks nose looks like it's been peppered with a shotgun, little circles of hair missing.  It seems to itch because we catch him scratching it till it bleeds.  He'll leave it alone if I put Thuja zinc oxide or Banixx on it.  John came home with Banixx one day when I sent him out to find something for infection.  Recommended by the local feed store, because I already had everything else they sold I think.  

Anyway it does seem to work pretty good on Jack's nose, although I'm put off by the smell.  It smells just like Listerine.  Makes me wonder if it is just expensive Listerine.  Listerine is what Dr. Voss recommended for Gus' leg sores this summer, so who knows.  

Everyone else seems to be doing just fine.  Pepper has not been down on his right side in weeks, which is great.  He's also eating much better than he was this summer, that's not to say he's getting fat.  On a scale of 1 to 10, he is about a 2 and I'm not sure that isn't being generous.  Let's put it this way, if authorities ever saw him, I'd probably get arrested for animal abuse....!!!  But he is perky, alert, ears up and will knock you down with his favorite weapon, his head, if given the chance.  Hopefully he can put enough weight on to make it thru the winter without having to be blanketed.  If he has to wear a blanket he has to stay in the pens, which is a fate worse than death for all of them.  We tell them about equine that have to stay in little pens all their lives and they just don't seem to care, they want OUT....!!!! Pepper is one of the worst, he will dig caverns in the sand at the gate, deep enough we've all fell in them numerous times.  Last week John put a 4x6 stall mat at the gate and now the old buzzard paws at it so hard you can smell the rubber.  He can't hardly stand up, but he can use his legs to dig holes and paw rubber mats....!!! 

FRIJOLITA HAS A NEW NAME.......!!!

We have been calling her Frijole Grande, "little bean" she isn't right now.  She has always been a food whore, seems like she can reach someone else's hay bunk no matter how far it is away from the corral panels.  She's been known to push on the panels to get to where she thinks she needs to be.......wherever the food is.   She can also open some of the gates, usually quicker than we can stop her.

Actually the beans on the 10 acres are disappearing quickly.  They are still shaking trees and listening for the wind to blow beans down, but judging from their poo the pickin's are getting rather slim.  They are all still on short rations of hay, so far no complaints, so I assume they aren't that hungry.  

The skin problems are getting better thank goodness.  I started giving Jack the mini mule allergy pills, and he's looking much better, although we still grease him up with Thuja Zinc Oxide every morning.  

Poor old Pepper, the last few times he's been down and thrashed around trying to get up have really been hard on his bony old body.  It seems there are 6 prominent bone protrusions on his shoulder, hip and legs and he has all of them raw and hairless.  The one on his shoulder is really sore, poor old guy.  I am putting Underwood Horse Medicine on them twice a day and they are getting better pretty quick.  But if he goes down again, (he was down yesterday) he'll tear up all the healing.

I ordered a Sleazy Stretch Pajama for him yesterday.  Found a cheap one to see if I can rig up something to help protect those areas.  The PJs fit real tight, which in itself might be a problem, then of course there is getting caught on trees and bushes.  But it's bright purple, so hopefully we'll be able to find him easier when he's down.  I've thought of attaching a foam circle on the inside of the PJs, at least on the shoulder, that would go around the sore area.  That way if he goes down there wouldn't be as much pressure on it.  I'll see, when it gets here, if I can come up with something brilliant.......well maybe just effective......!!! LOL

We have discussed Pepper a lot.  We will not let him lose his freedom and his ability to be Pepper.  He has such a strong personality, but I'm afraid his body is going to give out before he's ready to go.  Not something I like to think about, but is the reality of the situation.  In a perfect world, we would go out one morning to find him gone on his own.  He's such an energizer bunny, mentally I doubt that will ever happen.  We will do whatever necessary to allow him to be himself as long as possible.  But we will not torture him to keep him here. 

QUILLA'S THE MAN..........!!!

Doesn't look like much of a Don Juan in this picture, but Penny seems to think he's quite the man. 

When John did round-up this morning everyone came in pretty good, except for Coquette, Quillla & Penny.  Rang the bell & mixed up mush...........still missing.  While John fed hay, I headed for Burroland to see what I could find.  I found an X-rated party going on, that's what I found.....!!! 

 I guess Coquette was the cheerleader.....!!!  Who knew Quilla was such a STUD.....!!!! LOL  Good thing I took a halter & lead with me, because they weren't the least bit interested in me or breakfast.  The girls weren't interested in being haltered, but Quilla knews the drill, & the girls followed him.  

Doctoring Penny went pretty good, although that right rear leg hasn't given up the fight yet.  She's not putting as much effort into the battle, so I like to think we are making progress.  

Her face looks real good, all dried up, although I am pretty sure there are larvae hiding in there & growing.   Unfortunately the hair will probably not grow back in most of the areas.  

Her front legs are pretty badly scarred, I'm keeping them covered with Thuja Zinc Oxide to hopefully thwart the stable flies that are really out in force right now.  

Tyler is coming out tomorrow afternoon to see what he can do with their feet.  Penny's aren't real bad, although her rears look like shovels.  Coquette is the one that really needs some work.  

 

She might have to have elongated shoes put on both front feet, that's one of the options.  We'll see what Tyler thinks is best.  She actually walks pretty good, although I would imagine her tendons are really contracted.  Hopefully they will stretch out with time.  She is a very sweet girl, only about 6 years old. 

ALMOST A RODEO.....!!

Well, it's been an "interesting" morning so far.  Jack the mini mule came in limping on his right front, has a little swelling in the fetlock, so I would imagine he stepped wrong.  

The stable flies are out in force the last few days & are nibbling on almost everyone's front legs.  They've been busy on Jack, so he needed to be sprayed with fly spray.  EEEEEkkkkkk.....!!!!  I guess fly spray sounds like a snake or something if they haven't been sprayed before.  So put on the halter, get the lead, find something to tie him to or at least wrap the lead around, when he tries to take off for parts unknown,  If they would just stand still, it would be over in no time, but, NO, LET'S BE DRAMATIC, & throw a hissy fit.....!!!

OK, on to other fun things.  Quilla had lost a legging, John found the legging, unfortunately it had been "Wister-ized".  The little bugger had pulled & tugged on it enough to tear one side of the vel-cro completely off, although it was still stuck to the other side of the vel-cro.  The polo wraps are working out real well so far, BUT, they don't make good "toys" & they are hard to find.  

Put Thuja Zinc Oxide on Boaz & Cisco's sheaths.  Cisco's has to be smeared every morning during the summer, to provide some moisture to a very scarred part of his body.  It also keeps the flies from landing on his sheath.  If one lands he will drop to the ground & scoot until it's a bloody mess that needs to be covered with Zinc Oxide.  So it's just easier to smear it before the flies get a chance.  

I'm also keeping Underwood's Horse Medicine on Boaz's knee that won't heal & it seems to be working good.  He doesn't do well with bandages on his knee, so this seems to be keeping it covered by making a hard covering over the area.  Who knows maybe under that covering it is healing.........!!!!!  That would be really nice.  

I saved the best for last.  I've been doctoring Penny's face ever since we picked her up.  As I said before her legs are bald like  Quilla's.  Of course the stable flies appreciate the easy access, so I gathered up assorted barriers this morning, fly leggings, polo wraps, some homemade wraps I have & out we went to "fix" her.  Her face is really looking good, got it doctored with ivermectin.  

Time to work on her legs.........!!!!!   Oh! lordy, really not what she had planned this morning.  I can almost guarantee she has been a roping donkey.  She is a fear kicker with her hind legs & doesn't have a problem with rearing in the front & spinning, either before, during or after the hind leg kicking.  I gave up on putting any material on her legs quickly.  Poor John was along for the ride, at least he was way up front.  Coquette got upset & tried to join the "herd", which meant we had her to contend with too.  At least she isn't a kicker.  

I finally got her sprayed with fly spray on the front legs, but it wasn't easy.  I think I will have John set up one of our corral panel squeezes to put her in for "leg" work in the future.  We're too old to move fast enough to stay out of her way, long term.  One of us would get nailed, & I'm afraid it would be John.  He has never learned not to stand flat footed around unknown animals.  I learned that at an early age by experience...!!!! LOL

IT'S NOT GETTING ANY COOLER.......!!!

June is NOT my favorite month in the desert..!!  We're starting to get a few clouds & the humidity is starting to inch up, but so far no rain.  The usual 1st rain of the monsoon is July 4th, so we'll see.

When we did round up yesterday afternoon, Buddy Brat & Pancho were play fighting over by the chicken pen.  First thing I noticed was Pancho didn't have his fly mask.  Looks like Buddy is up to his old tricks, he has always thought fly masks are toys & it looks like he hasn't forgotten.  Pancho seemed to be a willing partner, but neither of them were interested in helping me find the silly thing.  When we got done feeding we started looking for it, just what we wanted to do in the heat.  Did find it though.  We still have 3 fly masks & a Jenny boot out there somewhere we can't find.  When we find one it's more exciting than an Easter egg hunt........!!!  Doesn't take a whole lot to amuse us sometimes...........!!!

BlackJack & Buddy Brat 2001

Not much new with the donkeys, when it's this hot, they hunker down someplace & don't move around much.  Doctoring is at a minimum, which is good.  Boaz's knee is still not healed, but I think the proud flesh is gone.  I've just been putting tunja zinc oxide on it everyday  & the scab area is slowly getting smaller.  He's such a good boy, but I seriously doubt that anyone would ever adopt him.  He will always have that area on his knee & it will always have to be watched & treated.  

Chester's mom came out yesterday morning & groomed on Ruthie & Ruger.  Ruger is finally losing his baby hair &  it had matted on his belly, so Linda worked on him with curry comb & scissors.  She got most of them out, said she'll be coming out again.  She's thinking of adding Ruthie & Ruger to her family.  They have acres of mesquite brush, 2 horses, Chester & Norton & it would be a great home.  They adopted Chester & Buster last year & sweet Buster dropped dead while playing.  They added Norton to the family, but like a lot of people that get donkeys for the 1st time, the more the merrier, Linda loves her donkeys.  We'll see if it works out.  

Jenny is keeping her boot on pretty good this time.  The Hoof Wrap seems to be a great product..............except for one small problem. The various areas of Vel-Cro aren't long enough or wide enough for the amount of wrapping & bandages on her foot.  I did sew a couple strips of Vel-Cro on the one she is wearing now,  & she hasn't lost it since, so maybe I'm onto something.

Yesterday afternoon I took little Skeeke squirrel into the Tucson Wildlife Center.  He was lively & perky & all that, but I just don't think he was thriving.  And if his little bum foot doesn't get to where he can use it more, he will have to stay in sanctuary.  They are diggers, & in the wild he would need to be able to use both front feet effectively.

Skeeke in my tomato patch on the courtyard

They have quite an operation, I guess they take in anything wild, they had a baby bobcat, 3 tiny baby bats, a couple of baby hummingbirds, javelina, racoons, quite a few different type of hawks & falcons.  They also have a roadrunner that lives on the property.  One of the women was giving me a short tour & here come the roadrunner.  She went in & got a couple of dead mice out of the refrigerator, threw them to him one at a time, & he gulped them down.  She said he expects to be fed when he sees people.  I guess he's decided this is pretty easy living, much easier than chasing lizards..........!!!