Not much to update.  Quilla is still doing well, the vet called this morning & would like for us to get a CBC & bile acid test.  Not sure what that is, but assume it has something to do with his liver.  So we will have to decide whether to haul him or have a vet come out.  We have Daisy & her rattlesnake bite that could use an expert opinion, although I think we're doing OK, & now we have little Pepsi limping around on his right front.  So we might just have a farm call so everyone that needs it can be checked.  

I didn't take a picture of Daisy this morning, it looked about like yesterday.  Which with proud flesh is a good thing.  It could have grown by leaps & bounds in 24 hours.  I'm trying to keep equ-aide on it as much as possible.  It's still oozy, once I get it dried up a little bit, it will be easier to manage.

Pepsi came in lame Tuesday morning.  I checked him, no swelling but he acts like his knee might be ouchy.  Since there was no swelling we let him out, but no improvement by yesterday morning.  So he's in his pen for awhile.  He really isn't happy about this turn of events, everyone else is out, & he knows it.  And lets us know how mistreated he is, every chance he gets. 

We'll leave right after chores in the morning to take Katie to her, hopefully, new home.  We will miss her, she is like a wind up toy on steroids, always moving & always interested in whatever people are doing.

KATIE HAS A NEW HOME.........!!!

Unfortunately although the rattlesnake bite looks pretty good, what we are looking at is proud flesh, which is not so good.  There are a couple of different treatments for proud flesh, one being using caustic powders such as Wonder Dust.  Unfortunately it doesn't differentiate between proud flesh & good tissue & really can make things worse.  

Another treatment is to have the vet cut away the proud flesh.  It actually has no feeling although it will bleed buckets of blood, really messy.

For a day or so I will try using Equ-aide.  It is advertised to be used for proud flesh, so we'll give it a try.  I've used it before on a small area on one of Jenny's hooves, after the vet had cut most of it away.  It didn't come back so I don't know which one or both worked.  

Friday we are going to do a home study & taking Katie with us, as it sounds like it will be a good home.  The woman that called yesterday came out later in the day to visit with Katie.  Katie likes people better than donkeys anyway, so we're going to do a trial & see how it goes since there are only horses & no donkeys.   As long as she gets attention I don't think she will care.  She hasn't really warmed up to any of the donkeys here.  She is usually in the general area of the others, but no interaction. 

Remington & Hanna's trip to California is in the planning stages.  They will get their Coggins test & health certificate the 12 of October & then we'll have 30 days to use the health certificate.  I thought it was 10, but it's 30 days, so that should give us plenty of time to get them delivered. 

I think today is the 3rd day since we figured out we were dealing with a snakebite on Daisy's jaw.  I took this picture this morning AFTER cleaning it up.  You really don't want to see it before it's rinsed off & cleaned up with betadine.  It seems to be getting better although it's deep enough, I'm sure it will be weeks before it heals.  She has quit rubbing it on her legs & chest, so it must not be bothering her much.  

I talked to the vet yesterday about Quilla, & she said he could go out & return to normal activities, so he's going out & running around with the others.  I also "mentioned" Daisy's "problem", & told her how I was treating it, with penicillin flush & betadine.  The only thing she added was some bute to help with the inflammation.  It doesn't smell rotten now, to I assume most of the tissue left is good tissue. 

It looks like Remington & Hanna will be going to their new home as soon as we can figure out the logistics.  John is going to haul them, & a friend gave me the name of a nice little equine travel  stop  about half way for them to get out & rest for the night, so the trip won't be so long for them or John.  

The timing isn't so good right now.  Another friend is moving to Arizona from cold country in the northern midwest.  They are bringing their donkeys, cats, & chickens.  They are coming down here probably Friday to pick up our stock trailer to take back & pick up the donkeys.  Not sure what their schedule is, but we'll wait until they are through with the trailer before we make plans to haul the "honeymooners" to California.  We'll need to get the Coggins test & a health certificate before they travel.  The Coggins is good for 6 months, but I think the health certificate is only good for 10 days.  Georgette's vet is coming out in October for shots & check-ups, we'll probably have him do the Coggins then.  Hopefully by then we'll know when the trailer will be available.  

Just got a call from a woman wanting a donkey as a companion for her mare.  We usually don't send out a donkey unless there is another donkey already there.  But the more I talked to her the more it sounded like it might be a home for Katie since she doesn't seem to care that much for donkeys anyway.  I asked her if she had been on the web-site & she said she had, & liked Katie.  Hmmmm................!!!  Sometimes things just fall into place don't they?  She's coming out for a visit tomorrow, so we'll see. 

IT'S GETTING YUCKIER.............!!!

 

What a difference a day makes........!!  This is how Daisy's jaw looked this morning "after" I cleaned it up.  I had also cut some of the rotting flesh off.  I haven't taken Quilla's glucose reading yet today, so I haven't called the vet.  So far I'm just winging it with Daisy, but we seem to be doing OK.  I would imagine all the flesh around the open area is probably going to slough off too.  It's still draining big time, which means, her chest & legs are coated with the stuff.  Today I decided to use a disposable diaper as a dressing & see if that would cut down on the mess.  Wrapped her head in vet wrap, hopefully it will stay over the opening.  I'll probably leave it off tonight, the flies are so bad during the day, that this should give her a little relief from the little monsters. 

She seems to feel just fine, although she's upset because we're keeping her in a pen today, rather than going out with the others.  I'm sure until all the draining & sloughing off is over, we'll just have to live with it.  

It looks like Georgette is going to lose her foster kids & Hanna & Remington will get a new  forever home.  A woman in California got in touch with me about adopting a couple of donkeys.  She also sent a picture of her barn & pasture.  Both Georgette & I want to know if she will adopt us too, she has a beautiful place.  We are trying to figure out the hauling logistics.  I'm not a big fan of haulers, very rarely do they go door to door, so a 14 hour trip might take days as they run  around picking up here & dropping off there.  So I have John talked into hauling them.  We'll ask our grandson or nephew to go with him.  If there is 2 of them they could drive straight thru, but John doesn't like that idea.  They have travel motels for horses all over the country, but I haven't checked yet to see if there is one on the route.  Still lots of planning to do, but I think it would be a great home for them. 

DAJA VU........!!!! (or however you spell it)

I will try to get a better picture tomorrow, but this is what we found under Daisy's jaw this morning.  Last night we found a slight bloody spot & figured she had stuck herself on a cactus or something.  This morning, underneath her jaw was a bloody, slimy mess that smelled like rotten meat.  I started cleaning her up with Betadine & found the hole in the middle.  Decided to take a picture before I did anything else.  Then I got a syringe of penicillin wash to flush out the hole.  Imagine my surprise when I flushed the hole in the middle, the wash came out a hole higher up.  Notice the area that's a little lighter at the top & a little to the left.  When I flushed, that opened up into a hole just like the one in the middle.  Just what we need another rattlesnake bite, at least this one is a dry bite.  There is no swelling at all, but the area will probably slough off.  Tonight when we rounded everyone up, she had spent the day, wiping & rubbing her jaw on her chest & front legs.  I don't know if it hurts or itches, but she was a mess.  I flushed it again & there wasn't as much infection as this morning, but it's going to take a lot of flushing to keep ahead of a buildup of YUCK...........!!!  Poor girl, she's still eating & drinking & doesn't mind us messing with it thank goodness.  

This morning before we cleaned her up we had to rescue a rattlesnake that was caught in the chicken pen.  They try to go thru the chicken wire, but their body is fatter than their head, they get stuck, & when they try to back out their scales get caught backwards & they can't move.  I used the snake catcher to hold the head end, & John used wire cutters to cut the wire.  He was pretty mellow, once he was loose he just headed for the nearest pile of limbs.  Everyone we've talked to today, seemed to think we should have killed it.  That's just not our style, besides it probably wasn't even one of the snakes that bit the donkeys.  And even if it was two wrongs wouldn't make a right. 

Quilla is doing great, his glucose numbers look good to me, hopefully the vet will agree tomorrow when I call her.  Wait until I tell her about Daisy, I'm sure she will be as thrilled as we are.  

HE KICKED IN MY DIRECTION.......!!

This is Quilla this morning after his bath.  He had hospital gunk on him, like the glue holding the IV & other assorted unknown ickies in his hair.  

I never bathe the donkeys unless it is absolutely necessary, they will let you know what they think of being bathed.  I assume that donkeys that are shown are bathed on a regular basis from "childhood" & consequently have become resigned to the indignity.  But these donkeys that have for the most part been on their own most of their lives, DO NOT appreciate being wet & fluffy.  

He was squirmy & wiggly & all that, but I pressed on with my mission.  All of a sudden he let loose with a hind leg, not really at me, but just to let me know he was very unhappy.  Of course I jumped on him like a duck on a Junebug, can't have rude behavior like that, but inside I was thinking, "Yea Quilla, you go guy".  He has never ever shown any aggression since we've had him, & I can only assume that he is feeling better than he has in a long time. 

His glucose is holding below 120, I'm still testing him once a day, thru the week-end & will get my new orders from the vet Monday.  I would imagine she will have me check his glucose once a week or so for awhile just to make sure but it looks like he's going to be OK.  She wanted him kept in for a couple of weeks, so unless she changes her mind he'll have another week in solitary.  

Daisy is acting like her mouth is bothering her, & she didn't eat all her hay this morning.  We both checked her mouth, it smells OK, & we didn't find any sores places, so I don't know what it going on.  If she isn't perkier by Monday we'll call the vet.  I don't think she is a big cactus eater, like Cisco & some of the others.  One time poor old Jack the mule had been eating funny for a long time, & we took him to have his teeth looked at.  He had 2 prickly pear spines stuck in his gums, so I always think of that when they act funny with their mouth. 

I think we're headed in the right direction with Quilla.  He hasn't had any insulin since yesterday at noon.  Three hours later his glucose was 72, which is a little low.  I called the vet & she said to not give him anymore insulin & we will monitor him twice a day for a few days to see what happens.  This morning his glucose was 107 with 100-120 being perfect.  I'll check him again this afternoon, & if he is still in the ball park, I would imagine she will just have me test him for awhile.  He seems to be feeling good, & no more bounding pulses in his feet, so I don't have to soak his feet.  

Since the sonogram on his liver showed it isn't shaped properly, the assumption is he has fatty liver disease.  I haven't read up on it yet, so I don't know what the long term treatment is.  It might just be to get as much fat off of him as possible & keep it off.  It's amazing, he didn't eat for over 10 days, & really didn't lose all that much weight.  Before the vet & I break up this daily connection we have right now, I'll ask her about the liver.  They also said his kidneys were enlarged.   

I have sent off for some milk thistle which is suppose to help with liver problems.  We'll see, Mr. Picky has decided he isn't real impressed with "things" being put in his food.  He'll look at it, give me a sad look & walk off.  If I leave it in his pen, it's gone by the next feeding, but he lets me know he is disappointed.  

It tried to rain yesterday & a little last night.  This morning when I took Lucy's boots off, her feet were damp & smelly.  So I left them off today, I hope she doesn't come in with sore feet from going bare footed for the day. 

UPDATE

Quilla seems to be doing just fine.  I'm certainly learning a lot while trying to get his insulin levels right.  Yesterday morning I gave him his insulin, when I checked his blood 2 hours later his number was 59, which is really low.  Called the vet (she'll probably want to change her phone number before this is over) & she said to call before giving him his evening insulin.  His numbers were 113, & when I called she said not to give him anymore insulin until I checked his blood this morning & called her.  Between 100-120 is what we are shooting for, so she was quite pleased when this morning's number was 115.   But she had me wait until noon to give him a smaller dose of insulin & then wait 3 hours instead of 2 to check his glucose.  After giving him insulin at noon I would assume if the numbers are within the 100-120 range, that we will get him off insulin pretty quick, since he probably doesn't need it.  I know he will be glad to not get stuck in the cheek anymore.  

This morning when we were rounding everyone up, Chester was moseying past Quilla's pen towards his pen, & stopped to see if there was anything in Quilla's pen that needed his attention.  Quilla pinned his ears & came all the way across the pen to "tell" Chester to go away.  I have never seen Quilla show any aggression before to anyone, which leads me to believe he hasn't felt good for a LONG time. 

Yesterday when we came in from town there was a message from Jerry.  He has been doing odd jobs for one of the local vets & is an animal lover.  He's looking for a place to park a trailer & help out.  We've been talking about getting someone to live here & help with chores etc, so this may be good for him & us both.  Just wish he was younger, he's John's age...............!!!  (G)  But he seems very nice, so we'll give it a whirl & see what happens.  He has 8 cats living in a travel trailer with him, so you know he loves animals, although he's never worked with large animals.  Donkeys are a good place to start for large animal novices, donkeys are congenial & forgiving.  Well............most of the time.................!!!

QUILLA IS HOME......!!!!

We got home with Quilla about 8pm last night.  It was a long day & of course we were met in the driveway by a grumpy bunch of "starving" donkeys.  

I think they might have given us the wrong donkey.  Quilla has been here over a year & we've always called him Mr. Marshmallow, he's always been at the bottom of the pecking order, anyone could run him off of feed.  He mostly just stood around with his head down & his ears hanging.  The donkey we brought home is ears up, alert & moving pretty fast.  When we got ready to put him in the trailer at the vets, I almost had to trot to keep up with him.  And when we got to the trailer, we figured it would be a repeat of when we put him in the trailer last week.  But he hesitated just a little bit & hopped right in.  

I would assume that the snakebite caused a flareup of liver, glucose, kidneys & whatever else they found out of whack, & things are getting back to where they should be.  His glucose is still high, so on the way home we stopped & got a glucometer.  We're having to give him insulin twice a day & checking his insulin level a couple of hours afterwards.  We are hoping the numbers will stabilize & he won't have to have insulin long term.  We'll just have to see how it goes.  His muzzle still has a few places that are pretty hard, but the swelling is almost all gone.  We'll be giving him vitamin E to hopefully help with rebuilding cells & tissue. 

Georgette rode up with us, she likes adventures & had heard so much about the clinic thought it would be fun to go see it.  She & I jabbered enough on the trip that I'm surprised John didn't tape both of our mouths shut.  Not really, John can hold his own in any conversation & was doing his fair share of talking too.  

Everyone up there at the clinic are so nice & I always get the feeling that the donkeys get the same care as the horses do.  Jennifer is one of the techs & she loves the donkeys.  She came in & said she hadn't even realized Quilla was one of ours.  Over the years she's got to know quite a few of our guys.  I teased her & told her I was surprised she didn't recognize one of our fat, scarred up donkeys.  She said she didn't even think to look at the name.  It has been awhile since we were up there I guess.............!!!

I'm learning more new skills I guess.  Not only do I have to figure out the glucometer, but I have to figure out how to get blood to use it with.  I thought you would probably poke his muzzle or inside his nostril to get blood, which I wasn't looking forward to trying.  But there is a triangle shaped bone on the cheek, & you use a needle & syringe & go in right under the bone.  It's not an exact science, judging from my attempt this morning, I have to say he was more patient than I would be, if some nut was sticking me with a needle.  Hopefully I will get better real quick. 

MORE GOOD NEWS...........!!!

The vet called this morning, & said Quilla seems to be doing real good.  Good looking poo, eating as much as he can, alert & bright eyed.  Great news, I've been worried that he might not get to come home, but it's looking like he's turned the corner.  

She said they are taking him off ICU care, feet soaked, glucose checked, IV's, bute, etc.  He's had no bounding pulses to his feet, so they will stop soaking them. 

His glucose is still high, it was 140 this morning.  So they are going to up the insulin & see if they can get him below 120. 

Over the week-end he will be in his box stall, & will probably be checked once or twice a day.  I don't think staff stays there 24/7, but there is a vet on call, although they don't stay on sight.  So I assume his vitals will be checked at least once a day.  If he keeps going in the right direction we will go up & get him Monday if they call early enough, or Tuesday if they don't.  

Still don't know if he will have to continue getting insulin on a regular basis, but it looks like I will be getting a glucose meter to keep an eye on his numbers.  I've threatened to get one before, since so many of the donkeys are insulin resistant.  By feeding them as little sugar & starch as possible, they usually lose weight & look healthier, but we don't know for sure if their numbers are below 120. 

Nigel the new cat got out last night.  He is a bonafide house cat, never been out except one other time, when he ripped one of the screens out.  This time he got out at the same place, John hadn't gotten around to fixing the screen, & opened the window before he remembered there was no screen there.  Nigel is so laid back & mellow, I don't think he has any survival skills at all, so we went out with flashlights & played "find the cat".  Of course that only works IF the cat wants to be found.  Left the window open in case he would come in the way he went out.  An hour or so later, I happened to see movement in the back yard, turned on the light & there he was, rolling around on the ground.  Went out & he let me pick him up, guess he was tired of being a wild cat.  He was completely covered with a type of stick tights we have this time of year, & covered with dirt, leaves & all sorts of trash.  I wiped off what I could, brought him in the house, & he promptly laid down on the couch & went to sleep.  I guess he thought we needed some excitement.  One reason we're never bored I guess..........!!!  (G)

NOT GREAT NEWS, BUT AT LEAST GOOD NEWS.........!!!

Talked to the vet this afternoon, & they gave him insulin & his glucose level is dropping, it isn't down to "normal" but at least it's headed in the right direction.  I asked if he would have to stay on insulin when he comes home, & she said that's what they are hoping to avoid.  

She said yesterday he was kinda "punky", didn't eat very good, seemed lethargic,  ran a temperature last night.  But today he was eating & seemed brighter, so hopefully he's on the mend.  His muzzle is still swollen, but she seemed to think it might be a little smaller.

Heard from a good friend that runs a donkey sanctuary in Colorado & she said that liver problems are quite common in donkeys.  I guess because a lot of them are fed a diet that is too rich for a desert survival animal.  I know Quilla was fed wrong for years.  She said usually if the liver is really bad, they just die...........so I'm hoping since he's hanging in there, that he'll make it. 

The clinic called this morning to update us on Quilla.  Dr. Voss said there hasn't been much change.  They now know that his liver is compromised with a lot of fat, & they can't get his sugar level down.  But Quilla himself is doing good, eating & drinking, although his muzzle is still swollen. Dr. Voss said since it's still swollen after 2 weeks that it's probably necrotic. 

They are going to start giving him insulin today to see if that helps, & also said something about giving him something to regulate his thyroid.  I would imagine they saw something in the blood test to warrant working with the thyroid.  

Last night John was doing a jeep tour in Tucson, so I did evening chores.  Lucy didn't come in, so I had to go find her.  She was laying down in a dusting hole, but got up when I saw her.  She was still walking a little "lightly", so I decided to put her in a pen for the night, so she wouldn't be walking around so much.  You would have thought I had "drawn & quartered" her, to hear her tell the story...........most of the night.  She was more than happy to eat her hay in there, BUT not to stay in there, when everyone else was going to Burroland.  

We'll watch her walk around today & if she is still ouchy, probably put her in again tonight.  Jenny seems to be doing good wearing her boots.  I take them off at night when she is in a pen, so her feet can rest.  Their feet get a little damp, if you don't put cornstarch in the boots, & they get "stinky" feet.  They smell like old stinky gym shoes.  The cornstarch helps a lot though, so I make sure I put some in, whenever I"m putting the boots on them. 

The vet called with an update on Quilla.  They got his blood tests back & his triglycerides are high.  She said 214, but my blood values, say donkeys should be between 0.2 - 4.6.  I'm assuming to get to my numbers you have to do some math with her numbers, but I don't know how.  She said below 500 is much better than above 500, so that was good news. 

She also said his glucose is still high, & they are soaking his feet in ice water 4 times a day.  She said he seems to like it, so it's probably feels good.  They are also giving him a little alfalfa hay, which she said he really seems to enjoy.  I think he was fed alfalfa for at least 9 years before he came here, so I would imagine he is enjoying the change from plain old grass hay.  She said he's eating & can now chew from side to side.  

But his muzzle is still swollen, although she thought it might be a little less so today.  They are giving him 1 IV bag a day with DMSO in it to hopefully take down the swelling & also some vitamin E.  They seem to be a little puzzled on why his muzzle is still so swollen.

She will call again tomorrow with an update.  

Last night I took Lucy & Jenny's soft ride boots off to wash & let them dry overnite.  I didn't even think about feet being tender after wearing boots for awhile.  Not a problem with Jenny, she is still staying in the pens at night.  But Lucy was out all night.  John had to go find her this morning & her feet really were sore.  I looked at the bottoms & there were 4 or 5 places where she had stepped on rocks & caused little bloody marks, poor girl.  John said she really was reluctant to walk back from Burroland.  But once I put the boots back on her, she was ready to do again.  In the future when I wash  boots she will have to stay in a pen until they are dry.  

QUILLA NEWS

Yesterday when we went out, he was just about the same, hadn't drank any water, & his muzzle was still swollen.  And he had 3 hot feet, about 15-20 degrees warmer than anyone else's.   We had talked about taking him up to the Equine Center in Gilbert Monday (today) if he wasn't getting any better.  We decided to call & see what they thought.  We told the vet what we had been doing & what was going on, & he said there was a lot going on & that we should probably go ahead & bring him in.  So we rushed around, got chores done, & headed north.  That is after we got him loaded.  He might not feel good, but going in a trailer wasn't what he had planned for the day.  We were both wore out by the time he finally gave up.  

Got up there & Dr. Moore checked him all over, did x-rays on his feet so if he is foundering we would have a baseline of information to start with.  His feet don't look as bad inside as I thought they would.  He has a little dissolving (demineralizing) of the point of one coffin bone, but everything else looked pretty good.  He also ran blood & found out Quilla's liver numbers are really high.  I had read that equine that are sun sensitive sometimes also have liver  problems.  Not sure it has anything to do with his snakebite, but he's in the best place to have the problem worked with.  His glucose was also high, so I guess I was giving him more than enough dextrose.  

Since Quilla has to be protected from the sun & was going to have to continue the IV's, he got to go into an inside box stall in the barn.  I thought it was pretty neat, Quilla...........not so much.  He wouldn't even go in the barn, until Dr. Moore opened the door at the other end, so it didn't look so much like a cave.  I asked which stall to put him in & Dr. Moore said to let him pick it out.  So we wandered around a little bit until he found the one he liked.  

HOME SWEET HOME, FOR A FEW DAYS

It had nice deep bedding, in case his feet are sore, lots of room for a little donkey.  It's big enough that a large draft horse would have plenty of room.  The vet brought over some hay, & Quilla really was trying to eat it, but his face is just too swollen, for him to be able to get ahold of anything.  

When we left he was still trying to pick up hay, & the vet was getting ready to hang an IV.  One of the vets just called, & she said he is actually drinking a little from the automatic waterer.  I don't know if he's ever even seen one before.  They checked his heart, & did a sonogram on his liver.  She said his liver isn't exactly shaped right, which could mean fatty liver disease.  Since his glucose is so high, they have started icing his feet, to hopefully keep him from foundering.  I wonder if they use IV bags to soak feet?  I always wanted some, & now after running all those IV's thru Quilla I have a good supply, hopefully I'll never need them.

I hope his liver problems are just temporary, it will probably take a day or two to get him stabilized & actually figure out what's going on with him.  But he is in about the best place he could be I think.  He'll get much better care than we were giving him, at least they know what they are doing......!!!!  (G)

Didn't get home until about 8pm.  There wasn't a donkey in sight when we drove in, but by the time we carried stuff in the house, & changed our shoes, between the house & the feed room was a mass of donkeys.  They were really in a hurry to get in their pens, & get fed.  Wish they were like that all the time, instead of making us go out & find them.  It's really irritating when you do find one & they just look at you like, "what do you want".  Judging from their attitude last night, I know they can tell time & should be able to show up & go in their pens at feeding time.  The 4 minis think it's a game.   They will stand around the feed room, while we round up others, waiting for one of us, to yell at them & flail our arms around at them.  Then they take off running & bucking like little wild animals, & head straight for their pen.  BRATS.........!!!!

Quilla still can't drink, although he is picking at hay a little, not enough though.  Yesterday afternoon, John was in with him, & when he started to leave, Quilla ran over him to get out the gate.  We had just hung a new bag, thankfully it stayed on the hook, but he jerked the tube out of it & jerked the catheter out of his neck.  In fact, the vet had braided a little piece of his mane to hold the tube.  He even pulled out the hair in the braid.  I was in the house & when I came out John was yelling, LOUD.  We got the bag plugged, but of course there was no way to get the IV back in, so off to the phone.  Debra came out this morning & re-ran the IV.  It's been 10 days & everyone thinks the swelling should be gone or down enough so he can drink.  Obviously he didn't get that memo.  Some of the swelling is gone, but not much.

One piece of good news, we took Chico home yesterday afternoon.  When we got there, he hopped out of the trailer & started eating wild food.  He didn't even get out of the pen here, we kept him away from the jennies, just in case.  So I'm sure he was ready for some "real" food, as opposed to hay.   Mae is going to give  them a couple of days to get use to each other before she puts them together.  They should be OK, Lupe will make sure everyone behaves themselves, & I would imagine Chico & Miguel-Benito will run & play, Chico is only about 13 months old, so he's still a baby too. 

 WHO THE HECK IS THAT........??

Didn't get Chico home today, we're still busy with Quilla, his IV's & his swollen muzzle.  We've ran 52 liters of IV fluid thru him so far.  Probably will get some more this afternoon when we meet the vet to pick up some Heparin.  Haven't heard from her yet, so don't know when or where.  Hopefully we can take Chico home tomorrow.  Once I get the Heparin I can stop the IV for hours.  As much trouble as we've had with them, I wouldn't feel comfortable leaving with one running.  In fact last night I sat in a chair beside his "hospital" pen because the IV was running so slow we were afraid it would quit.  Or would start running too fast & run out.  As it worked out it didn't run out until about 9am, so I could have got my "beauty" sleep after all.  

The reason I decided to stay with him, is when we went out to start that bag, I heard something dripping.  Looked around didn't see anything until John looked on the other side of his neck.  He had managed to disconnect the connector from the catheter & the IV fluid was dripping on the ground.  And in an open system too, I might add.  I'm not quite as panic proned as I was when this all started last week, but it was time to panic.  We finally managed to get it going again, but with the system open like that, there's a chance that he might get an infection, I sure hope not, he's been such a good little patient.  I know he's ready to do something else & so are we.  

Most of the greenery has dried up & the mesquite beans are pretty much gone, so as of this morning Jenny, Katie, Lucy & Friolita are released from the Fat Farm for general wandering & doing their thing, which I'm sure they appreciate.  We'll try letting Lucy out with Buster all the time, that means Chester can have his pen back, which will make Tula happy.  She doesn't appreciate having to share her pen with HIM...........!!  Once Chico goes home, Katie will go in that pen, to eat by herself.  She'll miss scarfing up as much of Jenny & Frijolita's hay as she can I'm sure.  She's actually lost some weight, but she's got a ways to go. 

The vet just left after coming out to evaluate Quilla & how he's doing.  She had to run a new IV line, the old one had gotten crimped.  Probably when John found it pulled out a little bit & he pushed it back in.  The little tube is very flexible, & the vet said you can twist it back in sometimes, but probably not push it back in.  

The new one is running too fast, we seem to have a problem coming up with a "just right" speed.  Until tomorrow I only have 1 liter IV bags, & they go real quick, so she said run one then wait a little while & run another one.  

Tomorrow she will get in an order, so we'll have access to 5 liter bags again.  Hopefully he won't need them too much longer, we're getting close to that week deadline.  His swelling is down some, but his lips are still too swollen for him to be able to eat or drink, so he will be on IV's until he can drink on his own.  

We were going to take Chico home tomorrow, he's healing real good after his gelding last week, & Mae is anxious for him to come home.  Once he's gone we can move Katie into that pen again, so she can eat by herself, & not try to eat Jenny & Frijolita's food.  

Courtney came last night & trimmed those that needed it.  Lucy didn't need anything, her feet haven't grown that much.  I don't know if being in the boots makes the hoof grow slower or not.  She also brought a pair of boots to try on Jenny.  She's been limping around for quite sometime.  She quit limping in the boots, although she's still walking slow.  But they are a little too big for her, so she drags the front of the boot when she walks.  If she walked at normal speed, they might make her stumble.  If the boots work for her, we'll get a smaller pair for her. 

Not much change in Quilla, still hooked to the IV, still can't eat or drink.  The IV is really running slow, we hooked it up yesterday about 4pm & it's only about 1/2 gone.  That is really slow one drip about every 2 seconds.  Last night as we were getting ready to go to the races, John went out to check on him & found the catheter had come loose & was sticking out of the vein about an inch or so.  YIKES!  It's about 6-8 inches long, so it wasn't in danger of "popping" out, but it's still not a good idea or very sterile for it to be out like that.  John pushed it back in & I taped it down again.  The surgical glue the vet used has come loose, I would imagine that's what happened.  

The swelling has gone down a little bit, but very little.  Since the IV is running so slow I've started giving him the Dex by shot, rather than adding it to the IV.  That way I know he is getting it.  

I have a call in for her to come back out & evaluate what we need to do.  She originally said sometimes they get fine after a couple of days, sometimes it takes up to a week.  John asked her what the plan of attack is after a week.  She said she didn't know, she had never had one go that long.  Today is Monday, he was bit last Wednesday afternoon, so we're getting close to "don't know" time. 

Had a family here this afternoon to visit with the donkeys.  They were here a few days ago, & had decided Honcho needs to be a part of their family.  But they are having a hard time deciding who else to

HONCHO

take.  Buddy Brat, Chester, Frijolita, Buster & Katie are all in the running.  Buster loves the kids & the 3 year old talks about Buster all the time.  But he is so attached to Lucy, that might not work.  Lucy's feet are bad & always will be, so she comes with baggage, & they would do better with someone that's healthy.  They have get their 5 acres fenced & build some shelters, which they are already planning, so it probably won't be too long before they are ready.  We talked about going to visit with Remington & Hanna in foster care & they want to do that.  But they are zeroed in on Honcho, visiting with the "honeymooners" is probably just a fun visit, I don't think they will be in the running. 

Our little moose still looks like a moose.  Quilla's swelling is still there, gone down a tiny little bit, but he still can't eat or drink.  Yesterday John figured out he could stick a dry animal cracker between Quilla's teeth & it would stick to his tongue.   We have some Strategy to mix in the mush for the older guys, & after I got bit trying to stuff animal crackers in his mouth, put some of those in a pan.  I don't know how much he's actually getting, but he is interested in participating in the process, & is willing to try.  

He's still on IV's since he can't drink, & Dex for the swelling, which I ran out of last night.  Neither the vet or I thought he would be swelled this long.  Of course it's a holiday, this is Sunday & I haven't heard back from her yet. 

At least John & I are managing to run the IV's now without having a crisis & having to call her in a panic.  Poor Quilla, it's probably a good thing he doesn't know how shaky his nursing staff is, or he'd probably opt to go with the snake instead.  

 

QUILLA UPDATE

 LOOKS LIKE A WHITE MOOSE WITHOUT A RACK

He is still swollen up like a "poisoned pup" & can't eat or drink.  So far today he's had 8 liters of fluid & another 5 liter bag is hanging & dripping.  This morning I set the alarm to go check it in 30 minutes.  I should have set it for 29 minutes, I guess because it went dry.  I called the vet to see what to do, but she didn't call back for about 5 hours & by that time the line was clogged.  So she had to walk us thru getting it unclogged.  Boy I wish we knew what we're doing, poor Quilla probably would rather have "real" nurses, if he had a choice.

He tried to eat a little mush tonight although he still can't close his mouth.  It's a good thing, I was using my hands to push mush into his mouth & got past his teeth.  He chomped down but his teeth have about a 1/2 inch gap, so I didn't get bit.

By the time we got the line unclogged, it was almost 8pm.  It's dripping at about 1 drop per second & the bag is a 5 liter bag, so it's going to be a LONG night I'm afraid.  The vet said we could stop it for a couple of hours, but not a whole night or it will clog again.  John said we'll set the alarm & take turns going out to check.  Boy, that really sounds like a lot of fun, doesn't it?  (G)

THE STORY CONTINUES.................!!

I'm not very good at taking pictures that show the amount of swelling in Quilla's face.  From pictures I've seen of snake bites his isn't "real" bad.  At least his eyes are open, & he doesn't need the hose in his nose to breath anymore, so I guess we're headed in the right direction.  He's actually trying to drink a little water today, but hasn't had anything to eat.  We're waiting for the Vet to come & run an IV on him, so he doesn't get dehydrated.

The swelling has gone down a little today, & his lips don't feel like a piece of wood.  She might decide he doesn't need an IV when she gets here, we'll just have to see.  

Chico is doing real good with his gelding.  We rinsed him off yesterday, in fact we "volunteered" Georgette to help, while she was here.  He really wasn't much interested in being hosed off, or anything else, & jumped around like a grasshopper, until he decided I wasn't going to quit spraying him, & finally stood still.  Today John & I rinsed him off & he jumped a few times, & gave up.  He doesn't seem to have any swelling at all, which is a miracle.  There are some flies but not bad.  I tried spraying him with fly spray.............  he's REALLY not interested in having that done, thank you very much.  

I asked Dr. Weaver how long he would be able to breed.   On the internet there are many different ideas on how long they are "dangerous".  Dr. Weaver said one last volley......or......... about a week, because then the little critters die off.  So we'll probably take him home next week, haven't made arrangements with his Mom yet, wanted to see how he got along.  She plans on keeping him separated from his Mom & little brother at first anyway.  Of course she had Paladin & Lupe separated, when he jumped the fence & little Miguel-Benito is the result.  I guess next year about this time, we'll be having him gelded, actually we'll probably try to do him this winter, or as soon as he has anything to geld. 

NOT A GOOD DAY.............!!!

It started out great......!!!!    Georgette came out for a visit with her "god-son" Sha'ba.  The sack she is holding has ginger snaps in it, & she made sure he had his share.  Georgette is also fostering Remington & Hanna.  She says wherever Hanna goes, Remington is right behind her, so I guess they bonded like we hoped they would.  Now if we can just find them a good home, hopefully before Georgette gets too attached........!!

Tonight when John was rounding up, I heard him yell for me & something about Quilla.  I took off in the general direction & by yelling thru the mesquite trees, I finally found them.  He had been snakebit on the left side of his mouth by a pretty big rattlesnake.  It had been awhile, the blood from the bite was dried, & his head was swelled on the left side.  He also couldn't close his mouth because of the swelling.  

The first thing to worry about is can they breathe, since equines can't breathe thru their mouth.  Thank goodness it is just on one side, so although the other side has some swelling he was breathing just fine over there.  John got a piece of hose to put in the left side, which wasn't swelled shut but it was getting pretty tight to stick a finger in there.

I called the vet & we decided that it probably wasn't an emergency, but he did need a shot of Dex, which I didn't have.  The vet was willing to meet me on the road between us & where she lives, which was great.  Came home, gave him a shot, which he didn't appreciate.  She said by morning the swelling should be going down, I hope she's right.  He still can't close his mouth, & of course he can't eat or drink.  If the swelling goes down & he can at least drink, we'll probably give him Dex for a few days & consider him very lucky.  If he can't drink by morning the vet will have to come out & start him on IV's so he doesn't dehydrate.  His lips feel like a piece of wood, they are so swollen. 

That is our 2nd rattlesnake bite, which actually is pretty good considering how many donkeys are roaming around on the property.  Sha'ba got hit on the front of his cannon bone years ago, the snake struck twice, but the fangs hit the bone & didn't inject venom I guess.  At first I thought he had gotten stuck on cactus or something, until the flesh started sloughing off.  It never swelled or anything & I just treated it like any other sore.