This is what Boaz's knee looked like this morning.  I tried leaving the cover off, but the flies thought his knee was a picnic, so I had to recover it.  I'm leaving it uncovered tonight.  It's still enlarged, not sure if that is actual proud flesh or just years & years of neglect. 

Changed Jenny's foot this morning.  She's real good about doing the bandage, but getting her into the garage is a challenge.  She has always been difficult to lead, actually she doesn't lead unless she wants to.  She will stand flat footed, look at you with those big brown eyes & dare you to make her move.  Lysa was here cleaning pens, so we got her involved.  Jenny does know when to give up, & will do so gracefully if enough people are involved.  Her foot looks good, I guess, still a big gaping hole, but that isn't going to change anytime soon, unfortunately.  Still haven't let her out to roam around, I'm hesitant because of the rocky ground, & don't want the duct tape boot to wear thru, so that dirt could get into the open areas. 

Daisy is still trying to find a boyfriend.  Boaz has lost interest, but old Pepper hasn't.  Yesterday he was trying to figure out how to "hop" up.  He can just barely walk, but that doesn't seem to be a problem from his point of view.  Nothing like an old fool I guess. 

Cheyenne lost one of the new fly masks.  She is the smallest mini & a regular mini mask is pretty large on her.  I ordered ex-small for her & Tucker, but until they came in she was wearing a regular one.  It's somewhere on the 30 acres, but neither John or I have been able to find it.  Grrrr.....!!!  John did find one of Jenny's leggings from last year, which was a pleasant surprise. 

YOUTH IS WASTED ON THE YOUNG.........!!

Boy our butts have really been dragging today.  We didn't get home from racing until 3:30am this morning.  Of course the donkeys started their morning ritual about 7am.  They don't seem to care if we get in late, they still expect breakfast to be served on time........!!!  

Our local track wasn't racing Hornets or Super Stocks last night, so our son hauled his Super up to Queen Creek, southeast of Phoenix, of course we weren't going to miss anything even if it was 200 miles one way.  

Fun track, lot of fannies in the seats to watch, & good car counts in all the different classes.  Two other Tucson drivers went up too.  Unfortunately Rod cracked a rotor in the heat race & didn't get to run in the main event.  

But I think a good time was had by all. I'm glad we went, but sure hope our local track doesn't ever close down.  This would be the closest track if we wanted to continue racing, & if we had to go up there to race, I'm not sure John & I would survive the experience on a regular basis.  

Started using the Silver Nitrate on Boaz's knee yesterday.  It's looking slimy which I would imagine is the way it's suppose to look.  I'll try to get a picture of it tomorrow if I get a chance.  Tomorrow is bandage changing day for Jenny's foot, which is my big priority, so we'll see if I have time for other "fun" things.

Kris said to just cover it with a piece of gauze to keep the sun off it.  That's easier said than done out here with all the brush to get caught on. 

Today was mini horse day I guess.  Heard from CJ's family.  CJ was a little black & white mini horse with really lousy feet we got in Nov 2010.  The woman said she had lost my phone number, so that was why she hadn't called earlier.  I told her CJ's new home is with a farrier & a 17 hands high gelding that thinks she "hot" stuff.  There is also a mare that doesn't appreciate the competition & a goat.  The last I heard from Ernie, CJ was in charge of the whole operation.  

I also heard from Kathy that is fostering Bijou.  He has chronic conjunctivitis & his eyes are getting pretty sore.  I went on the internet looking for information & there just isn't a lot out there. 

Thanks for the pictures, Kathy

The main thing they say is call your vet.  Conjunctivitis is one of those things that each vet seems to have their own "special" treatment, so you can really have fun chasing this or that treatment. 

I took this picture of Rusty the mule when we brought him home from the vet this afternoon. 

Like I said yesterday, if he didn't perk up I was calling the vet this morning.  They said bring him in, so off we went.  Boy they were busy, had 2 or 3 horses getting shod, one getting acupuncture, a couple of alpacas, have no idea what they were getting done.  Weird little animals...........!!!  In amongst all that Nancy was spaying & neutering in the clinic too.  But she managed to keep everything moving along, by running back & forth.

She did another rectal on Rusty & said it still didn't feel right.  So we decided to do an ultrasound/sonogram.  Rusty got a shave on both sides, although she actually spent most of the exam with the probe inside him.  They shaved him on both sides, down to the skin.  He is pink skinned, so to keep him from getting sunburned, he will have to be protected by Thuja Zinc Oxide, until the hair grows out.  Hence, his little pink patch, there's one on the other side too. 

She said his kidneys are larger than she would think they should be, but she didn't find anything else that look suspicious.  So he got the usual, Dex, Banamine & Vit B-12.  Also got some acupuncture, she was doing a horse, & popped Rusty with 5 needles, one in the end of his muzzle.  As soon as she did that, he started eating grass hay like it was good...........!!!!  She said that is a spot to enduce eating.  WOW! 

I'll give him B-12 & Banamine for a couple of days, & hopefully he be OK.  When we got home & put him in his pen, he started eating leftover hay immediately.

Gus was walking good this morning much better than the last few days, so I guess Courtney's trim did some good. 

FINALLY, got the Silver Nitrite I ordered ages ago.  I ordered it off the internet & when it didn't show up I got in touch with the company.  They said they sent it by mail, of the 12th of April, had the mailing number & everything.  I checked on the internet using the number, & sure enough it was given to the post office on the 12 of April, & the next information said it continued on it's journey the 23 of April..........HUH.........????  When was it doing sitting for 11 days.  The shipper asked them, & was told they had no more information than was available on the web.  I'll try to get it mixed up tomorrow & spray it on Boaz's proud flesh.  I'm anxious to see how it works. 
 

 

Probably doesn't look like it, but this is actually a bandage changing room.  See the supplies sitting on the hood of last year's race car?  Jenny is tied to the roll cage of the car, to make sure she doesn't try to wander off.  

She was a very good girl today, when Courtney trimmed her foot & we rebandaged the foot.  Of course she was getting a treat about every 15 seconds which probably helped.   Everything looks as good as can be expected, except for the heel bulbs.  They were bloody when we brought her home from the clinic.  They aren't bloody now but they are raw & probably bother her more than the re-section areas. 

She has to be bandaged so no dirt gets into the open areas, but we decided to try using less bandages, & hopefully the heel bulbs might get a chance to dry out.  Won't know until we change the bandage Monday.  She hasn't worn thru the bandages at all, so we'll see how it goes.  She's on soft dirt & straw, & we'll watch to make sure the bandages don't come loose. 

Courtney said the front of her foot is probably going to fall off.  The side groove in the picture moves if she puts pressure on the front of the foot.  Just another "opportunity to excel", I guess.  Courtney seems to think the open area will probably never cover with hoof material, the tissue will eventually become hardened somewhat like a callus.  If that happens I would imagine she will always have to wear a boot of some kind to protect it.  

She also trimmed Gus, she said his frogs had grown like crazy, hopefully that's why he's been a little ouchy the last couple of days.  

Rusty the white mule has been off his feed since yesterday morning.  If he doesn't perk up by morning, I'll call & see if Nancy can see him tomorrow.  The last time he did this, she said she felt something when she did a rectal that didn't feel right.  I hope he doesn't have a tumor or something like that.  

Everyone else seems to be doing good.  It's finally fly mask season for everyone, so every morning fly masks on, just before dark, take them off.  Chantilly will now let us take the mask off without going into the little squeeze.  She's not thrilled about it, but does stand "almost" still. 

This morning while everyone was waiting for us to come out & serve breakfast, Tucker & Justin started playing.  Mocha decided Tucker didn't need to play, & she broke it up.  Doesn't matter than Tucker is already taller than Justin & probably is getting close to weighing as much guess momma didn't want her little boy getting hurt.  Later on the boys sneaked off away from her, & started playing again.  I didn't have my camera, I'll take it out tomorrow morning.  Of course if I have the camera, they won't probably play. 

The well guy is suppose to come out tomorrow to probably tell us we need to drill a new well............UGH!  Right now the holding tank is pretty full because of the water delivered yesterday.  John is checking it often, climbing a ladder & sticking a flashlight inside.  He says it's a little higher than it was yesterday, so I assume the well is still operating.  We're being careful with our water useage, just in case we need to get into the habit..................!!!

Jenny is eating this morning although not with great vigor.  I broke down & gave her a little of the chicken's alfalfa hay  & she had no problem eating that.  So I don't know what is going on. 

Courtney is coming out tomorrow to trim Jenny's re-sectioned foot, that didn't get trimmed up at the vet clinic.  We have a plan, hopefully we can get it trimmed without getting dirt in the open areas.  We also don't know how much feeling she has in the open areas.  She doesn't react when I stuff gauze into either opening, so maybe they aren't real sensitive. 

We noticed this morning that Daisy is cycling...........!!! YOU GO GIRL...........she's about 27-28 years old.  She had her eye on Boaz & was ready to "party".  Of course Boaz is ready & willing, not sure that December gelding changed his mind on what his job is, in the world. 

The problem is, he is very rough with the girls, he chased Frijolita around the other day & she wasn't even interested in what he was selling.....!!!  I had to break it up & put him in a pen, so she could rest. 

Daisy is too old for this nonsense, even if she doesn't know it.  So we left her in the pens today.  John just went out & said she is digging holes all over the pens, showing her displeasure I guess.  She's a funny old girl.  John's going to be outside this afternoon, so I told him to let her out & if he hears thundering hooves, we'll have to corral Boaz. 

This has been an interesting day.....!!!  We had 1600 gallons of water put in our holding tank this morning.  Hopefully that will give the well a chance to recuperate.  Well driller is coming out Thursday, he's already told John over the phone that it costs as much to drill as it does to re-drill an existing well deeper.  I'm not sure how that works, he's going to have to explain it better than he has so far.  

John spent the day cleaning & filling water buckets, while I went to Tucson & got my pretty orange cast.  Where the thumb was broke in October, is doing just fine.  Cracked the wrist & one of the metatarsal bones in my hand this time.  The doctor said 3 weeks in a cast should be fine if I'm careful with it.  I still plan on trying to race, so we'll see how it goes.  

Jenny didn't eat overnight, so I checked her over this morning.  Temperature was good, feet not warm, had gut sounds, seemed alert, just wasn't eating.  Wouldn't even take a treat, or watermelon, which is usually a #1 choice of treats for donkeys.  

I gave her a light dose of ACE yesterday when we changed her foot bandage.  According to what I read, ACE can cause fogging for at least 12 hours, but it's been over 24 hours, so don't know it that's what it is or not.  Tonight she picked at her hay a little bit, so hopefully she'll be OK in the morning.  

She seems to have a problem with drugs, being down for 10 days after Baytril at the clinic.  The high powered antibiotic Metronidazone, stopped her from eating for days before we took her up to the cliinic.  

Friday is the next bandage changing day, I guess we'll try it without ACE.   

Called for an appointment with the orthopedic surgeon this morning.  Since I'm already in their system, I didn't have to do the primary care dog & pony show.......!!!   Suppose to see him tomorrow afternoon.  Sure hope it's just a quick look, cast & me out the door.  

Yesterday it was about 100 degrees here & felt every degree, like sticking your head in an oven.  The hay barn is open in the front which means the further back in it you go, the more stagnant the air is & it just sits there & heats up, ALL DAY LONG.  

John & I put our heads together & Jenny now has not only a fan aimed towards where she lays down, but also has misters running along one side.  

We didn't know about the misters, since donkeys usually don't like water or wet, but she figured out real quick that it was cool to stand there even if it does get her a little wet.  

Unfortunately right now no mister.  We just got back from town & the well has shut down.  One of John's "lovely" jerry rigged hose connections, disconnected & drained the tank.  In the process it either over loaded the surface pump & it shut itself off, or it burnt out.  Either way, we're waiting for the well guy to call us back & see if he can come out & "fix" it.  So right now she just has the fan, but it's a little cooler today, so she seems comfortable.

This morning was bandage changing day.  I ACEd her about half an hour before we wanted to start.  Getting her from the hay barn into the garage wasn't real easy when the time came.  Not sure the problem wasn't just Jenny being Jenny, but next time we're thinking about putting her in the garage & then ACEing her.  

Lysa was great help, since I have hand problems & John isn't suppose to lift more than 8 pounds right now, she did the heavy lifting, when Jenny didn't want to raise her foot.  Her foot looked good, except the heel bulb is still raw, but actually looks better than it did, so I guess we're making progress. 

John just came in & said he was working on the golf cart, it just died.  See why we're never bored.........!!!! LOL  This actually is golf cart #2, #1 "croaked" a few days ago & is still awaiting John's attention.  This is why we have 3 golf carts, chores would really be "chores" without a golf cart...........!!!  We've managed to find 2 electric golf carts really cheap because they needed batteries.  People almost give them away, because they know people won't pay what they are worth, if they need batteries.  Keeping 3 of them going keeps John busy in his "spare" time..! LOL

THIS IS GETTING OLD............!!!

Went racing last night.  Brought the car home in one piece, well the right front fender is a little "mussed", guy in front of me didn't GO when the flagman dropped the green flag & I did.......!!!!!  I almost missed him, but if I had gone to the left anymore the guy beside me would have really been unhappy.............!!!  LOL

Somewhere in the battle I broke my hand I think.  Actually I'm getting pretty good at diagnosing broken bones.......!!!  Same hand I broke the thumb on, but higher up.  So I iced it, wrapped it up when I got home, & will call the doctor tomorrow I guess.  

The way doctoring is done now, drives me crazy.  You can't go to the doctor, get an x-ray & get a cast put on.  No, no, no.....!!!!!   Have to make an appointment with your primary care manager, go see a PA (I'm not even sure what my actual doctor looks like.)  She does a lot of writing, gives a prescription to go over to the hospital & get an x-ray.  At least that's a walk-in.  Someone reads it, & pronounces it broke.  Back to the PA to get a referral to the Orthopedic clinic in Tucson, which won't see you unless someone else has already said, you aren't going to waste their time by not actually having something they need to see.  If you're lucky the next day is "Break" day, which is a walk in for broken bones..... well if you can walk, otherwise they have wheelchairs.  Otherwise you get an appointment depending on your level of breakage I guess.  See the big doctor for about 5 minutes, he disappears, someone comes in sticks a color wheel in your face & asks which color you want, then spends maybe 5 minutes slapping on a cast & out the door you go.  I'm sure they can treat a horde of people this way, but jeesh.........!!!!  I'm not looking forward to seeing the same hand doctor in Tucson again.  He seemed to think the broken thumb in October was funny, probably because of my age & how I did it.  This should send him over the edge.......!!!

John is ordering me a steering wheel today, that is solid in the middle, no place to stick your thumb or hand or whatever I stuck thru the wheel this time.  Our son had said they are harder to grip, but at this rate, harder to grip doesn't sound so bad after all.........!!! LOL 

The donkeys were glad to see us when we got home.  Vic & Lora had fed them, but they were still in their pens.  We are really going to miss Vic & Lora when they move to Colorado in June.  I keep hoping they will change their minds, but probably not, a lot of their family live up there.  

Jenny seems to be doing good, not sure how her bandage change will go tomorrow.  John still can't lift more than 8 pounds until Wednesday because of his angiogram Friday.  Believe me, Jenny can make her foot weight a lot more than 8 pounds when she wants to.  And now I'm "wounded" which is really bad because John doesn't do doctoring, even in good times.  Lysa cleans pens on Mondays & I had already told her I'd probably need her to help me doctor Jenny because of John's limitations.  So this should be fun.......NOT!

 One of the member's of the Donkey Yahoo Group showing her "ass".  Looks like he's cleared the jump by about a foot.......!!

Picked John up from the hospital yesterday afternoon.  I hope he enjoyed his day of rest, although he didn't seem too impressed.  

The good news is they didn't have to do any "work", they went in & looked, & everything was OK.  But he still had to be careful not to open up the opening they made in the femoral artery.  Actually they made a hole on either side.  John had radiation on the right side years ago, & that is the preferred side for them to go in.  But there was too much scar tissue, so he got an extra opening.

We're going racing tonight, & he is restricted, not only by me, but by our son, grandson, & our racing com padres.  They have all threatened him with dire consequences if he tries to do anything except stand in the way.  We'll see how this goes........!!!!  LOL

I got a fancy  boot for Jenny yesterday to use when she starts going out of the hay barn, hopefully soon.  It's called an Equine Hoof Bandage from a company called Mossy Creek, LLC.  It looks like it might work better than duct tape to give her something to continue to protect the foot from rocks & gravel.  It's made to fit all sizes, so hopefully it will fit her overly long donkey foot. 

She seems to be fairly content being in the hay barn, but it would be great if she could be out at least a couple of hours a day.  John's afraid she will get a long way from the barn & we won't be able to get her to walk back.

Not a very good picture but I was in a hurry this morning.  Maybe I'll get a better one next time.  

So this is what we are dealing with.  I thought it didn't go so far up, but it looks like they opened the hoof right below the coronet, which means it will take probably about a year to grow out.  I'm feeding her Biotin to help with hoof growth, but don't think it makes it grow much faster.  The hole in the bottom of her sole is about the size of my thumb & goes all the way thru to this hole.  YUCK! 

It only took us about an hour today, so we're getting a little better.  Jenny wasn't very cooperative as usual, so I gave her a bare minimum dose of ACE. I think next time I'll use a little more........LOL

The good news is, when we took the wrappings off, the foot was drier than it was Monday.  And the bulbs of her heel weren't any worse & were fairly dry, so hopefully the worse is over.  I hope she doesn't get any proud flesh, I'm packing the holes with gauze to try to prevent that happening.

Today was the first day for everyone getting a fly mask, well everyone except Chantilly.  Chantilly hasn't decided to let us do whatever we want with her.  She enjoys head rubs & wither scratches & listens attentively when you talk to her.  She also has learned that people on tours have treats, & she willingly participates.  But we haven't moved on to things like halter, leads & fly masks just yet.  Don't think she's quite ready for that.

John is going to build one of our little squeezes, using a corral panel in a corner to put her in & put the mask on her.  I'm sure once she finds out the flies can't get in her eyes she probably will decide that it isn't so bad after all.  She's very gentle so our main concern is not to scare her, we aren't worried that she will kick or run over us or anything like that. 

John goes into Tucson tomorrow for an angiogram.  I have to have him to the hospital at 6am......!!!  I'll take him in, come back & feed & then go back & wait for them to get done with him.  This is a new experience so we're not really sure of what's going to be happening. Vic is going to feed in the evening, which will really help since we aren't really sure how long it will take.  I guess afterwards he has to lay perfectly still for awhile to give a clot time to harden where they run the "roto rooter" into the artery. 

Today was kinda of a fun day.  We had a group of home school kids come out to visit with the donkeys this morning.  John wasn't here, so Georgette came out to help show them around.  Only had one slightly bitten finger, Ruthie got a little confused, but I think everyone had a good time.  

This afternoon the dogs were barking their, "the donkeys are going to get in trouble if Mom sees what they are doing" bark.  I went out & sure enough Quilla had hold of Gus' fly mask & I think was trying to fling him over his back. At least that's what it looked like.  Poor Gus was trying to keep his feet on the ground.  He was going around in circles & really wasn't trying to get away, so maybe he was having fun, who knows.  I yelled at Quilla & he took off, which leads me to believe that he knew what he was doing wasn't acceptable.  I didn't really mind him exercising Gus, but I didn't like him using Gus' fly mask as a guidance tool. 

Jenny seemed to have a good day, she laid down late this morning for a couple of hours, but other than that was on her feet all day.  She was laying down when the kids were here, so they didn't get to see her.  Since she is staying in the hay barn, she's away from the pen area.  She's learned how to play people for treats & attention since this has been going on, & I'm sure if she had been up & we had gone to see her, she would have been thrilled with such a large audience to woo. 

Tomorrow is bandage changing day, which I'm looking forward to like I'd look forward to a root canal.  I really don't want to have to drug her, but I guess I will if I have to.  The bandage I put on Monday still looks pretty good, so maybe I'm worrying too much about this whole bandaging process.  I hope her heel bulbs are healing, although since the foot is completely covered with bandages, I don't see how it will get a chance to heal.  That foot is pretty long too, I'll have to talk to Courtney & see if she can trim it.  That's going to be another logistical nightmare I have a feeling. 

WHAT A MORNING, WHAT A MORNING.......!!!!

This morning was bandage changing day.  We started right after chores & finally got a new bandage on around noon........!!!!

Actually for her she was relatively cooperative, although as usual she wouldn't hold the foot still, just about the time you would be doing something important, she'd jerk the foot away from you.  

Our biggest problem was we couldn't get the bandage of Elastikon, & duct tape the clinic put on, off........!!!  We gnawed at it with just about everything we had that might cut & wasn't getting thru at all.  I finally called the clinic, talked to the vet, & she said she'd never had a problem cutting thru a bandage like that, using sharp scissors or a sharp pocket knife.  OK...........!!!!  I shared this information with John which really made his day, since he was the one in charge of getting the bandage off.  He finally made some progress using an exacto knife, yippee......!!!  Got all the wrappings off & saw her foot for the first time.  There is a gaping hole in the front, & a hole about the size of my thumb in the bottom.  I had to pack gauze into the holes to help prevent proud flesh from getting started.  Then the "drill" is, cover with gauze pads, brown gauze to hold them in place, diaper, duct tape boot, elastikon, more duct tape & more elastikon.  I've never done this much wrapping before & as I said she isn't the most cooperative little miss, actually BIG miss.  

We had her on a sheet, but in the soft ground, that didn't work very well, especially with her not standing still, & actually pawing to show her displeasure.  John got the brilliant idea of taking her in the garage on the concrete floor, so that's what we finally did.  Found a good use for last year's race car, that's what we tied her to, figured she couldn't squirm much tied up.  Worked great for the front end, although the rear end, where I was trying to work was still moving just fine, thank you very much.........GRRRRR.....!!!!   I finally used the last of my Dormosedan although it takes 30 minutes or so to take effect.  I think I got her bandaged before it took effect.  Called the local vet & she didn't have any, so I picked up some ACE from her when we went into town. 

I got a bandage on, we went to town to vote & she was laying down when we came back, so I haven't had a chance to see how the bandage is holding up. I've got my fingers crossed, the main thing is to not get dirt into those open places, until the hoof wall & sole grow out to cover them.  I certainly hope since this is going to be a long term operation, that Jenny gets a little more pleasant about the whole situation.  I'd hate to have to sedate her every 4 to 5 days.

The good news is the Underwood Horse Medicine is working great on her bed sores.  Don't know if they'll heal since she's still laying down a few hours every day, but I think I can keep them under control hopefully. 

Everyone else seems to be doing good, thank heavens.  I'm still doctoring Boaz's proud flesh on his knee, & it is finally starting to get smaller. 

Today was the start of the fly mask season for some of them.  I only put masks on the ones that have immune problems which seems to make them "fly candy".  I tried to put Tucker's baby mask on him, but it doesn't fit anymore.  The flies aren't very bad yet, & I put in an order last night to Colorful Equine for some new ones.  I thought I had enough for the new season, but when I started looking them over last night, I wondered why I even bothered to keep some, they were really tacky. 

 VISITING HOURS

We're getting into a routine of sorts.  I was going to change Jenny's bandage yesterday, but the instructions said 4 to 5 days.  Yesterday would have been 3 days & tomorrow is 5.  I'm not looking forward to doing her bandage.  First I have to figure out how to get the old bandage off without hurting her.  It's a mixture of gauze pads, brown gauze wrap, diaper, elastikon, & duct tape.  Pretty much impermeable, hope my scissors are sharp enough to cut & not gnaw......!!!  

Have to get it off, & get the hoof covered up without getting dirt in it.  SIGH!  I hope John on the other end with pets & animal crackers will help.  They didn't tell me what to do if it got dirt in it, so I need to be careful.  I was going to try to take a picture, but for this first time I think I better just unwrap & wrap.

She's doing real good, has settled down & isn't trying to get out.  Of course she expects a treat anytime you go for a "visit".  

She has bed sores on her hips & places in her armpits that are raw from her feet when she lays down.  The clinic had been spraying the places with Alu-Shield which is nothing more than a liquid silver bandage.  I went thru my shelves of assorted medical "stuff", & decided to try Underwood Horse Medicine.  I forget why I got it, someone on the Donkey Yahoo Group recommended it a couple of years ago.  Last night they were raw, this morning they look much better, so I just ordered some more. 

This is going to be a busy week.  After today every day is going to be busier than the one before.  John has 2 jeep tours Wednesday & I have a tour of 20 people coming out to visit the donkeys.  I called Georgette to see if she could come out & help with the tour.  It's a sneaky way of having her come out for a visit, I don't think she's been here since the open house in December.

Friday John gets his angiogram & I'm suppose to race Saturday night.  Our son & grandson will be there with their cars, along with friends that have already said they will help.  John has been told he can't do anything, or we'll send him home.  I guess they plug the opening in the groin with glue & you have to be careful to not unplug it.  It's in the femoral artery, which is "REALLY" important.....!!!! LOL

WE MADE IT.........!!!

Got home in time to feed this afternoon, which was a surprise.  We actually were only at the vet clinic a little over an hour, & that included visiting with our friend Nancy a little bit.  She retired from her job today & they had a going away lunch for her, so she didn't know if she'd make it to the clinic or not.  

I think Jenny was glad to see us, she came over to the fence as soon as she saw the truck & trailer.  They had just changed her bandage yesterday, so instead of watching the vet told me the layers from inside out.  I'm much better at visual lessons, but the main thing is to keep it clean, there's no medicine to put on it, so I should be able to figure it out.  The vet said I might have to sedate her, I guess she's been acting like Jenny & giving them a hard time when they would dress her foot.  I'd like to say she won't do that with me, but I know better........!!!!  (G)  Jenny can be VERY uncooperative if she wants to be.  

She loaded pretty good, for her & made the trip home just fine.  She was ready to get out when we got here & went right in the hay barn.  Since then she has seen all there is to see, she's been visited by most of the donkeys & is ready to go out.  She lets us know that by trying to knock the corral panels down.  SIGH!  She can't go out until I figure out just how much abuse a duct tape bandage will take.  The next bandage change is Monday, in the meantime I'll have to check it a couple of times a day to make sure she isn't wearing out the duct tape, even though the ground in the hay barn is really soft. 

If you listen to the video at the end you will hear John yelling.  I asked him what happened & he said BlackJack kicked him.  BJ is usually very careful about messing up, but in all the hoopla & donkeys milling around he didn't look before he kicked, caught John on the knee.  Sure made John cranky, later BJ came up & laid his head on John's chest, guess he was trying to make up. 

IT'S A GO.........!!!

Just talked to the vet & everything is a go for us to pick up Jenny tomorrow.  The vet said she's still laying down, but every day she lays down less.  So we'll feed early tomorrow & head out.  Lysa will come over, clean pens & let everyone out when they are done eating.  

Vic will come over & feed in the afternoon in case we don't get home at a decent hour.  They will show us how to wrap her foot, so we'll have to be there for awhile.  And a friend from Saudi that now lives about a mile from the vet clinic is going to try to come over & visit.  Nancy has come over before when we were up there, but it's been a couple of years ago.  It will be good to see her again, if she makes it. 

Mr. Boaz is in the dog house.  Last night when John did round-up for supper, everyone came in except Boaz.  We fed & he still hadn't showed up.  John went over to feed the neighbor's dogs, (long story) & guess who he saw over there?  When Boaz saw John & John called him, he came "arunning", stuck his head under the smooth wire that runs across the wash, & quickly was on this side.   Hmmmm, I told him he just ruined his fun, by showing John where he was going back & forth.  

This morning the bandage on his knee looked like he had been chewing on it.  I've been using Wonder Dust on it daily for quite sometime & it is looking better.  I wonder if it is starting to irritate some of the tissue that has feeling in it?  I try to not get it on anything except the proud flesh, but I'm sure it doesn't always stay where I put it.  

I've got some silver nitrate ordered & will change over to it, when it gets here.  

No races Saturday night.  The pump in the well where they get water to water the track "croaked".  There's no way we could race without the track being wet down.  It's dusty enough when they wet it.  

That's OK, getting Jenny Friday & racing Saturday was going to pretty much fill up our "dance" card.  Next Friday John is suppose to have an angiogram, which he is really looking forward to.........NOT!    We still haven't figured out the logistics, he's suppose to be at the hospital at 6am for an 8am procedure......!!!!  He's been having a little breathlessness & palpitations & has a lousy family history for heart disease.  The doctor saw something that caught his attention, so this is what he wants done.  

So John will load the race car Thur night, in case he isn't feeling real peppy Saturday.  I can drive to the track & our son & grandson will be racing that night, so they can do whatever needs to be done, like reloading it on the trailer.  I'm not into all that chain & tie down stuff.....!!! LOL

Talked to the vet this morning.  They are using Elastikon on the foot itself where it was opened up to get to the infection.  That will continue until the foot grows out completely I would imagine.  Patti said I need to invest in 3M company & I think she's probably right......!!! (G)  

They haven't helped Jenny up since yesterday morning, which is great news.  We were hoping by leaving her up there until Friday that she would be strong enough to make the 3 hour trip without problems.  Once she's here, hopefully she'll be strong enough to not need help anymore.  

We've decided to start her out in 1/2 of the hay barn.  She didn't like it when we put her in there 5 years ago, & I seriously doubt if she's changed her mind.  But it's a little cleaner in there than her pen will be, so a few days in there while we figure out the routine, won't hurt her.  

This morning I managed to catch Mocha, Tucker & Gus together.  Of course they were walking along until I showed up with the camera.  Somehow a video of donkeys standing looking at me, isn't as interesting as when they are actually moving........!!!

FRIDAY????

 

The vet called back before I went out to do chores.  Jenny had just gotten up on her own about 5 minutes before, but this morning she needed help to get up.  

The vet asked if we had any help, & I told her it was just us.  We talked some more & I finally said at this stage a few more days isn't going to make that much of a difference to us, but might make a lot to Jenny.  So I said we'd see how it went for the next few days & plan on picking her up Friday.  I could almost hear the relief in the vet's voice, so I would imagine she was hoping we'd not want to pick her up ASAP.  

Hopefully she will have a good week.  I guess her foot is doing great, at least that's good news.  They will show me how to bandage it when we get up there.  I doubt that they realize how rough our ground is, hopefully the bandage can be strong enough to hold up.  I've made bandages out of duct tape before & they will last about 24 hours.  I'm still thinking about the hoof covering made out of the same stuff they make casts out of, at least I think it's the same stuff.  I'll take the web-site info when we go to pick Jenny up & see what they think. 

I'm waiting for the vet to call me back about Jenny.  They left a message this afternoon, saying that she can now get up on her own......sometimes.....but needs a little help sometimes...........So I guess they want to pick our brain to see if we can take care of her until she gets stronger.  

It doesn't sound like she would make the 3 hour trip comfortably.  Wish we lived closer, but we don't.

UPDATE......!!!

Vet clinic called this morning, said Jenny's still getting stronger, that it only takes one person to help her get her rear end up under her now.  So she's still not "on her own" yet...........SIGH.....!!!  But we'll take what we can get.  She said they go out & get her up during the day a few times.  So we probably aren't going to be going up to get her until later in the week.  

I finally got a picture of Boaz's leg this morning.  It's much better than it was, but I don't see it getting completely well without the vet scraping it down some more.  It's just too thick.  

Racing went pretty good last night.  Finished 2nd in the heat race & 7th in the main event.  Brought the car home in one piece, so that makes John happy.......!!! LOL

Also brought home a rather oversized end of the year trophy for last year.  I finished in 6th place in the Hornet class & this trophy is about 4 foot tall......!!!   Absolutely the biggest most useless piece of "memorabilia" I've ever had the pleasure of possessing.  Have no idea what the 1st place one looks like, but I bet it was BIG.......!!! 

There was a big mess at the end of the year, the promoter got locked out of the track, & it's all new people now.  I guess he left the trophies & the new people just got around to handing them out.  Too bad they didn't have access to the end of the year point fund money, he absconded with. 

Any ideas on what to use it for? 

GREAT NEWS.........!!!

Here is a picture I was beginning to think I would never see, Jenny actually standing on her own 4 feet.  

Dr. Voss called late this afternoon & said he really didn't want to put her in a sling, & listed a long list of reasons, which all sounded logical to me.  

So a group of them went out with the idea that she was going to get up one way or another.  He apologized for having to use a HotShot on her, but if that's what it took I can live with it.  He said as soon as she got on her feet she tried to kick them, so I assume she didn't think much of the HotShot.  

He said she was out walking around, so hopefully she'll be up in the morning & will stay up. 

Her foot is doing very well, so once she is steady on her feet, we should be able to go pick her up.  Keep your fingers crossed...........!!!!

Courtney & Martha came out today & trimmed & massaged.  Martha worked on Gus, Pepper & Frijolita.  Gus almost fell asleep & Pepper almost fell over.  Martha has worked on Pepper before & she said this is the first time she thought he really enjoyed it.  Always before he was so thin he was just skin & bones.  Now that he has a little meat on his bones she has something to work with & I guess he appreciated it.  

Courtney trimmed on 9 of them.  I'm anxious to see how Gus is doing in the morning.  He's been walking real good since he came back from Claire's, so hopefully getting trimmed won't mess him up.  

Boaz got trimmed again.  His front feet had bad crevices in them, but they seem to be growing out OK from the coronet now.  Hopefully with regular trimming his feet will grow out healthy.  I'm finally making some progress on his proud flesh place.  It's getting healthy pink tissue around the edges, which eventually should make it get smaller & smaller.  I'll try to get a picture tomorrow when I change the bandage if I think of it. 

I was really proud of Mocha.  She had never stood to be trimmed before without a lot of effort on the part of 2 or 3 people.   Today she stood like she knew what she was doing.  Of course stuffing animal crackers in her mouth helped.  Tucker was a good boy too, guess he saw momma stand & decided he could too. 

The vet clinic promised they will try to get Jenny up today & put her in the sling if necessary.  After being down this long I doubt that she will be able to stand on her own, but I hope so.  Haven't heard from them so guess it hasn't happened yet.  

This morning just before we were going to get up the driveway announcer went off at 5:45am.  Looked out & sure enough there is a pick-up coming in the gate.  I love the driveway announcer, gives you time to put some clothes on.  (G)  It is a young man named Wayne.  He's been working for an Arabian farm in Tucson, he has a quad that is being worked on in Tucson & the parts are back ordered.  So he was looking for something to occupy himself for a few days.  Found our web-site & said he had always worked with horses & cows, no donkeys.  Sounded like something fun to do for a few days.  Once the quad is fixed he'll continue on to Texas, but in the meantime John is finding things for him to do.  Not too difficult around here to find something to do, unfortunately.  He's already noticed how much different donkeys are than horses, said he thinks he likes them better.  They are easier to work with I think, especially when they don't know you.  

Heard from Bijou's foster mom.  She said he still isn't moving around much, & is still ouchy.  I asked if he's still wearing his "Air Jordan's", but haven't heard back yet.  

Courtney & Martha are suppose to come out today.  Courtney wants Martha to do some massage work on Gus.  Actually he's been walking really well for him, although looking at his feet just gives me the "willies".  But they seem to work for him, so who am I to judge.  We tried getting his feet to look "normal" & it made him sore because the insides are NOT normal.  So if he's comfortable with high heels & stovepipe feet, I guess that's the way it will be.  

We are suppose to leave for Tucson at 4:30pm to go to a birthday/going away, welcome party for the Oasis Exotic Bird Sanctuary people.  I hope Courtney gets here on time, I don't think she owns a watch, if you know what I mean....!!! (G)  The ones that need to be trimmed are having to stay in their pens.  Needless to say, they are not very happy, especially when they see the others going out. 

Heard from the vet this morning.  Jenny is still down, still trying to get up, & now is talking whenever anyone comes within sight of her.  I guess all that attention is going to her head.  They are still talking about getting a crew together & trying to get her up, but so far they haven't tried it.  They still say she is stronger & perkier every day.  And her foot is healing very good.  Sooooo  here we are.  There's no way we would do anything different, but it is certainly frustrating, especially when they really have no idea why her hind legs won't support her.  

I noticed this morning that Tucker was laying down more than I thought he usually does.  I checked his "abused" area & it felt OK, a little damp, but no heat & no swelling.  I decided to take his temperature & hose off the area & was getting all my toys together, when John yelled from the neighbor's to bring him a halter.  Hmmmm, it seems Boaz had found a spot in the fence to go thru & was having a great time looking around & grabbing mouthfuls of weeds.  There is very little left on our property to eat.  I put the halter on him, hook the lead, started to lead him, & "away we went".........!!!!  Well he went, I sort of spun off the end of the lead.......!!!

 About an hour later we finally got him back on the property.  HE CAN MOVE IF HE WANTS TO.........& he did.  We both saw areas of various neighbor's property we'd never seen before.  John actually grabbed the lead a couple of times, but Boaz wasn't having any of that..!!!  (Gloves are a good idea in these situations, which John didn't have)  I guess he finally decided we weren't going to leave him alone, so he "allowed" us to herd him in the driveway gate.

 But, he decided that we didn't need to get close to him & he took off for Burroland to find the other donkeys, with his halter & lead flying.  Of course when they saw him & his flying lead, they all took off with him in high pursuit.  By this time I had lost any sense of humor I might have had.  The others circled around & headed for the pen area, he followed & we got him in his pen.  I exchanged the soft cotton lead for a stud chain & we did "learning to walk calmly with human" lessons.  He tried to pull away a couple of times & then decided it wasn't as much fun & quietly walked along for a couple of minutes & I let him go.  Grrrrrrrr!  

Finally got around to taking Tucker's temp which was normal.  Rinsing him off started out a little "squirrely" with a couple of very swift kicks, not in my direction.  But John stuffed a couple of animal crackers in his mouth & he decided maybe it wasn't so bad after all. 

And so our day goes...................

Finally talked to Dr. Voss this morning.  Their schedule to makes calls seems to be when I am out feeding.  So it had been 2-3 days since we had really talked, rather than leaving messages.  

Jenny's still down, still getting stronger, but is weak enough in the rear legs that she can't make the final rotation to get all the way up. I asked if her rear legs were working OK & he said they work just fine to kick real fast when she wants to.  He said they had thought about maybe her neck or back being injured while she was under anesthetic.  They shackle their pasterns & literally haul them up in the air with chains to move them around.  Someone usually carries the head, but stuff happens sometimes.  He said no, her head & neck are working very well.  In other words she's using her head as a weapon, which is an old trick of hers, I warned them about.

Her muscle enzymes are coming down, white blood count a little high, possibly from stress of trying to get up.  We talked about things that never happen that might have happened, such as botulism.  He said her foot was a cess pool, who knows what was in there.

She's always in shade, they are turning her side to side several times a day.  He said when she sees someone she starts trying to get up.  She's eating & drinking good, kidneys are working well.  Some problems with muscles release "Yuckies" (that's a technical term) into the bloodstream that ends up in the kidneys.  If the kidneys get clogged from too much trash, it can cause renal failure.  But he said everything looks good.

So we are still on Wait & Watch.  When she does get up, I don't know how long it would be before she could travel, so this epic isn't going to be over anytime soon I guess.  SIGH!

Everyone else seems to be doing good.  Tucker hasn't even acted like anything happened.  Yesterday I was looking out the window & most of the donkeys were within sight.  Tucker was roaming around almost by himself with Mocha in sight of course.  He walked over to where old Pepper was standing & they smelled noses for awhile.  Maybe he thinks Pepper's his grandpa..!!!