Going on

As many of our regular visitors and volunteers know, September was a hard month around here.

Mike & I lost our own very old mule Churchill. It was not entirely unexpected, Church has a very difficult time last winter and was on a slow steady decline. We envisioned a departure before temperatures dropped for the coming winter, but Church set his own timetable. Even though we thought we were prepared, it was a difficult "good-bye."

Three weeks later, Oracle set her own timetable.

In another week + 1 day, Emma let us know it was time to move on. Emma's departure, like Churchill's, was not a total surprise. We had been working to identify and treat the cause of some sudden neurological impairment, were making tremendous progress, when Wham! One night our elegant belle could hardly stay on her feet. Final necropsy results are still pending, but it looks like arthritic changes in several vertebrae put pressure on her spine. There was nothing we could have done to "make her better."

Knowing we made the right decision before Emma went down for good helps ease the sorrow, but also causes frustration that something as "mundane" as arthritis is the ultimate reason for many equine euthanasias. This is the second confirmed case of vertebral arthritis causing irreparable spine damage at TREES. Our one comfort is that neither horse seemed to be in pain, something that puzzles us and our veterinarian.

At any rate, now that a couple of weeks have passed, its time to move on. Time to look to the future and make plans that will honor those who have passed through our gates. More educational programs. More community outreach.

More spiritual growth. Yes, we must learn from the past, but we must also focus on the future. Aim high to honor the past.

Honor the Wisdom.

*****Please See Below

Church (our favorite photo)

Ori

Emma

*****These three losses do not indicate that TREES has space to take in three more horses! It does mean that we had room to move those in rehab paddocks into proper turnout.

The Odd Couple

Ori's departure over the weekend left Butternut, a small blind Shetland cross pony alone in her dry lot paddock. Who could we move in with her that would do well on a dry lot and be kind to a small blind pony?

Rienzi! Perfect. Except Rienzi didn't think so. He paced the fence, wanting more than anything to go back "home." Normally we would give a horse a little more time to adjust to new surroundings, but after only three days, Rienzi had visibly dropped weight. With winter fast approaching, we couldn't allow a hard keeper to remain in a situation that was causing him this much stress.

How would Butternut do alone for a day or two while we decided on a solution? Terribly! She panicked. A panicked blind pony is a pony at risk of injuring herself.

Think, think, think.

Wait!


This may be it. Nate needs more room to get a little more exercise, he can't be turned out on a lot of grass, he needs a buddy, he's a very kind gentleman..........

As of this morning, the two are studiously ignoring each other, but at least all is quiet. Its not the love at first sight we've seen following some other introductions, but it looks like it will work.

Stay tuned.

Saying Goodbye.

We love old horses. No secret there. But because we focus on old horses, specifically, saying “goodbye” is an all too common occurrence.

Sometimes the decision is difficult. There is no clear answer. Is the horse in pain? Can the pain be managed? Will he recover from the current malady, or will he continue to decline? Is he happy, or does he seem distressed? Do the “good days” outnumber the “bad days?” All questions that rarely have straightforward answers.

At times, however, the right answer is clear. Saturday, was such a time. Oracle coliced. With no warning, for no apparent reason, our Tough Ol’ Broad went down in pain. The vet arrived as quickly as she could get here, began an exam and administered medications to ease the pain. Even with the meds on board, Ori’s pain continued. Doc gave her a poor prognosis. Non-surgical treatments were long shots. Surgery might save Ori’s life, but her age and other chronic illnesses made her a poor surgical candidate.

There was only one answer. We had to let go of our desires and heartache and make a decision in Ori’s best interest. With a veterinary opinion that our tough little Welsh girl was likely not coming out of this one, we could not allow her to endure worsening pain that might continue for hours or days before she would succumb to shock. The light had already left her eyes which looked out with a blank stare.

No time for prolonged goodbyes, treats, one last fling in the “Outback” field. The time was now. Then, with one final act, Oracle was gone. The pony who had no use for humans when she arrived at TREES left his life knowing that many, many people cared. Thank you to the SARA volunteers who stayed with her throughout the morning, until her last breath.

Now. Monday. Now we can take time to sort out our own feelings. To try to figure out what happened. What did we miss? What could we have done differently? Why Ori? Why now, just as she was re-learning to like people?

We will likely never have answers to any of those questions, or to the many questions that will continue to arise over the next few days.

The one question we do have an answer for is “Did we do the right thing?” Yes, I believe we did. Was it hard? Absolutely. It’s difficult to hear and to accept the statement “There is nothing we can do.” To accept that verdict, we must let go of our own wishes. And so we did.

But we haven’t let go of Oracle. Her presence will be felt for many years, as we continue to feel the presence of all former TREES residents as they guide us, push us and sometimes prop us up. They are the spirit of Traveller’s Rest. The reason TREES exists. And so, we grieve for now. In time the grief will turn to celebration of the horses we’ve met and fallen in love with.

GodSpeed, old girl.

Shots of Summer

As August comes to a close and the kids head back to school this week, here are a few random Summer Shots:

Group Meditation

Oracle

Fitz & Josh

Emma and her boys

The ultimate "Nostril Shot"

Have you Goosed your Geezer Today?

As the hours of daylight decrease and colder weather approaches, our horses are beginning to replace their sleek summer coats with thick winter woolies. Many elder horses tend to grow thicker winter coats than they did in younger days. This is especially true of horses with Cushings Disease or PPID.

Thick coats can hide changes in physical condition. It is not uncommon for elders with marginal dental challenges to lose weight over the winter when tender pasture grass is replaced by chewy hay. Subtle changes in weight may not be immediately obvious under winter wear.

Begin now to note how your horse's body feels when you groom, scratch or hug him. Take note of the flesh, not only over the ribs, but also along the topline, over the hip bones and rump and across the shoulders. As the winter coat develops, feel under the hair for any changes in weight. Running your hand over the surface of a thick coat may not give an accurate assessment of condition.

Oracle ("Ori") shows how a Cushings coat can hide weight loss. Visually, there is no indication that Ori is underweight.

Under that coat*, however:

(*Please note, Ori was not clipped just for this demonstration. Hers was an abnormally long "cushings coat" causing her to sweat profusely, even in February. It was matted, unhealthy and putting her at risk for skin infection.)

So, goose your geezer, feel your fogey, scratch your senior. Get under that winter coat and monitor weight by feel rather than by sight. If needed, increase feed a little, use a blanket on cold nights to conserve calories, or find a more appropriate winter substitute for pasture. Its easier to prevent weight loss in winter than to put weight back on in winter. Goose early, goose often. Don't risk an unpleasant surprise when spring shedding begins.

PPID (aka Cushings)

Traveller's Rest is currently home to three horses and one pony with confirmed diagnoses of PPID, or Pituitary Pars Intermedia Dysfunction (commonly called "Cushing's Disease," or "Cushing's Syndrome.")


Researchers have found that horses with PPID have very few dopamine-producing neurons in the pars intermedia. Since dopamine inhibits the production of hormones by the pars intermediate, its absence allows excess hormone production which leads to the classic symptoms associated with Cushings.


While dietary management and supplements help control symptoms resulting from high insulin levels, and Trilostane can directly inhibit the production of cortisol, only one medication in current use addresses the dopamine deficit, believed to be the root cause of the problems.


That drug is pergolide mesylate, a medication originally prescribed for human Parkinson's patients. Upon diagnosis, all PPID horses at TREES are started on Pergolide.


Below is Oracle, diagnosed with PPID, but not yet started on treatment in this photo:



Freddie, on the other hand, has been on Pergolide for two years:
Symptoms of PPID are many and varied, though not every horse will have every symptom. Some things to watch for:

• prone to laminitis
• gains weight easily
• cresty neck
• unusual "fat pads"
• muscle wasting
• "pot belly"
• problems with thermoregulation, especially in warm or hot weather
• abnormally long, curly hair coat, year-round
• suppressed immune system
• excessive thirst and urination
• irritability in a previously good-natured horse
• occasionally, neurological complications