Waiting For Rocky

The past week’s temperature had been in the 40s. Finally, yesterday was warmer and the sun was shinning. It has been a long time since I have gotten on Lady and I thought that since the day was gorgeous I would go up there before I fed and ride a little.

I have to keep my tack at my mom’s house because my house is too small for all of it. So I stopped by to gather my things, say hello to the pony, and head on over to the field where Lady is. I pull into the drive and noticed that Malin was there with her trailer. She is the woman who is helping me tremendously with Lady and she was the one who set us up three years ago. She told me that she was getting her horse Rocky to bring him to her house for a little bit because the dentist was there for him.

Rocky walked onto the trailer like a gem. The girls on the other hand where screaming. They didn’t know what was going on and why Rocky was leaving. I told Malin that I was going to ride but I knew in the back of my mind that it wasn’t going to happen now that Rocky was leaving. I knew that Lady was not going to behave and the fact that I haven’t ridden her in a long time; it wasn’t going to be a good mix.

Malin gets the trailer all set and ready to go and drives out onto the road. Summer, the other mare in the field with Lady was screaming her head off like it was the end of the world. Lady on the other hand was just standing there watching and listening to the truck. She knew where it was and watched it pass in the distance, she so very smart.

Once Lady could no longer see or hear the truck she flipped which got Summer going too. They ran and ran, bucking and kicking and farting and making a racket. It was fun to watch and it lasted for quite some time but once they calmed down I got Lady’s halter and lead and tied her up to the fence post.

I got her all clean and shinny and looking like new. She’s so beautiful. Her winter coat has come in which has made her super soft. Once she was clean I just stood there with her and we hugged. I was waiting for Malin to come back with Rocky so that I could feed him and while I was waiting Lady and I were bonding.

We stood there for quite some time just cuddling and she started to dose off on my shoulder. I was just petting her softness and telling her that I love her and she’s a good girl. After a while there was a dog in the upper field that ran over and the girls and to go investigate. During this time I thought that it would be a good idea to get Lady’s dinner and get her blanket on for the night since I knew that the temperature was going to drop again.

The grain was in Lady’s bucket and Summer was doing her normal routine of trying to steal it. I had to get Lady’s blanket on and I knew Summer was going to push Lady away from her grain so I got a handful of the tasty stuff and put it in a separate bucket for Summer just to keep her occupied for a moment. I always talk to Lady when I go to put her blanket on because she likes to have an attitude but the most that she does is pin her ears back. But to my surprise she goes to kick me. I was leaning on her hip to get the blanket up and around her back and she kicked. Luckily it was only her hip that got me but I was so mad! This was the first time she has ever even tried to kick me in the three years that I have had her. I ran after her and yelled and screamed at her letting her know that kicking is not acceptable. I told her to go eat and to stop the nonsense. Once she was eating I again put the blanket on her. She tried to have attitude but I made her snap out of it.

Once that whole ordeal was over I was still waiting for Rocky to come back. The girls went up to the round bail at the top of the field and I got Rocky’s grain ready for him for when he arrived. I checked the water and filled it but still no Rocky. I then went up to sit with the girls and finally after another hour Rocky showed up.

Malin and I fed him and she told me how well he did. It was dark out by this time and I was a little tired. Luckily it wasn’t cold yet. Rocky is a great boy. I put him back in the field, locked up the gait and went on home. Maybe today will be a better day for riding.

Feeding Time

Now that Lady is at her new place I have to go feed her and the other horse there named Rocky at night. I like to get there around 6pm but now that it is getting darker earlier I think I have to start getting up there a little sooner.

It’s not just Lady and Rocky in the field, there is another horse there named Summer. She is a trotter and is, well let’s just say she doesn’t need any cookies, she is a little big for her size but she is a darling. All three of the horses there are bay in color. It is funny when you drive by; you have to really look to figure out who is who. I can usually spot Lady right off since she is the smallest at only 15.2 hands. Summer is that size but again, she is much more round in the belly. Rocky is taller and pushing 16 hands.

Due to the fact that Miss Summer is bigger and she could use a diet she doesn’t get any grain. I only have to feed Lady and Rocky. It is sometimes quite difficult with Summer being around. She is always trying to get at Lady and Rocky’s grain and I end up having to chase her away the whole time which is not something is enjoy doing.

I was talking to Summer’s mom about how I always end up chasing Summer away the whole time while I am there and she suggested either tying her up to the fence or just hopping on her back and riding her around the field while the others are eating. I thought to myself “ahh yeah, I’m gonna ride her.” Her mom said to just grab a halter and two lead ropes and jump on. I was a little skeptical at first but I had a good feeling about it. I got the halter and lead ropes and brought Summer over to a stump that was just the right size for getting on her. She was so good for me. She stood right next to the stump and waited for me to hop on.

Once I was on I was still a little nervous because I new Summer wanted to be with the others who were eating, she always tries to steel their grain, she is sneaky. But I made her stand there while I gathered myself up and then I gave her the smallest of smallest squeezes and we walked on. I knew that if I gave her any more of a squeeze or a click she would take off but she was great. I was telling her to teach Lady how to be as good as she was being. We walked around the other horses while they were eating and I gained my confidence with every second that passed. I was having a good time even though we were just walking around.

Lady and Rocky were done eating so I hoped off Summer and told her she was good and as always she ran over to the grain bowl to see if there was anything left that she could munch up. I just watched her and thought “ok, I’m going to do this every time!”

The next day, there I was, on the back of Summer. This time I had more confidence and we walked over to the water buckets to see if they were full enough. I knew on the way back that she was going to go faster to get over to the others who were eating and she did. Her being a trotter it felt like I was sitting on my couch at home, she was so comfortable. Normally a horse’s trot, well at least Lady’s trot, is bouncy but Summer’s is like I was flying. I can’t wait to go tonight to feed them!

ND woman’s 7-foot-long dog could be record holder

Pulled from Yahoo news

CASSELTON, N.D. – Boomer may be a buster: Measuring 3 feet tall at the shoulders and 7 feet long from nose to destructive wagging tail, he might be the world’s tallest living dog. Owner Caryn Weber says her 3-year-old Landseer Newfoundland keeps all four paws on the floor when he drinks from the kitchen faucet in her family’s eastern North Dakota farm house.

Boomer stares into car windows eye to eye with drivers. A 20-pound bag of dry dog food lasts the 180-pound canine a couple of weeks.

Weber says her furry black and white dog “comes into the house and his tail is so high everything gets knocked around.”

Weber plans to send Boomer’s measurements to Guinness World Records. The previous record holder was a nearly 4-foot-tall Great Dane that died this summer.

Pulled from Yahoo news and written by Mary Pemberton

ANCHORAGE, Alaska – Four years after being placed on the Endangered Species List, the dwindling sea otters of southwest Alaska on Wednesday were given an important recovery tool.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service designated nearly 5,900 square miles as critical habitat for sea otters in the Aleutian Islands, Bering Sea and Alaska Peninsula. The designated area includes all nearshore waters.

“Critical habitat has a proven record of aiding the recovery of endangered species,” said Rebecca Noblin, a lawyer for the Center for Biological Diversity, which filed two lawsuits and engaged in years of litigation to get the animals protected under the federal Endangered Species Act. The otters in southwest Alaska were listed as threatened in 2005.

“This has been a long time coming,” she said.

Critical habitat gives the sea otters — the smallest of marine mammals — a “fighting chance of recovery,” she said.

Nearshore areas were chosen because most of the creatures that sea otters eat — sea urchins, crabs, octopuses and some bottom fish — are found in shallow waters. Areas close to shore also provide the best protection from marine predators, especially killer whales, according to the Fish and Wildlife Service.

Federal law requires that critical habitat be designated at the time of listing. But when that didn’t happen under the Bush administration, the Center for Biological Diversity filed a federal lawsuit in 2006. The following year an agreement was reached that critical habitat would be designated by this October.

Fish and Wildlife said it needed time to conduct an economic impact analysis on what the designation could mean to southwest Alaska. The agency found that designation would not have a large impact and should not result in any commercial fishing closures.

About 90 percent of the world’s sea otters are in Alaska waters. There were more than 100,000 sea otters in southwest Alaska waters in the 1970s but there are fewer than 40,000 now. Some areas have seen numbers plummet 90 percent.

The reason for the decline is not known but one credible theory is that killer whales are preying on more sea otters, perhaps because other larger marine mammals such as sea lions are also in decline.

Noblin said there isn’t much that can be done about killer whales but there are other stressors than can be addressed such as overfishing, the potential for oil development in Bristol Bay and climate change in the Bering Sea.

Critical habitat gives the animals an extra layer of scrutiny when entities are applying for federal permits in the designated area. However, it does not mean that development will stop, Noblin said.

“It just means the developer has to go through an additional process to determine how what they are doing will impact sea otters,” she said.

Pony’s Time to Move

The very sad day came way too fast! I had Lady in the stall resting her hoof due to her hoof abscess and the pony was not happy about being alone. I knew he had to get used to it so I just ignored him.

3pm rolled around. I could hear the loud roar of the truck coming up the driveway. Malin, my old trainer, had her two horse trailer with her with a big smile on her face. I had a frown. My mom pulled up after her and hopped out to help Malin turn around. I had gotten Lady out to eat some grass and to be around for when the pony was leaving so she could say goodbye.

My mom grabbed his red halter and clipped it on him. He was so happy to be out it the grass and with Lady but he had no idea what was about to happen. I walked Lady up to the trailer so that the pony would fallow. He has only been on a trailer once in his life which was when we had first bought him. He walked right up onto that trailer like he had done it everyday of his life.

I put Lady back in her stall, locked up the door and ran to my car. My boyfriend Jim and I then fallowed my mom and Malin up the street to my mom’s house. The pony was not having a good time. He was jumping and whinnying, he was so upset. Malin had to pull over to make sure that something wasn’t wrong with the trailer; she didn’t know that it was him jumping around.

When we pulled into the driveway of my mom’s that poor pony was exhausted. We unclipped him and backed him out of the trailer. He was soaked in sweat. He nose was flaring from breathing so hard, the poor little guy was so scared. After walking him around for a minute or two to let him cool off we brought him over to the back of the house where there is a patch of grass. He had no interest in it. He was circling around me looking for his Lady. I walked him around to see the place and show him that it was ok.

After leading him around for some time to get him used to his surroundings I brought him over to his new paddock that my mom built for him. It’s a nice small little area, plenty of room for him to walk and run if need be. I let him go and he took a couple of step a shook. Poor little guy. He then walked around the perimeter of his new home and checked it all out, calling out for Lady once in a while but there was no one to call back.

The next day I called my mom to see how he did over night. She said that he did great. He was still calling out for Lady but was doing fine otherwise. He made a path around his paddock; my mom calls it his “merry-go-round” spot, very cute. Lady was also very upset. She ran around looking for him when I put her back out into her paddock. She yelled and yelled for him, hoping that there would be a response but there was nothing. It’s very sad to not have my cute little pony right out back but I know I can go visit him when ever I want or need to get a pony fix and that makes me happy.

I pulled this news article from Statesmanjournal.com. With today’s economy I am noticing that people are having to get rid of their beloved animals and are facing hard really times. The impact HAS to be showing with the healthcare of animals at the vet’s office as well. I have three horses and two dogs…and I treat all injuries/sicknesses that I can myself, but I do still take my animals to the vet when it is needed…however, there have been many times I cringe when I get the bill! Are fewer checkups the answer to spending less? Or does it create more problems in the long run?

Financial hardships can extend to animal care
Veterinarians schedule fewer annual checkups as clients spend less.

As U.S. Census data released Monday confirm, the economic downturn is altering Americans’ lives and behaviors in many ways, from homeownership trends to commuting habits.The pinch even extends to the realm of veterinary care, and some Mid-Valley vets are reporting a change in demand.

Dr. Kim Erbes of Salem Veterinary Emergency Clinic said traffic is down about 10 percent to 15 percent in the past year. More clients also are capping their expenditures; when they do come in with a sick or injured pet, they also come with a clear idea of how much they’re willing to spend, Erbes said.

The clinic treats 200 to 300 animals per month and has the equivalent of three full-time doctors and about a half-dozen other staffers.

Erbes said she has noted a trend of pet owners waiting longer to seek treatment for their animals. “They’re thinking and hoping their animal is going to get better,” Erbes said. When they finally come to the clinic, the animal’s illness or injury often is worse than if the owner had sought treatment earlier, Erbes said. “People think they’re saving money by nursing the animal at home, but they’re not,” Erbes said.

Still, she emphasized that pet care remains a priority for many people. “It’s something people have (some) budget for,” Erbes said. “People will always care for their pets.”

Dr. Julie DeMarco of Whole Pet Veterinary Care in central Salem said what people are willing to spend on their pets in a tough economy depends on whether they see animal spending as discretionary or not. “For some people, their pets are like children,” DeMarco said. But overall, her clients are spending less, she said.

VCA Salem Animal Hospital reports that during a period of about four months earlier this year, fewer clients were coming in for annual wellness care for their pets.
The clinic reports more stable traffic now, however.

Dr. Richard Hillmer of Oak Hills Veterinary Clinic said this is the first year in his career — which spans more than 20 years — that he has noticed a downturn. “People used to say veterinary medicine was recession-proof,” he said. “It’s a little different this year.” Oak Hills cares for about 120 dogs, cats and birds each month. He said his clinic hasn’t seen growth this year, and clients are looking for cheaper options and holding off on treatment such as diagnostics.

Alternative savings

New office Whole Pet Veterinary Care puts the focus on alternative treatments, but DeMarco cautions against the thought that naturopathic treatments are always less expensive. She said in the long run, alternative treatments can reduce medical bills because animals are healthier.

Whole Pet integrates modern technology with acupuncture, herbal therapies and other Eastern remedies. “People want options; they don’t always want a pill,” she said.

Dr. Don Howard of Twin Oaks Veterinary Hospital in southeast Salem said some clients looking to save money seek animal acupuncture as an alternative to surgery. The cost for a series of three to five treatments is $500 to $700, Howard said, which he said can be a savings of thousands of dollars over surgery options.

Second Teen Arrested in Horse Killings

AOL News..
A second arrest has been made in a recent spate of gruesome killings of at least 19 horses in Florida.

According to the Miami Herald, Santiago Cabrera, 19, of Hialeah, Fla., was picked up by police on Monday night and charged with armed burglary, animal cruelty, killing a registered breed horse and breaking a fence.

Police said Cabrera confessed to helping butcher two live horses. Horse meat is sold on the black market for as much as $40 per pound, according to CNN.

Equine meat brings such high prices because some people believe that consuming it can cure diseases like cancer and AIDS.

Cabrera’s arrest follows that of 18-year-old Luis Miguel Cordero, who was picked up by police last week. Undercover police officers approached Cordero, who stands accused of killing a horse at Lazy L Ranch in North Maimi-Dade County, and offered him $2,000 to slaughter another horse. Cordero agreed and was promptly arrested, the paper said.

Animal protection groups such as the ASPCA point out that there is no evidence whatsoever to suggest that eating horse meat helps fight AIDS or cancer. South Florida’s multicultural community, however, is made up of many residents who come from countries where it is customary to eat horse meat, CNN reported.

Box turtle whose legs were chewed off by raccoon now glides through life.
Story pulled from msnbc.com and written by By Michael Inbar.

The joke is as old as the hills: “Lost Dog: Three legs, blind in one eye, ear torn. Answers to the name ‘Lucky.’ ”

But for a Petaluma, Calif., box turtle, that name held true and then some after he got his front legs chewed off by a raccoon.

Injured in July, Lucky came within a whisker of being euthanized after his unfortunate run-in with a masked turtle mauler. But thanks to the quick thinking and ingenuity of veterinary surgeon Robert Jereb, the turtle now happily skids his way through life on plastic sliders, stacked two high where his front legs used to be.

“[Dr. Jereb] was just wonderful,” Lucky’s owner, Sally Pyne, told Norah O’Donnell live on TODAY Thursday as she cradled her plucky pet next to veterinarian Alan Wolf, who helped rescue the injured reptile.

Masked marauder
Pyne said that Lucky and his gal pal, Lovey, live a life of ease in an enclosed pen in the backyard of her home. The turtles were in fine fettle when she and her roommate ran out for a spell, but when they came home, they found a horror story: Food left outside for their pet cat had drawn the attention of a marauding raccoon, and Lucky suffered collateral damage.

“My housemate Robert Ford saw that the turtles were outside the pen, which was kind of weird,” Pyne said. “When we found the girl, she was OK, but [when] we find [Lucky], his legs were missing.

“We said, ‘Oh, my God, the poor thing.’ ”

The pair rushed Lucky to an emergency animal hospital, where he was patched up and given pain medication and antibiotics. While Pyne didn’t know how her beloved pet could go through life without front legs, she saw a fighting spirit that made her hesitant to have him put down.

“I was ready to let little Lucky go home,” Pyne told the Santa Rosa Press Democrat. “But he was not ready to give up. His eyes were open, and he was shoving himself around on his two back legs. He was not going to quit.”

So Pyne took Lucky to Jereb, who has made a name for himself by finding novel ways to patch up animals: He had previously repaired turtles’ shattered shells with everything from Bondo to fiberglass. Missing legs was another matter altogether, but Jereb thought he had a good candidate for yet-to-be invented turtle prosthetics.

Pyne told O’Donnell: “I thought, ‘Oh, my God, this is going to be awful for the turtle,’ but Dr. Jereb said, ‘You know, they live through many kinds of attacks.’ ”

Turtle power
Jereb headed to the hardware store in search of suitable leg-replacement material. He ended up opting for the sliders that normally rest under tables and chairs — if affixed and stacked two high, they would balance Lucky’s body and enable him to glide in the front while his back legs supplied the power.

It worked like a charm, and Pyne said Lucky is clearly reveling in his second shot at life. “He’s just gone crazy,” she told O’Donnell.

Lucky’s coaster front legs may not be permanent. The turtle’s activity makes the sliders wear down, making it problematic to keep them attached. He may require more surgery. Jereb is looking for new ideas.

But for the nonce, Lucky just keeps gliding along, looking as if he’s ready for a game of air hockey in the front. Al Roker asked Pyne whether, with his new look, he’s still a lady-killer to mate Lovey.

“She’s not interested much in all the attention,” Pyne replied with a smile. “So she just burrows, as turtles do.”

A man runs into the vet’s office carrying his dog, screaming for help. The vet rushes him back to an examination room and has him put his dog down on the examination table. The vet examines the still, limp body and after a few moments tells the man that his dog, regrettably, is dead.

The man, clearly agitated and not willing to accept this, demands a second opinion.
The vet goes into the back room and comes out with a cat and puts the cat down next to the dog’s body. The cat sniffs the body, walks from head to tail poking and sniffing the dog’s body and finally looks at the vet and meows.

The vet looks at the man and says, “I’m sorry, but the cat thinks that your dog is dead too.” The man is still unwilling to accept that his dog is dead.

The vet brings in a black labrador. The lab sniffs the body, walks from head to tail, and finally looks at the vet and barks.

The vet looks at the man and says, “I’m sorry, but the lab thinks your dog is dead too.”
The man, finally resigned to the diagnosis, thanks the vet and asks how much he owes.
The vet answers, “$650.”

“$650 to tell me my dog is dead?” exclaimed the man.

“Well,” the vet replies, “I would only have charged you $50 for my initial diagnosis. The additional $600 was for the cat scan and lab tests.”

Lady’s Hoof Abscess

Seeing Lady everyday makes a big difference. I can see her every little movement and see if anything is wrong or has changed.

One day when I was out feeding her and the pony I noticed she was doing what is called “pointing,” which is when she takes her front foot and points it forward so that there isn’t any pressure on it. I was a little concerned because in the past she has done this before and it ended up being a hoof abscess. So I just kept an eye on her to make sure that she was ok and to see if there were any physical changes, I was hoping that she just bruised her hoof and that it wasn’t anything serious.

The days go by and nothing has changed. Lady was hobbling around and it was very clear to me that there was something wrong. I was getting really nervous because I needed to move her to a new place due to some landlord issues. When the pony was scheduled to move to my mom’s house I had my old trainer look at her foot to see what she thought. I knew that it was either an abscess or a bruise. I didn’t want to mess with it if it was a bruise because it would just make things worse for poor Lady.

Malin my trainer said that it was an abscess which I was a little relieved about because I had an idea of how to treat it due to her having one in the past. I remember what the vet did but I still called to make sure that I remembered it completely and that I wasn’t leaving anything out. He told me to pare it out with a paring knife, which I had when I was in school for my farrier class, and get all the nasty goo out and to make sure it is fully drained. Once that is done, then soak her hoof in warm water and Epson salts. This will help any more draining that needs to be done and will bring the abscess closer to the hoof sole. If the abscess does not get treated in time it can form at the top of the hoof where the hair meets the hoof and this causes much more pain and is harder to treat. After soaking her foot for about ten minutes, then wrap it up tight and make sure that there is pressure on the wound to help it close up.

My horse is the best horse to have when a situation like this occurs. She is amazing! I got the paring knife and pared out the abscess, she just stood there. I got the warm water and Epson salts and soaked her foot, and she just stood there. I then got a diaper, some duct tape, and made a “potion” out of Epson salt and bag balm. I put the “potion” on the diaper, put the diaper on her foot and duct taped it on, and she just stood there. She didn’t move and inch! I did this twice a day for a week and she was awesome every time.

The day came to move her to her new place. Her hoof was still ouchy but I had to move her and she did fine. I knew she would. It has been about two weeks now, the diaper booty has been off for a couple of days and she is walking fine. She still has a small limp once in a while but I think it’s just because she is a big baby, but I love her any way!