Tuesday, November 09, 2010

HB update

from Palomino

Another cold night and yes, you guessed it, HB got stuck again. I have never experienced anything like this, but I have to say that Honey Bandit is the most traumatized, seriously injured, "dead horse that came back to life" that I have worked with. I keep trying to remember that what he went through will take a very long time to get through.

It's kind of like after surgery. Once they take those 30 or so staples out of your leg, well it should stop hurting - right? At least that's what I always feel like. It seems like the same with Honey Bandit. He looks so pretty now that it seems like he should be doing just as well on the inside as he is the outside. Unfortunately, I have been reminded that is not true. He continues to remind me daily (or more often "nightly").

I do have to say though that he had a pretty good night last night, with the exception of getting stuck. He had plenty of energy to stay awake all night and whinny and talk to us. He also played with his water and feed buckets and made lots of noise.

It is really looking like HB's brain is still trying to "re-wire" itself. If you look back to only a month or so ago, he has come a very long way. He couldn't hear anything, stumbled a lot, and was basically not even "in his little head". Like the lights were on, but no one was there. He is still bumping into things a little bit on his right side, but he was injured pretty badly in that area. So we are hoping and praying that he will improve each day. I do have some concerns though, because when he first started getting up and down by himself, he seemed to have no trouble with becoming "cast". But I guess time will tell. He sure can buck and kick much better. He is getting a lot more sure footed in that regard. He also seems to be sore after he plays. (But again, thinking back to surgery, it takes a long time to get your muscles and tendons etc. Back in shape)

We tried a miniscule amount of thiamine (B-1) yesterday. I am talking about as much as you would put salt on something. Immediately his bowels became soft, but he seemed to feel okay otherwise. I was told that you have to be extremely careful with many of the vitamins and supplements, B-1 being one of the main culprits, as if they are not water soluble the horse can "OD" and it can be lethal. Judging by the tiny amount he was given yesterday and his immediate reaction to it, it is obvious that a "full" dose would have been extremely traumatic for him, and could have caused catastrophic results. That is one reason that we are hesitant to give too many supplements, vitamins, etc. When you first start caring for them. Too many times they can be lethal. Their little bodies have gone through so much trauma that any type of change can be deadly.

However, after talking with my "partners in crime" who take care of these critical foals on a regular basis, we all agree that if we give him enough time to adjust his bowels and insides, this will be a good thing for him. I know that when I take my b vitamins, it gives me more energy.

Matt was working on the carport today. We are trying to get some insulation up. Even with a heater running, you could still see your breath. Now personally, that is my kind of sleeping weather, except when you have to keep getting up every couple hours for the little guy. The problem is that it is very bad for Honey Bandit to be breathing the cold air. It is the worst thing for his lungs. So hopefully the insulation will make a big difference.

When we let Honey Bandit out this morning, (after it had warmed up a little bit and the ice had melted off the cars), he was prancing around. He was totally enjoying the cold fresh air, even if his lungs weren't. He is quite the flashy little guy when he wants to be. Matt walked in a couple of minutes ago and Patches had gotten his leg stuck in the strap of Honey Bandit's blanket. They are amazing at the amount of trouble they can get into in a minute.

Hope ya'll had a wonderful day. Appreciate all your prayers. Take Care.

Labels: Honey Bandit

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Posted by Terri Farley @ 11:04 PM

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