Thanks, Lisa!

When I was in the hospital earlier this month, my daughter, Lisa, knew I would be missing my daily horse fix. So, she went out to check on Abby for me when I could not.

And, she sent me a little "online" horse therapy to help in my healing:

A photo of Abby!

She was photobombed by Diablo, Sultanna, and Snickerdoodle, but that's okay by me. The more horses, the merrier!

Millie Comes Home!

(I'll get back to more horsey posts soon!)

Lisa was able to bring Millie home today. As soon as she walked into the waiting room and saw Lisa, Millie could not stop grinning.

 She had not smiled at all at us on either of the previous visits, and had only given a few feeble tail wags and a couple of licks. This time, she clearly was feeling better and happy to see us!

While Lisa settled the bill, I held Millie. She stretched as far as the leash would go and kept an eagle eye on Lisa.

Is this a happy dog or what??

Millie cannot jump up, and so Lisa built her some stairs next to the bed using tubs. She has a doggy bed, but prefers to sleep with Lisa.

She is sooooooo happy to be home, and we are delighted to have her back.

Millie is Recovering

Craig and I went with Lisa to visit Millie this morning, and we were delighted to see that she was better! When they brought her into the room to see us, she weakly wagged her tail a couple of times and even licked my wrist twice.

Lisa brought Millie's favorite blanket for her to use in her hospital crate, and Craig had saved her a piece of bacon from his breakfast. She was VERY interested in that - good news as she has not been very interested in food.

"Ahhhh! I love a good neck scratch!"

Yesterday's medical "tee shirt" was gone, but Millie still has a belly band, her drains, and an IV in her front leg.

The surgeon, Dr. Brian Martin, came in and spoke with us as we visited and he is hopeful that Millie will be able to come home tomorrow.

We are beyond the moon!

Another Summer Challenge

And the challenges of the summer continue! This time it is Millie.

Millie is our daughter's dog, and they lived with us for two years after Lisa finished college and got her teaching job. Lisa owns her own home now, but we see them often, and Craig "babysits" Millie several times a week during the school year when Lisa has meetings after school, someone to tutor, etc. (He and Millie often have breakfast together - he loves to scramble an egg for her. Needless to say, she usually heads to the kitchen and sits by the stove when she arrives.)

Tuesday, Millie began vomiting a bright yellow bile. After a rough night with more vomiting, Lisa took her to the vet Wednesday morning. The news was not good - tests showed her gallbladder had ruptured.

One thing led to another - more tests, another ultrasound, and a flying emergency run down to Indianapolis to MedVet, an emergency clinic.

Their tests confirmed that Millie's gallbladder had ruptured and, after discussing the quality of life Millie might have post-surgery and then considering the financial implications, Lisa decided to go forward with the operation.

It was a long day of tears for us all, but finding out that there was a good chance of full recovery and good quality of life was heartening. Lisa was so emotionally and physically wiped when we got home that she opted to stay with us overnight.

Millie came through the surgery well and we are hoping she will continue to have a good recovery. Lisa is going down daily to check on her, especially since we do not want her to feel she is back in a shelter and has been abandoned. (Lisa rescued her in 2013. Millie had been found wandering in southern Indiana, taken to a kill shelter, rescued from that and brought to Lafayette, and then spent eight months in a no-kill shelter before being adopted by Lisa.)

 She now has two drains in her back and a large incision in her belly.

Poor sweetie! I can only hope we get you home as soon as possible so you are among your family and the things that are familiar to you. We love and miss you!!

Summer Afternoon Barn Visit

My barn routine this summer has been a little different than usual since I am recovering from surgery. But it has become very comfortable and pleasurable, and I am grateful that I am cleared to drive and can go see Abby without worrying about inconveniencing Craig. (Not that he ever complained - I married a good one, for sure!)

The old and the new barns are both accessed by gravel lanes. Tim recently rotated the pastures again and now the horses are in the southeast paddock by the new barn for a few days.

Isn't it a pretty drive? 

The white door on the left opens to Tim's shop where he restores sleighs, wagons, and carriages. The small middle door opens to the lounge. The tack room and Tim's office are to the right of the lounge, and behind it is the large indoor arena with box stalls lining both sides. The sliding doors on the right open to some of the box stalls and the barn aisle where Tim trims hooves, tacks up, etc.

Abby knows my car, and today she was on her way up to the gate before I could even whistle for her.

It's fly season, and so I wipe her face in between giving her treats. I HATE flies.

The whole herd came up to say their hellos. That's Abby, Diablo, Snickerdoodle, Sultana, Hokey (the brown grazing head), and Trouble. (Abby, that's not the most flattering picture of you!)

Tim doesn't live on the property, but there are two homes on it. There's the old farmhouse by the old barn that an elderly couple lives in....

... and this one. Tim's daughter, Melanie, and son-in-law, Brandon, live here, and keep an eye on the horses. Brandon also helps with feeding the horses, putting up hay, mowing, etc.

It's a beautiful place to board Abby. 

And as I drive down the lane to go home every day, I count myself lucky that Tim was willing to add her in to his own herd.

Red Clover, Red Clover...

Red clover, red clover, makes DROOL come all over!

 "Drooly? Me?!?"

 Yes, Abby. YOU.

I love my horse soooo much. And I give her kisses often.

But during red clover season, I have to be careful about kisses on the nose - I get slimed if I am not careful! (Hey, I gave birth to and raised six kids; after that, what's a little horse drool, right?)

Four years ago when I adopted Abby, I was more than a bit alarmed at the amount of liquid that came out of her mouth this time of year. I soon learned that it is a normal, albeit large, reaction to red clover and nothing to worry about.

 I no longer fret if her saliva drips onto pasture weeds.

 Even if it seems like there is a lot of it.

As long as she's in good flesh and spirits, and not acting oddly, then nothing is amiss.

 If you're not used to it, it can seem a little icky.

So, even though Craig helped me raise those six kids, he still gets a little squeamish when Abby slimes him.

He wipes his hands on the fence, the grass, or any other available surface, not wanting to wait to rinse in the water trough or use the wipes I keep in my car just for this purpose.

Abby always licks my hands when I visit her; sometimes she licks the bars of the gates, too, and during red clover season, they get a bit slimed as well.

Nickelodeon, you ain't got nothin' on Abby!

A Little Lower, Please!

Saturday afternoon when Craig drove me out to see my girl, I discovered that Tim had rotated pastures again. The horses were knee deep in grass and clover and busily munching away.

Nonetheless, Abby left off grazing to come up and get her apples. She even hung around a bit, so I gave her a good scritching.


That's Snickerdoodle (the palomino) who's hoping for a little attention, and Hokey also comes over. (Abby pins her ears at him.)

There isn't much that is funnier to me than a horse enjoying a good scratch!