SUNNY - 28 yo Arab gelding ~ REST IN PEACE

[schwung]

Sunny is a 28 year old Arab/Quarter Horse gelding that was originally rescued from our "Horses in Need" board by slew/Rosemary who had found him a retirement home through a friend of hers. When that home didn't work out, Rosemary took him home. When Jack's training didn't go so well and he also suffered the injury, she offered to take Jack and retire him at her farm in exchange for Sunny.

Sunny's been living at Bonnie's in Silverdale for the past month. He is still thin so the focus has been on getting his weight up. He has had a couple of choking incidents since he has been with us so he is currently getting his feed soaked. He still needs his teeth done - he was taken in last week to get them done but a vet error caused the sedation to be injected into his artery rather than his vein, and he fell on the ground. He's ok, but it took a 1/2 hour to get him up again and he was not in any shape to get them done at that point, so we will try again in another week or two. He needs his teeth done pretty badly, as he has a loose tooth that needs to be extracted.

Sunny has an enlarged knee that limits him to pasture companion status only, although it doesn't seem to bother him too much. He's very sweet although a little insecure and likes to be with other horses.

More information and photos to come!

[jennywho]

Not to be an alarmist, but have you had Sunny scoped since his choking incidents?

I ask because I had a yearling filly choke three times on me this year. The vet reccomended that I have her scoped to make sure she wasn't developing a diverticulum (sp.). She wasn't, what we found instead was a HUGE ulcer on her esophogus. We don't know if it was a result of the choking or the cause, but what I learned is that as the ulcer heals it can cause a stricture, which would eventually lead to complete closure of the esophagus if not treated. Treatment involves placing a balloon in the esophagus to keep it open while the ulcer heals. Thankfully Kana healed on her own. She was on a complete soup, not mush soup, diet for several weeks and I dosed her six times a day with a medication called sulcralfate to help coat her esophagus.

Just a heads up.

I have been following Sunny's story for day one and he sounds like such a wonderful soul. Good wishes for him and hugs to Bonnie, choking can be so scary.

FWIW, when a horse chokes you are supposed to keep their head down to help clear the choke. One of Kana's incidents happened on a holiday and I really didn't want to drag the vet out only because I knew he was trying to spend time with his family. I aced her and still the choke wouldn't clear so I shot her with banamine and the combination seemed to relax the muscles enought to get her to clear her blockage.

[schwung]

We were actually planning on having him scoped, but the vet advised against it given his age. He choked on mush - so if he is choking on that there might not be much we can do for him was his thinking I guess. Interesting about the ulcers.

When he discovered the tooth that needs pulling, the thought was that might be causing the choking if he is avoid chewing on one side or something.

[winterlakesfarm]

I hope it is the tooth causing him issues.......

When he was at my place I did have a big bowl of mush for him but he ate hay like a champ with no quidding at all. I would defininitely agree with the vet and Jennywho and suspect a tooth or ulcer as something must have changed since then. He was never a very good water drinker at my place, hopefully that has changed!

Crossing my fingers that he resolves this issue as he is a good little guy and deserves more of the kind of care he has been getting recently! Thanks to Rosemary and Bonnie for giving him the kind of care he deserves>

[akoehmstedt]

Oh, I hope it is just the tooth that is causing the problem and nothing more serious. He sure is a good looking guy.

[jaybird]

Sunny is doing very well right now. He gets a huge feed tub with sopping wet beet pulp and sweet feed twice a day and he seems to enjoy it as he eats it right up. Thankfully we have had no more choking incidents since his feed was changed. He seems to eat his hay just fine, although I'd prefer it if he ate a lot more.

His water consumption is not at the level I would like it to be either, but he gets a lot of water in his food, and he does seem to be drinking a bit more than when he first arrived. I have tried several ways to entice him to drink more (molasses in the water, apple juice, Gatoraid) but he doesn't seem interested in anything like that.

Hopefully we can get him back in for his float and extraction pretty soon. The incident at the vet was horrible, but he seems to have recovered just fine. The vet who was doing the procedure is new to the practice and recently out of school, and she just made a mistake when she injected him. My regular vet, her boss, told us both that it is sometimes difficult to inject an old, thin horse because the arteries are close to the skin. I doubt it is a mistake she will ever make again, and I did feel bad for her. But thankfully, Sunny is okay now, so no harm done.

[leahlady]

I met Sunny yesterday - what a beautiful old man he is! He looks to be very much an Arabian!!

Here is a picture of him:

[jaybird]

Sunny had another trip to the vet clinic yesterday, and I am happy to say that the outcome was much better this time. Not only did he get a badly needed float, he also had a very loose molar extracted. He also got his shots done and his sheath cleaned. Hopefully he is now feeling much better and will be able to manage eating without pain or discomfort. My vet felt pretty sure that the molar he extracted had been loose for a long time, as it was only held in by one of its four roots. I got to take it home with me, by the way. It is really gross.

He continues to do well, and although he is not putting on weight very quickly, he is looking better overall. His coat is nicer and he seems to have developed a little layer of fat that makes him seem less thin-skinned than before. Today he polished off an entire flake of hay, so I'm hopeful that he will continue to fatten up. My goal is to get him at least half as fat as Honeycutt and Oliver are right now. No more choking incidents, but also no more pelleted feed. He gets wet beet pulp mixed with sweet feed. He seems to love it.

[lisam]

How is Sunny doing?

[jaybird]

Sunny is doing very well. We've had no more issues with choking since he got his teeth floated, although I am still feeding him beet pulp & sweet feed soaked in water to make a big mush. He seems to enjoy it. He spends most of the day out on grass grazing, and his weight is improved. He is starting to get shaggy again now that the temperature is dropping and will probably be wearing a blanket again soon.

Sunny continues to be a very friendly, mellow guy who will follow me around when I clean paddocks, and always seems to be nickering for food and attention. I feel a bit bad for Sunny though because I have to keep him separated from my three other geldings because they have a tendency to chase him away from food, and with his knee the way it is, I don't like to see him being made to run. As a result, I worry that he is a little bit lonely sometimes. I would love to see him go somewhere where he could have a friend...maybe another older horse...that he could spend time with. If anyone is looking for a good companion to another pasture puff, please consider Sunny!

[jaybird]

As the colder weather sets in, I am starting to see the effects of Sunny's enlarged knee. He is limping on it now, and I am worried about his comfort.

Other than that, he remains bright and perky. He is eating beet pulp/sweet feed mash three times a day, and is looking good in the weight department. He is very friendly and sweet, and nice to have around.

[cat67]

Clover has an ouchy knee too, but just like Sunny she is happy and fat. I'm going to put her on some BL solution - it's worked really well for Buffy and Belle.

[jaybird]

I'm very sad to tell you all that Sunny has crossed the bridge.

Sunny's enlarged and arthritic knee was causing him a great deal of discomfort as the weather grew colder, and he was limping pretty badly on it. His "good" knee was starting to undergo arthritic changes as well, making it even harder for him to get around. Several days ago, his left eye became swollen, hot and runny, and that was causing him quite a bit of pain. He began to seem distant, and was not the interactive, vocal horse that I knew. And it did not help at all that the weather has been so utterly miserable, wet and cold.

So the decision was made to let Sunny go. He was humanely euthanized yesterday afternoon. He went peacefully and quietly. And amazingly, when it came time for the vet to arrive, the rains stopped, the clouds parted and the sun came out. So at the moment that Sunny passed, the world around him was beautiful, quiet, and warm. It seemed like a sign from above that the time was right to let this dear old man move on.

Sunny was 28 years old, and although he had been badly neglected, he was a very proud horse, who tried his best to keep the upper hand over the younger geldings around him. I suspect that he was a very dominant horse in his prime, possibly a stallion, because he really didn't back down to anyone, even if he didn't have the physical ability to back it up. So I kept him safely on the other side of the fence, so he could still believe he was the top dog without letting him come to any harm.

He was a very vocal horse, who nickered loudly and often...whether asking for food or just saying hello. He was pretty quiet most of the time but every so often, when he was startled or just feeling extra good, he would transform into the most beautiful Arab....head high, ears pricked, nostrils flared, and tail flagging. He must have been so spectacular as a younger horse.

When Sunny passed away, I was there to hold his head and tell him not to be afraid, to tell him what a good horse he was, and to cry for him as he left me. But it made me even sadder to think that he didn't die in the arms of someone who had known him for a long time, someone who had had a life with him, someone he knew well and trusted. It made me sad to think that this horse had served someone well during his life, and that person wasn't there to say goodbye to him.

So in memory of Sunny, I ask that you think very hard before sending a beloved companion off to live with a stranger when they are no longer of use to you. I'm not talking about selling a sport horse that has years of competition ahead of him. I'm talking about sending a horse away after old age or an injury ends their career. Ask yourself whose face you want to be the last thing that your horse sees at the end of its life. And if it rightfully should be yours, then do the right thing. It's the last gift you can give to a horse that has given everything to you.

[Whitewolf821]

Bonnie, as always, you are the most wonderful person! Thank you for giving Sunny the end he deserved.

Rest In Peace with no pain and suffering, old boy.

[huskiesnhorses]

Well said Bonnie. Rest now Sunny.