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Post by jodycat on Dec 19, 2008 21:18:01 GMT -5
Would warm soaked beet pulp help her get her internal engine going?
Or what about some corn oil? When I was in the middle of the "blanket wars" where Fred was formerly boarded, I did a lot of research on thermal regulation in horses. I know I came across a few references to oil being both a source of energy and warmth. (Makes sense - they give sled dogs in Alaska whole sticks of butter for that purpose.)
Fred still gets 1/4 cup of corn oil twice a day, and until the weather gets significantly warmer, he's going to stay on it.
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Post by welldone3 on Dec 19, 2008 21:56:55 GMT -5
Jingle, Jingle to our baby girl. Despite her tiny figure she has a big heart and alot of will. When Whisper was at Laura's as soon as she was standing again she was hungry, thirsty and had to pee=) She even bit me in the butt when I was putting ointment on her sores. Please everyone keep up with the kind words of encouragement she is always listening!
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Post by schwung on Dec 19, 2008 22:02:03 GMT -5
Thanks everyone for the thoughts on Whisper. Hannah finally made it out today after digging herself out of her driveway and checked her out, she is back to having a low-grade fever at 101.4. I actually would rather have her too hot than too cold...but she's taking blood tomorrow to see if she has something viral or bacterial. We also talked about how when Whisper was down her eyes were doing this weird flickering back and forth thing while they were open - I forget what Hannah said the technical name for that it is - but it is an indicator that she was very near death, its a sign of late-stage hypothermia. Thank goodness we got her up when we did, and its amazing how fast she recovered once she was up.
She's not supposed to be on any concentrates yet, as remember we are still treating her like a starved horse. However she's close enough to the two week mark that we are going to start making her small mashes with senior feed and not just alfalfa pellets (which she has been getting several times a day in addition to grass hay). While its hard not to want to throw a lot of high carb/protein feed at her, we do still have to be careful not to shock her system.
The fleece shipping boots would probably be overkill over the standing bandages and we don't want to make it harder on her to get herself back up if she does go down. We tried putting a hood on her as I had a few of those but they just didn't fit right and when she put her head down would fall down on her face so she couldn't see (she didn't like that at all), so we had to give up on that idea. We did board up the front of the stall and we have some other ideas for keeping the stall warm when the storm hits tomorrow. One thing I am hoping is that she does seem to know that she can't get herself up when she lays down so she avoids it - so I am hoping that she will be up for at least a few days and through the storm this weekend. I think she stays up as long as she can until she just gets too tired.
I'll look into the Thermacare wraps as well, good idea if they are safe we might try them.
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msclarkee
Junior BB Member
Reno 2001-2008 (Rest in Peace my friend)
Posts: 80
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Post by msclarkee on Dec 19, 2008 22:23:47 GMT -5
I think you're right Jaime - little Whisper stays up as long as she can because she knows she can't get up once she lays down She was down on Dec 6 (the day before police were called), then down again on Dec 9...then in the morning Dec 13...and then today Dec 19. She's lasting longer each time, but she completely exhausts herself. I've never seen a horse try so much ... and I know that the reason she's made it this far is because there are so many "willing" her to keep trying. It might take me 45 minutes to get to your place from mine, but if Whisper needs a 'pick me up', call and I'll be on my way (husband in tow.)
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Post by Supaloma on Dec 20, 2008 0:12:53 GMT -5
Jaime-Please give us a call if you need help getting Whisper up. We are nearby and just a phone call away. Doug is off work for the next couple weeks.
Geri
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Post by jennywho on Dec 20, 2008 2:28:39 GMT -5
I have never been a fan of hoods, even when I was a little show princess.
However I have recently discovered the neck wraps, attach like a hood, but only goes to their ears. Sometimes I'll have a horse get an ear covered up by it, but no more covering up their eyes. I even used them with success on the yearlings this year. Just an idea.
The other wardrobe piece I recently acquired is like a sleazy but a brand called robinhoods. It is kind of like lightweight polar fleece meets lycra, pretty cool stuff and seems to be a bit warmer than a regular sleazy and it stays PUT.
There are several mentions of using thermacare wraps on COTH. I haven't tried them yet, but worth looking into.
Here's hoping the storm isn't as bad as predicted. The weatherman is never right. RIGHT?
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Post by schwung on Dec 20, 2008 4:03:19 GMT -5
Whisper went down again and I was making phone calls at 11pm tonight. We got her up again, once again she perked up but I am pretty depressed that she went down again so quickly. It's going to be a long, cold night.
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Post by winterlakesfarm on Dec 20, 2008 11:18:01 GMT -5
How is she doing Jaime? How are you guys holding up?
Another thing to consider is the "snuggle safe" discs - you can get them at a pet store and they hold heat for up to 6 hours. You heat/reheat them in the microwave......we use them for post surgery animals and the very ill animals at the shelter........you could tuck them under her blanket and secure them with duct tape(the stuff that makes the universe go round). I wish I was closer I would bring some to you!!!!!!!
I would also say throw some oil at her in her mashes.......
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Post by trillium on Dec 20, 2008 11:39:48 GMT -5
Sending good thoughts your way for Whisper. And you too Jamie. I know it must be exhausting for you.
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Post by jodycat on Dec 20, 2008 11:42:06 GMT -5
How is she doing Jaime? How are you guys holding up? Another thing to consider is the "snuggle safe" discs - you can get them at a pet store and they hold heat for up to 6 hours. You heat/reheat them in the microwave......we use them for post surgery animals and the very ill animals at the shelter........you could tuck them under her blanket and secure them with duct tape(the stuff that makes the universe go round). I wish I was closer I would bring some to you!!!!!!! I would also say throw some oil at her in her mashes....... If Dr. Hannah agrees, I too suggest oil. I've read a lot of horse rescue stories, and remember two where the starving horse turned around when given oil a little at a time. In one case, it was cocoa oil, I don't remember the other type. It's not carbohydrate or protein, so I wonder if it wouldn't just be usable for energy and heat.
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Post by schwung on Dec 20, 2008 12:20:16 GMT -5
She managed to stay up all night. Thank goodness. She's perky and eating this morning despite the icicles on her chin. We've put a call out to the media for a heated barn for her to go to through the storm. www.heraldnet.com/article/20081220/NEWS01/712209867&news01ad=1#Cold.is.cruel.to.ailing.filly.. If nothing comes up, we are taking her to Pilchuck for the next 1-2 days, and putting her in their heated surgical unit. It will be expensive, but at this point I do not know if she will make it otherwise.
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Post by jodycat on Dec 20, 2008 12:31:23 GMT -5
She managed to stay up all night. Thank goodness. She's perky and eating this morning despite the icicles on her chin. We've put a call out to the media for a heated barn for her to go to through the storm. www.heraldnet.com/article/20081220/NEWS01/712209867&news01ad=1#Cold.is.cruel.to.ailing.filly.. If nothing comes up, we are taking her to Pilchuck for the next 1-2 days, and putting her in their heated surgical unit. It will be expensive, but at this point I do not know if she will make it otherwise. Good, I've been wondering about Pilchuck. Count me in for $150 if that's what you guys do. I would love to see her there until it warms up. Weather forecast for Monroe does look like there will be snow but warmer temps over the next few days. met
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Post by equustp on Dec 20, 2008 13:40:11 GMT -5
Good Lord! It's simply mind boggling how much animals can suffer and survive! Jingles for Whisper!! ~Tammy
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Post by schwung on Dec 20, 2008 15:16:59 GMT -5
I have good news and bad news. The bad news is, we were all ready to take her to Pilchuck but then found out their heaters are broken - so their barn wasn't going to be much warmer. We decided to haul her to Lisa's (clearlybluebreeze), where she can at least close her barn up and get some heaters going and hopefully keep it above (or even close to) freezing. It's better than here. She loaded and unloaded great and had some perk to her step walking to her new temporary home so hopefully she will hang in there. She's sure a tough little girl!
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Post by monicabee on Dec 20, 2008 15:49:52 GMT -5
I was so relieved to see Jaime post that Whisper was doing a bit better. I put her in the blog this morning to help get the word out. blog.seattlepi.nwsource.com/admin/post_edit.aspIt's also about Dr. Hannah's new Northwest Equestrian Stewardship Center, in case you aren't already aware of that project. Whisper really makes you aware of how much extra effort it is to care for horses in this condition, all this coming at a time when its a scramble to provide ordinary care. Good thing Whisper has some extraordinary people looking after her.
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