The hits keep coming. I seem to have very bad luck when it comes to my animals. All of my chickens are now gone either due to sickness or predators and now my little pony has turned up lame.
About three weeks ago I went out to feed Raven and Ellie, and noticed that Raven was limping as she cantered towards me. She slowed down to trot and her head was bobbing and she was clearly in pain. I checked out her legs as she ate her food. No swelling, no heat, no cuts, no hoof marks from kicks... nothing. I picked out her feet hoping it might be a rock that she stepped on... her feet were fine.
I waited a week or so, and could not wait any longer, I had to call the vet out.
The horses got their shots, and Raven was looked at. The vet suggested she get a nerve block done on her back right hind leg which was showing the lameness. I had to think about it, since Raven doesn't belong to me. I contacted her owner, and was slapped in the face with a "I want this amount of money for the pony by the end of the month or I will take her tomorrow"
I'm faced with hard decisions. Do I go ahead and pay for more expensive vet fees to find out whats wrong with Raven and then pay the fee asked? and... do I look like I am made of money? I got the owner to take about 75% off the originally asking price. The price being asked is still a lot for a lame green pony that can't be ridden. I could pay this price for a horse that has been around the A circuit and is fully trained and sound.
I had the vet over again today. Raven is now getting worse. She showed up lame on her front left leg and her hind back right leg. The vet asked me to tell her my situation with the owner and as I told my story her mouth dropped open and immediately said "Get rid of this horse"
She took one look at my face, and saw that this was the last option. She decided against doing the nerve block, seeing as it now was in two legs, not just one. It would be too difficult to find the problem in just one leg... but now two?..... For a horse that does not belong to me, and could take a few more thousand dollars of vet work to find out whats wrong... with a grim diagnoses. The vet was pretty sure that this horse would have to go through a lot of therapy to ever be ridden again. I looked at the vet and was begging for other solutions.
I mentioned "Lyme disease" after all, why would this horse be getting worse? She looks arthritic. Is very sore, lethargic, and without being ridden or working... is getting much worse as the days wear on. The vet thought this was a great place to start. She drew blood, and I will know in a few days whether this is the culprit.
If it's not Lyme's disease I am going to have to give Raven back to the owner. I can't afford to keep doing tests on her.... This could be one of the worst Thanksgivings of my life so far. I'm faced with horrible choices, and feel as though Raven and I are stuck in a corner together with nothing but bad news.
I'm praying that this is the cause, it would explain a lot. If it is Lyme's disease she will get some antibiotic, and I will hopefully have my pony back and I will gladly shell out the money for a healthy pony that is like family to me. If its not, I will end up contacting the owner, and hope to god she will be like, "Just keep her, I can't sell her lame like that, it's a total write off" Yet, I know in my heart she will be here within 24 hours of that phone call and will take the pony and do whatever with her... those thoughts haunt me.
I will have to find a new companion animal to keep Ellie company. Ellie is going to freak out if they take Raven... just today while the vet was here I had to tie Ellie to the fence just to trot Raven up and back, and she started to scream and pull at the rope as I walked Raven away from her. They are a pair, and it will do mental damage to Ellie if I let this pony go to another home.
WHY ME? Why am I always in these bad situations. First lesson learned. Always have a written agreement if you take on someone else's pet. In most cases this would be the owners responsibility to get the vet out and pay for the costs of it's health care. There is a binding agreement that would have protected us both. If anything happens to the horse while on my property I am not responsible. Yet, here I am... both the owner and I are in a bad situation. The owner now has a horse that was worth money, and is now worth nothing so she has lost that sale, and I am stuck with a sick horse that belongs to someone else.
Oh little life of mine, why must I learn everything the hard way?
Fingers crossed its Lyme's Disease.
Never thought I would ever be wishing for one of my animals to have a disease.
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