Im so proud of my husband, David, and my two teenaged children for managing a crisis until I got there. Turns out Bud, the 33 yr old fossil, fell in a round bale- we arent asking HOW he did it, as hes found some pretty ingenious ways of getting himself trapped. In this case, he had managed to get laid down with his legs pointed up hill, and bury himself (probably by thrashing) in hay. And of course, he decided to do this when I wasnt home. Oh- did I mention it was 83* today? And he still has his winter coat on? David discovered the mess on his way to give Bud his evening meal. We figure he got himself in this mess sometime around 6 pm (thats when a new round bale got delivered), and David discovered him at 7 pm. I got the phone call almost immediately. David had already gotten all the hay off Bud, and managed to get hay away from his legs (he was getting all tied up in it- and no, there were no baling twines left- it was just long hay). He asked me what to do- so, I told him: get a halter on Bud, stay on his spine side so he doesnt kick you when he thrashes, stay away from his feet and from his head except to get a halter on. And get the round bale out of there (this meant getting the tractor with the spear). Meredith, my daughter took care of haltering and comforting Bud while David got the round bale out. Townsend, my son, got the cadaver board and the webbing straps, and helped his Dad get more hay out of the way. Both kids took turns giving Bud a little food for energy and some dribbles of water. By the time I got there, the only thing that hadnt been done (probably because I didnt think of it while driving and talking to David) was something under Buds eye. I took my jacket off, put it under his eye (with help from the kids), gave Bud some reassurance, and then got the webbing straps around his bottom legs. Meredith helped flip his head, while David & I each got a foot and Bud even helped by heaving, and we got him over so he was down hill. Got the straps off his feet, the jacket under his head, to protect his eye, and then I just hand fed him, until he had enough energy to get his legs under him- in the meantime, Meredith had put the cadaver board along his spine- so when he DID try to get up, we could help him... It all went very well. By the time the neighbor showed up (thought I might need an extra set of strong hands), Bud was just standing up. Im going to ask the vet to come by tomorrow to check him, he didnt want to eat his dinner, and was a bit wigged out. I know hes not got much more time with us, so I want to make every bit count. And I want HIM to be happy and pain free- so the big decision is going to be happening soon. But the vet needs to check him out- it may be that hes got some sort of issue in his back (he trips over his back feet when he backs up), and might need either chiropratic or accupuncture. Ill go back out in an hour to check on him. Just wanted yall to know that the TLAER training has become incredibly valuable in my life- and love that I have the ability to explain what needs to happen to someone who has no idea about TLAER (and knows very little about horses) over the phone. THANK YOU REBECCA, and Thank you everyone else who made the TLAER, GA class so memorable!
Posted on: Wed, 02 Apr 2014 02:26:40 +0000
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