Bad News: There were some abnormalities with some blood work I had done for my 13-year old Cairn Terrier. Her liver enzymes were elevated. In addition, a small growth was found near her hip and the biopsy indicated that it was cancerous. It was decided to do an x-ray to see if there was anything else going on with her liver - unfortunately the results were inconclusive. An ultrasound was done, showing that there were some tumours on her liver. My vet booked an appointment for us with an oncologist. Initially, we talked about using ultrasound to guide a needle to her liver to collect material for a biopsy. I explained to him that I wanted a definitive answer on whether or not she had liver cancer. We decided that while she was knocked out to have the little growth removed from her hip, that he do some exploratory surgery so that we know what we were up against.Good News: The doctor removed the tumours on her liver; they were benign! Yipee!!! The small growth has been removed and sent to pathology, but he is quite hopeful that all the bad stuff has been removed. Yay!
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| Gem's version of free lunging..... |
Good News: LA mentioned on the weekend that he looked fine during turnout (running and bucking), so I saddled him up on Sunday and rode him at a walk for 20 minutes. He was actually happy(?) to be doing something, I think. He had a spring in his step and was enjoying being out. With LA's permission, I took him on a lovely trail ride yesterday - the first real ride on him in 6 weeks! He was amazing. We walked through some really muddy patches, without issue. I know!! Mud! It felt so good to be riding him.
Bad News: The flies around the barn are horrific. Gem's stall is located at the end of the barn, next to the back door. Under normal circumstances, it's a great spot; sun, fresh air, nice view. However, flies multiply in the manure pile around the corner. I have a fly trap at his stall, but it has not had much of an impact this year. When I took him out of his stall over the weekend, his left eye was a bit swollen, red and gunky; conjunctivitis brought on by the flies irritating his eyes. I picked up some eye ointment and he has been wearing his fly mask. I hope there is some improvement soon.
Good News: The fly spray I have been using has been doing a really good job. Neemella not only smells nice, but it seems to keep the flies away for longer than the traditional sprays. And, even with the billions of flies around, Gem does not seem to be suffering with bot eggs like previous years (knocking on wood as I type that).
Bad News: Jean and Stu will be leaving the barn soon. Jean's husband has been transferred so she will be leaving at the end of the month. Back in June, Jean had another fall off of Stu. A few of us met on a Sunday to go out on a trail ride. Her lessons had been going fairly well, and Jean felt she was ready to try Stu out in the open. Jean, RO and I were walking our horses around the paddock, waiting for DH's Mom to join us. Jean was at the far end and all of a sudden, RO and I heard "whoa! Whoa! WHOA!" We turned our horses around to see Jean basically lying flat on Stu's back pulling on the reins with all of her might as he cantered out of control. We had (stupidly) left the gate leading to the yard open, thinking that DH's Mom wasn't far behind us and Stu took advantage of the opening and raced through. Fortunately, Jean fell with a thump before Stu ran into the barn - she would have hit the top of the barn door and sustained major injuries if she had stayed on him. DH's Mom was still in the barn and was able to calm Stu before he hurt himself or another horse. She made Jean get back on him (unlike the last time she fell) and she held the bridle and walked Jean around for a bit before she got off. Jean is not exactly sure what it was that set Stu off; it might have been her boot scraping the side of the fence. Unfortunately, Jean has been sort of reluctant to ride Stu ever since. She will be going to a very small boarding facility that does not have an instructor or arena. My fingers and toes are crossed that she will push herself to improve Stu's (and her) confidence and abilities in spite of the limitations at her new place.
Good News: The weather has been decent and I am looking forward to riding my boy this week!
Hope you are enjoying your summer!
I love the side shot of Gem, he's huge! (In a good way!)
ReplyDeleteHe is a big boy! :-) The last time I "weighed" him, he was just over 1300 lbs. I wish I could get a decent picture of him; he has a lovely strong neck. When he turns to the camera, it looks short. :-)
DeleteGood news about your dog. So glad the tumors were benign. Great news about Gem too. Bet it feels good to ride again! The flies here are horrible too. Never tried that fly spray but it sounds like it's worth a try. We use Avon's skin so soft mixed with water in a spray bottle. It works well enough but nothing's 100%.
ReplyDeleteIt's a shame about Jean and Stu. He's still young and needs lots more experiences. I hope she finds a good trainer where she's going and gains confidence. I wish them well.
Love your new header. What a gorgeous guy you have. I love his eye, he looks so kind.
I took the call from the vet while I was shopping. When he told me that Caileigh was going to be fine, I started to get teary and had to leave the store. :-)
DeleteThanks for the comments re header! It feels awesome to be riding Gem again.
I totally agree with you re Stu. I really hope she finds someone who can help her
Howdy, I used Equi-Spot from the Jeffers.com catalog. This stuff really works on the flies out on the trails and in the stalls. Basically your horse no longer taste good to the biting insects.It last for about 12-14 days less in heavy rains.But it does work!
ReplyDeleteHello Ruthlynn! Thanks for stopping by. I appreciate the info on Equi-spot. I will have to do a little research. :-)
DeleteI am sooooo glad to hear your adorable little terrier is fine; my heart was in my mouth reading that first part.
ReplyDeleteFab news about Gem, hopefully that means his foot is actually okay and you'll be getting all the riding you can possibly handle now :D When you're excited about mud, that can only be a good sign! Flies - yuck!!
Sad to hear Jean & Stu are leaving; hope she does get hold of a good trainer to help them both along.
Your new header is lovely - he truly is Gorgeous Gem!
I laughed at your comment "when you're excited about mud....". I am sad that Jean is leaving; we started our riding experience together. Re header - thanks! :-)
DeleteGood news about the liver tumors and I hope she has no problems with her hip.
ReplyDeleteLove the way Gem free lunges. Canadian through and through :)
I hope Jean and Stu will be in good hands. Bad experiences can have a *huge* impact on both horse and rider. Sometimes we don't realize losing your rider can be a bad experience for the horse too. That "can back on your horse" business I think is more for the horse than the rider.
We've had really good results using fly predators in our barn the past two years. Google "Fly Predators". They come in bags of eggs you scatter around the stalls. They hatch and they eat any fly eggs laid in the manure. A few end up in the manure pile where they eat the fly eggs out there too. We've had hardly any flies this year.
Oh! The first rule of taking pictures of horses. You want the camera to be around the same level as the point of their shoulder. And black horses are *very* difficult to take pictures of. You usually need a little over exposure.
Soooo relieved about my girlie. The two incisions were quite agressive. She looks like a dog version of Frankenstein right now. :-)
DeleteI agree re getting back on the horse after a fall being for the horse's benefit also. I saw Steve training with a confident rider. He was beautiful and confident. He was a totally different horse after Jean fell off of him the first time....she didn't get back on or handle him right away because she was afraid. IMO, he never recouped his confidence because she didn't.
I have mentioned the fly predators to LA before. I have no idea why there is resistance to the idea.
Thanks for the advice re horse pictures!
Phew, so glad your doggy and pony and doing better :) Nothing worse than sick doggies and ponies. Gem looks gorgeous in that photo BTW.
ReplyDeleteSorry to hear about Jean's latest mishap with her clyde. That's a long way to fall!
Nice to hear from you! Yes, I am so relieved that Caileigh and Gem are recovering. It was a bit stressful.
DeleteFalling off Steve is definitively a long way to fall. He's perhaps 2" taller than Gem and I found falling off of Gem a long way down! :-)
So glad it was only benign, must have been such a relief to find that out - he is an adorable dog.
ReplyDeleteLove your header by the way!
Hi Ruffles! I am relieved beyond words that she will be with us for a few more years. :-)
DeleteHi, Wolfie! I'm a newbie to the blogging world. I came upon your blog since we both became involved with horses after the age of 50 and I really love your blog...it's quite beautiful. I have included your blog in my Blog Lists, if that's Ok with you. And, I really like the Bad news/Good news layout! It looks like the good news win out, yeahhh!
ReplyDeleteHi Patti! Thanks for your comments and welcome to blogging! :-) I am looking forward to reading of your adventures.
DeleteAfter all the drama I went through with my dog lately I am very happy for you indeed! :) That is awesome awesome news.
ReplyDeleteSome afflictions take longer to heal than others, some areas have less healing-promoting bloodflow (don't know if I am saying that right). When Bishop came to us with seedy toe the farrier told us straight up that it would take a long time to heal. Just like with your hoof issue, he wasn't always limping, but limped sometimes. Shame, I hope this improves soon.
<3
Thanks, Landers. I know you went through some really heartbreaking drama recently with your dog.
DeleteYes, it was important that his foot got blood-flow stimulation to help the abscess blow and to heal, hence the regular lunging and walking. I think it helped.
I'm glad all is ok with Gem. I hope the best for Stu and Jean.
ReplyDeleteThanks, DD!!
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