Saturday, September 3
Sep. 3rd, 2022 10:57 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
gottawonderToday I am grateful for:
My sweet, snuggly cats who make me feel so loved.
I couldn't sleep, because I was worried about River's leg. For sheer peace of mind, I called the vet. I was able to skip the "extra fee" of it being Saturday, by rushing to meet the vet while she was still right in the vicinity of the barn (thus it wouldn't be a travel cost).
I basically rolled out of bed without eating, and made a beeline to the barn. It was worth the rush to avoid the extra fee, especially since this is the third time this summer I have had the vet come look at him. Fairly mild issues, like his breathing (chronic) in the spring, then recently the huge swelling in one eye (flies), and now this.
She lightly sedated him, and used a probe to see how deep the puncture went, and said it WAS fairly deep, and probably a good thing I called. It doesn't look like much on the outside, but a deep puncture can cause big issues if it isn't treated properly.
What I hate, is feeling like I am bad, stirring up trouble, being defiant, or something like that by standing up for myself and having the vet come out. R is usually advising me that "he'll be fine", and maybe that's true, but I worry. I don't sleep well. I am not one of those people who can stay cool and play the waiting game, and see if his condition improves on it's own.
With this wound, "wait and see" could easily turn into a bad infection that would have been hard to treat.
I felt scared even saying that I thought he might have hurt himself trying to graze among the wood piles, because that IS kind of accusing her of negligence (which, it is. Most people don't have dangerous junk among their horses).
R is not likely going to blow up at me like the owner of the other barn, but I have kind of PTSD about standing up for myself/River now. Also, there is just that life long conditioning where you don't feel safe asserting yourself.
It made today nerve-wracking for me.
So, he's getting antibiotics, we updated his Tetanus shot, and he's getting cold hosings.
R is willing to give him the antibiotics, since they have to be twice daily for seven days, and to do the cold hosings. I really appreciate this. I couldn't do it myself.
Then I came home and did chores etc, and slept a little bit.
I got up and let everyone out in the pasture for a while, I picked the last of the beans and watered the garden (mainly for the carrots and beets, which are still growing a bit).
I mowed for a while too.
Then I worked with Dandy for a few minutes, just leading and teaching a bit of yielding. I really need to get back into working with him. This summer I have just been too tired and pulling weeds and so on to do much with him. If I can even do fifteen minutes it would be progress.
Today I learned that Mark Twain was one of the first American writers to document native islanders surfing in Polynesia. In his 1872 travelogue, “Roughing It”, Twain describes watching it, and even attempts it himself. But only once.
Mark Twain tried surfing!
https://www.surfer.com/blogs/culture/surf-bathing-revisited/
My sweet, snuggly cats who make me feel so loved.
I couldn't sleep, because I was worried about River's leg. For sheer peace of mind, I called the vet. I was able to skip the "extra fee" of it being Saturday, by rushing to meet the vet while she was still right in the vicinity of the barn (thus it wouldn't be a travel cost).
I basically rolled out of bed without eating, and made a beeline to the barn. It was worth the rush to avoid the extra fee, especially since this is the third time this summer I have had the vet come look at him. Fairly mild issues, like his breathing (chronic) in the spring, then recently the huge swelling in one eye (flies), and now this.
She lightly sedated him, and used a probe to see how deep the puncture went, and said it WAS fairly deep, and probably a good thing I called. It doesn't look like much on the outside, but a deep puncture can cause big issues if it isn't treated properly.
What I hate, is feeling like I am bad, stirring up trouble, being defiant, or something like that by standing up for myself and having the vet come out. R is usually advising me that "he'll be fine", and maybe that's true, but I worry. I don't sleep well. I am not one of those people who can stay cool and play the waiting game, and see if his condition improves on it's own.
With this wound, "wait and see" could easily turn into a bad infection that would have been hard to treat.
I felt scared even saying that I thought he might have hurt himself trying to graze among the wood piles, because that IS kind of accusing her of negligence (which, it is. Most people don't have dangerous junk among their horses).
R is not likely going to blow up at me like the owner of the other barn, but I have kind of PTSD about standing up for myself/River now. Also, there is just that life long conditioning where you don't feel safe asserting yourself.
It made today nerve-wracking for me.
So, he's getting antibiotics, we updated his Tetanus shot, and he's getting cold hosings.
R is willing to give him the antibiotics, since they have to be twice daily for seven days, and to do the cold hosings. I really appreciate this. I couldn't do it myself.
Then I came home and did chores etc, and slept a little bit.
I got up and let everyone out in the pasture for a while, I picked the last of the beans and watered the garden (mainly for the carrots and beets, which are still growing a bit).
I mowed for a while too.
Then I worked with Dandy for a few minutes, just leading and teaching a bit of yielding. I really need to get back into working with him. This summer I have just been too tired and pulling weeds and so on to do much with him. If I can even do fifteen minutes it would be progress.
Today I learned that Mark Twain was one of the first American writers to document native islanders surfing in Polynesia. In his 1872 travelogue, “Roughing It”, Twain describes watching it, and even attempts it himself. But only once.
Mark Twain tried surfing!
https://www.surfer.com/blogs/culture/surf-bathing-revisited/
no subject
Date: 2022-09-04 06:08 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2022-09-04 08:26 am (UTC)If it had been a straightforward shallow cut with no swelling, I would have likely felt fine letting it heal on it's own. Puncture wounds that show a bit of swelling are a different beast.
no subject
Date: 2022-09-04 10:28 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2022-09-05 04:00 am (UTC)In the past, I didn't do enough at times to take care of the animals who depended on me.
I grew up on a farm, and the mentality is "don't spend money on vet bills" to the point where I felt like I was stupid for even caring so much. Like it was a mental weakness.
I get it. There wasn't much money around. Farmers are also kind of like that, not "babying" them. Farmers try to just clean the wound or whatever, and let it heal on it's own.
Sometimes that works fine, sometimes it doesn't. Then when you call the vet it is a much bigger deal, and not as good an outcome.
no subject
Date: 2022-09-04 07:30 pm (UTC)