!!!!!

Just got a call from the barn, Quzqo has a big bloody cut running down
his foreleg. ARRRRGH! Bob's not there, just the twerpy teen who brings
the horses in...at least she called me. He's not limping, just
occasionally dragging his leg...well, he drags his legs normally (the
front of his hooves are squared off...too much effort actually picking
them up y'know). *sigh*. Well, half an hour and I can bugger out of
here... At least it's on the front of his leg, no tendons there, and I
know lower leg cuts tend to bleed dramatically...damned geldings, why
can't they just quietly eat and not beat on each other! He's in his
stall, probably either indignant that there's no food, or else stuffing
his face because he hadn't had anything to eat for MINUTES!

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Back again!!

Vet finally showed up (an hour late, but that's okay), her theory is he
stumbled and fell to his knees, and IMPALED his left knee on
"something". He's got an inch-deep puncture right on the front, and was
NOT happy when she clipped it. She did manage to get it cleaned up w/o
sedating him & he only tried to rear up a couple of times (how'd you
like someone poking around a big puncture in your knee...)...got him
bandaged/wrapped, jabbed w/bute, jabbed (in two places) w/penicillin, &
left me with two syringes of penicillin (one for tomorrow, one for
Sunday), a jar of Furazone, a tub of powdered bute, and one of my
friends at the barn is letting me use some cotton bandages & elastic leg
wraps for the future.

LOL..I ALMOST passed out twice...it's pathetic...there wasn't even
anything bloody or gross happening! It's just the THOUGHT of injuries
that gets me greying out!!! I used to hate to visit my mom and/or dad
when they were in the hospital because I'd just about pass out looking
at the IV's and such!! (but funny, when *I* was full of I.V.s and my
foot bent at an odd angle, I didn't have any problem...even before the
morphine!)

Quz was acting much better (before the vet came), maneuvering around
his stall, goobering all over me, being cute...when the vet was done & I
gave him a flake of hay, he tore at it angrily, he was PISSED, LOL!
He's going to be more pissed the next few days/week I'm sure.

Long story short, he's got to stay in his stall(obviously) for at least
the next week, w/hand-walking twice a day, change the bandage daily,
hose the leg off once a day, bute twice a day, etc. etc. etc. *sigh*.
Well, if God didn't want me to get hurt at some future trail ride or
horse show, at least he took it out on the horse instead of ME like last
year, that's my theory!

Ah well, looks like I'll be able to do more gardening for the next few
weeks. I'm sure Bob will let me borrow a horse to ride.

Oh, BIG surprise though...the new Paint horse that's in the stall next
to Quzqo...is PREGNANT and due to pop WITHIN THE WEEK!!! She's a gorgeous mare,
Bob bought a small herd of horses at an auction, and I guess she was
part of it. Lovely chestnut sabino, bred to a black tobiano...baby
should be interesting. She's bagging up but I didn't notice any waxing
yet. Tsk, her stall was FILTHY...I mean it hadn't been cleaned in DAYS,
no sawdust to speak of...she was standing in packed-down manure... the
lady who does chores has been off for a couple of weeks due to final
exams, and Carlos the Spaniard obviously wasn't cleaning. The mare had a
reputation for being "crazy", but she was calm and sweet enough for me
(heck, she's in a new barn, new horses & people, of course she's going
to be high-strung and flighty, plus baby hormones!). While waiting for
the vet I went ahead and stripped her stall, she politely stood to the
side and moved when I asked...she gave me the hairy eyeball a couple of
times but I just nickered at her and let her sniff my hand. Dumped two
overflowing wheelbarrows of fresh sawdust in there, and it looked nicer.
A few minutes later I heard a noise & peeked in....she was rolling in
the nice clean sawdust! LOL...THAT would be a fun custom to do...rolling
11 month's pregnant mare!

So, gotta get up extra early in the morning & go to the barn before work
to give Quz his drugs (not the shot...Bob will help me with that (i.e.
HE will give him the shot) tomorrow evening) & his walk. Yeah...getting
Tezlu flashbacks, *sigh*.

2nd biggest surprise after the pregnant mare...the vet's bill was...
$95.50! I couldn't believe it! If Quz was a dog, that would have been
$300+ easy! Luckily another boarder has a horse under that vet's care &
was due for a visit, so the vet just combined us & split the barn call
fee!

Happy Mayday indeed.

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