Re-wrappin

So yesterday I had to re-wrap... Again my baby matches which just makes my day. I walked Tanner to the bath racks so he wouldnt be able to move as much. He still some how managed to move a little. I took of the wraps from Friday to find his leg still swollen. I m not sure if that is ok.... It hasnt been two weeks yet but I dont know how long is a normal amount of time for a leg to be swollen. I might call the vet and ask. As of now surgery seems to be necessary. That is going to cost around $3,000. What fun. I think I am going to get a big bucket and put a picture of Tanner on it and put it at work so people will donate money. I think people would totally do it.

Our walks arent getting any smoother after I wrapped I went to walk him around and he took out a vine. Literally. At this barn they have all these jasmine vines that go around the building and Tanner just walked by and took a bite ripping the entire plant of the wall. I have to go fix it today.

So today when I walk him Im going to sedate him. He is just to out of control....

Till next time...Ride Tall

The vet said walk and we... walkedish?!?!

So the vet told me that I can start walking Tanner 2x a day for 10 minutes. So today we started that... Um easier said than done!

Let me just set up this situation... for the past week give or take... Tanner has been locked up in a tiny tiny stall... every day twice a day he gets a decent amount of "grain" with his meds... Well if you dont know "grain" is for older horses and it gives them a little boost. Its like giving a 5 year old a bunch of cotton candy. So he is hyper!

I put a chain around his nose so at least he may listen to me. Its called a Stud Chain, its used to kind of pinch him a little. Obviously he doesnt feel it and the ten minute walk felt like an eternity of him pulling me around. Eating everything in sight and spooking at anything... oh and there are a bunch of pepper trees so he not only reached down to get the grass and weeds but up to get the tree... he is like a giraffe, which is fine by me because they are one of my favorite zoo animals!

Well my mom took pictures and I am way excited because he looks so darn cute in his purple blanket and purple wraps! I love that I have to match his outfit...it must be the rodeo queen in me:)

So I have to do this one more time today...aye vey!

Ride Tall

The vet came!!!!

So I was a little nervous this morning because our vet Dr. McNeil was on his way to check on Tanner. After me and my mom have been nursing him this whole week I could only hope for the best. In my mind I still was prepping myself for the worse... aka I would have to let Tanner join the herd in the sky.

As 8am aproached I was left thinking about how much I have already done with my soon to be 4 year old horse. We have done shows...got titles.... awards...trophy buckles...and jackets...parades...and Tanners favorite holding that red, white and blue as we galloped around a crowd stopping in the center to hear our national athem... What a proud moment.

Now I was left thinking what if I wont ever be able to do that with Tanner. It would never be the same. Seeing his golden fur sparkle in the California sun and his white mane and tail flowing in the wind is something I look forward to every day.

I heard the vet roll up and the butterflies hit! I pulled my super big sunglasses over my eyes preparing for the worst.

So Tanner got to get out of his stall for the first time today! He was nuts! He was pushing me and trying to eat all the plants that were in mouths reach and if they werent reachable he would make them. The vet assistant tried to soothe him with some lavender fragrance but that just pissed Tanner off because he couldnt eat it. So after about 2 minutes Dr. McNeil ran to his truk grabbed a huge needle and shot him up with some sedation... no more Mr. Moody!!!

Dr. McNeil unwrapped Tanner's leg and complimented me on my wrap job. As he pulled away the last of it... I could see suprise on his face. I am excited to report that Tanner is on his way to a speedy recovery. Him being a good patient and also him having the best nurses... granny and momma(me) ;)

So only 3 more weeks of wrapping; 60-90 days of just walking; and then a evaluation to see if surgery is still needed to remove the bone chip. Needless to say I will be saving my $ just in case he has to go under the knife!

Till next time...Ride Tall

Puttin the S in Sassy!!!!

Today Tanner was just so full of himself! He's got such a little attitude. I swear he is such a little brat. Spoiled like the kids from the show The Real Housewives of Orange County. He tried to have a little taste of my arm(little did he know I am skilled as Bruce Lee) and quicker than the speed of light it seemed I jabbed him right in the mouth. More harm to me it seems but at least he knows that bitting is off limits.

Before I went to school today(By the way, school was pointless because two of my classes were cancelled) I visited the baby to give him his medicine. I have to squish up 15 huge horse pills and put them into some yummy grain so he would eat it. Last night my mom (aka Tanner's Granny) made him a toy. Its a milk gallon with treats in it. We tied it to his stall. Any ways when I went out there this morning it didnt look like a milk gallon any more it was all squished and controted.

Tanner really doesnt know how to stay out of trouble! I got a call from my mom this afternoon saying he got his other leg stuck in a rope that was attached to a bucket. Jeeze he sure likes to make this whole thing hard. After I got out of work I went to the barn to see the damage and also to give him his secong dosage of the 15 pills. The rope reminded me of the tracking device Martha Stewart had on when she left the big pen. I had to practically saw it off. Thankfully no harm was done.


Today was quite the adventure it never ceases to amaze me how truly ridiculous and silly horses are... but I can honestly say that no matter how stupid they are my love for them will not detour.

Till next time

Nurse Sarah reporting for duty

So its raining cats and dogs outside. Which doesnt make Tanner any happier. The vet said he must stay in a 12 by 12 stall for the next 45 days... actually a little less about 42 more days. Just imagine confining a 3 year old in a play pen for that long. He is already getting pretty sassy.

Today I had to take the bandages off and re-do them. I was totally going to document it and take pictures but my camera didnt turn on. So that idea went out the window.

Being a nurse to a 3 year old horse is not easy let me tell you. Tanner is like no other 3 year old...he is huge. He is about 16.3hds now. For those who dont know horse terms that is about 70" at the shoulder. So when he puts his neck up he is like...a giraffe!!!

Anyway after giving him a shot of ace( Its like a tequilla shot) to make him relax. I went in there and had to cut away the old bandages. Im pleased to say that the swelling has gone down dramactically. That is a good sign!!!!

So with that said I am feeling much more upbeat about my horse and his recovery:)

Friday the 13TH

So I decided that I should give this whole blog thing a shot... I have heard rave reviews about having one... so why not jump on the band wagon.

Well this weekend has been...well... dramatic. Experiencing the rollercoater ride of emotions. This is just the begining though... I am going to be nursing the pride and joy of my life back to health for the next 6 months if I am lucky.

They say Friday the 13th...beware... if I would have taken it seriously I might have prevented this whole situation from ever occuring. So lets begin this tale from the very begining it was Thursday and I was just arriving at the UofR to go to the Beta Date Night....

I was dressed in a dress that looked like I was going to your Grandma's tea party... but my hair looked nice. Anyways after a few "purple Gatorade"drinks later we were set on our merry way. I had a wonderful time seeing all the girls at the house. After some much needed chatting, singing, and table dancing it was time for me and Brenna to make our way back home.

Thats were the adventure began... we fell into a fitfull sleep on the twin bed somehow... I woke to my internal time clock that told me its 6am lets get moving. I tried to sleep longer but couldnt. I looked at my phone and at that very moment I was getting calls from a restricted number and my house. I didnt want to wake Brenna so I ever so carefully climbed up and over off the bed and out the door.

I was in the hallway listening to the voice mails... the first sounded urgent it said this " Dr. McNeil I'm on my way" (I thought to myself now thats interesting I wonder what the vet is doing calling me) the next voicemail was my mother... the message was all fuzzy as if someone was crunching a candy wrapper over the speaker " Sarah....horse....cant get up.....vet....hocks are..." (I was thinking ok the horse we are leasing is dying he is 21 years old...)

So I call my mom... frantically she answered and said "Sarah, Tanner(aka my baby horse) kicked the fence and got his foot stuck between the pannels...it took three of us to get him out... the vet is coming...(she paused for what seemed like forever) he may have broken his leg...
For those of you that dont know if a horse breaks a leg they are automatically euthanized.
I ran back into the room...made a quick grab for all my stuff and was on the road to Murrieta.

By the time I got there the vet had left and was taking the x-rays to the clinic to see if he broke anything...I was thinking how cruel is this, 8 months ago I had to put my paint horse to sleep and now this.

The results came in no broken bones... thank goodness...but we have to wait and see if Tanner can ever be ridden again. I have 6 months of nursing his leg. That is what gave me the idea to blog... I am going to blog his progress in hopes of seeing the results. The vet comes out on Friday so I am praying for a good report.

Till next we meet... Ride Tall