I cannot tell you how awful today has been – but I will try.

It started with me going out with the brekkie buckets only to meet a very depressed non-eating and disinterested Vitamin.

My heart sank into my boots. Here we go again, I thought.

I gave her 10ml of Inflacam (painkiller and anti-inflammatory) and then waited.  The rainbow was pretty but unhelpful.  No pot of gold here.

At this stage I was selling my soul to passing Gods or anyone else interested and I went into the field to take Vitamin and Fivla out so they could live around the house (just outside, though).  It would be easier to keep an eye on Vitamin.  Less mud.

Then I spent the majority of my day on the phone to the vet surgery trying to catch the vet.  I felt so sorry for the lady answering the phone – she must hate me by now.  Anyway, I drove over later and got to talk to the vet while getting some intra-muscular painkillers.

When I got back, later in the afternoon, I found Vitamin cheerfully picking at the grass so I quickly got a bucket of food and shoved it under her nose AND SHE ATE!

Fivla now thinks every day is her birthday as she is happily finishing up all uneaten food buckets. She didn’t get this one, though.

But a bucket is a bucket and I don’t care.  Drugs given, another bucket (I strike while the iron is hot) and I will look at the weather forecast and decide whether to put them in for the night or not later on.  I am currently thinking rugs on, and leave them where they are but the weather is deterioriating tonight.  What to do?

My new stamp has arrived and  I am thrilled with it. Just awaiting now the round 1″ brown labels to arrive and then it will be all systems go on sales this year of the sheeple.

(I also splurged and added a self-address stamp for parcels, etc. which will come in handy.)

And back with Vitamin.  She trotted up to me this morning for her breakfast so “the b***h is back” and I could not be happier.

She has two meals a day while she is on the antibiotics, rug off weather-permitting during the day and she is full-on hating all her so-called friends who diligently waited for her by the gate while the vet visited.

When I saw Vitamin tell-off Storm, I knew the antibiotics are doing their job (poor boy had done nothing to deserve that).

So I am much relieved.

Meanwhile, the Minions were into everything while I was busy trying to give Vitamin her afternoon bucket (Rowen Barbary Ready Mash Extra), her antibiotic injection (that mare has the hide of a rhino) plus put her rug on for the night.

Thank you, Newt!

I was dreading this morning, I really was.  I felt sick as I walked with my buckets to the field and Vitamin was far away at the back, which usually means the ill ones are on the outside of the herd for the tigers to eat first.

But, when I put her bucket in front of her, she put her head down, sniffed and then started eating.

I cried.  Yes, in the middle of the field, I howled my eyes out with relief.

I didn’t give Vitamin a huge amount, as I didn’t want to over-face her, but she made a clean bucket.

And as it was a nice morning, I took her rug off for a breather.

I was also nicely surprised that the rug wasn’t all ripped up like last time.

Later in the morning a friend came round and kindly did some acupressure on Vitamin.

Lots of bright interest in the whole process.

Afterwards, I gave Vitamin another small bucket of food, which she ate. She is not back to normal by any means, but she is certainly happier.  I think the antibiotics are kicking in and making a difference.

Another vet came out this afternoon, and worked on Vitamin’s teeth. He gave her more antibiotics (left me with a course) and painkillers.  Another bucket of food and she told me she also liked apples very much, thank you.  We agreed Vitamin probably had a low-grade tooth infection going on (she had a nose-bleed yesterday after the first vet left) which is very probably related.

So a way forward.  I am so relieved.  Thank you for all your prayers and messages of support. They mean the world to me – *** sniff *** and off I go again, looking for the tissue in my pocket.  I know I had one somewhere.

I am worried about Vitamin.

She’s stopped eating.  No longer barging through everyone with a full-on stonking trot to get her bucket a bit earlier than everyone else.  No pawing at the fence demanding food.

When I took her breakfast bucket to her, she tried a bit in a very lack-lustre fashion and then stopped eating.

So I called the vet and he came later in the morning.  Vitamin’s teeth were checked (ok for her age, nothing wobbly or obvious), her guts (good bowel sounds and a nice large normal poo).  No diagnosis so he gave her some antibiotics (IV) and a painkiller (IM) and the plan was to give her the weekend and see what like on Monday.  I was hopeful she would turn a corner and start eating again.

I checked Vitamin regularly, taking any snacks that might tempt her but she was not interested.  She puts her head down to eat and then doesn’t.

After lunch, I went out with her rug.

Plus Fivla’s, who was looking daggers at Vitamin (she has a Vitamin-in-a-rug-thing, remember?) in her rug.

And Fivla had to have a go at Vitamin and funnily enough, Waffle waded in to stop her and took Vitamin away, which was interesting.

I will leave them for tonight and I have booked for another vet tomorrow afternoon as I don’t think we have until Monday now.

I am praying for a miracle, or else I think I will put Vitamin to sleep because I don’t want this to go on and on.  She seems to have given up so maybe she’s had enough.  I don’t really know what else to do.  She is 30 years old.

Stephen, our farrier, visited today.  He arrived early while I was getting all the Minions inside, one at a time, hosing their legs and hooves down to get the mud off – clean legs makes it much nicer for Stephen and I felt it was a bit of a must as everyone was so digusting.

I would like to say the ponies behaved beautifully, so I will. They did and were all pretty easily caught, except for Fivla, Vitamin and Albie who were last on my catching/washing hoof list and managed to not wait politely and went on the rampage instead!  Fivla even did a little buck when I wanted to catch her as she trotted off to flirt outrageously up and down the fence with Haakon, which made me smile.  She must be feeling better.

Pepper was pleased to “help” and Stephen was very patient with her, managing not to rasp her nosey despite her best efforts to get in the way.

Minions all done (6 trims – the old ladies were fine), and onto the Ancients.  I brought Haakon in while the other two followed behind.

While Haakon had his hooves trimmed, Iacs and Kolka mooched around the shed.

Once finished and out they went back to their field(s) and I returned to the Minions to put them back as well.  They had made themselves at home in the sheep shed while having all the feed bowls down, that I had tidily stacked (thank you Silver).

Stephen said everyone looked well with no signs of hoof problems, so that was all good. I value his opinion.

I am exhausted now.