Storm is now happily placed himself in the routine of a breakfast bucket.  He gets a handful of chaff, a mention of soaked beet and pink powder – a probiotic for a healthy gut.  I think he looks pretty much back to normal now. Well, Storm’s “normal” and no one really knows what that is.

Vultures were busy circling poor Fivla who was doing her best not to take her head out of the bucket.  One sign of weakness, and Newt would be in.  Fivla knows this and doesn’t even come up for air.

Pepper was on hoovering duty. I love how the ponies don’t mind her at all and she is totally relaxed amongst them too. I don’t think any other dog has ever managed this.

We had a good sunrise this morning too, which makes up the recent heinous weather.

Once I’ve fed everyone, I usually stand outside the feed shed and watch the sun rise and how the light changes.  It is special.

And this is the view of Foula on my way home from packing vegetables at Turriefield.  I had missed the sunset, but even so it was all very dramatic. Shetland is a beautiful place.

It’s been a busy day today.

The weather is still horrible but Storm is feeling much better. I fed him some breakfast, which he wolfed down and made the decision to put him back with his friends without a rug because:-

a) they would chase him ragged for wearing a rug – there is exercise and then there is exercise.
b) he had already escaped into the field to be with his friends and was busy playing happily with them!

And then I moved the whole lot over to Clothie – their original 5 acre field which has tons of shelter and old grass.

I moved them 3 being led at a time with one follower and, guess what, it worked though Waffle  dragged me across the hill – a bit like water-skiing.

I have been up to check on Storm three times today and he is fine, eating and much more relaxed.

And then I went into my shed this afternoon to build sheep.

(I was trying to recreate this famous picture – Study of a cat by Ernest Jackson)

And then inside to try and get near the fire.

There is a bit of a queue, though.

Storm and Newt burst out of their stable this morning full of energy, leaving behind a stable full of poo. OH said while he kindly mucked out that he didn’t think two little ponies could produce so much!

So today has been similar. Painkillers, small meals, regular and often and a 5 minutes trot every two hours all day.

They are living around the house and the weather is pretty mean so, as advised by the vet, I put a rain-sheet on Storm. I thought it fitted quite well but when I looked again, I realised it was a tad snug!

I took it off before another trot around the shed and replaced it with something bigger, and thicker.

I saw Storm yawn while I was deliberating whether to give him a rest, so I bundled him into the school and trotted him around instead. He produced this lovely poo and looked happier. I didn’t put the rug back on as the temperature outside was going up.

The sheep hate me because Storm and Newt love to chase them. They think it’s funny watching them scatter. I put the sheep in their paddock out of harm’s way.

But Storm is feeling and looking much better which is all I want. Newt is a great companion. He jostles Storm along and annoys him into getting better. I am followed everywhere by everyone.

So fingers and toes crossed, we are out of this terrible scare.  My nerves are shreds, my back is aching and I have never walked so far after two Shetland ponies trying to get them to trot (they hide behind my van!)

Storm is still not out of the woods yet. I could see this morning that he had had a bad night and he even came up by himself to ask me to help him. He was very low.

I called the vet.

Upon examination, he had no gut sounds.  Little Storm had a naso-gastric tube passed and then a Clydesdale horse equivalent dose of liquid paraffin and electrolytes.  He also had another painkilling injection.

I was asked to keep Storm on his own (so I could identify any poo) and to trot him around the school every hour for ten minutes.

Poor Storm, he hated being by himself and I made sure he could see the others.  He wouldn’t eat at all.

On the 13:00 trot, Storm farted – pretty explosive!
And at 15:00 he poo’ed….. a weird poo too. A white stringy rubbery looking thing with hard pellets as well.

And then a couple of plops.

I’ve brought Newt in for night-time companionship!

So that’s how Storm is at the moment.  He is a bit brighter now and eating a little out of a bucket (sloppy food) and I want to see more evidence of pooing.  He was such a good boy for the vet – no sedation needed for swallowing the naso-gastric tube and he stood there and let her do everything.

Prayers for Storm, please.

Today has not been good.  Storm had colic.  Something was rumbling yesterday but he wasn’t rolling so I hoped it would pass. He was eating but lying down a lot.

Today, Storm certainly wasn’t right – he refused food and he was yawning/Flehman’s response (lip curling upwards), rolling and lying down with his legs stuck out and he was decidedly unhappy. OH said there was not much poo in the stable from overnight when he mucked out.  I decided to put him and Albie out with the others in the field to see if that would brighten him up.

I also phoned the vet and she agreed this was a good course of action. To start with I thought that would do it but no……

…. and as the morning progressed, Storm was still not right and getting worse as I stood and watched.

I told Albie not to get laminitis again.

He said he would try.

Anywho, back to Storm. My waters were now churning so I phoned the vet again.

She agreed to visit so I brought Storm with Fivla and Vitamin as company over to the house.

The vet came. Respirations, heart rate, temperature, hydration, colour = all normal. Gut sounds were there but a little quiet on one side.  IV injections were given for pain, and an anti-spasmodic. The vet departed.

And with that Storm started eating!  Huzzah.

I put him outside with Fivla and Vitamin so they could stay around the house but no, Vitamin started shouting her head off for the others and Waffle stood by the gate looking lost.

So I opened the gate, leading Waffle and the rest cantered over – that is Albie in the middle distance who was the tail-end Charlie.

Into the field and I watch Storm like a hawk.

He seems “normal” now so fingers crossed we caught the colic in time.  The juggling act of colic vs. laminitis is still very worrying.

So, I am off to sell a kidney, or my first born (sorry Daisy), as calling a vet out on a Sunday is not going to be cheap.