I spent last night looking at another iv drip.  The vet came at midnight to site it as the mare was going downhill before our eyes.

We all agreed on the insulin route.  Not one particularly used in the UK but we decided there was nothing to lose now.

Left with an intravenous drip of Hartmann’s solution and some instructions on when to test her blood glucose, I spent the night as a nurse, making observations, taking blood samples and generally writing everything down to tell the vet at 07:30.

I had a bed but it was taken.  It was a long night for us all.

The mare made it through the night and I left to get some sleep in the morning with the promise that the vet would visit later and we would re-group and work out our next plan of attack.

I left my daughter, Daisy, with the mare and the owner.

This afternoon, I woke up after 4 hours sleep, did my chores (fed horses, quickly kissed noseys, changed foot dressing) and returned to the mare.

The drip had been re-sited again.  She was beginning to eat and we were told to really try and get food down her, whatever means.  Her temperature was down to normal, her heart rate too but now her front legs and chest had slight pitting oedema from her decreased liver function.

The nursing staff had increased.

And so I spent the afternoon/evening shoving Polos down (she likes them), apple and a carrot/porridge mixture.

The mare looks slightly better.  She is still reluctant to chew or swallow but there is more opinion in her objection.  The Polos make a very satisfactory crunch and I hope that any peppermint oil in them (if any) will help her tummy.  She can spit a piece of apple at me with surprising accuracy too!

I went back today to help with the mare with hyperlipemia.

Last night she aborted her foal which, though it sounds awful and sad, is the best thing that could’ve happened.  It means she has a chance.  Not a huge chance, but a better chance.

I was greeted by Ken Lee, the croft cat.

This morning, the mare was in her pen looking more alert and aware of her surroundings.

We made the decision to let her out with a friend to see if she would begin to eat.

She was very wobbly on her legs, almost falling over, but we could see she was happy to be outside.  I am a great believer in fresh air, company as well as sleep contributing towards healing.

The mare had a bit of a roll and then a sleep – I think she is exhausted.

The vet came and we discussed whether to re-site the intravenous drip or to continue with the bottles.  He passed a naso-gastric tube and got a good bucket of water, electrolytes and dextrose down her, tested her blood glucose, took her temperature (slightly raised) and gave her some antibiotics.

The mare then had porridge made of fine oatmeal and apple juice plus brown sugar as well as water, every hour.  She passed urine (grapefruit juice colour) twice as well as a stool.  This encourages me.  The important bits, like kidneys and gut, are still working.

This is what a blood sample from an equine with hyperlipemia looks like.   The yellow bit is lipids (fat) in the blood.  Not good. Ugh.

And so we struggle to keep this mare alive.  She puts up with us pushing bottles down her every half an hour during the day.  She has to live.  I want her to live and she is not giving up yet and neither are we.

The only encouraging aspect so far was when I tried to catch her for the vet, she trotted off.  That cheered me up greatly.  Still, we have a very long way to go.

In the dim and distant, I trained and qualified as an Registered General Nurse (Nov ’81 set, if you are interested) at The Middlesex Hospital in London, W1.

I was not a very good nurse but my training has always stood me in good stead, especially today.

Daisy and I spent the day nursing a standard Shetland pony mare with hyperlipemia – a horrid illness that I knew very little about.

Poor love had been visited by the vet numerous times and by now had an intravenous drip of alternating glucose and Hartmans.

Firstly, I was there so the owner could get some rest (up for 40 hours straight and beginning to feel dizzy).

Secondly, I was there to keep the IV monitored (one drop per second) and to talk to the vet, with the owner, when he visited.

I left Daisy and OH to sort out the mess of the Thordale boys – unrug, feed, Haakon’s hoof dressing (thank you Jo), muck out, etc. while I drove over to become obssessed by the IV drip.

The bag had to be changed and I vaguely remembered what to do.  Then the thing stopped dripping with a huge air bubble in the tube bit before the drip chamber thingy.  I looked at it blankly knowing I was supposed to do something when luckily my hands remembered and did all the right things.  Most odd.  The last time I had monitored a drip was 30 years ago.

And so we pushed fluids orally and did our very best.  Every 30 minutes, I would hold the mare’s head up, while Daisy pushed a bottle of glucose water or “gruel” down her.   I hope the mare lives.  Please get all your healing vibes out for this lady.  Daisy and I really want her to live.  We gave her our best all day, while her owner slept.

This evening, the mare is looking perkier and even began to take an interest in her surroundings.

I may have been a lousy nurse for humans but at least I can remember vaguely what to do for animals!

In there is Daisy being Minioned.  The little boys were all very pleased to see her. She has a special way with Minions and they adore her.

Daisy thought everyone looked well and that Tiddles had put on weight and grown fluffier.

She also said that Storm looked like one of those dolls that you have as a child and then you cut its hair because you think it will look more realistic.  Instead it looks worse, the hair hacked at and is never quite the same again.  I think we have all done that.  I know I did.  Poor Storm.

Tiddles reminded her of his love of nose-kisseys.

I think we can all say that we are glad Daisy is home.

I know she has work to do for her finals but I know where I will find her if she has any spare time or wants to relax.

Being Minioned!

I am worrying about Haakon. He is not getting any better, despite being on painkillers and antibiotics and I don’t know what to do.  Sometimes I think his lameness is looking less and then he takes a bad step and is hopping again.

Add to this worry, now and I am worried about little Storm.  He looks awful.  This could be because they all came home this afternoon from being out in a big field, covered in mud.  I watched him walk with me and sucked my teeth – he does not have a strong confidant walk anymore and looked like he would fall over at any moment.

Compared with everyone else, Storm is not robust at the moment.  He is not ribby and you can’t feel any bones;  he just isn’t in as good a condition as his fellow Minions.  Maybe he will get bouncier when the real green grass arrives.

The others are all fine.

Tiddles is doing especially well.

He involves himself with everything, just at his own speed.

He is a very endearing little chap.

So I will go on worrying about Haakon and Storm.  I wish spring would arrive properly and we could all look forward rather than just going along on a day-by-day basis trying to keep everyone and everything upright while the last of winter blows itself out.

Oh yes, and we have two whole daffodils in the garden!  Yay.