Here are some notes that Dr Hannah emailed me yesterday after Whisper’s bloodwork.
Whisper’s blood work showed that she is well hydrated, her kidney and liver function is normal, her muscle enzymes are slightly elevated (this is expected based on what she’s gone through and so not of concern at this level), she is mildly anemic (in her last blood work her HCT was in the normal range, likely has gone down with better hydration, we have started her on ulcer meds and the anemia is mild, so not too concerned. Her white blood cell level is overall low, (was within the normal range on last blood work), with low lymphocytes and low neutrophils. This combined with her fevers tells me she is fighting off an infection, so I’m glad we have her on the antibiotics now. It may take a few days to see some changes, she’s not quite over the hump yet. When her fevers stop and her white blood cell values start to go up, we can take a deep breath… Her glucose levels were within the normal range, but at the low end, so she may be dropping below normal during her episodes of weakness. Giving her the molasses then will be a helpful blood sugar boost when we (or you…) try to get her up. I saw on the board a few people posted about oil- I do think that is a good idea, and she is now to the point where we can start adding those things in- we need to make the changes slowly because we’ve already been increasing/adding beet pulp, senior, alfalfa pellets, etc. Lets add a tablespoon to each of her mashes and slowly work up to 1 cup per day over the next week. Thanks for all of your hard work!!
*****
The Herald posted an update today:
http://www.heraldnet.com/article/2008122.…till.struggling
At this point we have rented a sling from Mount Vernon Animal Hospital. An electric hoist, after trying in vain to find one to rent, was purchased by a friend of Geri Vincent’s of Equine Aid and loaned to us to use, which is incredibly generous of him. As we speak, Geri’s husband and the friend who purchased the hoist are working on figuring out a way to install it overhead.
In other news, the pipes have finally given way at the farm and we had to shut our water off until we can get a plumber out to fix it. We did get the horses watered (we had some water, but very low pressure) so they are good for 24 hours or so. Also, please send your condolences to Geri today as she lost one of her long-time equine friends today, who had a seizure today for unknown causes and died. It’s been a tough day all around, but like Whisper, we will perservere!
*****
From Kier:
Lisa and I just came in from staying with Whisper while the sling system went up in her stall…She seems to know everyone is reaching out to help her. Even with all the hammering, wood cutting, ladders, etc in her stall she patiently stood with me in a corner and took the opportunity to rest her head a moment. Dr. Hannah and Dr. Brad are on their way to administer some IV antibiotics and look over the pully system.…its going to be another long night though I am happy to report Lisa and I both managed a 2.5 hour nap today. We feel optimistic with the added system to lift her in place…and Whisper seems to be content nickering each time she gets her warm mash…Keep Jingling and thank everyone for their support!
*****
From Geri Vincent, Equine Aid:
The folks who purchased the winch are Val and Scott Wonhoff. The winch and support beam were installed by Scott, Jim Dobbin and Doug.
A big thank you goes to Nicole and Trinity who spent most of the day Monday driving up to Mount Vernon to pick up the sling and get it to Monroe.
My admiration and gratitude to the women doing the cold, constant visits to the barn to check on Whisper and feed her warm mush and water: Lisa, Kier and Jaime.
A few more names for you, coconut!
Geri
