CFSed

[dancinghorse]

It doesn't happen often, but when it does, you know those Dali timepieces draped over everything? That's yrs trly. And of course, after months of Energizer Bunny-dom, I was due.

So, this week, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome has laid me flat. I've been able to meet deadlines and deal with urgencies, but past that, well, oooog. An expedition to the PO today, with stop at feed store, required hours of recovery afterwards. Forget riding; by the time I get the horse groomed and tacked up, I'm ready to fall over.

It should run its course in another couple of days. Always does. In the meantime, Camilla has not stopped smiling since her clinic with TL, and I've started the weaning process with Oreo. I do it gradually, having found that removing mom for increasing periods of time is a lot less stressful on both parties than cold-turkey rippage of child from mother's side. He's ready: the first time I shut mom away, he investigated, determined that he wasn't getting at her, shrugged, and came back to his hay and his dad. Even after I let her back in with him, after a long drink, he left her to go back to dad. He's daddy's boy, that one. Tomorrow they go to full-day separation; by next week, nights as well. Then S will come and get Gold for the winter, so she can eat lots of grass and run the 20 acres with Carrma and work on growing Oreo II. Oreo meanwhile will finally be halter-trained, and will continue his development into People Pony Supreme. Even though he won't let me put anything on his head yet, I can handle him all over including nose and ears, pick up his feet, all the good things. And he loves people, any people, as long as they give him scritchies.

Once Gold goes home, keed can come back. I'll be glad to have him home.

In the meantime, today was negative sticker shock day: found a group health plan for a whole honkin' lot less than Blue Cross, which is the cheapest thing I've been able to find for years, and it even has a lower deductible. This is a very good thing. For the self-employed, the options are limited to say the least, and the costs are outrageous. This isn't bad at all. Relatively speaking. They've accepted me; as soon as I get paid, I can complete the process.

And I discovered that the ms. I've been struggling with for months is a lot closer to the end than I thought. A lot. I'll actually get it done in the next week or ten days. Woot. Then of course, on to the next, but every little bit helps.

And now, having been semicoherent for this long, I must go flat again before I crawl out and feed horses. Definitely not up for anything more ambitious today. Oooog. Thud.

Comments

[sfmarty.livejournal.com]

Gack. I hate it when there is stuff to do and I just don't seem to have the get up and git to do much but sit and try not to fall asleep in front of the telly.

With you tho, I understand there is pain. I am really sorry. I would hug you, but ...

[foalstory.livejournal.com]

what do you think about fenceline weaning? I never had the time to do the style you are doing, but have never been a fan of just taking them away and out of sight. Woodland Stallion Station weaned all theirs at the same time, put mares on one side of the fence and foals on the other. They could still sniff and such, but no suckling.

I did this with my other two, although it wasn't a huge herd of foals, just the siblings to hang out with. It seemed fairly non stressful, and rather surprised more people don't do it that way.

[xianghua.livejournal.com]

That's what we did with baby Waldric back in the spring while weaning him from Lissa and it went very well overall. The first *real* separation was when he left the farm but he didn't stress unduly over it (possibly because there was OMG SWEET FEED involved and well, he's a haflinger). He *was* glad to see Auntie Quincy again when his owners bought her in July, though. :)

[gracefulshrimp.livejournal.com]

well i hope you feel better soon!
its a lot less fun when you have all those horses, if you cant even ride them!

[miintikwa.livejournal.com]

Mrf. Take it easy, and here's to you getting back to Engergizer Bunnydom soon.

[badgermirlacca.livejournal.com]

Feel better soon, and yay for the health plan!

You may be CFS'd, but I see you sitting on a throne like Hapshetsut, while Karma (as opposed to Carrma) parade before you with tribute of Good things for a change!

Rest, feel better soon, but let the Good continue!

[kateelliott.livejournal.com]

Hugs, and here's hoping you feel better soon.

[windrose.livejournal.com]

{{{Sympathies}}} on the fatigue.

[raithen.livejournal.com]

funny. I had this sense that you were having CFS stuff. I don't know why, I just did. *shrug*

Sorry to hear it -- feel better soon and keep the wheat intake low!

In other news I had a vet happily shit all over my feed program via email. And then tell me that grass hay is BAD. And I need ALFALFA in their diet. And More Concentrates. Would he like to ride the space bound horses that would result? GAH. What IS it with some horse people?

Sorry. venting.

Mostly glad to hear you are alive and coping. {{energizing anti-pain vibes}}

[raithen.livejournal.com]

we did this with JJ, in tandem with short leading to longer separations. She and Juno figured out how to subvert the fence :). JJ would nurse THROUGH the fence! Lil'shits! ;)

[green-knight.livejournal.com]

Some people are bonkers.

The laminitis trust reckons that up to 45% of thoroughbreds in training suffer from mild laminitis. No, that couldn't have anything to do with the 'stuff them full of grain' regimen they're fed on, could it?

[green-knight.livejournal.com]

Rest and get better. Hot bath. Veg out in front of telly.

<sends vibes for recovery>

[raithen.livejournal.com]

no no no. of course not. This person, who sells quite a laudable product, I thought, basically accused me of malnourishing my horses. And stated he follows guidelines for equine nutrition prepared in 1989!! Because of course, we have learned NOTHING in the subsequent 17 years of research into equine nutrition!!

And ya, I was thinking about the laminitis this morning. I mean, really!

*righteous indignation*

[green-knight.livejournal.com]

Crumble had two attacks of (mostly stress-induced) laminitis, and as you can imagine, I've learnt a lot about laminitis since the first. It can hit any horse (not just fat ponies; my vet concurs and is seeing more and more cases in 'none-at-risk' horses; as if the lady in the local feedstore); and the critical thing is that if the horse is showing 'typical' signs, it has already gone on for some time.

For the first time I was *happy* that my horse is such a wimp; but I'm also glad that I know him well enough to spot it early.

IF you know your horse well and manage the condition correctly, it's nowhere near as frightening as it sounds at first, *but* once a horse had an attack, you're in the land of constant vigilance and every symptom - heat in the feet, unwillingness to walk/walk over hard ground, unwillingness to pick up feet, even the slightest camping out or unwillingness to take weight when the horse would otherwise do so should be *immediately* investigated. Usually it's enough if you pull the horse off rich pickings (fresh/stressed grass, alfalfa, haylage, grain) and keep it on soft ground with hay for a couple of days to allow the gut to settle down; probiotics also help. Act quick, and flareups are no big deal. Don't act, and you get the whole horror story.

According to my vet, it takes about ten days from first symptoms to 'typical laminitis'. That's quite sobering, because it means that in a lot of cases, people _don't recognise it_ for a long time.

[birdhousefrog.livejournal.com]

Hi. I had no idea. Big hug! Now I'm glad I changed my plans and didn't come at this time right after all your other visitors. I've been thinking about you, though. And I'm coming for a weekend!

Best,
Oz

[dancinghorse.livejournal.com]

I've been thinking about that. I guess the Mother Ship has been looking out for us all.

Hug much appreciated.

[dancinghorse.livejournal.com]

Hey, I'll take it virtually.

No pain with this, just scraped-to-the-bottom exhaustion and zero reserves. It will pass.

[dancinghorse.livejournal.com]

I did fenceline weaning with ze keed after his mother literally kicked him out of her stall. Worked OK. Gradual seems easier on them, and I have the setup for it, so...

[dancinghorse.livejournal.com]

Thanks. They are nice to look at and snuggle, anyway.

[dancinghorse.livejournal.com]

From your keyboard to the Mother Ship's sensors! I know you really do understand--hope you're feeling OK yourself.

[dancinghorse.livejournal.com]

LOL! I love that image. May it be a true prophecy.

[dancinghorse.livejournal.com]

Gracias. Good wishes help. A lot.

[dancinghorse.livejournal.com]

Thank you. And backatcha.

[dancinghorse.livejournal.com]

Wow. This is a vet? Ow.

[green-knight.livejournal.com]

It's very much in line with my experience. The first time was odd by anyone's book, and I was injured at the time and concentrating far more on the hole in my thigh than any slight oddness in Crumble's gait, but the second time I caught the laminitis when Crumble had heat in both hind feet (not the front, this time) and was unwilling to lift his feet for me to pick them. He was walking almost normally, but not lifting a foot - no matter how painful he finds it to _keep it in the air_ - is something that's not in Crumble's normal range of behaviour.

I have no doubts that if I'd kept him where he was (slightly stressed thanks to the move and another horse in the field/with full access to haylage) it would have developed into a full-blown attack; as it was I was able to put him into another field (boxrest, at that point, would have stressed him more, and the ground was of the right consistency to pack in his feet and give him support) and feed him hay until the system settled, introduce haylage again after a week, then turn him out during the day, and eventually, put him back with the herd.

My vet says - and the laminitis trust seems to concur - that you need to spot those first signs, the horse that's suddenly footy for no reason. If a horse gets into the grainbin things might be different, but in a lot of cases it appears as if the horse is ok for a while with the regimen (feed, rich pasture) and then 'suddenly' gets 'really bad'. He doesn't think it's that quick in most cases, and Crumble's history - the first time the first vet wanted to diagnose and abscess and dig up the foot (whereupon I put mine down) concurs with that.

[madwriter.livejournal.com]

Good luck. :/