Day 26

This morning there were not many changes to the situation from yesterday, apart from the fact that Little Love is really showing the pain and fatigue in her face.  It's hard to explain, but she is sort of sneering at all times, but her eyes are hanging down, droopy. She also had not consumed much water or hay since the night before.  But maybe, with some stretch of imagination, she was also a little better (or it's me trying to be hopeful?).  This means she didn't almost fall over when she tried to move.  Yesterday morning at one point she went down to her knees and I thought she wasn't getting up anymore, but somehow she managed to heave herself back to standing.   This is something I hope I never have to witness again - ever.  Just about broke my heart (like all this other stuff already hadn't...)

Like I said earlier, I am not big on artificial pain killers, but everyone has their breaking point.  After trying to relieve Little Love's pain for three days with natural remedies (which didn't help, or perhaps they did and it would have been even worse without?  Is that even possible?) I got the vet out to give her a shot of the Swiss equivalent to bute.   Maybe it took the edge off, I don't know, but she did start eating her hay after a while.  She still didn't want to come out of that stall, however, even when Col went down the field out of site.  I walked out, too and it made her very worried.  She doesn't like to be left alone.  Finally, after thinking about it long and hard, she hovered out.  The weather is now colder, so the ground is completely frozen and rock hard.  Not exactly helpful.  But there was hope that the pain killers would help her enough that she would move more than she did yesterday as apparently she stood mostly still in the softest part of the field with Col hovering faithfylly by her side. 

The weather is supposed to get warmer for the weekend and temperatures will rise well above freezing.  This is brilliant, as the frozen ground is about the worst thing for Lilo's feet at the moment.  The vet, of course, told me to leave her in the stall and I just nodded.  Keeping lame horses stall bound seems to be a universal thing for vets.  Anyways, didn't listen to that advice.  There was also some other stuff the vet said that pretty much went in one ear and out the other.  I like this woman though, she is the only vet in this area with half a brain.  She is also the only woman vet within hundreds and hundreds of miles.  This is macho vet country... 

I'm hoping for the boots to show up soon and actually fit her.  Her foot is so small now though, that I think I will have to get a new pair once she grows back to her normal size.  Although, the way she walks on rubber makes me think that the boots are not going to help a ton in the beginning, she is just too sore to walk on anything.  But perhaps by the time the boots get here, she will be able to walk?  I certainly have not been able to lead her anywhere, she will only move if she is self-motivated.  Putting a halter on her results in her almost falling over backwards, she panics completely from even the idea of being lead. So, we don't go there. 

She did hold her foot up today long enough for me to put it in a bucket and I was able to soak both her fronts for almost 10 minutes each.  It is still not enough, but a start.  She knows I am trying to help, as she would stand with her foot in the bucket, but then, when she had to shift her weight again, she would touch me with her nose (I was squating on the ground next to the bucket) to tell me to hold the bucket while she made "adjustments" to her leg position.  Only once did the water go flying around the stall, and that was my fault.