Vet visit

So in the end we did have to call the vet, but not for Little Love.  Manta, who had cut herself on the shoulder on Tuesday (I think I might of mentioned this in a sub clause at some point), suddenly developed a major inflammation around the already healing wound.  It was really strange how it happened, as she literally within an hour or two went from being completely alright to not being able to walk and having a high fever.  I never saw the cut when it was fresh, but it was a puncture wound and apparently almost an inch deep.  Those are always quite scary and very hard to clean. 

Of course it was Sunday and the regular vet was on vacation.  So it took a while to locate a vet that could and would come to our little country barn.  But finally there was someone.  I decided to have her look at Little Love at the same time, just in case we would have a similar relapse as Manta.  Lilo's leg was still a bit swollen this morning, but much less than yesterday.  By the time the vet got there in the afternoon, almost all the swelling was gone.  The vet, however, thought it would be a good idea to give her some antibiotics anyways.  Which is no surprise, since usually vets are fairly ready to give antibiotics whenever there is a hint of infection.  She did tell me to wait until tomorrow and make the call at that point.  But she made sure I understood that if there was any swelling at all, I should go ahead with the antibiotics.  

I'm not a big fan of antibiotics.  Having taken quite a bit of them myself during my life, I don't think they are the answer to every situation.  Yes, sometimes you have to go there (like in Manta's case), but if you can avoid it, don't do it.  They do mess with your general immune system and knowing how weak Lilo's immune system is at the moment... well, I'm not keen on more drugs.  I will definitely go to the pharmacy to pick the antibiotics up and then we'll just have to see.  I had a long talk with the barn owner and she seemed to be on the same page with me concerning this matter.  Which is great, since it means that I don't have to explain myself too much.  

I hope Manta gets better soon; she was fairly miserable today.  Her owner left her in the stall, but she didn't even seem to care.  Poor Kira was completely out of sorts because her herd was not complete.  She called out to Manta periodically, to check if she would answer, but Manta was too tired to go there.  Hopefully the antibiotics and pain medication will help her recover enough that she can join the herd again soon.  We already built her a small pen next to the paddock, so she can at least be close to all her friends tomorrow if she feels ready to walk outside.  She was such a trooper with the vet; it was obvious she was in a lot of pain, but she endured all the poking and proding nevertheless.  This is definitely a horse that will endure anything from humans.  Lilo, on the other hand, was not nearly as cooperative and when the vet passed under her neck to get a better look at the leg, Lilo threatened to bite her.  While the lady was feeling the leg, I told Lilo she was here to help and it was important to let her do that.  I guess I was pretty convincing, as when the vet went to take her temperature (but not before asking me if this would be safe...) Little Love sighed and stood still until the vet was done.  She is not an easy patient, but she does listen to stern advice :-)