Hair, skin, scales and hooves



Notes from the last few weeks:

Integument Management

I've noticed some hair loss on Sir Winnicus, a few patches on his neck, and some thinning on his rump. It's unfortunate, since he's such a gorgeous copper with his thick mahoghany tail to frame his lean QH rump. I'm thinking it's alopecia due to his suspected Cushing's disease, but have a few things to rule out. Now after talking with our vet apparently that's not something you see with horses(as opposed to dogs where it's a classic sign)

He's been a little low for the past few days, and he was due for his recheck blood work, so after seeing him with mild increase in respiratory effort I called our vet to come out even though we had VIP guests with us. Farm doesn't stop because we have company....

His lungs sound clear on regular auscultation but to be sure Dr. Ed put the rebreathing bag on him (simulates exertion essentially) and heard a mild irritation in the bronchi, similar to where Oakley gets it. So he's back on another round of abx and dex. Despite the cost of this I'm sort of relieved since if any time in the summer he'd be likely to go down hill it's now...the weed pollen is super super high. So that's why my eyes feel like I rubbed sand in them.....

Some good news though! He's not anemic anymore! We got his hematocrit from 30 to 36, and although he's still got high eosinophils (3% down from 4%) I think it's a step in the right direction. Ed thinks he's looking great--body condition and darker shinier coat. Still dealing with his hotspots though--Ed supects they are being kept open by gnats...

 

I finally bought a saddle for Sir Winnicus! Seems I have an aversion to buying anything brand new and impeccable...This saddle is pretty old. It wasn't well cared for. Yet I find it so interesting, and wonder who has owned it before, what sort of horses it's been on. Not to mention the cow who used to own the skin itself... I had a great time last week oiling it for hours while I watched a movie. I'll never fully rehab it, but I love it's worn look and hope it works well for us. Swinging fenders and a roper horn and the round skirt for Winny's short back. Maybe I'll find a few old conchos to bling it up just a touch...

Winny's new saddle before hours of oiling





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For the past few weeks I've been treating Kitten for severe scaley leg mite infection. She came to us with this condition but it had flared up and I didn't notice since I can't handle the birds in that coop unless they are on their perch or in the nest box (right below the door).

 

 

I had to dremel and clip the huge crusts away from her legs--can't see them in the photo due to positioning but the biggest one was almost 2cm long and 0.5cm thick.

As the crusts softened up with daily soaking and udder balm (the high lanolin content is awesome) I could remove more, but she did end up losing a few scales that will never grow back. Also gave her some TMPS and metacam. I still have a few more of her scales to attend to--soak and then get in there with a tiny currette and scrape the crusts out, then load up on the udder balm again. Still considering giving her ivermectin to really make sure I've knocked them back.  It's a painful condition, and apparently there is an immune component (some birds just succumb to it while cage mates might not even get it at all).  Might look into something like benzoin tincture to see if it would toughen up the skin now exposed without the protection of scales. 

 

She's a lovely little hen--she calls from the basement when I call her name, and she clucks and sometimes makes the strangest crowing sounds...I would have had her treatments finished and had her back with her flock by now if it wasn't for all the rest of the craziness happening around here...

 

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Oakley seems to have gotten through his lameness, and putting the hind shoes on has helped.  Feet are growing so fast right now and they both need trims ASAP, but the bank account needs to recover.

Found some nice hoof oil that really seems to soak in, and is a mix of natural products so I'm not worried about what it will do to our pastures and frogs.

If only someone could create a paint-on bubble wrap or invisible kevlar for the beasts...





I'll blame what's happened this week on the recent full moon...