I keep imagining moseying along the trail on my trusty donkey steed, peace in our hearts, sunshine on our backs...  I can't wait to meet these guys!

Aren't they adorable?

Bella gets shoes on in about an hour.  Can't wait to see how that goes too!  

Well...  I'm going to look at a couple mammoth donkeys tomorrow.  Eeek.  I've wanted one for a long time, but then again there was a time I wanted draft horses, and look how that turned out (I don't have draft horses anymore). 

This pair has packed in the mountains, but they do not cross water well.  They load, trim, and ride at home, but sometimes they don't feel like being ridden and they just stand there...  I dunno.  Can I train a donkey? I only personally know one donkey and she's wonderful but our relationship consists of petting and hugging, not working together.

My biggest misgiving is that they come as a pair.  I know donkeys need other donkeys, but I kinda don't need another mouth to feed.

Anyway, apparently they're like big puppy dogs, happy to follow you anywhere and just want to be loved.  They sound super sweet.  Both are about 15 hands, 9 and 19 years old, gelded boys.  Black with super sweet, soft grey muzzles.  Pedro and Bob.  :)

Today I feel much better, most of the time.  I did have to work today, and it was a pretty hectic day because we were short-handed.  So that was a little challenging but it's good to live up to a challenge every now and then.

I'm really bummed I missed the Mustang Club meeting yet again.  I had even made a huge stink about it earlier in the month because John and Katia have plans on the last Thursday of every month now too.  I told them I was NOT going to let them keep me from my meeting, and they'd have to arrange a babysitter for Liam.  Then I was sick.  If it wasn't so long a drive I might have gone anyway, but then I might have made people sick, so it's probably better this way.  Hopefully nothing weird will come up next month.  It's been too long since I've been able to go.  I miss you all, my Mustang Club buddies!

I think my gelding won't be getting here anytime soon.  Someone at the BLM was sick and another horse's delivery was set back by a week, so I'm guessing it's all been pushed back.  Not that I knew when he was coming anyway. But it's kind of just making me think twice, or three times, or more.

Beautiful Bella

One of my thoughts is this:  Bella saw a farrier the other day, and he is going to put shoes on her on Sunday.  I don't know why he couldn't do it same day, I was kind of disappointed.  Had to pay for two visits too, which I thought was weird.  But anyway, in his assessment of her lameness he found calcification in a tendon on her right front, which is the more lame front leg.  He got her to react to hoof testers on her left front, which isn't as lame.  So the idea is that if we put her in shoes with special frog support pads, it will support her hoof and give some relief to the tendon, and she'll be in Natural Balance shoes, which will also relieve the tendon.  hopefully it would allow things to heal and she wouldn't need shoes on a regular basis.  You know I'm not big on shoeing.  So - what if she was sound?  I wouldn't need another horse.  Then I got to thinking about her hind end problems.  She's not really ever going to be 100% sound.  But maybe good enough?  Only two horses to feed through the winter when we're having a hay shortage sure sounds nice.  I could get a new mustang later, after meeting him in person at an adoption, if I found Bella couldn't do the work I wanted of her.

And that mule keeps dancing through my head. 

Back to calcification in a tendon (don't know which one, just that it's the back of the leg between knee and fetlock - I think it's the superficial flexor tendon, not the deep digital flexor tendon, but I'm not sure) does anyone know if that's something that ever gets better?

Today I am thankful just to be sitting upright.  I've been down with the flu for a couple days, and today I'm just barely starting to feel human again.

Got word that the gelding I picked out is the boss of the geldings and makes sure everyone knows it.  Not exactly what I wanted to hear.  I was almost ready to call and tell them I'd changed my mind but that was also when I was puking and didn't really relish the idea of any work of any kind with any horse.  I thought about it and  know a lot of alpha type horses who are not that way with people at all.  Maybe it will mean he's more bold as well, not as spooky?

Gotta get off this computer.  Staring at a screen or trying to read makes me sick.  Which makes for a boring couple days laying in bed.

I met the nicest mule today.  He reminded me so much of Tonka it kinda made me secretly teary eyed.  His mannerisms were similar, but he also made me think of how much Tonka loved mules, and how I wanted to get him a mule someday (and I would ride the mule when Tonka was no longer able to do the long rides).

The guy who owned this mule had nothing but praise for mules in general, and you could tell he absolutely adored his.  It made me think, maybe I'm doing the wrong thing rushing into getting another mustang, instead of saving up and realizing my dream of having a mule.  But I think this horse is the right guy at this point, and maybe he'll make me more ready to be a mule person later in life.  Just think how much I've already learned from Tonka, and Scout, and Bella, and all of them.  With more mustang experience, I might become a better mule person.  Mules and mustangs are similar in a lot of ways.

I also met a very nice thoroughbred.  I've decided they're one of my favorite breeds.  I don't think I've met one I didn't like.  We had a nice Arab, a nice quarter horse, and two nice Icelandics also.  I think my daughter would love a stocky little Icelandic.  They seem to be very smart though!  A smart horse isn't always a good thing.  :)

I love my job assisting with equine dentistry.  The lady I work with is a dedicated equine dentist, the best in the area (she's also a vet but doesn't do general practice anymore, and was once a farrier).  Anyone who goes to the trouble to get her to work on their horse rather than using a regular vet really has their horse's best interests at heart.  So pretty much all the horses we see are well loved and healthy, and mostly well behaved.  You don't see any neglected animals.  It's really nice. 

I've been meaning to tell a funny story about Blue for a while now.  When we were camping before Tonka's accident, we were playing around in a water crossing.  We rode across, and poor little Blue panicked, he thought we were leaving him behind, so he jumped in and swam across.  He's never been comfortable with swimming.  Loves to wade, but he avoided deep water.  So I turn around and see him, his head high in the air, and his little paws going, "plip-plop, plip-plop, plip-plop" so loudly while he tried to stay high in the water.  I couldn't help but laugh at the poor guy.  I really wish you could have been there!  It was hilarious.

Enlarge to see the Plip-Plop-Puppy:

(Ignore my disgraceful holding of the saddle horn.  I was still in a lot of pain from him falling down with me the night before, and I was bracing to avoid any jolting from him stepping on big rocks underwater.)

 

Still laughing:

 

 

Love this butt.  Miss him so much.

That was our second to last ride together.  There are no pictures of our last ride, later that day.  We went searching for an errant cow but we didn't find her.

Huckleberry & John & Scout:

 

 

Huckleberry has a much more dignified way of swimming, quietly and low in the water, like an otter.  But here's a good pic I found of him from a couple years ago.  He will cool off on the trail any way he can.  Note that he's stretched out on his belly with his legs behind him.  :)  Makes for a smelly companion in the truck on the way home.

I want to send a thank-you card to the vets that worked on Tonka.  I have so many awesome pictures of him (but maybe I'm biased) that I can't decide which one to use.  Maybe you can help me?

Of course I can't find the one I'm looking for.  And while searching I managed to pare it down pretty well.  I wanted his face, not his butt, and I didn't really want a photo with me or anyone else in it.

I think I like this first one best.

How about the one with the poem?

 Might be better without the poem.

I wish I could find the one I was thinking of!  Oh well.  Which one do you like best for a Thank You card?

I'm loving all the feedback on the names. I still think he already has a name, but I'll let you know for sure when he gets here.

How did I come up with this name? More mystic mumbo-jumbo of course. I was standing in my kitchen, and his face popped into my head, with his noble profile, and so did the name. Then someone made a comment about that name, and it was just out of the blue, they didn't know I'd been thinking about it. Then I realized I'd dreamed something about that name some time ago, but I don't remember it very clearly. The name doesn't fit my criteria for a name, but if it's his, it's his.

 Another name I like - Zydeco. That would be for a really fancy moving, active, athletic horse with a sense of humor. Not for this guy.  Not that he won't be those things, but it just doesn't feel like it fits.

 I sold my horse trailer pretty quickly this week. It's still here but she'll be coming to get it this weekend. Then I can pay my mom back, pay WSU, and buy some hay. And ride at home a lot. I find the thought of being stuck here very difficult. I can't just up and go camping with the Mustang Club or even head for the hills near home. But I'm glad to have the money. I'm going to have to make myself a shed for my tack now that I don't have a trailer. Half of the tack is sitting in the lawn, and my saddles are in the house, very much in the way. I'm kinda looking forward to it to making a shed. I'm thinking something small, kinda outhouse sized, just big enough for one saddle on top of another and bridles hung on the wall. Maybe put the saddles next to each other... If you have any links to cool sheds, I'd love to see them. I'd kind of like to make it kind of cute. I have some old siding and windows from the barn we tore down, I think I'll use those. That way it will keep the old barn alive, in a way. Then, after I'm done with one shed, I might make another, something more creative, a garden shed with more windows, window boxes, and maybe a porch... I like to dream big. I rarely finish projects like this though...

I'm sharing my list of possible names for my new boy.  One of them just came to me out of the blue, and so I think it's his name, but I don't want to say what it is until I'm sure it fits him.  Some of these I've already decided against after saying them out loud.  I'd love to hear what you think, which names you like or don't like.  Or other suggestions.  :)

Banjo - I like that name, and love the instrument
Sequoia - big, strong, long-lived, and wonderful
Cai - King Arthur's foster brother, a good man, means "rejoice."
David - a biblical character and also a character from a book
Duncan - a quiet, honorable character in a book I read
Atticus - my favorite male character (To Kill a Mockingbird)
Joseph - Chief Joseph
Red Cloud - Born in 1822, the horse's tag number
Noah - "Long lived"
Noble
Eagle
Beck - a cheerful creek running through the forest
Orion - one of my two favorite constellations
Benewah - a former chief of the tribe just north of us
Oak - strong, long lived, beautiful tree

This morning I got word from the BLM that my application is approved and they will ship my gelding to me at some point.  Probably within a month.  I mailed them a halter and lead to put on him before they load him.  I hope the halter fits okay. 

Then I went for a ride with my sister.  Took Scout over to her house and we just played around.  He needed some tuning up to begin with, it's been a while since he's been ridden and there were a lot of distractions.  We crossed their creek and went across the highway to the arena at their boarding stable, did a few circuits there, went back, and rode in the harvested lentil field.  I'll have to go ride over there again and take pics.  Pea and lentil fields are so smooth and harvested so close to the ground, they're perfect for riding in.

Today as I was riding I realized that Tonka fixed my lower back problem that has given me so much trouble for years.  It was most apparent when I rode, my body was crooked and one leg felt longer than the other.  When he fell and hurt me so bad on our full moon ride, it must have shifted something back to where it should be.  It ruined our last few rides together, because of the pain, but I guess it was a little gift he gave me before he moved on.

I finally found out what my WSU bill might be for Tonka.  If it really is the final amount, it's not near as bad as I thought it was going to be.  But I realized I am going to have to sell my horse trailer and my second best saddle.  I was hoping somehow that wouldn't happen. 

Ugh, I just feel like complaining.  Too many things happening today that just rub it in.  None of it was bad, but it all just points at the big empty place he left behind.

The other day was Blue's first birthday.  He was such a cute little bean. 

No blue eyes anymore though.

I didn't take any birthday pics, I've been too preoccupied.  These puppy pics will have to do.

 

 I think Huckleberry likes him better now that he's big enough to play rough.

And every folder I look in has pictures of my horse.

This one has a dreamlike blur.  And he's coming to see me just because.

Yesterday was the toughest day without him.  I thought it would be better because I wasn't sitting at home with nothing to do but think.  But I had to tell people about what happened, and re-live it all.  There was more of that today, but it wasn't as hard.

I got some info on his necropsy but it didn't really tell me anything much.  The bleeding was coming from his spleen.  The other side of his body had a lot of bruising and trauma and some blood.  They didn't visually see a tumor but they haven't looked at anything microscopically yet.  Totally unrelated, there was something about his rib cartilage that I didn't understand.  Something about it being S shaped instead of C shaped.  Just an oddity, something the person who did the necropsy found interesting.  I can't picture it, have no idea what she was talking about.  Would love to see a picture if any of you know about equine anatomy and understand what she means.

The vet that I work with, who isn't an equine vet, said that once animals get to the point Tonka was at, that's pretty much the end.  Which isn't what the vets at WSU were telling me, but it was good to hear from another source, someone perhaps more realistic.

In other happy news, we have a new resident.  He's my sister's kids' old gelding, Dyno.  He's somewhere in his 30's.  This his his "FOOD!" face.  

 

He loves food.  I love feeding old horses.  I don't have to pay for his feed, which is very expensive, I just get to feed him and Liam can ride him if he wants.  And Amy doesn't have to worry about separating him from her geldings for feeding time.  Win-win-win all around.

The suspense of waiting for my new horse is killing me.  I'd be happy just to hear something.

Those of you who have been reading here for a few years might remember Anchor.  He is the big bay who was my first choice when I got Tonka.  He'd be, let's see...10 years old now.  6 of those years owned but avoiding people. I worked my but off for a couple months with that big dude, 3 years ago.  I removed his rotten old, broken halter that he'd worn for 3 years.  He was leading pretty well, but I was still very nervous when I took him out of the mustang pen.  He's so strong, and wasn't really trusting me.  I had managed to trim his front feet with a chisel, a hacksaw, and a lot of patience.  Eventually I even picked them up and worked on them in a more conventional way. 

 

Anyway.  Anchor is still looking for a good home.  I know he'd like it here.  I know I'd enjoy working with him.  But I don't know if I could make him a good riding horse.  He's so old, and has been so successful with his mistrust of humans.

Seems like horses are coming out of the woodwork, and all of them I like.  But I don't feel like they're The Horse.  And I'm not hearing back from the BLM!  So hard to be patient!

I wish I could bring Anchor home. If I had unlimited budget for pet horses I would.  I did love that boy.  At the time, I told them I wanted him, but since he'd been halter broke they wanted to continue with him.  Then life happened, they had other broke horses to ride, they had jobs, not enough time, and they had a baby.  You know how it goes.  They're good people.  I'm glad they never took him to a sale.

Crap.  I'm almost talking myself into this.  Stupid.

In other news, I have a reliable, paying job!  I'm still doing the equine dentistry assistant job, of course, but that's just a few days here and there.  Now my vet assistant job at the spay/neuter clinic is no longer volunteer!  Well, only for one day a week, but soon it will probably be 2 days a week.  Yay!  It's only part time, but it might be all we need to make ends meet.  I hope.  Because that still leaves lots of time for horse work.

I had a dream the other night that I found all my lost spoons outside Tonka's empty stall.  (I don't actually have any spoons missing, that I know of.)  That morning I thought about the dream a lot, because I knew it was important.  I think the spoons signified my love for him. I had taken my best spoons and used them to mix his grain and medicines, as I have done daily in reality for years (but not with my best spoons). They were lying dirty and unused in a place where he no longer was. I was gathering them up to wash them so they could be used again.

I was thinking about looking at another horse.  A well broke horse, a nice horse, with lots of personality.  Not a mustang.  And I was thinking, "but I haven't washed my spoons yet."  I didn't know if I could just jump into the saddle on a new horse.  I wasn't sure I was ready. 

Turns out I wasn't.  I went to see the horse today and it was really upsetting.  He wasn't the horse, I knew right away.  I don't know why, but it made me cry.  Embarrassing, in front of a complete stranger.  She probably thinks I'm nuts.  Oh well.  She knew Tonka's story, hopefully she understands.

I went home really sad, not sure if I could get excited about a new horse.  I knew for sure I didn't want someone else's old horse though, that I needed to start fresh, begin again. I kept thinking of the Sheepshead gelding I've picked out.  When I got home I had an email asking if I still wanted to go ahead with adopting him.  Most definitely, yes!  

Anyway, after I got that email I got excited about my new boy.  I wasn't sure I could get excited, but I did!  I started doing some repairs to the mustang pen, and it felt good.  I can't wait to get some more information.  This waiting with no word is kind of hard to handle.

Still no word on Tonka's necropsy either.  I guess I'll have to call and bother them about it. 

I've loved this poem since I first saw it.  You might have to enlarge to make the words clearer.  For some reason they came out all fuzzy here.  I promise, soon I will quit being so morose.  I'm trying.

Only in silence the word,

only in dark the light,

only in dying life:

bright the hawk's flight on the empty sky.

-The Creation of Ea

That quote really touches me.  It is the beginning of a book I began re-reading after my sister and I had a discussion about the fear of death, and how it can steal your life.  They are the Earthsea books by Ursula K. LeGuin, one of my very favorite authors.  It doesn't matter what she writes about, the way she writes is beautiful and makes me feel quiet inside.  

Anyway.

So... I'm not one to sit around thinking about doing.  I know I need a new horse.  Scout is John's (although I will ride him while I wait) and Bella is lame.  Domestic horses abound, but none of them really make me go wow.

I'm not feeling very verbose, so I'll just show you his picture.

Photo courtesy of Tracey Westbury, used with permission.

This fella is in the BLM corral in Burns.  He's a 4 year old, rounded up last September, and was 15 hands at that time.  He comes from the Sheepshead/Heath Creek HMA.  Just north of Tonka's homeland.  They are known to be good, trainable horses.  I have an eyewitness account that he was quiet and should make a good horse.  I can't go down there, I just can't afford it, but I think I can get in on the free shipping deal the Burns BLM has going on for their internet adoption.  Just waiting to hear back!

I stumbled upon this pic in my Facebook albums.  One of my favorites.  Exploring with my big surefooted boy on Escure ranch last April.

Everything is significant.  This is the song that came on as we left the vet hospital.  He was on his way.

Tonka is gone.

He always gave himself freely to me

It was time to give him back to himself.  In my heart I saw him go, and he trotted off with a jaunty arch in his neck and a joyful spring in his step.  He looked back and he laughed at my sorrow, knowing it would pass.  And he told me clearly that it is okay, and he is happy.

And then he went gladly on, without looking back, 

to his next adventure.

He always did love adventure.

Ok, so I just realized Tonka would really hate all this sadness.  He loves to make people happy, and I can't tell you how much happiness and laughter he's brought into the world.  What a goof.  So I'm sorry I brought everyone down.  He'd rather you smiled. And make sure to carry carrots in your pockets for your friends.

Tonka took a couple big turns for the worse this afternoon. I don't think he's going to make it. I opted to try some things overnight, but I'm not sure that was the right thing to do. I'm ready to let him go, especially if things start happening as it looks like they're going to.  I think I've seen him for the last time.

Tonka looks better this morning.  He isn't drinking well but he did get IV fluids last night and more tubed into his stomach this morning.  They (I TOLD them not to) put the tube up his left nostril, which has a tumor or cyst, and he got a bloody nose.  But he might have gotten a bloody nose anyway.  Not that big a deal. 

He was just awake enough to eat when I got there, and he chowed down on his hay and supplements.  I hope he continues to eat well like that.  He's only pooped 2 times in 36 hours.  His urine has blood in it.  They want to get a sample to look at but he's being sneaky.

His PCV (Packed Cell Volume, or the amount of red blood cells) is up to 22%.  Normal is about 40.  He had been down to 9.  So that's good.  They say it means he's either reabsorbing the blood or his bone marrow is making more.  Some of it could still be from the transfusion, but effects of that should be wearing off.

He seemed happy, and I was happy to see him.  I'll miss seeing him tomorrow.  I'll post any important updates that I get. 

The story of the how I adopted Tonka

At the Burns Corrals - Can you spot him? (photo courtesy of the wonderful Andi Harmon)

I had been working toward and planning on adopting a mustang for at least a year.  I had an opportunity to go to the adoption at Ride the West in Spokane.  I knew in my heart that I'd be adopting, but I didn't tell John that until I had to. The rest of this post is taken from my blog post on the day I brought him home.

They were supposed to unload at 4 on Friday, but they were late, which was actually a good thing because there was a HUGE thunderstorm right at 4. A total downpour, it looked like a waterfall, with huge crashing booms right above us and lots of wind and lightning. Some of the outdoor booths got blown apart by the wind. I love a good storm so it really inspired me, got me thinking that maybe it was a sign I should adopt. (I was really reaching for reasons to do what I wanted to do!) It died down and then the horses got there. The unloading was pretty rough. You’d think they’d be dying to get off the truck but they were scared. There was some fighting going on inside.

 

I fell in love with my first choice horse immediately, he was a big bay that just gave me goosebumps. HUGE boy, and built like you wouldn’t believe. (As an aside, I did have the privilege of halter training that horse 3 years later.  He was a good boy, but 3 years of getting away with choosing not to trust humans probably wasn't a good thing.)  There was a sorrel in with him who was absolutely stunning too, compact and built like a tank. Another bay was my next choice. Then a grulla mare who was so sweet. She actually touched my hand yesterday. I spent long hours looking at them, watching how they behaved. Some of the really nice looking ones were disqualified from my list because they were just so scared and reactive. The red dun didn’t look like much to me, and didn’t have the smoothest gait, AND it said he was a stallion. He wouldn’t even have been on my list but he was so sweet and quiet and willing to stand by the people to get away from the horses that were picking on him. He came up and sniffed me Saturday night.  He became my #2 choice.

Those ever-alert ears

 

The face I came to know and love

I thought he was so mellow.  He was actually a little sick, and very stressed.

Sunday when it came time to bid I was a nervous wreck. My boys were in pen # 2 and one in #3, so they were up pretty quick. The big bay was first. I was very quickly out of the bidding with him. He went for $700, which turned out to be the highest for any horse there. Next was the sorrel tank I loved the look of. The bidding stuck at $130 and I was a wreck, not sure whether to bid. But the dun was my second choice, I kept my bidder’s card in my lap while my heart raced. So the sorrel went for $130, a steal for such a stunning horse. Then was my dun. A mom and daughter were also bidding on him. I think he would have been a 4H project, and they were very nice people who had adopted before, so I felt kind of bad for out bidding them, but not that bad!  (That was Tracey Westbury and her daughter - not in 4H but definitely mustang lovers!)

 

I cried when the bidding on him ended and he was mine! It was wonderful! When I went to get my paperwork in order I found out he’s a gelding, not a stallion, and was very happy about that! He was rounded up in February, gelded in March, brought to adoption in May. What a year it’s been for him!

I had to wait several hours for the vet to get there and do the health certificate I needed to cross into Idaho. I stood around mooning over him a lot, and talking to people, and getting teary eyed when I told them he was mine and thought about how great it would be to get him home. I was glad I had my sunglasses on, I don’t like to cry in front of strangers!

Not too sure about this whole thing.

 All of the BLM staff and volunteers were wonderful people, very much into what they do. I talked a lot to Rick McComas, the Spokane guy (I don’t know his title but he’s the main Wild Horse and Burro guy around here). He’s a real nice guy. I’d dealt with him before with my first mustang but never met him in person. He was very disappointed in how the adoption turned out. I think when I left there were 15 horses out of 40 that hadn’t been adopted. He said there were half as many people there as there were last year. Not sure why, maybe gas prices? There were a lot of very stunning horses left, mostly the bays and sorrels. But even some of the duns got passed up. There were only 2 horses there I would have passed up. One with a deformed hoof and one that was beautiful beyond belief but very small. The rest were all going to be great horses (not that those two wouldn’t be also). Well built and good sized.

Going Home!

I have to go, it’s taken me half the day to write this because I keep going outside to play with him. Guess what!!!! He lets me pet him all over from face to his flank and the top of his butt, leg touches are allowed but not liked, he’s leading like a dream, I brushed him a bit with a brush, picked up both front feet briefly, he drops his head to the ground if I ask and I put a nylon halter over his rope halter no problem. I’m going to go back out later and at least take off the drag rope and possibly the halter, once I’m absolutely sure I can get it back on. WOW!!!!!!! I’m seriously not lying, I just brought him home yesterday. This boy is THAT horse for me. The one. I hope you get what I mean.

Starting a new life.

This afternoon while I was at a school event with my son I got a call that Tonka's not drinking, and barely eating.  They are giving him 20 liters of IV fluids now.

His blood levels are staying stable, although they're not rising. 

Tomorrow I'm taking in some water from home in two different types of plastic containers, a bucket, some apple cider vinegar (normally he likes this in his water) and some hay, although I don't think he'll choose our hay over theirs.  Oh, also some hay pellets, which he may like soaked.  And of course apple slices.  He also hasn't touched his salt block there, so I was thinking of taking some loose salt.  I'm also going to add some probios to his feed.  Maybe he has a gut ache from the antibiotics?  And they switched him from Bute to Banamine really abruptly, which the original vet we saw said was a very bad idea and might cause ulcers.  I'm just grasping at straws.  I don't know if any of this will help, but it can't hurt to try.  It makes me feel better too, having something to do to help him.

I just have to hope he'll get back in the game and start doing all the necessary things again.

Tonka would like to leave the hospital now.  If only he could.

The bad around his girth is holding a heart monitor in place, and his whole abdomen is clipped short.  That was actually pretty funny, the clipping.  Seems he's less bothered by the act of clipping than he is by just the mere sight of clippers.  He got all snorty and big eyed every time someone walked by with a set of clippers.  The big goofball.

His heart rate is much better, blood levels a little better thanks to the blood transfusion.  He's not happy which is more like his normal self in a stalled environment.  His appetite for hay isn't very good, but he did eat his supplements and an apple with much enjoyment.  He wasn't wanting to interact much, other than to nibble at my pant leg and let me rub his butt.  I think he's sick of being fussed with.

 

I'll get an update this evening and go back in tomorrow.  They can't let me see him Saturday because everything is all messed up by a football game and the dedication of a new building next door.  Sunday they don't normally allow visitors but they'll let me in.  I feel kind of bad, inconveniencing them, but not bad enough that I won't go visit.  Speaking of inconvenient, his whole team stayed until after 10 last night to get his transfusion done.  They really are good people.

Tonka is still alive! I had to make the Big Decision and I let it hinge on his last blood test. If his counts were still going down we wouldn't continue. At that last moment they stayed the same. So maybe we have hope. He's having a blood transfusion right now to keep him from having a devastating crash.

 I'm really thankful for all the love and support my wonderful horse and I have from so many people.  And very thankful for my mom's help, because she's footing the bill on this.  We might decide to sell the horse trailer to pay her back, but she's not too worried about that. 

I always said I'd never spend this much on an animal.  But this is Tonka, and that's different.  Of course, if it was my money I was spending it'd be over and done with by now.  So much to be thankful for.  

Now I've got to fill out back to school paperwork and get my kids to bed.

 Here are some photos of better times, because it makes me smile.

(He was such an ugly duckling!)

 

 

See his shining heart, and crown of glory?

This horse has been such an incredible gift.