Letting Go of 10 Years.

As of 3 weeks ago, I am back home at my parents place, awaiting my move-in date of July 1 at the acreage.
I decided to come home 3 weeks prior to starting work to have a chance to see friends, go camping, hiking, etc.
Luckily for me, my trainer, Keith Stewart, offered a spot to keep Bailey and Mesa in exchange for riding and working at his facility until I was able to move them to the new place.
Story time.
Bailey has never been good for getting her teeth floated, and has progressively gotten worse. She was due for a float, so, I took her into my clinic. We always start with max sedation, I'm talking sedation to the point where if she wasn't in the stocks she'd be falling over. She gets sedated, very sedated, UNTIL you go near her mouth. Last time she got floated she had a person twitching each ear and me basically sitting on her head.
So this time, we started out good for about 30 seconds, then all hell broke loose. She reared up, got one front leg over the front of the stocks, got the other front leg over, then proceeded to somehow get her entire fat ass over the stocks, all while she's still hanging from the halter with a speculum in her mouth. End of the float.
To make a long story semi-short, the next day I went to Keith's to start working. He had 3 horses that belonged to a gentleman who is LOADED. I'm talking makes millions. However he is a very green rider. So Keith wanted me to put as many wet saddle blankets on these 3 not-so-green-rider-friendly horses.
The first horse, Emma, has some skeletons in the closet. She's flighty and bracey when you get on her. But once she settles, she is a dream to ride.
So I jokingly said to Keith, (keeping in mind I was still mad at Bailey) "does he want Bailey and I'll keep Emma (laugh out loud)" and his response was "yeah, yes actually that's a great idea, he needs a horse he can trust for his wife and kids".
Hold up. I've had Bailey since she was 3, she turns 13 this year. 10 years is a long time to let go of. I'm sure he saw the look of panic on my face, so he then suggested how about switching horses for the summer. Then decide. It took a while but I decided I was okay with that idea. Firstly, because I love Emma, and she is started in the cutting, and Keith wants me to show her. Second, if Bailey can give some kids confidence than I know it would be a good thing. So, the deal was done, and Bailey left a few days ago. It's not forever, and I'm fairly confident I'll take her back after the summer because well, that's Bailey. She's my heart horse.

Onto Mesa! She had a wolf tooth that needed taking out, and I just wanted to check her teeth as she lost a bit of weight since being in Lacombe. She, as expected, was an angel, and the wolf tooth had fallen out on its own.

Such a good pony!

All the staff love her too, pictured below is Dr. Dillon, a vet at my clinic having fun with her.

Hope everyone is staying safe!

Lastly, some big news. A year and a half ago I lost my almost 15 year old toy poodle to kidney failure. She was laid to rest in my arms February 14, 2019 just 10 days short of her 15th birthday. I could go on and on about sweet Gracie, but I will say she is what made me fall in love with the breed. Smart (in fact, studies have proven poodles to rank #1 in intelligence out of many, many breeds), loyal, and active.

Next week I turn 25. Although the hole in my heart will never be repaired, I hope this black, 8 week old standard poodle will be a bandaid.

I have named her Faith, and she will be coming home this week.

Faith.

Here's to healing a broken heart.

Gracie, my whole heart, Feb. 24 2004-Feb. 14, 2019

2020.

Okay one of my goals for 2020 is to be better at blogging!

LOTS has happened since my last post, I don't know where to start.

How about work things.
We are amidst an expansion/renovation at the clinic. So, things are crowded, busy, LOUD.

Our surgery suite in December!

At this point the expansion is pretty much complete - now they have started on the inside renovations!
Although most horse related things are slowed right up for the winter, I did go out to the Tim Horton's Kids Camp to float some horses teeth. You may remember from a post further back, Dunny was my second 4-H horse. When my friends family got out of horses, they gave him to the camp. I was so surprised and happy to see him STILL there, and going strong at almost 30 years old!!

Dunny and I when I was in Grade 9!

Dunny enjoying his retirement at almost 30 years old.

Alright now lets move on to MESA, my oh-so-frustrating 800lb toddler.
I moved her across the road to where I board Bailey, simply so I wasn't going between two places, and could have both horses together.

Well, it wasn't 2 days after I moved her there she went into her first heat. OH MY GOSH did she have it rough... This heat lasted over 2 weeks. Her legs were scalded from pissing so much..
BUT, in the midst of this I still got a couple rides on her, and she didn't put a foot wrong, even in her hormonal state.. haha.

However, it didn't make it easy for her to integrate into the herd. Her big brother, Kai, is boss. He put the run on her, and put the run on her hard. One day I got a text with a picture of a bent panel, with the assumption it had something to do with Mesa and Kai. When I went out that evening, I was greeted with this.

Yes. She did it AGAIN. Third time's the charm right?! My level of frustration was through the roof. You can kind of see on her left leg, she also lacerated the back of her fetlock. Loaded her up, brought her to the clinic and sedated her to do a good clip and clean.

This happened at the end of October, and we are (for the third time) pretty much healed up again. She is now fully integrated into the herd and doing well.

She did need to get a blankey in preparation for Alberta's -45C Winter!

Bailey is struggling to stay 100% sound this winter, so I haven't been riding her either.

As for me, I had to move back into my parents house as my lease was up at the Superman house, and the town decided to not allow the horses.

Here's hoping things start coming together in 2020!



A Whale to a Dolphin.

Right now at the clinic the summer season is winding down, and we are getting our preg checking kits ready.
Unfortunately for me, most of our equine work is done in the summer.
Back in June, I had to do 40 coggins and exports for a huge bucking horse supplier. If you don't know what coggins and exports are, let me explain;
Coggins is a blood test that tests for Equine Infectious Anemia . Some horse shows require the horse to have an up-to-date coggins test, and you need it to cross the border into the states - or into Canada.
Export papers accompany the coggins test when crossing the border, it is a form that must be signed by your vet, and a federal vet (basically saying the horse is healthy and is the horse in your trailer).
Both forms require drawings of the horse including every detail; any white markings, whorls, scars, brands, etc.
As you can imagine, taking blood from a rank bucking horse is not easy. The 40 we managed to collect the blood within 2-3 hours. The drawing/writing markings down part is what takes HOURS to complete.
Well, we had another huge bucking horse supplier needing paperwork for 12 horses. BUT. He gets a guy to come out with a tilt table for them so their feet can be done at the same time.

I've never seen anything like it. So many hydraulics!

Essentially what happens is the horse is loaded then the whole thing tilts on its side, allowing access to the horses feet.

Even the nippers were hydraulic! The guy would trim all 4 feet if needed, and then grind the edges to smooth them out.

Once he was finished with the feet, he would then climb up with a saddle pad (to protect him from getting bit) and position the head for the blood collection. The doctor would then climb up and get the blood. It was SO slick!

You can see why that saddle pad is critical!

For the 12 horses to get their feet done and blood collected, it was 45 minutes. These are the 12 best horses the owner has - equating to a worth of at least half a million dollars (one horse worth $100,000 alone!). So, he chooses only the best/safest options for them.

Other than that, I've put a couple more rides on Mesa and she's doing phenomenal. I've also been getting Bailey out for some rides too. I only have one saddle right now, and switching between the two of them is like going from a whale to a dolphin! So the hunt begins for one that fits Mesa.

Dolphin.

Whale.

Buffalo, Meat Horses and Paints.

It's CRAZY at the clinic right now. I'm glad Mesa is only 2 and there is no rush to get her going, because right now time is limited. My plan is to continue with her groundwork until her 3 year old year, then get her really going under saddle. Shirley's colts have an incredible foundation, a foundation that was put to the test yesterday with Mesa's first trim with my farrier.

As you can see she was super worried (not). She wasn't sure about having her front foot extended onto the foot stand, but got over that rather quickly. She is quite toed out in the front, which I hadn't noticed until a few days ago. Luckily her legs are straight as an arrow, so with time and regular foot work we should be able to get the feet facing in the right direction again.

Today I was out doing some floats and vaccines with the vet. The client had a beautiful sorrel overo gelding, with a bald face and two blue eyes. Shy, but took the two IM (intramuscular) vaccines rather well. The strangles vaccine, however, goes up the nose, and he was having NONE of that. A trick I learned for this, is having someone put hay in their face. Horses don't complain when delicious food is tickling their nose! So, I then sneak the long end of the syringe in with the hay and with one quick squirt, vaccine is administered.

The owner was telling me that she got this gelding from a farm that had buffalo, meat horses, and paints. Their "brand" on the horses that weren't going for meat, was slitting the top of their left nostril.

I don't blame him for being a little "nose shy"!

This has been a long week already, and it's only Wednesday. I'll again end this post, with some goings on at work.

Dog vs. Tractor.

Two hypothermic lambs being warmed up with
IV fluids and a heat lamp.

Not work related, but Jack's face is pretty much how I feel
about this week! Is it Friday yet??

Small Town, Big Drama.

Mesa has been home for a few days and is settling in well with her new herd of two geldings. She is with Banjo, and a roan named Willy.
Its funny; Willy immediately claimed her as "his" mare. Won't let Banjo near her! In turn, Mesa definitely has the confidence to push Banjo around.
Her freeze brand turned out perfect! She is now repping the Diamond Lazy H brand. Can't wait until its fully healed, the white hairs that grow in will really look sharp on her dark coat.

I was hoping to spend more time with her yesterday after work, but my little town had some big problems.
I went over to my parents place to pick up Jack (my dog), but no one was home. I called my dad who is in Edmonton to see if he knew where everyone was. As I was driving down the street to head over to the dog park to see if they were there, I said to my dad "haha there is a police car blocking our street!" my dad jokingly replied "what did you do!".
5 minutes later I returned back to my parents house only to find TONS of police cars surrounding the area, the SWAT team and their tank, and a helicopter circling above.
Turns out a high speed chase from Calgary ended up in my neighborhood. The suspects crashed down my parents back alley, and broke into a house a few doors down.

What I saw driving back to my parents house.

We locked the doors and stayed put until the ordeal was finished a few hours later, when the suspect agreed to the negotiations. Luckily, the family who lives in the house he broke into were not home when he did. Lots of excitement for our small rural town! Here is the link to the news story: https://www.westernwheel.com/article/high-river-standoff-ends-in-arrest-20190508

Between the snow and rain the last couple of days (yay moisture!) the ground is pretty gross. So today I just spent some time with Mesa grooming her. She is a lovely, lovely mare.

Love her big beautiful eyes!

Mane! 

Work is busy as always, so I'll close this post with some workplace captures.

Molly (front) tagged along with her sister Bella
for moral support!

Semen testing; see the sperm just to the right of center?
Double headed sperm (head defect) looks like a heart!

Sutures.

Remember the filly I mentioned in my previous post with entropion? Unfortunately the problems for this filly, who is now named "Rue", were not over.
I got a text from the owner a day or two after my initial visit, saying one side of her face was swollen so bad her tongue was sticking out.

You can see the discharge due to her entropion.

This angle you can really see the swelling.

After consulting with the vet, we opted to monitor for the evening as she was still able to suck. Was it a bug bite? Did she get kicked? By the next morning the swelling had subsided, so we kept the appointment for the next week to fix her eye.

Today we went out to attempt to fix her eye. Upon arriving, we noticed that although her face was completely back to normal, her tongue was still hanging out of her mouth.

Little horse tongue!

Time will tell if this is the result of trauma to her head, since it hangs out 24/7. 

Otherwise, the procedure was a success. Initially, the plan was to inject saline under the eye, however once the doctor got a closer look, it was more severe than we originally thought. So, lidocaine was injected under the eye and sutures were placed to bring the eyelid down to a proper position.

Sorry for the blurry after picture!

She was sedated for the procedure, so her tongue really got relaxed!

Rue and I were matching in the suture department, thanks to an incident involving an avocado (it's okay to laugh). Since I live so close to work, I always go home for lunch. I had just created the most perfect sandwich, and was going to finish it off with some fresh avocado.
Well, unfortunately that finishing touch cost me a half a day of work, 6.5 hours in the hospital and 5 stitches.

Don't worry; nurses, doctors and other patients made sure I knew how to correctly pit an avocado before I finally went home! ;)

Tis' The Season...

...for babies!

Calving season is in full swing at the clinic. Which means lots of c-sections, and scouring calves. I can't say all of the calves have survived, but we have had a decent amount who have.

Holding the uterus as it is sewn back together.

Live calf, happy momma!

 We've also gotten our fair share of puppy visits at the clinic.

3 day old Miniature Australian Shepherd

3 day old St. Bernard

I went out to a friend/clients place today to administer a few injections. Lucky for me, her mare had foaled the night before.

A Classic Guy x Mega Magic Playgirl

This cute little filly turned out quite the opposite of her mom! She's is doing well, and has the cutest little face.

Her owner noticed that her right eye is weeping, so while I was out there I took a quick look.

Lower eyelid entropion.

This filly has what is called "entropion" on her lower eyelid. Entropion is when the eyelid folds inward, and the eyelashes constantly scrape against the eye. The only treatment is surgery. I've seen plenty of entropion cases in dogs, but personally never in a horse. The surgery consists of cutting out a chunk of skin below the eye, and then suturing the two new edges together which will in turn pull down the eyelid into a more natural position.

I'm not sure the anesthetic protocol, or if there even is one, for a foal to do the surgery - something I will find out tomorrow.
*Edit*: it turns out there is an alternate option to surgery to treat entropion in horses! Some sedation required, but essentially some saline is injected under the eye, which will pull the eyelid down. The Dr. and I will be going out next week to treat this filly, will keep you posted!

It is also the season for castrating, as it is warmer but still not many bugs! This morning we gelded and freeze branded 4 yealings, and in the afternoon a 4 year old barely halter broke stallion lost his manhood as well.

Man down! Recovering from his castration.

In other news, Mesa comes home on Sunday, and I have booked her for the freeze branding next Wednesday. I'm so excited to get her home, and start learning what she is all about. :)

An Introduction.

Hello!

My name is Shannon. I'm a 23 year old Registered Veterinary Technician (RVT) working in a busy mixed animal clinic in rural southern Alberta.

Although I've always had a love for horses, my family did not share my passion. It wasn't until grade 8 that my now best friend moved here with her 8 horses, that I got started riding.
Fast forward a few years and at 16 years old I bought my first horse for $1.00 from a lady I worked for during the summer.

That horse: Bailey.

Eyed B Sassy, AKA "Bailey"

Bailey was a halter broke 3 year old when I got her, and there were reasons she was practically free.

I took her to 4-H with 30 rides on her, and through lots of learning and perseverance, the rest is history. Almost 8 years later she the best horse I could have ever imagined owning.

Although in the summers between my 3 years at Olds College I bought, started, and sold lots of horses, it has taken me 8 years to decide to buy one to keep.

That horse: Mesa.

Midnight Mesa AKA "Mesa"

Mesa had been for sale for a couple months I believe before I messaged Shirley, the owner of Diamond Lazy H Quarter Horses in southern BC. The family where I keep Bailey has 4 half siblings to Mesa (all sired by Isle Be Midnight), and they ALL have incredible minds and work ethic. I knew Mesa would be a good one.

After a 10 hour round trip to see Mesa, it was a done deal. She was perfect.

Mesa will be coming home in a couple of weeks, and while I build new fence on my property, she will be staying across the road from Bailey in exchange for riding a colt for the gentleman who lives on the property.

That horse: Banjo

Banjo is registered however the only thing I know is he has Hollywood Dunit on his papers; the owner could not get the papers from his now ex wife... I didn't ask too many questions ;)

He's 6 years old, and was "cowboy started" and essentially just tracked cows his whole life. I've put a few rides on him so far, and am pleased. He's a nervous nelly, but is SO willing to learn and work. I'm excited for what we can get accomplished this summer.

My goal with this blog is to have a place to document my progress with these horses, as well as life as a mixed animal RVT (because it is NEVER a dull moment!).

So, if you're squeamish, this blog probably isn't for you. If you get annoyed by lots of horse/dog/animals in general being posted; this blog probably isn't for you.

Otherwise, I look forward to having you follow along on this journey.