I don't know how to do links, so I'll just say, read the thread titled "It Almost Time for Betsy's Shots Again" on the bottom of the second page here to see what I'm dealing with!
A couple of weeks ago, my friend had the Vet over at her place, and wanted me to walk Betsy and Syd (her mini) the half-mile or so down there to get their shots done, too. Betsy's a sociable animal, she was happy to go if it meant she might meet some other equines while there. Syd was another matter. We had made the same trip a couple of weeks previously, to see a farrier. This was only Syd's second trim by a professional, and it did not go well. Not my fault, honest! I've been working on her feet, doing all the things a farrier might do, but this is me, and that's HIM
Anyway, suffice it to say, Syd was jittery. Betsy clopped along with my 7-year old leading her, only occaisionally taking an unplanned detour.
When it was finally Betsy's turn, I insisted that the Vet's assistants stand back and let me hold Betsy. They had seen her come in with my daughter, so I'm sure they wondered about my warning that "someone's going to get hurt" otherwise. You see, I knew Betsy would not intentionally hurt me, but I couldn't be sure what she'd do to strangers under those circumstances. Let's just say, she has a reputation. . . . Anyway, I had brought along an extra shirt (mine) which I tied over her eyes. That way, even though she knew what was up, she couldn't see the Vet coming. He's quick, I have to give him full marks for that! I did get knocked around a bit, but no harm done!
Poor little Syd wasn't any better. I think she was expecting much more than a couple of pricks. She blew up at anybody that came near her. Walking home, she spooked at every tree. I think she just knew there was a Vet hiding behind every other one, at least, the ones that didn't have farriers behind them! She's usually happier when I lead her on the left side, but I finally had to switch sides to get me between her and those horrible trees!
The last time Betsy had her shots done, she had a really bad reaction, so I got some Banamine from the Vet and started giving it to her within an hour of the shots. This time, she got a knot about the size of a hen's egg at both injection sites, but was nowhere near as sore as last time. It went away after about a week. I'm going to ask the vet what brand of vaccine he uses. I've heard that some animals seem to have more trouble tolerating the Fort Dodge brand?
