Voodoo
Well-Known Member
I'm sure you all are thinking that all I do is complain, but I just need to talk. I knew this Christmas was going to be hard, it used to be our favorite time of year. After losing Shawn it became tough, and now its even worse. My Dad, Mom, and I decided to go to Arizona for a few days prior to Christmas for some good ropings and to visit some friends. We had some really good people that were going to take care of the few animals left at the places for a few days. Well the morning to leave came and Mom decided that with the weather being so bad she didn't want to go. So Dad and I said our goodbyes, loaded four horses up and headed out. The first day was wonderful, the weather was great in Arizona, such a change from all the snow in Utah. But on Saturday afternoon Mom called me, she said that Chato was feeling sick, just laying out in the snow. So I told her to take him into the barn, blanket him, and give him some banamine. She said he wasn't kicking at his belly or rolling, just pawing a little and acting like he was body sore. I was worried with the weather change that it was colic so I told her to get a vet to come tube him with oil and check him out. No luck with that, it was the weekend before Christmas and I coudn't even get anyone on the emergency numbers. So I told her to put a gallon of oil down him herself, give him some banamine to ease the pain and make sure he had a salt block so maybe he'd drink, she kept checking on him all night. Sun Morning she said he had peed some and there was a small pile of hard manure. She said he was acting better and wanted to go outside and walk around. So she started walking him around the pasture and called me in a panic. She found at least a dozen places where he had rolled in the snow the day before. She hadn't seen them when she got him the day before but now we were both scared. I kept leaving messages for all the vets around but no one would answer or return my calls. She said he was acting sick again so she took him back in the barn and gave him more oil, and since he was pawing and laying down and getting up she gave him more banamine. I told her to give him a couple grams of ace to try to relax him so if he hadn't twisted a gut then maybe he would relax and help himself go, I also had her give him electrolytes since I knew he was dehydrated. Dad and I were on our way home, but it was a long way with the weather as bad as it was. Mom had the trailer hooked up and ready to go so she could be at the vets first thing Monday morning. I called her at about 8 Sun night and she said that he was acting like he was fine, I told her that the banamine was hard on his kidneys, so if he was acting like he wasn't hurting she should wait to give him more. But while I was talking to her he stretched out to pee and there was blood in it, then about ten minutes later he started pacing the stall and pawing again. I had a feeling it was too late and told her to give him more banamine, at least he didn't need to suffer too much. I tried the vets again, but the same thing. I told her that there was nothing else we could do and just to pray. At 11:30 she called me and said that he was just laying down and getting up and down and up. I prayed to God and asked him that if he wasn't going to let my baby get better to please let him quit suffering. Two minutes later he was gone. He was a tough one, she said he never thrashed, never kicked, never beat himself up. I have never lost a horse to colic before, but I've seen it and although he had some of the signs he also was missing many of the signs. I don't know what it was that took him for sure but this is breaking my heart, he was only 10 years old. I bought him as a 7 year old stud who had never seen a person, he was so full of himself lol. A year later he was my best heel horse, he was a sweet rascal, oh so full of personality. About two weeks prior to this I was roping on him and he broke a seismoid bone so he was on vacation for a year. I don't know if maybe Shawn was up in heaven and knew he wouldn't heal so he took him up to where he would be sound again or if he just needed him up there. When I buried him I looked up to heaven and I swear he was there with Shawn. Take care of eachother, I miss you both so much.
Through it all I hope everyone has the best Christmas possible and lets all try to remember the true meaning.
This is us in the mountains this summer, we were way back in Gods country
This is him at a big roping this spring
Through it all I hope everyone has the best Christmas possible and lets all try to remember the true meaning.
This is us in the mountains this summer, we were way back in Gods country
This is him at a big roping this spring
