Nefertiti has not gained weight the way I would expect her to do and with all the food she gets. She is on daily wormer, vet was out, she suggested the horse dentist take a look.
He looked and looked again and said her teeth are normal for a yearling but her tongue has no feeling in it and it is extremely thin. He pulled it out the side of her mouth and flicked it with a finger and she did not retract it initially. It is not as pink as the other horses' tongues - more of a flesh color, and I see no evidence of trauma on it. She is vaccinated, in a dry lot with tape fencing, her stall is safe and secure with nothing sharp to hurt her...Has anyone ever experienced anything like this? The dentist said in almost 30 years with horses he has never seen anything like it and wants to know what the veterinarian comes up with.
When she eats, she attacks her pellets to get them into her mouth. She uses water to rinse things back in her mouth. Hay she eats but loses some to "quidding", which once that happens, she doesn't usually pick the quids up and eat them although this morning it looked like she ate 75% of what she normally dropped.
Grass she cannot eat well at all - if she is grazing on her own, quids fall from her mouth.
The veterinarian will be out at 10:30 this morning and I am already devastated as this is my only Modern and I don't feel she will have a good quality of life eating like this - hoping the veterinarian might have other options for us but in my heart I feel euthanasia (sp?) is probably the best option for Neffie, but not for me. Independence will also feel this as she and Neffie are bonded - they play together, eat hay together... since Neffie takes longer to eat her grain, Indy waits for her....
It was tough to find her mother, who I could afford, and to get Neffie was a real blessing - she was exactly what I wanted in a Modern but could not afford - refined conformation, animated, natural movement, hot yet tractable and eager to learn things and friendly. We were planning on showing at the Area One show again since she is no longer the wild child she was then...and hoping to go to either Congress or the World Show in 2008 since we have never done a show of that caliber and now here I am looking for a neighbor with a backhoe and can't even imagine starting all over to try to find a Modern filly I can afford in time to get to the shows in 2008...we are a mares only herd here so geldings and stallions are not an option. After my summer on the sofa recovering from the knee surgeries and the joint infection, looking forward to the Modern classes in 2008, this is a real downer.
My mind is spinning... can't believe it. My wonderful therapy horse Mercy has been trying to keep my spirits up - she did at Barktoberfest and kept my mind off of this morning....but not even Mercy's magic can fix this.
Thanks for listening....
Denise
Silversong Farm
He looked and looked again and said her teeth are normal for a yearling but her tongue has no feeling in it and it is extremely thin. He pulled it out the side of her mouth and flicked it with a finger and she did not retract it initially. It is not as pink as the other horses' tongues - more of a flesh color, and I see no evidence of trauma on it. She is vaccinated, in a dry lot with tape fencing, her stall is safe and secure with nothing sharp to hurt her...Has anyone ever experienced anything like this? The dentist said in almost 30 years with horses he has never seen anything like it and wants to know what the veterinarian comes up with.
When she eats, she attacks her pellets to get them into her mouth. She uses water to rinse things back in her mouth. Hay she eats but loses some to "quidding", which once that happens, she doesn't usually pick the quids up and eat them although this morning it looked like she ate 75% of what she normally dropped.
Grass she cannot eat well at all - if she is grazing on her own, quids fall from her mouth.
The veterinarian will be out at 10:30 this morning and I am already devastated as this is my only Modern and I don't feel she will have a good quality of life eating like this - hoping the veterinarian might have other options for us but in my heart I feel euthanasia (sp?) is probably the best option for Neffie, but not for me. Independence will also feel this as she and Neffie are bonded - they play together, eat hay together... since Neffie takes longer to eat her grain, Indy waits for her....
It was tough to find her mother, who I could afford, and to get Neffie was a real blessing - she was exactly what I wanted in a Modern but could not afford - refined conformation, animated, natural movement, hot yet tractable and eager to learn things and friendly. We were planning on showing at the Area One show again since she is no longer the wild child she was then...and hoping to go to either Congress or the World Show in 2008 since we have never done a show of that caliber and now here I am looking for a neighbor with a backhoe and can't even imagine starting all over to try to find a Modern filly I can afford in time to get to the shows in 2008...we are a mares only herd here so geldings and stallions are not an option. After my summer on the sofa recovering from the knee surgeries and the joint infection, looking forward to the Modern classes in 2008, this is a real downer.
My mind is spinning... can't believe it. My wonderful therapy horse Mercy has been trying to keep my spirits up - she did at Barktoberfest and kept my mind off of this morning....but not even Mercy's magic can fix this.
Thanks for listening....
Denise
Silversong Farm