Estimate of Vet Costs, Pls. (Seattle Area)

[AngC]

That sounds like he had a colic going on as well.... I trust that you got him up and out of the mud!

Yes, I did. (In fact, since then, the husband has worked on the drainage and built a "horsie-porch" outside the barn in an attempt at mud reduction.) It was not colic. I think he was just miserable. He was raised around other animals; when he was brought here, Pokee was his only companion. That night, we moved her on the other side of the barn so Nicky couldn't see her and covered her with a tarp, but it didn't take long for the sun to bring out a horrible smell. Until the 'meat wagon' arrived, he stood as near as he could and just stared in the direction of where she lay. When the 'meat wagon' arrived and she was loaded, he went nuts. And after that he paced his territory over and over until I think exhaustion set in. Then, we couldn't hardly leave him.... he would follow us and whinny over and over... but we weren't horses and irregardless of how much time we spent with him, he would come over... check us out... and then head off looking for Pokee. That's why we bought him a replacement.

I think your theory was right.

I wish you had gelded him - especially if you have no experience with breeding and foaling - but that is for another thread/topic.

That kind of an emergency vet call (twice) plus treatment, drugs and euthanasia would easily be around $500 and maybe even closer to the $850 that was already mentioned. I am sorry that you had to go through that sadness with Pokee...

Maybe we should geld him, (I have been advised to do so by multiple well-meaning folks) but I just cannot/will not do so at this time. First and foremost, I am terrified that something might go wrong. Plus for a little stud, he has a pretty good nature. (I've never dealt with a stallion before, but I had the assumption that they are erratic and hard to handle... he is not. For example, I know that I should get him used to a halter and such, but he doesn't like the halter and when I want him to go somewhere I just put my hand on his neck and steer him.) Nicky and the new girl are inseparable. We have tried to think ahead about housing arrangements... so, when they get their hay we've trained him to eat his hay in the other stall from hers. (..in the hopes that if we have to kick him out he'll be a bit more amenable to being separate from her.) But they still stay together the rest of the time; and either sleep outside under the cedar trees or together in the same stall. Try as I might, they don't like being apart.

Beyond that, if she is knocked up, well, then she is. Hopefully we can call on the vet neighbor and/or we'll have to man-handle her into the trailer and take her to the Pilchuck clinic.

 

[tagalong]

He had a halter on at the sale and knows how to lead perfectly well - I saw him there.

He MUST wear a halter so he can be handled when necessary. He MUST have manners and have boundaries set. Letting him say he "does not like it" is not an option. Who is the boss - you or him?

He is playing off your indecision and inexperience. Be. The. Boss. And/or get an experienced person to help you before he is really pushing you around. Stallions are not necessarily erratic and hard to handle but you have already seen that you cannot handle him or deter him when there is a mare in heat around.

Gelding is a VERY safe procedure even on older stallions - and IMO you should have him gelded ASAP. Especially since the weather is cooller now and there will not be an issue with flies etc. Having a mare "knocked up" is not all that simple. Minis can have severe complications when foaling and sometimes if you do not know what to do immediately if something goes wrong, you may lose the mare as well as the foal. I am not trying to be alarming but simply realistic.

I would suggest that you get Coco preg checked and get Nicky gelded. And you may all have many more years of fun to look forward to...

 

[Miniv]

Please don't be afraid of the gelding procedure. It is a very simple one and will make both your and his life simpler and happier.

As for "payment"? You've received some wonderful suggestions. Perhaps doing a combination of several? A donation in his name (where he could receive a tax write-off), a gift certificate to a local store, AND perhaps a gift food basket? You could spread them out over the next few months if you need because of cost? And spreading them out would be sort of fun because it would keep up the surprise!

Just a thought.

 

[AngC]

Thank you all for your suggestions. I'm going to go with cash at the higher-suggested cost and as suggested by the Vet, some nice beer. I gotta' say, I don't understand all the ideas about charitable contributions. .... as soon as I picked up the phone, I feel that I contracted for a service for which I must pay (it's not his fault that I'm a dumb-butt who did not clarify the terms of the contract at that time.)

Thank you 'tagalong' for the wake-up call... I will have Coco checked. I've been reading the thread on pregnancy-checking ,,,seems to be multiple opinions on what's effective.

And as a footnote... I would like to clarify that it's not that I cannot halter them, but that I don't do it as often as I probably should. ...for various reasons. Initilly, he was so razor-burned from the bad shave job provided by the "experts" at the sale that I couldn't hardly touch his upper neck. Now, I can walk up to Nicky and stuff his head into a halter, no problem. The new girl, Coco, is a harder nut to crack; what I've been doing is to hold a piece of carrot and wait for her to get curious and stick her nose in the noose (halter-nosepiece-thingie) ... depending on her mood, it takes me 5 to 10 minutes to get a halter on her. I guess I should teach them who's boss and lay the "smack-down" but whenever we've tried to be firm and forceful... they win.