Hi everyone, sorry I haven't been able to give updates sooner. I have spent day and night with our littlest guy since my last writing. He continued to go down hill. We had bloodwork done on him, he was wormed after the first 7 days with us (along with the other 2), we had his teeth, mouth everything checked. We had started electrolytes, gastric fluids, stuff for ulcers. I had bought some of that pelleted food for seniors, mixed hot water with it until it would go through a syringe (25 cc), gave that to him about every hour to hour and a half, also started giving him Ensure for proteins a few times a day. He would still drink water, would chew on a couple pieces of hay or grass, but very slowly. We made a "harness" to keep him up on Sunday because he had gotten so weak he couldn't stand for long periods of time. Our vet just couldn't figure anything else, except he was just so malnourished and too far gone. Another thought came up that maybe something internally just wasn't right. He did pass gas and pass poop (more than his loose stool from not eating), especially in the beginning, so we don't think it would be a blockage. Our vet said all we could do is just continue nourishing him as much as we could, make sure he stays hydrated, and keep track of his temperature to make sure he doesn't get a fever - symptons of something else going on - sickness. She was really upset that she didn't have any anwers for us.
Well, this morning approx. 10:30 a.m. he gave up. :no: We buried him right next to my old mare. My daughter will be making a stone for him.
It has been a long, tough 4 weeks. The other two are doing fine, they continue to gain everyday and are much more social now. Matters of fact, they greet me at the gate every day for their grain, now.
I'm trying to concentrate on them and my regular "herd", instead of Sweet Pea - as my husband started calling him from the first day we brought them all home. This is really tough on us because this actually is the first animal we have ever lost when bringing home something to "fix and/or repair." We've been doing this for over 20 yrs. and have several animals a year, but never lost one. Our vet - God Bless Her - always jokes when she rec's our calls and says, "okay, what's our project this time."
Thank you, everyone, for your suggestions and support.