Why did we try to save Lady in the first place? I have had several people ask me what made us think it was worth trying. First, she is a very gentle horse and is easy to handle. Even when she was hurt and we were waiting for the vet, her only concern was where Ella was. Lady was nuzzling and leaning on us as we waited with her. When we had to walk her the short distance to the shelter she tried to walk the very best she could. Her attitude and spirit were so strong and she became an encouragement to us. Her wound was clean and free from debris. She somehow managed to stay on her feet and not get it full of dirt when she cut it. She was a strong and healthy horse even though she is around 20 years old. My horse Cricket, I have had for 21 years and estimate her age around 30, is healthy and strong. With that in mind, Lady has the chance to live at least 10 more years. Finally, it is difficult to be the one to decide to end a life. If there were a chance that Lady could heal, it was worth trying. I would rather try and fail than not have tried at all and always wonder what would have happened. Having said all this, I will continue with Lady's progress up till now.
Since the last posting, Lady began to chew on her leg. It was itching really bad, so we had to put Chew Stop on her bandage. We sprayed it on Vetwrap over top of the other bandages. It is slightly caustic, so didn't want to get it on her skin. She still rubbed it but it kept her from gnawing on it too bad. She did do some damage to the outside of her leg, so we also put hydrocortisone cream on it. It seemed to do the trick and keep it from being so itchy.
We finished fencing a new pasture for Lady & Ella. Because the gnats are out in full force during the day, we have them both by the fans during the day and move them to the pasture after the sun goes behind the trees. The first time we put them in the new pasture, Ella had so much fun running and bucking around. The other day, she kept pestering Lady until she got her mother to play with her. It was such a wonderful sight to see them trotting around together.
Lady doesn't seem to favor her bad leg at all. She is able to walk, trot and canter ok and is able to lay down and get up on both sides. Almost every day, she takes a roll in the dirt first thing after being turned out. She just gets tired out quickly, but that is understandable after all she has been through.
She has been such a wonderful girl during her recovery. We are now in the final stretch of healing. What a long summer it has been, but we have learned to love and appreciate Lady so much. It has definitely worth the time and expense spent. Our lives are better because of all we learned from a horse.
