Re: Xavier is coming!

[Sue Short]

Becky. what wonderful news. That's great that they supply transport and are very
reasonable. I think Curly Sue would have worked out but as you know young horses
need a lot of time and can sometimes be a challenge. Still like I'm eagerly awaiting his
arrival and of course pictures.

[Suzzzz]

Sounds just like they tell you with any new shelter animal introduced to a home. Keep them seperated for a while, let everybody get used to the idea (and you time to watch for anomolies), then introduce them slowly. Do you have a quarantine area you can put X into?

So Curly Sue is going home. Is that good? Remind me!

I'm SO happy things are working out!

[bpaquet]

I have modified quarantine. I can't keep them in separate barns, but I can keep them in separate pastures and rig up Sabi's stall so he can't sniff noses outside the stall. It should be good enough for regular introductions. They should be able to play together after about 4 or 5 days.

Curly Sue going home was always in the plans. She came to keep Sabi company while Envoy was away at the trainer's house in the winter. She has a person waiting for her and she will get loved and ridden. It's good. I will visit her every once in a while and maybe see her at some shows.

[jeanebellini]

suzzz i was thinking the same thing...sounds like what you do for cats and dogs;)

and i can't wait for stories and pictures as well:)

[Sue Short]

I was hunting around on the Arabian Rescue Mission site and saw that
X has gone from adoption pending to ADOPTED

[jeanebellini]

[bpaquet]

I think I need to call. The transportation manager still hasn't called. It isn't a big deal, but I do need to tell them how to get here. I also should find out if I need to buy a special kind of food to get him used to the food I feed. Horses sometimes need to make a gradual transition. Most are fine, and I try not to feed much concentrated food at all, so it shouldn't be a problem. Horses at my house eat lots of hay and lots of grass. They get grain only as a treat -- or in Sabi's case as something to put his supplements on.

[fiffur]

Xavier is finally coming home! I know you're very excited (I'm sure Envoy and Sabi can tell you're excited about something), and your planned call is a good one. Not only will you be better prepared for his arrival, but they will know that you care enough to ask to smooth his transition over to your home and food supplies.

I can hardly wait to hear stories and see pics of Xavier when he's at your place!

[Suzzzz]

Certainly you should call again. This is to happen next Thursday? I'd call on Monday (if not before) and start the process of pinning them down to who what when.

[bpaquet]

Definitely. The rescue hired a professional driver, so I need to ask who gets the money. Do I send it to the rescue or do I give it to the driver. So much to organize in the next few days. But, it will work out. I am excited to see Xavier after all this time.

[bpaquet]

Curly Sue went home today. It seems kind of empty in the barn. We cleaned out her stall and bleached her water buckets. It's very quiet. She was happy to return home where her brother lives, and ran around with a couple new friends. They sorted things out in short order and settled down to eat.

Sabi and Envoy miss CS a little. When I returned with the empty trailer, they were waiting at the gate to see if their buddy had returned. When she didn't get out of the trailer, they went back out to the pasture. I think they will be used to being by themselves when X arrives. It will be an exciting week for the boys.

It was nice to see my vet and her place that is recovering well from the fire. They are waiting to see if the insurance is going to pay to remove some scorched trees, and then they can rebuild the shed row barns. The pastures are beautiful and didn't suffer any ill effects from the fire -- thank goodness.

[Sue Short]

Was it a pasture fire not a barn fire. Either one is evil. Still hope the
insurance company will settle so they can get on with rebuilding.

[fiffur]

Yeah, I hope they settle soon so those barns can be rebuilt before the rainy fall weather arrives in your area.

I can hardly wait for Xavier to arrive! I'm nearly as excited as you must be Becky. Wish I could be there to welcome him in person.

[bpaquet]

Oh no! Roadblock! The place where he first stayed in quarantine after his rescue seems to have misplaced his Coggins and health certificate papers. He needs those to cross state lines. I told the rescue people that I would pay for a re-do of both -- as well as spring shots -- if he needs to have them redone. I had to do the same for Envoy, and I would have to pay for Coggins and shots if he were at my place, so it doesn't seem like a big deal to me. The lady is going to call me back tonight or tomorrow to let me know if they've found the papers or to give me the vet's number so I can arrange what I want done. This might delay the arrival by a few days. I hope not, but if so, we'll work it out.

[Suzzzz]

Unfortunate. Surely the vet who attends the primary rescue will have file copies? In any case, it sounds like it can all be done again if nec. I understand you don't mind paying for whatever shots this entails (I don't know what a Coggins is), but would double doses be a problem, medically?

Speaking of vets, I'm very glad to hear your dear one is recovering herself and her place from the fire. The stress of the event and this aftermath must be hard. That was a terrible thing! I hope rebuilding will be a balm, and that she won't have to fight the damned insurance company.

Farewell, Curly Sue. I'm so glad she seemed happy to return to her brother and new pals. A little camp-time with Sabi and Envoy was probably great prep for it. I wish her well! And it sounds like the boys are on top of the situation and understand she's left. I'm sure they're fine with it (horses usually seem to move on remarkably well, don't they?) though they might find just each other a bit dull for a day or two. Ha! They have no idea the excitement that awaits.

[Sue Short]

That is unfortunate. Still like Becky says the tests and shots can always be redone.
Coggins is the name of a test that is given for a very nasty thing called Equine Infectious
Animea(E.I.A.) or swamp fever. It's spread by flies and misquotes. Coggins was the name of
the Cornell vet who developed the test. Here endth the trivia lesson.

Anyway I'm sure that it will sort it's self out soon and X will be on his way.

[Suzzzz]

Coggins is the name of a test that is given for a very nasty thing called Equine Infectious
Animea(E.I.A.) or swamp fever. It's spread by flies and misquotes. Coggins was the name of
the Cornell vet who developed the test. Here endth the trivia lesson.

We non-horsewomen are very grateful! <----- wide awake!

[bpaquet]

The rescue lady called today. Still no luck finding the papers, so X obviously won't be here on Thursday. She is trying to talk to some people to get the name/number of the vet so I can coordinate things. It'll work out. I just need patience.

[fiffur]

OhLord, look what happens to the best laid plans...................(((((((((((((good luck vibes)))))))))))))))))) Crossing my fingers for you have Xavier home in only a few more days.

[Suzzzz]

Deep breath, Becky. Deeeep breath. Those rescue folks sound a bit unorganized, but things must get crazy "on the ground" with rescues, so I can't fault them. The thing to do is go from here.

It occurs to me that it's possible the tests/shots never happened. Whether they did or not, the result is the same. If Xavior has no shot record, what's the next step?

[bpaquet]

Since I'm the control freak type, I asked the rescue to send me the vet information. They did that today. I will deal directly with the vet and ask for a complete round of shots/tests/health certificate. That way, I know they were done, I will have a receipt too, which I keep as records for all my horses so I know what was done when. So, all in all, this is better.

It turns out that X has been exposed to strangles -- which is kind of like mumps for horses. It's a disgusting disease, and although he shows no signs of having the sickness, he has been exposed. That is not unusual for rescue horses since they are often in bad situations. So, I have asked when his exposure happened to find out if I need to vaccinate Envoy and Sabi. I can't vaccinate X after a recent exposure because his immune system is probably dealing with it on its own. I've heard that adult horses are often not as susceptible as youngsters because the germs are everywhere and lots of horses can just fight it off without a shot. But, once I get the whole story, I will consult with my own vet to see if I need to give a couple more shots here. (Poor ponies just got their shots today!)

Onward and onward. Soon, the poor little gray boy will be here and all will be taken care of.

[jeanebellini]

ive heard of the strangles (or rather read about in James herriot books etc). i always thought it was a digestive problem where their intestines get turn around or something. whatever i always knew it was something bad. it is a virus or something?

[Sue Short]

You know Becky, this when a being a control freak has it's advantages.

The strangles is scary, still get all the info you can get. Me being a control freak and
cautious type would have my boys vaccinated anyway. Still I'm with you the sooner that
sweet boy is with you the better.

[fiffur]

Yeah..... the sooner he's finally home the better......after your boys get shots to prevent them from maybe getting strangles too. I've heard of strangles but was never quite sure what it was, until now.

[Suzzzz]

I'm relieved you're getting your own hands on the situation, Becky. That's really the only way you'll know for sure that things are being done right (add me to the Control Club). Xavier will come home as soon as he can, but safely and securely for all concerned. After you get things settled with X's vet, you can consult with your own about what the boys might need preventatively. Keep us posted, please!

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