Denim Deb Hay, hay, hay. Thank the Lord!

[Denim Deb]

I was going to post this last night, but I was too beat, and my computer was really slow last night.

I was on my way to the farm yesterday morning when I got a call from KN. Normally, she feeds the horses in the morning. I've been stopping just long enough to give my chickens and Cindy water instead of ice. Well, she said she couldn't catch any of the horses, they mobbed her when she went to put out hay, so she only put out one bale. She hadn't had any breakfast, so she was going home. At first, I was upset. I was wishing that she had at least fed Stormy since he gets fed 2x a day. So I figured I'd see how hard it was to catch the horses and if I could, I'd feed them b4 I went to work.

I got to the farm and grabbed Misty's rope halter. Walked up to her, put it on her and led her to where she gets fed. No problem. Stormy followed us part way, but not all the way. That's not like him. I caught another horse, got them tied. Stormy went a bit farther. By the time I had the horses tied that normally get tied, all of the rest of the horses, including Stormy were were they belonged. I got the feed, and started feeding horses. Stormy acted normal. I put another bale of hay out, gave the chickens water, then untied everybody and left. (Cindy's water hadn't turned to ice, so I didn't need to give her any water.)

At work, my boss decided she was going to come out and see why it was taking me so long to do stalls. I was in the middle of cleaning one of the stalls when she got out there. So, she decided that she'd clean one stall. Then, when I got done a stall, she'd watch to see if she could come up w/ways to clean the stall faster. She wants them done in 15 minutes or less. Last winter, it wasn't a problem. This year, she's gone w/a finer shaving. And while it's not a problem in the summer, in the winter, she wants more shavings in the stall. You have to sift thru all of it because they bury their poop. Last week, I had decided to start using a different fork. The tines are closer, and it's a bit more awkward to use, but I had a feeling once I got used to it, I'd be faster. She used the other fork.

I got down the stall I was working on and moved to the next stall. She didn't realize I had started on another stall, so she continued to work on the one. I got done stall number 2. She was still not quite done the stall she was working on. I told her that it was harder to clean the stalls w/the bedding that thick and that I had gone to the other fork last week to see if I couldn't get any faster w/it, but it took me a bit to get used to the fork. So, she's now decided that if I can clean a stall in 15 minutes, then take another 15 or so to do water buckets and hay, that should be good. (It took her 20 minutes to clean the stall.) I think this was probably good for her to see.

Once I was done work, I went back to the farm, got Stormy's 2nd feeding and called him. He didn't come. That's not like him. I went and got him, put a lead rope around his neck and started to lead him up. When we got closer to where I fed him, I took the lead off his neck. Normally, he'll follow me if I have his feed. This time, he didn't. Instead, he went and got a long drink. I finally had to lead him to his feed. I put it in the dish and left. I got more hay out. As soon as I got the hay out, Stormy came over. Not like him. He normally takes awhile to eat, then makes sure he hasn't dropped anything. I went and checked his feed dish. I've been adding some bread to his feed in an effort to try and get some weight on him. He ate the bread, and that was it. I took the feed dish out, then opened the gate so the rest of the horses could get in. Since RU is still away, I went and fed all the rest of the animals, plus changed a bandage on one horse's leg. Then, I got out my stethoscope, grabbed a halter and lead and went to listen for gut sounds. I heard nothing. I called the vet.

He asked if I had any bute or banamine on hand. I had bute. He had me give him some, and he told me to check him in an hour. So, I spent the hour getting feed ready for the next few days, plus putting pine branches in the back of my truck for the goats. Then, I went and checked Stormy again. Still nothing. I even listened on Misty to be sure I was listening in the right places. So, I called the vet back. He was on his way to another call, but told me he'd be there in about an hour. If it had been warmer weather, I would have done some work outside. But, it was colder than I had expected it to be that day. So, I went in my tack shed, turned on a propane heater, and started to clean it up. I got it all cleaned b4 the vet got there.

Once the vet was there, I grabbed Stormy. He followed me out of the field w/no problem. Then, he stood very quietly for the vet. Not like him at all. The vet took quite some time listening and checking him over. He could hear the gut sounds, but they were very faint. So, he gave him a couple of shots as well as some electrolytes and told me to keep an eye on him for 45 minutes. And as long as he didn't develop any other symptoms, I could go home. (If I had to, I was going to spend the night.) I also got a tube of banamine from him which is better for colic. I kept checking him for the next 45 minutes. He was fine, and acting more normal. B4 I left, I got my stethoscope and listened for gut sounds. Stormy did not want to stand still and let me listen. That's more like him. And, while I didn't do as good a job of listening as the vet, I could hear them. So, I went home. By then, it was after 6:00 and dark out. Got home, fed the goats, tried to warm up cuz I was freezing, did some wood and went to bed.

So, instead of having $217 towards my new(er) truck, I have a vet bill for $217.00

 

[i_am2bz]

I'm sorry, DD...I hope they're all okay now. I know, vet bills SUCK.

 

[TanksHill]

I know the bill is a pain but it sounds as if your attention to details really helped avert a big problem. It sounds like Stormy could have gotten a lot worse. I don't know much about horses but I think he's lucky to have you.

Warm up and take care.

g

 

[Farmfresh]

Good eye. You might have saved the day. Glad that the old boss can't live up to her own expectations either! Off to work I go.

 

[savingdogs]

At least he is okay! And the vet bill could have been larger if you were not so good at what you do. Instead of being upset, consider it money saved because you were there and attentive. I'll bet you know people who spent more than that saving horses with colic.

I think insisting you clean a stall in a certain amount of time is really petty. Are you paid by hour? If so, your boss is being really petty. She should be glad you do a careful job and care about the animals. That is worth money to her. More employees tend to do a half hearted job at everything and attention to detail is a virtue, not a fault.
At least she did one herself and was willing to see why it was taking you so long. Did you bring up how much time it takes to do a stall? I would have been tempted to bring up...."Let's time ourselves" like it was a race to do a good job and make sure that she doesn't lose the lesson.

edited for spelling errors

 

[Denim Deb]

Today, Stormy is back to his normal self. And I know the bill could have been much worse, but it seems like every time I start to get a little bit of money ahead, something comes up.

And SD, I do know people that have spend much more saving a horse from colic. I lost my first horse to colic, and spent way, way more on the bill. But, that included a trip to New Bolton in PA. (For those that aren't sure what that is, think Barbaro, and where they took him when he got hurt.) I've learned a lot about colic since then, and I don't know that I'd ever get colic surgery for a horse. I've heard of countless stories of horses that survive the operation, but not the recovery. So, you're not only out thousands of dollars in vet bills, but you're also out a horse.

Cleaning a stall in the amount of time that she wants it in didn't use to be a problem. But, then she switched the type of shavings she was using. They're great in the summer. I can normally whip thru the stalls in about 10 minutes or less. But then in the winter, she wants the shavings deeper. And this type of shavings is much harder to clean when it's deep. I understand why she wants it done quickly-w/the economy the way it is, she's struggling to make ends meet. The whole reason I got the job is because the person who used to clean stalls couldn't do it quick enough. And, he didn't do that great a job. Today, she was happy. It took me 1 hour, 50 minutes to clean the stalls, set them back up and sweep the center aisle. She knows I would have been quicker except for one thing-she asked me to keep an eye out on the dog too. Every so once in awhile, he'll take off. Today he was good, so she just might let him out more.

I told my hubby today that if I ever get rich, I'm going to buy RU another tractor. The only reason I can run it is because I already knew how to run a tractor and a fork lift. Today, I had to stick RBs out. It took me 1/2 an hour to stick them out, and I didn't need to go far w/them. But, the power steering doesn't work. (She's had it fixed b4, but it never stays fixed for long.) So at times, in order to turn, I have to place the bucket on the ground, lift up the front wheels, turn them and then pick the bucket up in order to go where I want w/out fighting the steering wheel. The brakes don't work very well. I have had to put the bucked down b4 to aid the brakes. And, the hydraulics are leaking yet again.

So, since it took me so long, I had a whole half an hour from the time I got home to the time I had to leave to go to my allergist appointment. In that half hour, I got the fire going. I managed to find the clothes I needed and iron a shirt. I got a shower. And then, as much as I hated to do it, I heated up a hot pocket for lunch and took it w/me. But I got it all done, and made it on time. If I had had longer, I would have been able to feed the goats b4 I left, and done firewood. Instead, I had to do them after I got home from the chiropractor's. I hope in 2 weeks I don't have to do as much rushing around. But, I'd rather have both appointments back to back like this-even if it is a bit of a rush at times then waste 2 afternoons every 2 weeks.

 

[framing fowl]

Morning! I think many of us can identify with the feeling of getting a little set by financially only to have something come up. This past week it was our washer flooding and having to clean out the plumbing... Every time I stop by your journal, I'm amazed at how you just keep on keeping on. Hope you have a great day & keep your chin up .

 

[savingdogs]

I'm glad to hear you see the allergist regularly. That is very good for your MD. What are they working on desensitizing you to?

Do they have you do the local honey thing too? I enjoy that prescription very much! I've thought about keeping bees myself but I am allergic, so Hubby would have to do it all. Those kinda projects always go slow...... Aren't you allergic to bees too?

 

[Denim Deb]

I'm glad to hear you see the allergist regularly. That is very good for your MD. What are they working on desensitizing you to?

Do they have you do the local honey thing too? I enjoy that prescription very much! I've thought about keeping bees myself but I am allergic, so Hubby would have to do it all. Those kinda projects always go slow...... Aren't you allergic to bees too?

I don't eat much honey, though it's been recommended. But, I plan on starting to eat more. And, when I do buy honey, I do get local honey.

As to what I'm allergic to, I'm allergic to housework (dust mites ), a bunch of different types of pollen, mold, cats, dogs, bee stings and I don't recall now what else I'm allergic to. But, my allergies are not anywhere near as bad as they used to be. It's very rare for me to have to take any allergy medicine, which is good. I can't take most of them, they make me dizzy, and I don't like to take any more meds than I have to.

 

[savingdogs]

I hate Benedryl with a passion. Diphenhydramine. Makes me feel terrible until it wears off. Interesting we have the same allergies. I wonder if that is a MD typical pattern. I have another friend with MD and she is also allergic to bees, but hasn't had her allergies tested. Did they test you for food, too?