my first experience with equine euthanisia, coming right up

Hi all. One of my longtime boarders (she's been here for 4 years) has
to have her horse put down. He's got lymphoma. He is a 17 year old
Arabian gelding. He used to be an easy keeper, so easy I had to dry
lot him. But over the last year he started losing weight. We did his
teeth and the Panacur Powerpack (which I do once per year anyway) to
no avail. Then he had a seizure, and after that he's been doing
downhill. He never seems acutely painful but he is an absolute rack
of bones on grass, alfalfa, senior feed and oil. I can only imagine
an acutely painful episode is in the works, and I guess he can't feel
all that good being such a rack of bones. He doesn't have much energy
and he looks sickly and dull.

Bloodwork about four months ago was unremarkable but a recheck two
months ago showed obvious cancer of some sort, almost surely
lymphoma. Fecals both times were clean, and so was the scope for
ulcers. It's really sad because this gal had 3 horses here this whole
time and about 6 months before this boy got diagnosed she sold her
other two - her beloved mare and pony daughter. She figured after
several years of having 3, the expense was getting to be too much, and
the two mares are easier to sell since they don't have as many
"issues" as the Arabian. I imagine now that she's not going to have
him she wishes she'd have kept one of the other two... :-(

So the plan is for her to come out and be here for the event - at
first we didn't think she'd come. I'll be here to do whatever I can
do and to locate the place, somewhere soft where the rendering truck
can get in/out. Saturday, I think. Poor old man...

take care all,
cindi

.

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