Those of you who do not see my additional posts on Facebook, all I can tell you is, it has been a little rough. You knew about Bruno smashing his face into a shatterproof light fixture. A lot of blood, an emergency visit from the vet and 12 stitches above his eyes.

Meanwhile, Mickey continued to be lame with multiple abscesses in his hoof. Then yesterday morning, I arrived at feeding to find a circle of blood a couple feet wide and just as long. Examination noted it was in Kid’s mouth. I awakened Lauren. We got him cleaned up and I made the 70 mile trip to work. I was just getting settled into a pretty good working routine when Lauren called to say Kid was bleeding profusely again. He need the vet quick. She set out with Kid and the trailer. I left work in a hurry trying to make the vet as fast as Lauren. As I drove along, I just knew, this was it. The 32 year old horse was dying. Either he was losing too much blood or stitching a wound inside his mouth was going to be too expensive and too painful.

Dr. Criner holding up Kid’s lip for examination

I had cried all my mascara off long before I got to the vet. I was thinking back to Kid’s first years with me. I discovered I have Kid longer than any horse in my long, horse history, over ten year had past. He is the best behaved horse I have ever owned. I was already thinking about what a huge blow his passing would be. Granted, he is of the age where I know it is coming, but I wasn’t ready for it now.

When we got to the vet, Kid had lost a lot more blood in the trailer. I still thought there could be no happy ending to this story. Old horse gushing blood does not a good ending make!  Our Mickey spotted his old friend, Kid, and neighed to him!

Dr. Criner (DC) got some pain/tranquilizer meds on board and got to looking at his mouth that she keep calling macerated. We were trying to find if he had bit his tongue (like off) or knocked out teeth or what. Finally, with Lauren having the special duty of holding his lip to stem the bleeding, we were able to watch DC push her finger all the way through the flesh and out the other side of Kid’s lip. It was horrible.

Kid was stumbling about like a drunken sailor now.  We moved him out the grass so he would have a soft spot to land if he went down.  In the end it was decided it would be impossible to stitch the wound.  We got some heavy duty antibiotics on board to ward off infection.  Kid told me it clearly was not his day to die!

We waited as the bleeding clotted off and Kid was awake enough to trailer home.  I watched Mickey come out to load, sound as can be.  Then I  paid off both Mick’s and Kid’s extensive vet bills and we headed home.

Feather was perpetuating a rumor at the barn to Snow and Bruno, that if you went off in the trailer you were not coming back!  Pix left a week ago.  No sign from her.  Mick left Monday and he was gone.  Now, Kid had left just this morning.  But she was neighing louder than any of them as the trailer pulled in with the weary boys.

I appreciate everyone’s concern and well wishes.  I pray we are done with the vet for awhile and so does my checkbook!