The eyes are the window to the soul...

I haven't posted much about Rusty lately - mostly because I didn't have time leading up to Christmas to do much of anything and partly because I was a bit worried about him...

He is having eye problems. I noticed the weekend before Christmas that his eyes were running and that he was rubbing them. I asked the barn owner and she wasn't quite sure if it was something to worry about. By Monday, she was noticing that he was sensitive to light when outside and that made her nervous.

So, on the 23rd, I called the vet and he was able to fit us in. Keep in mind I was due to leave town on first thing on the 24th, not to mention being tired and exhausted from work, so all of this only added to my stress. I was quite worried about Rusty and his eyesight...uveitis (ERU) is a big threat, especially with Appys. Uveitis often causes blindness in one or both eyes if not treated right away.

I left work early to meet the vet. He stained Rusty's eyes and noticed some corneal ulceration ( the picture isn't Rusty)

From the Paragon Veterinary Group web site: corneal ulcers "are defects in the surface of the eye (cornea) often caused by infection, they cause inflammation, pain and irritation. Initial presentation is a closed, swollen eye, often running with tears. Your vet will diagnose corneal ulceration by putting a fluorescent dye into the horse's eye. Affected areas will take up the dye and appear green. Infection may have started by a piece of grit or other direct injury such as a thorn.

Even with the diagnosis of corneal ulcers, he couldn't quite rule out uveitis, but was pretty sure that wasn't the problem. He prescribed some eyedrops and bute and that seems to be helping. Rusty is still rubbing his eyes a bit - but there is some improvement. So that is good. His left eye is painful - you can tell by the way he is acting. It doesn't appear that there is any vision loss at this point, but we aren't sure how this will affect him long term.

"Lemme guess - you're here to stick more stuff in my eyes??"

The barn owner and I looked at his eyes again today. We are fairly sure that it isn't uveitis - which is really good news. He has been a good sport - he was good for the vet and calm and quiet as we have been examing his eyes. Even though he is in a bit of pain, he hasn't reared, pulled back or done anything bad. He really has the temperment of a big lab puppy or something.

Needless to say, he is getting better, but I'm still worried. I feel terrible for not calling the vet sooner and also since I board, I wasn't able to give him his medication myself. The barn owner has been great in treating him, so that isn't a problem. I just wish I had more time to get out there and take better care of him.

I'm trying not to be too hard on myself - he is getting the best care that we are capable of. I'm trying to be positive and not worry too much about the long term "what-ifs" with regards to his vision. The barn owner feels it will be ok to keep riding him after this week when the pain subsides a bit.

On a funny note - I had to get his eyedrops from a regular pharmacy. I had hoped to just get the eyedrops and go...but the lady kept asking questions and I couldn't help but be a bit difficult - it was too funny to pass up.

Tech - so this prescription is for your son?
Me - ummm yes. *smirks*
Tech - and your son's name is Rusty?
Me - ummm sure. I'm a big fan of Christmas vacation - Chevy Chase's son in the movie was nick-named Rusty...
Tech - blank look
Me - *smirk*
Tech - I need your name address and your son's age
Me - He's 17.
Tech - um ok. Could you also verify the doctor's name that prescribed this medication?
Me - *sigh* Dr. X.
Tech - are you sure this person is a doctor? What does "DVM" mean?
Me - Yes, he's a doctor.
Tech - So, could I also get your son's birthday?
Me - trying not to laugh...
Tech - I really need his birthday for the file.
Me - I have no idea when his birthday is. He's 17 - put in January 1, 1991.
Tech - You don't know your son's birthday???
Me - Look - he is a horse. Rusty is a horse. The doctor that called is VET. That's what DVM means.
Tech - oh.
Me - could I just get my prescription now?

The final days of 2008

I'm back from visiting my family. I had a great time with them - I'm very lucky with my family. Everyone is happy and kind and there is no drama at all with these people. We are a big bunch of "what you see is what you get people". My visits home aren't as frequent as I like - seven hours of driving each way is quite tiring. The distance hasn't affected my relationships with them, within a few hours we are all caught up just like I had never left.

Each visit home is a bit nostalgic though - I stopped in quickly at my brother's place. He still lives on the family "farm". He now owns the 50 acres we grew up on. I'm extremely happy that it is still in the family, over four generations were born and raised there. But, it reminds me that I could be living there, with horses still at home. I try not to think of it, because regrets aren't really all that helpful. I sometimes think I would be happier had I stayed at home, but there is no way to know that for sure...

I also made it over to visit my grandmother on my Dad's side. I took the opportunity to go through all of her old family pictures. I don't have any pictures of my dad when he was growing up. Since he passed away when I was 15, I don't have alot of connections to that side of my family tree. (My Dad is on the far right in the picture). For various reasons, we aren't as close with my Dad's side of the family, so I took the chance to get copies of some of the family pictures in case they were ever lost or thrown out...

All in all, Christmas was good. I'm back at work for a couple of days this week and then back to the regular grind next week. I'm getting back to my regular happy self, but it has been slow going. I figure I'm at about 70% of normal. I'm not a big one for new year's resolutions and all that jazz, but I have a lot of things regarding my riding and my personal life that I'm looking forward to continuing in the new year.

I hope everyone has a fun New Year's eve. I personally like to stay home and watch movies... What does everyone else like to do? Family get-togethers? Big fancy dress-up parties? Do tell!

Merry Christmas!

I hope everyone has a Merry Christmas! I'm feeling a little "grinchy" this year, but I'm hoping it will pass as I get to spend Christmas with my family this year.

White Horse Pilgrim tagged me for the "Six things about me" meme - since I have done that tag twice, I'll just link to both posts here. (Lazy much?? lol)

1st 6 things...

2nd 6 things...

I hope everyone has a safe and happy holiday!

I plan to be back to some more regular horse-related posts next week or the week after!

Almost Wordless Wednesday

Not much to report here. Just trying to hang in until the 24th. We are heading down to see my family and I can't wait. The days off are much needed. I'm pretty much drained.

Here is a picture of my old horse Jackson in his winter "woolies" last year. I love this picture and *almost* got it blown up to put in a frame - but I had a hunch that I wouldn't be keeping this horse as we just DID NOT click or get along that well. Turns out my hunch was right and I sold him this past May.

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Just an administrative note - posting and commenting may be sparse around here until the new year...I'm just to burnt out to put much thought into anything other than getting through the next week.

Don't sit on a wall if you are an egg...

Interesting title, no? In an effort to cheer myself up, the hubby and I watched a Ricky Gervais HBO comedy special that we had on the PVR. Ricky is a British comedian and very funny, in my opinion. Maybe it's the British accent?

I'm even going to embed a clip of my favourite part of the show - gotta love youtube!

Now, the video probably isn't safe for work, or if you have young kids hanging around. Probably also shouldn't watch if you are offended by swearing. But give it a chance, it is somewhat horse related!!

Quick update

Things have been hectic around here. I've been working so much overtime that I'm pretty much a zombie. Yuck. My pets have resorted to sleeping on my laptop to get some attention.

I'm also not a huge fan of this time of year. The pressures and stresses really get to me. I've also been let down by people at work and couple of people at home. I guess it is my problem for letting it get to me. I need to work on just living my life and not letting other people and things get to me as much.


All of that being said, I haven't been to see poor Rusty in over a week. Since last night when I started writing this, we have almost a foot of snow!! Cool. That cheers me up a little. If we are going to have snow, I want lots of it, dammit! I wish I was out at the barn, instead of stuck at work. I need some good pictures of Rusty in the snow. I would also be fun to go out for a short bareback ride around the fields. Maybe on the weekend...

(Picture is of Max rollling in the snow)

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6 (more) things about me

I decided to do this again just to have something to post, because my brain is running on empty.

Read the other 6 things I wrote about this summer...

1) I'm a conflicted meat eater. I really like meat - in fact I love steak. But I sort of wish I could be a vegetarian. But I don't like tofu and eggs and seafood and stuff like that. I wish I could afford to buy local organic meat so that I didn't have to support the big chains. I don't eat cold cuts - that is where I draw the line - we had a big recall from one of the major meat factories here this summer - gross.

2) I am a leftie and proud of it! lol It turns out I'm in good company around here with lefties - Cdncowgirl and BECG are both lefties as well - anyone else??? I actually broke my left wrist last year - that was a bit of a bummer. I'm pretty good with my right hand as well (ie - don't need special lefty-scissors) so I managed to cope pretty well.

3) I love to read - magazines and fiction are my favourites, but when desperate I'll read anything I can get my hands on. My books are some of my most beloved possessions. I'll even read material in French if I'm low on other things to read. I have to use French alot at work, so it all makes sense to me.

4) I'm almost bilingual - in French. I studied for many years in school (it's a requirement here until 9th grade or so) and I use it alot in my day-to-day work. I work for the government, so everything we have in writing has to be bilingual. I still have a lot to learn, but I'm well on my way. I even get a bilingual bonus on my paycheque! (yes, we spell it cheque, not check!)

5) I was in the military - the Naval Reserve to be precise. It was a fantastic summer job while in university - it paid alot more than working at the mall or the grocery store. I also got a lot of relevant job experience that helped me when I started working. I came very close to joining the military full time after university, but didn't want to move around. Sometimes I miss it and wonder how I would have done with it full-time. I've been on a few ships while docked, but never got the chance to actually "go to sea"...

6) Again, like a few others, I am a day dreamer. I'm always drifting off thinking about something. Most of the time is it about horses and farms and how I would set up a farm. Occasionally Brad Pitt or Colin Firth work their way into the daydream, but I usually have them mucking stalls or piling hay. ;-) That being said - my short term memory is sharp as a tack. I know exactly where my stuff is, where my hubby's stuff is and what is on the top shelf of the pantry behind the flour (oreo crumbs for baking). My long term memory is a bit more sketchy - stuff sticks, but it sometimes takes a few tries. I'm usually right when it comes to remembering something - my hubby has long given up trying to argue with me...