This entry will be long. It's a story about a family. I think of my horses as a family, but I hadn't realized that over the course of this summer, we really had made one. I was talking to Renny when he was in Hailee's belly. I was there at his birth. And I've been with him, talking with him, kissing and hugging him, teaching him, learning from him, practically every day of his short life.
So, this summer has been wonderful. I've watched him gain confidence, strength, beauty. I've watched him make friends with Ruthie, learn how to manage Annie, rely on his mama and grow independent from her at the same time. I've watched him buck and kick and squeal and snort. I've watched him rip up and down the hill in the pasture and literally run circles around his herd of girls.
And this morning, I looked out at him at the bottom of the pasture from where I was standing at the top and right away, from a distance, I could tell my little guy was sick. He was sick. I could see it all over him.
So, I stepped down in the pasture and he walked up to me and his entire expression said, "Grandma, I'm sick!" So, I went up and told Barbie and she said take a temp. I went back into the pasture and Renny walked right up to me. And Hailee, Renny and I just walked calmly into the stable together. They trust me to take care of their business. Renny was so good for the multiples of times he had his temperature taken today. He was so good about taking his banamine. And he was so sweet with me. He loves and trusts me, I can really tell. My little guy thinks of me as someone who has his best interests at heart. He thinks of me as part of his herd, his grandma!
Anyway, here's the news. His temperature at 11am this morning when I brought him in for the day was 104.3!!! Way, way, way high! I gave him banamine and by 12:30pm, his temperature had dropped to 101.4. And then at 5:30 this afternoon, his temperature was a little high at 101.8. But he was comfortable and his breathing was less labored. And while I was there, he took interest in getting love and rubs and he wanted to play with me a bit. He was eating his grain and hay, and he drank water and nursed. So, I am hoping the cool of evening and night helps him break his fever. He finally caught Ruthie's illness but good! But baby foal's are supposed to get sick, it makes them stronger and more resistant to trouble down the road. So, I am going to be practical and just keep a close watch over him. I will treat this like I did his foal diarrhea. And he will be the good little loving patient that he is. He's my little guy and I'm his grandma!
