How do we manage to get into these situations? Collected another "Slightly Damaged Stray"...

[onedoodle3]

Awwww! I'm glad he's getting pain meds in the morning. Personally I think he should have had them before now...but what do I know??

He is a handsome horse! He looks like he knows you're trying to help..

 

[EmtheFishLady]

Maybe the vet was afraid Gus would get hooked and start hanging around his office at odd hours...

 

[onedoodle3]

And then he'd have to start breaking into houses and stealing stuff to support his habit...poor horse, he will be headed down the life of crime path beginning tomorrow!

 

[EmtheFishLady]

Well it's 8 am, vet should be open, so I'm headed to get Gus's Meds.

 

[Peep_Show]

My heart is always lifted a bit when I read stories like this. I used to do Rescue-a-Wreck when I had my ranch. I cringe when I think how much I spent on horses' feet as opposed to my own... Man, I'd be stylin'! I'd recycle them into good homes.... The reward wasn't monetary but something bigger for the soul. Kudos to you! You took a risk with getting a (now former) stud, but he looks like a good horse save for a lack of groceries. I bet you'll be more than pleasantly surprised in the long run.

 

[EmtheFishLady]

He's a good boy. If anyone deserves a second chance it's Gus. As MFB said, we've both had our share of second chances, and we can sorta relate to him. He's going to do just fine. He's getting plenty to eat here, and I think he'll fill out quite nicely, rather quickly.

 

[Bunnylady]

I know it sounds heartless, but the Vet probably didn't give Gus pain meds at first because he knows that a hurting horse is more likely to stand still, and not feel frisky enough to start bouncing around and damage himself. "Stall rest" is actually very stressful for a horse; some really high strung horses have to be kept sedated to tolerate it. Also, there's the "catch 22" of ulcers. A pain-stressed horse is at risk for ulcers, but the medications that are used for pain in horses also cause ulcers. If you give pain meds long term, you usually have to give anti-ulcer medications as well.

In the short term, as long as the horse is eating well and acting reasonably normal, pain meds are often considered more for the owner's comfort than the horse's.

Em, be very careful, ok? You have described this guy as a wild horse - he isn't. He's something even more dangerous - an untrained horse that is very used to people, but which hasn't been taught to respect them. It was obvious at your first meeting. A wild horse knows people for the predators that we are, and keeps his distance. When you drove up to the pasture, a "wild" horse wouldn't have let you get within 50 feet of it. A properly trained horse would have approached to a respectful distance, and then waited quietly and let you come to him - that's respect in a horse. This guy walked up to you, and he didn't know you from Adam. He was saying, "Hello, this is my space, what are you doing here?" Not exactly hostile, but not quite "Hi, buddy, so glad to see you" either. You know that the immediately previous owner did nothing at all with the horse, but does anybody know about the owner(s) before that? This guy has clearly been handled enough to have positive associations with humans prior to your meeting him, even if it wasn't formal training.

A horse in a new situation starts finding his place in the pecking order immediately. He wants to know who he can push around, and who can push him around. When I have a new horse come in at the barn, I can expect all kinds of space invasions and other acts of disrespect until I establish the fact that I am the "dominant animal," as even well-trained horses don't automatically accept that a human is the boss. There are many subtle ways that horses can test the boundaries, especially when it comes to food. There's a saying, "There is no 'free time' with horses. Every minute you are around one, you are teaching him something. Whether you are teaching him good things or bad is up to you." People may think they are paying a trainer to teach the horse, but what the trainer does is teach the horse how to respond to him. You teach the horse how to respond to you, every day. Gus is a draft, so he's probably always going to be low-key, but drafts can be pretty pushy, too. Love him, he deserves it, but don't let him get away with anything, either!

 

[mississippifarmboy]

Well, Em got Gus his meds and he's acting like himself again. Looking out of the barn over the hallway gate, ears up, interested in what's going on and feeling much better. A little light exercise (walking) and he is still eating good and is calm and relaxed.
I'm no pro trainer and don't claim to be an expert in horses, but I've worked with and around horses all my life. Gus is one of those rare horses that seems to really WANT to please you. He's stubborn, but he is mainly just totally untrained and doesn't know what he is supposed to do. Every time I teach him something new he remembers and as soon as he does it again he'll perk up his ears and look at you like "Did I do good?"

A little praise and some rubbing and he's all set to do it again to please you.
I've worked with crazy horses, calm horses, stupid horses, mean horses and everything in between. Gus is a very intelligent horse and not at all mean or excitable. He needs a ton of training, but he is going to be a good horse in the long run.

There is still a long road ahead, but I think Mr. Gus will do just fine.

Anyway, Em wanted me to update everyone.

 

[mississippifarmboy]

oh yeah, I forgot the funny part of today. The vet gave Gus some paste... horse tranquilizer and anti-inflammatory stuff. Supposed to be pretty powerful. Anyway, Em said she couldn't get the cap off so she pulled it off with her teeth.

She said some got in her mouth. She's been in a pretty funny mood today.

 

[EmtheFishLady]

Shut up. :/ You're ruining my buzz man. :/

Seriously though, I have arthritis, it was cold, my hands weren't working, I got half a dose in my mouth...it could have happened to anyone.






...ok so it couldn't. Shut up. I'm a little hungry...I think we have a pot pie somewhere...