10/05/2020
I want to begin by apologizing for not providing you with an update sooner. I just couldn’t bring myself to write, “We still don’t know what is wrong with our babies.” In the last 48 hours we have learned a lot about what it is not. The horses have tested negative for Coronavirus, Cryptosporidiosis, Clostridium and Salmonella. The necropsy on Fancy’s body has not yet determined her cause of death.
Preliminary test on the food have come back negative. We will continue to feed an alternate food till all testing is complete. Testing on the water has not come back yet. We have had an alternate source of water brought in until we are sure the water is safe.
All of our babies continue to fight hard. The past two days have been touch and go for Stormy. Twice we have almost lost him. Thanks to the dedication and extreme measures of Dr. Shanna he is still here to fight today. He currently remains in critical condition.
Rippy also remains in critical condition. He has been receiving IVs the longest. His ups are finally beginning to outnumber the downs.
Sadly yesterday Trooper and Empire’s conditions were downgraded to critical. They are both receiving IVs today.
Sunny seems to be doing well but the girls are keeping a close eye on him.
Charm and Autumn are still under observation at NC State. Yesterday was a scary day for Charm. Saturday morning he was facing surgery. By the evening both horses were stable and surgery is off the table for now. Today’s reports leave us hopeful that they are both getting better.
On Saturday Cappy started showing signs of dehydration. He was given an IV and by evening was looking better.
Chillie is being released from NC State today. At this time he will not be returning to the barn until we find out exactly what we are dealing with.
Sammi has been very stressed and may have developed ulcers. She is being watched closely.
Parker, Sassy, and Copper all are doing well but we are watching them for any signs that could cause them to not feel well.
The only constant in my life this week has been my 4:30am cup of coffee with my husband in the parking lot. I haven’t been home since Sunday when Koda fell ill. I cannot put into words how proud I am of my students and their parents for their love and dedication to our horses. They have sat diligently outside the stalls of each horse documenting every little detail about their day. The stress this has put on all of us is overwhelming at times. We are all tired, especially our horses. When one of them just wants to lay down and take a nap we all immediately jump up to check on them. I want to take a minute to personally thank our Vet, Shanna’s ’s for her dedication to saving our babies. She has been here, day in and day out, caring for our sweet babies like they are her own. We will never be able to thank her for all the hours she has put in this week. I never thought the day would come when the barn would look more like a hospital than a barn.
I hope tomorrow’s update brings continued improvement and more answers. Please continue to lift our entire barn family up in your prayers.
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