show report (NSR)

Muppet and I attended our first dressage show hosted by NEDA with my friend Alex and her horse Mikey.

We did the Intro test A and B which are basically the first tests and are all walk and trot. It was a fun show and we cleaned up well for it. Here we are warming up to go in the ring (it was very dusty).

Unfortunately Muppet was scared by the judges in the horse trailer at one end of the ring, and took until the end of the second test to calm down . We did improve in marks in our tests coming 6th and then 5th respectfully. I was proud of my horse and look forward to going to another show soon.

In sheep and lamb news the vet and myself are leaning towards chronic heat stress in the lambs. Temps are out of normal range when the weather is hot and hasn't cooled off overnight. Temps go down to normal on the cool mornings. Still no other signs and blood work was all clean. I am hoping for cooler weather soon as it has been a terribly hot, humid and rainless summer. Anyone else ready for Fall?

A picture free update

Sorry for the lack of pictures but I thought people would like an update. The group of lambs still has a fever, and no other symptoms. The vet came out yesterday and drew blood from several of them for testing. We also changed antibiotics as no noticeable change has been perceived from what they were on. Hope to see some temperature drop Friday. Unfortunately (isn't it always the case) the weather has been very hot and humid these past few days with little relief at night. The fans are going and plenty of shade and cold water is available. The vet said that if we weren't taking their temperatures we would never even know they were sick. I'm trying to hold onto this as a good thing and hope that all of their temperatures will drop into the normal range soon.

Thank you everyone for your support. It has been a very difficult week that would have been much harder without your kind words and ideas.

A very depressing day (unfortunately sheep related)

No pictures today. My heart isn't in it.

Last night when I went to bring in the sheep Winston one of this years rams lambs was ill. He was lethargic, had difficulty breathing, was dragging his hind feet and couldn't bah. He would occasionally cough. I separated him and took his temperature (a whopping 108 degrees). Respirations were painful to listen too. Unfortunately I got the emergency vet who was very reluctant to come out, kept telling me that if I really wanted him to live I should take him to the hospital (nearest one is over an hour away) I said I wanted her opinion. Meanwhile he peed a few times and just lay down. He looked bloated.

Vet arrived within 30 minutes at 7.30pm. Didn't believe his temperature and retook it. Informed me "I've never seen that temperature conducive to life". Upon my request (I said he looked bloated) she tubed him and got 50cc of air out. He stood up. She gave him banamine and an antibiotic. She basically also informed me that she had her children in the car because I had made it sound so urgent on the phone, but that he looked "quite perky" to her. She left me with banamine and more antibiotic and told me to just put him back in with the other lambs "because if they're going to get it that would have it already".

At 9pm I checked on him. He was acting strange. Getting up and walking a few feet before collapsing. I put him on my lap. At 9.15pm he started having seizures. At 9.30pm he was dead. He had seemed fine that morning.

I called my regular vet today and informed her he had died. To make it worse 2 other lambs have temperatures. One is 104.6 and one is 104.3. Both are eating, chewing cud and running around. No-one seems to know what is causing the fevers. I am open to ideas. Let's hope everyone else can pull through.

May Winston rest peacefully in grass filled fields.