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Thanks all who responded both publicly and privately. Your replies were
really informative and caring, I was exhausted by the time my vet made it to
my barn, so I didn't absorb as much as I could have when he was there.

I talked to my ridign buddy that was with my when Star was attacked. She was
on a green gelding in front of us, since I was on a mare who hates dogs I
told her to go on up ahead and just keep her horse away from Star and we'd
be fine. While Star was bucking and kicking at the dogs I wasn't really
aware of where they were, I heard her squeal and tuck her butt later found
what appeared to be teeth marks where she lost just the hair. Melissa told
me after thinking about it last night that she doesn't ever remember seeing
the dogs get within biting distance of Star, encounter lasted around 45
seconds max. So... That made me feel alot better. The vet inspected her hind
legs and said there didn't appear to be any kind of bite wounds or evidence
of any, so there's no reason for her to be quarantined. Yeah! I relaxed a
little at that news. We did go ahead and give her another rabies vaccine
just to be safe.

Star's apparent neurological problems are actually a pulled muscle in her
shoulder. She can't circle to the right or back. When she fell in the creek
I thought she'd broken somethign, I heard a very loud crack. That little
ordeal lasted about 30 seconds of her struggling to stay on her feet, then
my buddies horse fell and slammed her right side. As soon as I got her out
of the stall my vet told me something was wrong with her shoulder, she's to
trackign that much too short, but she's extending her right leg way farther
than her left to keep from using her shoulder. (Whew!) That's what I was
feeling when I rode her, she's right sided and I noticed her bumping me onto
the left diagonal. He told me no canter, no down hills, light rides for a
few weeks, nothing strenous, increase her MSM to loading dose and be good to
her. :)

Her hives are a biting insect allergy, apparently. He told me with her first
case either I'd never see hives again or she'd get them often. Last night he
said to get her a nose to butt to hoof fly sheet and that would probably
help. Yeah.... Sure... Houdini ain't gonna wear one of those, but I'm going
to buy one anyhow and see how long it makes it. I just don't know what to do
while I'm riding? Guess I'll find a way to ride with it. He said with her
allergy she's probably been lethargic because she's always mildly inflamed
(taht's not the word he used...) with hives and she probably feels lousy.
Right now she's sprayed with 3 kidns of flyspray (two herbal and Repel X on
her tail) and on NOMS, but that hasn't taken care of my problems.

One thing that made me feel really good last night when my vet called he
told me he'd be a few hours late (11:30 vs 9pm), but he knew I wasn't a life
or death emergency. When he finally got to my barn he looked in Star's stall
and I'd just mucked it and put out fresh Cedar bedding (takes care of bugs),
commented on how my stalls are always spotless, every barn he's seen me at.
When I open her door to get her out, she comes over and slides her head into
the halter and stands calmly. I cross tie her for my own protection and the
vet goes on to tell me how great it is to work with someone who know's their
animal. I gave him my little chart of normal temps vs. temps yesterday, HR,
Respiration, etc... Told him she wasn't drinking but was getting beet pulp
and wet hay and salt in her food to promote drinking along with probiotics.
He told me that the majority of illness cases he sees in teh summertime end
up on IVs because of dehydration because people don't realize their horse
isn't drinking (how can you not know when the horse is in a stall and no
water's gone out of the buckets?). It made me feel like I'd done well by my
horse getting complements on her care from a vet I respect. She was much
better about needles thanks to some of the suggestions here, didn't have to
twitch her or anything.

Thanks,
Steph




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