The FreeRepublic Saddle Club thread! - Thread NINE

See our "who's who" page! ^

[HairOfTheDog]

The FreeRepublic Saddle Club - Who's Who *pics*

This is a horse chat thread where we share ideas, ask for input from other horsemen, and talk about our riding and horse-keeping. We have a lot of different kinds of riders and horses, and a lot to share. In the previous threads we have had a great time talking through lessons, training, horse lamenesses, illnesses and pregnancies... and always sharing pictures and stories.

I always have a link to this thread on my profile page, so if you have something to say and can't find the thread in latest posts… look for it there and wake the thread up!

I also have a ping list for horse threads that are of interest, and MissTargets will now be pinging everyone most mornings. Let MissTargets and/or me know if you would like to be on the ping list. As FreeRepublic is a political site, our politics and other issues will probably blend in…. There are many issues for horsemen that touch politics… land use, animal rights/abuse cases that make the news…. Legislation that might affect horse owners.

So... like the previous threads, this is intended as fun place to come and share stories, pictures, questions and chit-chat, unguided and unmoderated and that we come together here as friends. There are lots of ways of doing things and we all have our quirks, tricks and specialties that are neat to learn about.

Previous threads:

The FreeRepublic Saddle Club thread - thread ONE
The FreeRepublic Saddle Club thread - Thread TWO!
The FreeRepublic Saddle Club thread - Thread THREE!
The FreeRepublic Saddle Club thread! - Thread FOUR
The FreeRepublic Saddle Club thread! - Thread FIVE
The FreeRepublic Saddle Club thread! - Thread SIX
The FreeRepublic Saddle Club thread! - Thread SEVEN
The FreeRepublic Saddle Club thread! - Thread EIGHT

New folk and occasional posters, jump right in and introduce yourselves, tell us about your horses, and post pictures if you've got them!

[Beaker]

Good luck with that kitty. Are you going to keep her after this, or send her to a good home? Sorry I haven't been on much. I've been busy planning a friend's bridal shower, and job hunting (aaaack) and and and..... needless to say I haven't gotten ANY riding time in AT ALL.

[HairOfTheDog]

Oh - we'll keep her. What's another mouth to feed :~D

Good luck with job hunting, and my condolences on the bridal shower... they're dreadful things :~D

[FrogInABlender]

...the options discussed were to put her down, wait till term and do a c-section, or do a c-section and spay now...If the kittens are alive and viable, they'll save them. He wasn't hopeful they would be

Well, that's a bummer about Miss Kitty, but it sounds like the only real good option. Like you said, she would probably die if she tried to have them. Hopefully the kittens will make it, but I can understand how they wouldn't. Cat gestation periods aren't that long, so proportionally speaking when compared to humans, every day early is a long time as far as development goes. But you did the best for her, so that's what matters.

[HairOfTheDog]

Yeah - the kittens would have killed her. She's just too tiny and thin to be a momma right now. They'll have to be bottle fed, if any make it. I'm not expecting that, but we'll see.

[HairOfTheDog]

Reposted from the HH:

There's bad news on the kitty front. The vet just called, and she was on the operating table and things were very bad inside. Her uterus had ruptured some days ago, all the kittens were dead, and her insides were very contaminated. Even though I expressed a lot of hope that she seemed to feel pretty good before the surgery, he was very skeptical that she could pull through the inevitable infection that would certainly come. She's just too weak. He said "where our chances were 75% for success before, they're 25% now, and that's only after many days of expensive hospitalization. It might run to a thousand dollars in ICU and she still might die." He said "I've never seen anything like it... it's like she was thrown from a car, or kicked or something".

I said "You really think the best thing is to put her down, don't you?" he said "I think you'd be setting yourself up for a heartbreak to keep going".

Darnit. I'm full of regret and doubt, because she hadn't seemed to be too terribly sick or in pain before, but I said to go ahead and put her down.

Darn it.

[PayNoAttentionManBehindCurtain]

I'm so sorry.

Becky

[ShakeNJake]

I am so sorry to hear about the kitty. But, as heartbreaking as it is that you weren't able to save her life, you did give her a few days of loving kindness and a comfortable end instead of the terrible death that awaited her alone and untreated.

Angels come to us in all shapes and sizes.

[RebaJ]

Hey Cindy. I'm thinkin I need to get CPR certified sometime this summer. Are you set up to do that yet?

[HairOfTheDog]

Thanks all... been goin' around huggin' my other pets, it's all I can do :~)

She must have been sicker than she looked, I don't think the vet thought to take her temp even, he looked her over and we decided what to do, and he said he was surprised by what he found inside. The other doctors too, their cat specialist I also know, was called in to look too, and there were bits and pieces, like it had happened some time ago and the kittens were deteriorating inside. He said even if they got all the pieces, she'd soon be very sick, and very infected, and she was just bones... she didn't have the kind of reserves to make it through that.

Anyhow... At least she had peace, she would indeed have had a terrible end on her own, and she was spared that. It still made me pretty sad, but I'm better now.

[MissTargets]

Oh too bad about the kitty. She was very pretty. You made every effort to give her a chance. I am an old softy like that too.

[CindyDawg]

I was afraid they were gone but didn't want to worry you. Sounds like she was probably already septic. As someone else said though, you gave her comfort at the last . Sometimes that is all we can do.

[CindyDawg]

Next Thur at 2pm:') Soon I'll be starting Sat classes.

[HairOfTheDog]

I was afraid the kittens were gone too, but I thought we'd be able to pull the 'momma' through. I just didn't realize how bad it was when I left her. She was sure sweet.

I have to smile though, because I get all teary thinking about all this stuff, and I look at Homer, who takes himself sooooo seriously, and he's giving me this face.

It's just pitifully comical. :~)

[ShakeNJake]

What a great photo! He knows you are sad and is trying to give you some doggy love to cheer you up.

[CindyDawg]

He senses you are sad. Good dogs are great comforts.

[Duchess47]

I am so sorry Hair, but thank you from her and me for the love you gave her, and for choosing to let her go in the caring hands of a doctor instead of severe pain from infection on her own.

[PayNoAttentionManBehindCurtain]

LOL,, what a sweet sad boy for you.

Susie is the first dog I've ever owned that I swear she knows my moods before I do:), and acts accordingly. Dogs are amazing:)

Becky

[CindyDawg]

Are you ready? We have mini mosquitoes out tonight.

[MissTargets]

Good Morning.

Becky, if I don't get a chance to get back on, I wish you luck on your ride. Have fun!

[PayNoAttentionManBehindCurtain]

UUUUMMMMMMMMM....No:)

My stomach has gone from flipflopping to cartwheeling:).

But that's just me, it will do that till Sat. morning when I finally mount, then I'll be fine.

Today, is "get the trailer set up and packed day", and get the house cleaned up.

Oh, and I still haven't practiced lunging, so that will happen probably twice today, once this morning then again this evening.

Mosquitoes have been bad here to all ready. along with ticks. I hate ticks and they are everywhere.

Becky