A Bay Horse

Quid pro quo

noreply@blogger.com (A Bay Horse) — Sun, 30 May 2010 07:40:00 PDT

My husband and I are planning to start a family.

Quid pro quo
Years ago, I proposed an "agreement" with my husband that for every baby human I produce, I get another horse. Horse trading as child rearing. See won't the kid love me?

The planning stage is going slowly. Meanwhile, I'd been chomping at the bit to get the equine side of the contract fulfilled; window shopping for horses.

My husband took me out on a date on Friday. His birthday was coming up. But I love business negotiations. I'm the queen of used car shopping and yard sale haggling. So I couldn't wait anymore. After a few beers, I thought it was an opportune moment to bring our agreement back up.

"Armani doesn't count?" he asked.

"No - He is a preexisting equine. If you'd read the terms, you would recall that preexisting equines are specifically excluded from our contract."

I already have a horse in mind. Armani's half sister. You may have read about her birth here.

She's since been given the barn name "Della". She is the last foal out of their dam by the same breeder. She shows all the evidence of being as spunky as her big brother. It was a golden opportunity I couldn't let slip by...

"Wouldn't it be fun? As much fun as Armani, but a mare. I always preferred mares."

My husband sipped his beer thoughtfully. "Hmm..."

"Well and you like cute girls, of course."

"Hmm..."

"Remember I bought a horse for your birthday a few years ago too. So we've already established a precedent..."

"Hmmm...."

In the meantime, I've been visiting Della every day on my lunch break...

To be continued...

Trouble updating

noreply@blogger.com (A Bay Horse) — Sun, 30 May 2010 07:33:00 PDT

I had trouble updating my blog. But I have a few stories saved up and am finally going to be publishing them now. Stay tuned....!

My thumb is not a carrot

noreply@blogger.com (A Bay Horse) — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 13:54:00 PDT

So I recall when I was little in 4H, they taught us very carefully how to feed treats. We wouldn't want our ponies mistaking little fingers for carrots.

Yes - I know many do not advocate hand-feeding a horse. They have good reasons I'm sure. But I do it anyway. I'm stubborn.

So I was handing Armani a carrot while talking to someone behind me. I turned around and wasn't paying attention. I had my thumb over the carrot. Woops - stupid mistake.

*CHOMP*

I yell, "OW Armani! That is my thumb!"

Armani looked perplexed. He held on tightly to the pink carrot. The pink carrot splurted blood everywhere. Armani backed away. "Mommy wants to take my carrot!"

"OW! BAD!" I poked my left thumb into the corner of his mouth. He released the pink carrot. Then Armani gave me a "Huh? what?" look.

"Armani, can't you tell the difference? Carrots don't squirt blood!" Most of the flesh was torn off of the knuckle. Of course I didn't visit the doctor. I just smooshed the flesh back in place. Then I taped my thumb up to immobilize it for a couple of weeks.

It has healed pretty nicely actually.

It isn't the first time Armani has mistaken something for a carrot or the first time I've done something dumb.

What do we do with fences?

noreply@blogger.com (A Bay Horse) — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 07:39:00 PDT

We jump fences. SILLY!

It is getting warmer. So our most recent lesson was jumping. Armani was fantastic. Our instructor said it was the best she'd seen him over fences yet. We started over poles. Then in-and-out crossrails. Then they went up to mid-sized verticals by the end.

Armani was very game and enthusiastic. He was even, tight and powerful over the verticals. Though I felt like I need to work more on my core strength. Especially after our little accident.

Sadly no photos. I need to remember to charge my camera next time.

But the real star was the green horse, Mr. Big. Mr. Big is a former stallion prospect (now gelded) who was started late. For a nearly 18hh horse he has the confidence of a mouse. But he is sweet and handsome.

He joined us for our lesson. Armani lead the way. Mr. Big was game to follow him over everything. Except the verticals, which were just for Armani.

I think it was a good confidence building lesson, all around.

Fool me twice...

noreply@blogger.com (A Bay Horse) — Thu, 01 Apr 2010 12:37:00 PDT

Happy April Fools Day!

To celebrate, I share with you the trick Armani played on me last week.

I arrived at the barn after a long day at work. It was cold and drizzling. Armani was eating hay in the run-in by the parking lot. Huey was a 5 minute walk, down the road, at the far end of the farm.

Seeing as Huey was further away, and it was raining, I figured I'd ride him first and get that out of the way. I started down the road.

"Whinny!", said Armani.

"Sorry, buddy. Huey's first. I'll ride you after."

I retrieved Huey. We walked back down the road to the barn. As we rounded the turn into the drive I saw Armani. Running towards us. On the WRONG side of the fence.... which was missing a board.

"Whinny! Whinny!"

"Armani!", I scolded. I grabbed him and led both boys into the barn. All the stalls were occupied. I tied them both in the isle. I dislike leaving horses tied alone. "Behave please. I have to fix the fence."

The cold rain soaked through my clothes. I waded through mud. I fell on my butt - twice. I got the fence cobbled back together. I took Armani back out. "Be good!"

I rode Huey in the indoor arena. After 15 minutes, I heard the barn owner's dog barking in the house. I wonder what's up? Perhaps someone is home? I rode Huey to the door and looked outside. Guess who came trotting to me....

"Armani!"

...followed by his pasture mate.

Just then the barn owner got home. We shuffled some horses around. Then I put Armani right to work. And after our ride - my bad boy spent the night inside, in "horsey jail". Despite his "sentence", he was very smug.

Beers and Bribery

noreply@blogger.com (A Bay Horse) — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 10:42:00 PDT

After our exciting weekend, I anticipated our Monday lesson would be eventful. I showed up to find a hurricane already brewing. There was a driving wind and rain outside. My lesson HAD to be indoors.

A new wall of mirrors was being installed in the indoor arena. But the installation was running over time. A brewski-fueled barn-raising party was in full swing. My instructor, beer in hand already, decided this was a PERFECT time to work over cavalletti.

Our route through the maze is shown in red:

I was resigned and ready for anything. Imagine my surprise when.....

Armani was good.

Really good actually. He was nervous but responsive. He worked excellently over the cavalletti.

"Look at Armani!" I exclaimed, "Good boy!", as we trotted over them.

"Yup! He looks really good today!" My instructor was dipping back into the beer stash. "Why do you think he's so good today - with all this going on", she waved around, "after being such a s#*! this weekend?"

I pondered a moment... "Because I gave him two sugar cubes before I got on?"

Humble pie

noreply@blogger.com (A Bay Horse) — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 10:03:00 PDT

I had sworn my friends to secrecy over our little accident on Saturday.
Armani was full of vitriol again on Sunday.

My husband was at his parents over the weekend. He was due back Sunday for dinner. Hmm... I couldn't tell him could I?
Now I don't ever feel guilty... Not me. Ever.

I hurried home from the barn. I cleaned up the house. I showered and put on a cute outfit. I made a nice dinner and lit candles. I even made an apple pie.

My husband walked in.

"So, what did you do wrong?"

I admit I confessed.

When pigs fly

noreply@blogger.com (A Bay Horse) — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 06:23:00 PDT

We're having some rough weather up here. The wind has been whipping, driving rain with it. And Armani has continued to challenge me. I joke about his "stomping and snorting" like a rhinoceros.

On Saturday, we went on a trail ride with friends. Armani snorted and bounced with defiance.

As we got half way around our loop, the other horses began acting nervous. They appeared scared of a patch of woods. This patch has been known to unnerve horses - why I'll never know. Feeling bold, I pushed Armani forward, as did another rider on her mount.

Suddenly that horse spooked and bolted into us. I felt her stirrup hook around my ankle. Armani threw his head up and jumped. But I was yanked out of my saddle by the other, taller horse, as he sped away. Fortunately my foot got free.

But I was in thin air.

I had just a split second to think "I'm coming off between two horses, must not land under either one." I rolled. I managed to avoid getting tromped on too much.

I looked up. Armani had stopped a short distance away and was staring at me as if to say, "WTF are you doing down there?" The other horses had stopped and one rider dismounted and grabbed Armani.

I was all ready to say, "I'm ok! Everyone good?" but I found my right lung felt like a flat tire. I heaved. No air would come in. I waved. One of my friends came over and slapped my back. I managed to gasp in some air. Finally I was able to insist I was "Ok" and that "nothing feels broken".

I remounted and we rode home. Armani wasn't the least bit sorry, naturally. He continued to "stomp and snort" for the whole mile and a half home.

I had a lesson scheduled the next day. My ribs and my ankle were sore. I had whiplash in my neck. Funny - I don't have any idea how I pulled my neck.

My instructor asked if I had come off of Armani before. "No." I said. "He's fallen down on top of me before. But my legs were still around him. So that doesn't count!"

"Well there is a first time for everything. Hope you are happy!"

"Yeah!" I said.

Now we are getting somewhere

noreply@blogger.com (A Bay Horse) — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 07:40:00 PST

As you may know, gentle reader, Armani is a "hot or cold" kind of guy. Right now we are going through a challenging patch.

He was combative again during our lesson last night. After some remedial work, he finally settled out a bit. At that point, our instructor had us start going through some movements.

"Ah ha! This is First Level Test 1." I thought. Should I mention that? Well no one likes the "know it all" pupil. I'd been memorizing tests in my spare time, you know, in case I actually want to ride them some day.

We went through most of the test. "I tap dance with an angry rhinoceros." I thought.

"That was most of First Level Test 1. There is no reason why he can't do this." our instructor said after we finished. "These little battles mean you are getting somewhere."

Hurray?

Training: Using bend to reduce a spook

noreply@blogger.com (A Bay Horse) — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 12:17:00 PST

Armani isn't a "spooky" horse precisely. He's more of a challenging and clever horse. He'll go from one act of defiance to another: too slow, too fast, too lazy, too hot. When he feels "hot" he'll "spook" with a big leap and bolt - or maybe a rear and back-up. I can usually feel something coming about a half second early.

My instructor gave us this technique. Like a lot of our tricks, this one employs lateral work and bend. If I can pull this off early, I can eliminate or reduce the severity. If I miss the subtle signs, and he goes off like a cannon, I can use this technique to "bring him back".

Exercise: Bending through a spook (or shy, or bolt, or what-have-you)

1) Bring the horse's head and neck to the inside. Assume we are are traveling counter-clockwise and spooking at something on our right (outside). Bring your left (inside) hand back by bending your elbow. Keep both hands low by the horse's neck. Resist lifting them up towards your chest. Use a stronger aid than "normal". Bring the horse's head toward the inside more than is "normal".

2) At the same time: activate the inside hind-leg. Apply your left (inside) seat-bone (or upper-leg or calf if you don't have a strong seat aid yet.) Push the left (inside) hind-leg so that it steps underneath the horse. This inside driving aid is very important. It keeps the horse moving toward the "scary" object. Apply more aid than is normal. Your leg aid should match the degree of rein aid: more rein = more leg.

3) When you feel your horse relax, immediately relax your aids. This rewards your horse for listening to you, rather than acting on impulse.

4) Repeat as necessary. You can repeat these aids again, even a few strides later, when necessary. Just remember to relax and reward when your horse is good.

The key here is that your aids are stronger than usual. I only employ the strong aids for enough time to get him obedient and then I relax and reward.

You might also want to check out Jane Savoie's write-up that sounds like the same idea.

Training: Backwards square exercise

noreply@blogger.com (A Bay Horse) — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 06:24:00 PST

Backwards Square

This new exercise is for strengthening the hind quarters and back.

Begin in a trot (or walk).
Walk then halt and do a quarter turn on the forhand.
Back up 5 steps.
Do another quarter turn on the forhand.
Back up 5 steps.
Continue until you are back on the rail.

There are no rules. You can mix up the directions of the turns and make other shapes besides squares, changes of rein, whatever you like.

My instructor suggested we'd get more benefit if we back uphill. This can also be done as a ground work exercise.

My anonymous benefactor

noreply@blogger.com (A Bay Horse) — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 11:49:00 PST

Perhaps you've dreamed of a lost Uncle Louie. He was last heard from via a package from a deserted Pacific Island. The box reads "Dear Niece, Weather is lovely. Shame about the crocodiles. Please take care of Phil for me. Arrrgg...." You open the package. Out leaps Phil the Monkey, banana in one hand and a sack in the other. "Aww, Hi Phil!" you say. With a giggle of glee, Phil leaps over your head and straight to the top of the china cabinet. You stretch your arms toward him. Phil laughs and jumps onto your head. He drops the banana peel. In your rush you accidentally slide on it. You topple over - into the china! You close your eyes and brace for impact. You, Phil, the banana, the china, and the sack explode in all directions. After a huge crash, you feel safe enough to open them. Phil is smiling and checking your hair for lice. You look around. All about you is the wreckage of Great Grandma Grace's wedding china and stars in your eyes. Those aren't stars. Phil's sack was full of golden pirate doubloons!

"Thanks, Uncle Louie!"

I don't have an Uncle Louie. But I did have an anonymous benefactor. I grew up in a wealthy area of Connecticut. As a child, it felt like every one had horses except me. Or so I told my parents daily. My father was a local pastor and my mother a homemaker. As such, they didn't have the income to support a daughter's horse habit. My horse adventures were limited to voracious reading and occasional pony rides.

I recall suffered in sullen indignity through one friend's birthday party. After opening a plethora of colorful boxes, and stuffing in cupcakes, her parents invited us into the backyard for "One more little gift." A pony stood by the swing set with a bow on his head.
"Oh, another pony?" the birthday girl yawned. Grr! At the tender age of 5 or so, I found my self contemplating becoming a felon.

My best friend and next door neighbor shared my longing for all things equestrian. We gave our bicycles horsey names like "Lightening" and "Swift Wind" and collected Breyer horse models. Finally one summer, my best friend started taking riding lessons at a local hunter barn. I was indescribably jealous. We had shared everything as best friends. And now she was living our big horsey dreams alone.

Around the same time, I was also suffering from chronic ear infections. I went to the hospital for a short surgery. My parents bought me a pet gerbil for being a good girl. A gerbil was fun, but no horse. I also got lots of get well mail from the relatives. But one curious envelope appeared without a return address. My parents opened it first and I think had a long discussion about its contents before telling me. It contained a hand written "gift certificate" which entitled me to a few lessons at the hunter barn. My parents agreed I could go. Hurray! But I think they secretly hoped I would "get it out of my system" and decide horses weren't for me.

Well, so much for that idea.

My stubborn streak won out. I kept riding. And soon I was "helping out", as much as a kid can, in exchange for riding time. But best of all, I was sharing the dream with my best friend. We both still ride today.

Epilogue:
Now as an adult, I suspect I know who my anonymous benefactor was. But since they never told me, I've never asked. But I'll always be grateful.

Funny horse stories

noreply@blogger.com (A Bay Horse) — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 11:49:00 PST

Grey Horse Matters posted a series of humorous horse stories. Yes, it is true, we all have those stories!

Being able to laugh when we fall is necessary. But also being a closet optimist (shh!), I tend to remember the good times, not the bad. In particular, the story of how I became an equestrian stands out. So I will share that next.

How long can you go without riding?

noreply@blogger.com (A Bay Horse) — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 06:38:00 PST

I've been sick since Saturday. I did manage to sit on Armani on Sunday. It was only for 15 minutes. He was fresh and I was coughing and sneezing. Since then I've been too sick. It is now Wednesday.

It has been raining and icy all week, which rather reflects how I feel. I try to ride every day and not miss more than a day at a time. But this is the first time I've been sick in a while. Still I harbor massive amounts of guilt for missing time.

How long can you go without riding?

Training: 2 exercises for lengthening on a cob horse

noreply@blogger.com (A Bay Horse) — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 08:42:00 PST

Armani is a cobby, baroque built horse. He finds lengthening challenging. But lateral work comes naturally. So our instructor has given us these two exercises. They introduce lengthening through lateral work.

Exercise 1: Shoulder-in to Lengthening
1) Ridden at the Trot
2) K-E. Sitting Trot. Shoulder in down half of the arena.
3) E-M. Rising trot. Straighten horse. Then ask him to lengthen his stride.

Exercise 2: 8 meter circle to Lengthening
1) Ridden at Trot
2) H. Rising or sitting. 8 meter circle in the corner. Establish a lot of bend. Work on getting the inside hind swinging under his body.
3) H-F. Rising trot. Straighten horse. Then ask him to lengthen his stride.

You are back around to where you started. You can go back to Exercise 1 if you wish.

A new year, steady progress

noreply@blogger.com (A Bay Horse) — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 08:01:00 PST

A new year has dawned. Armani and I make slow, but steady progress. His training continued with our instructor while I took time off during my late Baby Cat's passing.

Armani is a very cobby, baroque horse. He can move his feet quickly and dance on a dime. So collected and lateral work come naturally. His canter is his best gait, followed by walk, though his trot is nice. But lengthening trot and bending are more of a challenge.

As he builds strength, he is becoming a peacock. More than one person has told me they spotted him passaging and leaping around the pasture - through the snow - ruffling his mane in the air - while he hoots at mares, naturally. Apparently he thinks he's Fabio. Silly little man.

Looking back at 2009

noreply@blogger.com (A Bay Horse) — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 10:00:00 PST

I look back at 2009 and form New Year's Resolutions 2010.

1. Learn finesse.
2. Make more friends.
3. Keep secrets.
4. Take time to smell the roses.
5. Be kind to others.
6. Spend wisely.
7. Enjoy the weather.
8. Keep my sense of humor.
9. Pamper myself more. Wait I mean the horses...
10. When my husband says "No more horses", get more cats.

So this is a horse blog right?

noreply@blogger.com (A Bay Horse) — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 07:18:00 PST

If it seems like I'm on a cat rant lately, that's because I am. But Armani thinks he deserves a mention. It is his blog.

While Baby was sick I spent 2 weeks away from the barn to nurse her. (...I also burned almost all my vaccation time for 2010.) It was the longest Armani and I had been apart. Armani was ridden by his trainer and was reportedly good... at first...

She called me a few times to ask how the cat was. "How's Armani?" I asked.
"Oh, don't worry about him." Hmm, ominous?
...I tried hard not to. When I got back to the barn finally, I had to pry the whole story out.

Armani makes hay

First, Armani apparently made hay at a lesson. Another Grand Prix trainer had asked to borrow Armani once a week for her students. Evidently his last lesson was cut short because of erratic behavior.

Armani declares war
Armani did not leave a fence untouched. He went on an unabashed board breaking, fence jumping, gate unlatching spree. Most uncharacteristically, he even left his dinner behind when he ran wild.

Armani is unrepentant
2 weeks later, I returned. Armani squealed and raced to the gate. He began working at the latch. "Hang on, Stinker!"

He danced around in the crossties. "Settle, settle..." I softly intoned. He completely disregarded my advice. He tried to follow me into the tack room. The crossties snapped, swung about. He knocked my trainer's saddle off the rack.

Back in the saddle, "It's not like riding a bicycle." I mused. I had my period. I felt out of sync. It was a windy, snowy day. Armani was high as a kite. He leapt at every gust. He carreened toward walls. He snorted. He stomped. He spun. He flew.

Armani decided the indoor arena was a gladiator arena. For 3 days I struggled through his airs-above-ground. "He sure has gotten stronger."

I was frustrated. Armani needs a steady hand. I knew it was my fault for having been gone so long. But I couldn't have neglected Baby.

Armani reforms himself, a bit...

Then I was invited to go on a trail ride. My companions were a 80 year old lady on a quarter horse and a close friend on a 4 year old. In such company, Armani was expected to be a seasoned leader.

Armani rose to the occasion - sort of. Actually he grumbled and grunted for the whole ride. But that was his only display of defiance. We rode through wood and field, through 2 feet of dense snow, for over an hour. The ladies had a wonderful time. After we got back I gave him a massage and treats.

The next day it was back to the gladiator arena.

Vaccine-associated sarcoma in cats

noreply@blogger.com (A Bay Horse) — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 06:26:00 PST

Daisy made a very good point in comments, which is that there is a risk of vaccine-associated sarcoma in cats (read more...). It's good for cat parents to know about this risk. Our vet does vaccines in a leg, because that is easier to remove if a sarcoma develops. In our state, a rabies vaccine is required for cats, but nothing else. Keeping your kitty indoors can protect them from FeLV and other communicable diseases. Our cats are all indoors and only go out on supervised leash walks.

More about Leukemia in cats

noreply@blogger.com (A Bay Horse) — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 13:07:00 PST

We got Baby Scout's ashes back yesterday. We are having a very hard time accepting her death. A few weeks before she was vibrant, healthy and active.

Here is some more info to go with this post about leukemia in cats.

Confusion
It's hard to find info about leukemia in cats because most results on Google are for Feline Leukemia Virus (FeLV) - which is a misnomer, it's a retro-virus, like HIV, not cancer itself, though it is suspected that it can cause cells to become cancerous.

Baby didn't have the virus. Baby had leukemia the cancer on its own. I got a little sad yesterday because I was telling someone and they scolded "Oh, well you should have vaccinated your cat!", implying I was neglectful and deserved it. I had to explain that it wasn't the same thing - but I'm not sure they believed me. It hurt because my husband and I treated Baby like she was our own baby. She couldn't have been more protected and pampered with care. Still I resisted my urge to slug this person. After all, if I thought someone failed to vaccinate a cat, wouldn't I "tsk tsk" too? I've been wondering if I should just tell people she died of "cancer" and leave it at that.

Info on standalone Leukemia in cats
There's two types of Leukemia, acute and chronic. Lots of subsets of each.
1) Chronic hits older animals, but is much slower, more treatable and the symptoms can be more subtle.
2) Acute usually strikes the young to middle aged and healthy. It kills very quickly. Based on Baby's health beforehand, symptoms such as very large, immature blasts, the extreme severity, and very sudden onset, I think she very clearly had Acute. The prognosis for this is "bad" as I highlighted below. Autopsy revealed it had already spread to her spleen.

A good plain-English article on Leukemia in cats and dogs

Therapy and prognosis for the different types of leukemia are quite different. ALL tends to have a very poor prognosis, and affected animals often succumb to secondary infection.... Unfortunately, pets with ALL often die within days to months of diagnosis.

A more medical article on Leukemia in cats with photos of blood cells

Although there are many similarities between the human and animal forms of the disease, the clinical course and outcome are very different. The prognosis with chemotherapy treatment is poor in canine and feline patients, and the average survival time is only a few months. Untreated, the estimated survival time from diagnosis is less than two weeks

Baby passed away on Friday

noreply@blogger.com (A Bay Horse) — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 16:45:00 PST

Scout, "Baby", lost her battle on Friday.

We did everything medically possible to save Baby, including rounds of ultrasounds, endoscopy, IV/oxygen, and brought in our other 2 cats and my mothers cats as potential blood donors. But she was unable to recover and we had her put to sleep. We had an autopsy performed. The vets determined it was leukemia (the cancer not FeLV).

It would be impossible to sum-up what she meant to us. There are so many stories. She was more than our "pet cat" she was like another person to us and our best friend and baby. My husband and I are devastated.

Instead of gifts for us this Christmas, we asked our family to give to the Springfield Humane Society in her name. If anyone else would like to give to a very good independent, non-profit, humane society please consider leaving a donation in the name of "Scout". We did so the day after Scout passed.

Their Website is: http://www.spfldhumane.org/

I also blogged about visiting them here. I visit frequently. And I can tell you that all the animals are wonderfully cared for and they are active in the community. They are a very deserving charity.

I probably won't feel like blogging for a few weeks. We are, anonymously through our vet, giving all of Baby's diabetic supplies to a needy family whose cat was just diagnosed. I couldn't throw away her last test strip just yet. We saved it in a baggy with her hair.

I wish you, your furry friends, and family a very Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, Happy Hanukkah.

Leukemia in Cats versus Feline leukemia virus (FeLV)

noreply@blogger.com (A Bay Horse) — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 11:22:00 PST

Might be of interest to cat owners, the similarities and differences between "Feline leukemia virus (FeLV)", a retrovirus that causes illness, for which there is a vaccine, and "Leukemia", a form of cancer. Baby had Leukemia alone. She was vaccinated for FeLV and was retested as negative before her death.

Leukemia is a cancer of the blood or bone marrow and is characterized by an abnormal proliferation (production by multiplication) of blood cells, usually white blood cells (leukocytes). Leukemia is a broad term covering a spectrum of diseases. In turn, it is part of the even broader group of diseases called hematological neoplasms. ...continue reading about "Leukemia"

Feline leukemia virus (FeLV) is a retrovirus that infects cats. As a retrovirus, the genetic information of FeLV is carried by RNA instead of DNA. FeLV is usually transmitted between infected cats when the transfer of saliva or nasal secretions is involved. If not defeated by the animal’s immune system, the virus can be lethal. The disease is a virus, not a cancer. The name stems from the fact that the first disease associated with the virus was a form of leukemia. By the time it was discovered that the virus was not the same as leukemia, the misnomer had already found its way into the vocabulary of pet owners.
...continue reading about "Feline leukemia virus (FeLV)"

FeLV can infect wild species of cats as well, as in this case of an infected Bobcat.

Please think of my cat Baby

noreply@blogger.com (A Bay Horse) — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 15:49:00 PST

I've been quiet because my cat, Scout, aka "Baby", is seriously ill. She has been living with diabetes for a year. But recently she spiked a fever and out of control immune response.

She's in a vet clinic on multiple IVs. They aren't sure at this time what the original cause of her illness is. The outlook is poor.

Baby is my most beloved pet, and really my best friend. Please think of her.

Happy Thanksgiving

noreply@blogger.com (A Bay Horse) — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 13:11:00 PST

Mom was sick on her birthday. So the birthday dinner I promised her morphed into an unexpected early Thanksgiving. My husband and I invited over Mom, my brother, and friends.

I cooked:
- I roasted an 8 pound chicken. I let other shoppers fight over the turkeys.
- Mashed potatoes with gravy
- Carrots
- Green and white asparagus
- The last fall beets I saved from our local farmer
- And for desert: Yellow cake with chocolate cream frosting and ice cream. ...I admit I bought those.

I also picked up every barn girl's favorite fashion accessory. New muck boots for Mom.

Hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Mom's birthday

noreply@blogger.com (A Bay Horse) — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 18:05:00 PST

Today was my mother's birthday. But I shouldn't say which. Anyway, we planned to ride and then I'd make dinner at my house.

"Hi, Mom. Happy Birthday. Are we still getting together tonight?"

"Uuuuhhhh.... I'm... siiiiiiiick...."

"You're sick...? Did you catch the flu?"

"I've got to go, Honey.... (Burp)... Bathroom..." *click*

So much for our plans.
"I have a lot to do at work. I can't catch swine flu..."
What's a daughter to do? Same thing I do any time life presents a quandary...

I went to the barn. I pulled Huey out and rode. Then after I got him untacked, Huey put on his "treat face".

"Wait here, Huey. I have an idea." I got his treat. And my phone.

"Hi Mom."

"Uhhhh?"

"Huey got the phone. He said he had to call you to say, Happy Birthday. Here he is." I held it up to Huey's ear and gave him his treat.

"HIIIIIIIII HUEEEEEYY!!!!"

"Mom, don't make him deaf."

Huey looked puzzled. He turned his head sideways. He nickered quietly in his throat as he inhaled his treats. I suppose that is horse for "Happy Birthday."