Saturday, November 15, 2008

So, what's been happening ... Happy 4 weeks old Silas!

It's four weeks today since we lost Debi and Silas entered the world. What a lot has happened since then!

Silas is definitely getting stronger (and a bit easier to pick up!) but his legs still bother me something awful. All I can do is hope that with time and increased strength, they will improve. He's still not using his off hind properly and his near fore is tending to knuckle over, quite disturbingly at times. I'm going to talk to the vet about splinting but he is definitely getting about ok and trying really hard to be spritely - He tried to gallop across the paddock to us this morning after we had been to see Robbie (I had a ride around the paddock on the big goof ball) and he really picked up some speed ... on three legs! *insert frowning smiley here*. He's also taken to 'killing' the cover that I have draped over the gate by his stall and the cover I have coverng some old fenceposts by the yards. He paws at them, licks them and bites them. There is a naughty colty boy in there dying to come out!

His temperature has stayed within normal range for 48 hours, which is very promising and he is now reliably drinking 2 litres/feed with the occasional top up of 500 or so ml of water. He would drink more but with the milk situation at present, he's going to have to go a little bit hungry for another day. He's taken to chopped up apple pieces too - nothing wrong with his Clydesdale appetite!! Oh and he is still pooing well - a little firmer than it has been but very green with lots of grass and meal being digested. Yay for good poo!

I will try and get the camera out this afternoon and grab some photo and videos. He's filling out now, although he is nowhere near the size he would be if he was with his mum. I was looking at last year's photos of Kenzie at his age and the resemblance is remarkable, as is the difference in weight. Still, his joints will not benefit from too much weight so being a bit light is probably really a very good thing.

He's really stolen my heart now. Yesterday afternoon I fell asleep for a wee while in his stall with him and woke up to his whiskers tickling my cheek as he snored. He's so opinionated and single minded, I think it is what is pulling him through this. His mum was exactly the same. He has her steely determination and stubborn willfullness and I think it is probably saving his life.

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