Tuesday, June 7, 2016

Repeat Customer

Farm Team convoy was on the road before 8 AM Tuesday morning.
My F-350, the F-250 plus a 38' trailer -- all for one horse.  
Tommy, the assistant farm manager, followed me in the farm truck as a training outing.  The large animal facility is totally different since his last visit 15 years ago.  Plus, my horse trailer has a few idiosyncrasies one must learn... for example: the huge drawbridge-like loading ramp.  
I'm comfortable knowing that should an emergency arise with myself and our regular vet being unavailable, he can get them to help!  The farm trailer is much lighter, faster and more nimble, but so many horses refuse to jump up into those step-up trailers, that I wanted Tommy to know how to use mine....  the big ramp is so handy!
Our boy, Cody, has a lump on his poll that resulted in our equine vet referring him to the vet school for further testing.
No wonder our sweet quarterhorse doesn't tolerate a halter well anymore.  He has a bony structure formed inside his ligament.  Calcinosis, not cancer, nor recommended for surgery.
Lead vet recommends benign neglect.  I'm still in love with that new expression... nuanced, almost oxymoronical, but not.  So, we do nothing and return in 3 months for re-evaluation.  
It takes a village...
Students diligently measuring the mass on the now bald horse!  Someone's going to wearing sunscreen for a while.  Not the stellar news we were hoping for, but still better than that horrible C word.
While Cody was sobering up from his sedatives, I was allowed to spend 30 minutes with Cole next door.

I'm eager for him to come home, but they won't let me leave with those Class III opiates he's enjoying right now, so I'd rather he stay longer.
I can't see the incision for the bandages, but I'm told it's substantial.  They removed 2.5 cm (1") of good tissue neighboring the tumor to ensure total removal. Ooooow...ch!
They may discharge him tomorrow, if not, I'm sneaking more salmon in for him.  
He's been allowing his nurse to hand feed him tonight.

As much as I've been standing back and allowing them to do their jobs unimpeded... I will have to impose myself tomorrow to make myself useful!