Well That is One Way to Start the Year

No fun, guys

Bacon had to go out with a bang I guess. And then started off the year off with a bang too. I came out to feed breakfast on Saturday morning to find my beautiful girl standing in the middle of her pen, head handing low and shaking. I started to tremor and tear up as I called her over. She wouldn't even look up, so I grabbed a halter to see what would happen if I moved her. She sat back and then lurched forward, shuffling away from her spot. I looked at my husband, sobbing, as he hopped into her pen to help me take her blankets off. I searched all over her body for anything out of the ordinary. The left side of her neck was twitching, and when I touched it, she wanted to jump out of her skin.

Weird swelling traveling downwards

One call to the equine hospital left us scrambling to hook up the truck and trailer. Actually, it left Blake unburying everything and trying to hook it as as Bacon and I ever so slowly walked towards the gate to get out of the backyard. It hurt her so much to walk, but she still followed, walking through deep drifts of snow. I fought hard to be able to open the gate, and was able to open it enough for her to get out. I was worried about getting her into the trailer, and she was a little reluctant, but still got on for me. I decided to ride in there with her, and with it being a chilly 9 degrees, it was the coldest ride ever. She did her best not to crush me in the turns, but looked so quiet and sad. I talked to her all the way there, probably more for myself than for her.

Kisses on visiting day

Once we got there, we had to wait a minute for them to finish up with another horse before seeing her. Hubs traded me out of the trailer so I could sit in the truck to warm up. Once they came out to meet us, I explained to them what was going on, certain that it was her neck bothering her. She couldn't really turn around to walk out of the trailer like she normally does, so I crossed my fingers and hoped she would back out. She had never done it before, but put enough trust in me to go ahead and do it. We shuffled inside and the vets ooed and awed at her clip job and prettyness.

She had a fever of 102.1 and they immediately pulled for blood work. She had a little bit of fluid in her chest, most likely from the injection of vitamin B1 the day before. They were not concerned about that at all. But even the gentlest touch to the left side of her neck caused her a significant amount of pain. It was slightly hot to the touch and just beginning to swell. Her bloodwork came back showing some elevation in her white blood cells, and they suggested leaving her there overnight for monitoring and medication administration. I agreed, then turned to my pony and gave her kisses and cried. I am sure I looked ridiculous, but oh well. At least they knew I was one of "those" owners, and that they better take good care of her.

Look at that cute face.

I tried to go on with my day as normal as I could, hoping for absolutely no phone calls from them, as they said they would only call if something alarming was happening. Let's just say it was a long long day. And, of course, I had plenty of phone calls from people checking on me, and every time that damn phone rang, my heart would skip a beat. The next morning, I called to check on my girl. Her neck was much less sensitive, and they had used ultrasound to check out the muscles in her neck and to make sure there were no gas bubbles forming. She wasn't eating well (she never really does) and was back to weaving. The first time I was happy to hear that. We got to visit that afternoon, and she was munching on hay when I showed up. She came right over, looking much brighter, but with a lumpy neck. The vet there told me how much she liked her, and how easy she was to give meds to. Good girl, Bacon.

A little warmer in here!

We went for a little walk around the hospital, and ended up in the indoor arena. This is also one of their reproduction areas, where a handsome palomino stud was making eyes at her. We walked around and jogged a lap for funsies and she was looking good. I about died from my asthma, so we went back to her stall. I left her weaving away, feeling a little better about her situation. We agreed to keep her there one more night, just in case, and we were allowed to pick her up the following day. Before we brought her home, hubs and I trekked out to get some straw bales to make her pen extra cushy. Pandora and Lucy also got some added to their stalls, and were quite pleased.

Home! Yay!

I was nervous to bring my girl home, but she was ready. After I grabbed my invoice (gulp) and went to dress my pony for the cold weather and load her up. She about dragged me onto the trailer, and I let her ride by herself this time. She was eager to get to her pen and went straight to inspecting the straw and getting a big drink of water. It made me so happy to have her home again. She isn't quite back to her regular appetite yet, but has kept a regular temp and just kept smiling at me today. And her neck swelling is gone, so that makes me happy too! They still aren't quite sure what happened to cause all of this. They likened it to cellulitis in her neck. They don't think the injection in the pectoral muscle had anything to do with this, but I still feel like this is all of my fault. And that really weighs heavily in my heart.

But back to that vet bill...we came away with a cool $682, which in all reality isn't the worst. But, it is most of my horse show money for this year. And while to most, it isn't much, when you can't work a regular job and most of the money you make is from trying to complete some art pieces, it sure adds up. I know showing isn't everything, but it gives me a little something to look forward to and to work towards. So, if any of you feel like helping a girl out, I have a plan of sorts:

Want an 8x10, 8x8, or 10x10 acrylic portrait of your pony? I will be offering them at $70. These are easier for me to complete than something larger, and I can usually get them done quickly. You all saw Carly's Bobby portrait, and that is very similar to what you will receive.

I can also do 8x10 mixed media portraits, which almost come out looking like a tattoo style. This is fairly new to me, but I have enjoyed making them and they are also fairly easy for me to complete. They will be on paper or pressed board, and will include colored pencil, marker, and acrylic paint. I will be asking $60 for these.

If you are interested, please send me an email to alyssalapuh@gmail.com. It is first come, first serve, so I will do my paintings in the order I get asked to do them. Payment is asked for upfront, because if I don't Lindsey and Aimee will kick my ass. I feel like I am asking too much for these, but husband and grandma said they would also kick my ass if I didn't, so I apologize for that. So many ass kickings.

Also need to add that I will need to ask $6.80 for shipping for these sizes as well. Sorry for the inconvenience!

So, Happy New Year, I guess!