Update on Melody

[StarRidgeAcres]

Brandi,

I don't know what my problem is or where I've been, but I somehow just saw this thread! I'm so sorry to hear what Melody (AND you) are going through!

What a rought time it's been for you both. I think you're doing the right thing by spending time there. It's good for her and I think it makes the staff a bit more on their toes...and that's a good thing!

I'm keeping you both in my prayers and I'm looking forward to positive news tomorrow!

 

[PaintNminis]

I am glad to hear she is feeling a little better

Keep the updates coming

 

[Vicky Texas]

Brandi

Hello, this is the first time I have read your post. I almost did not want to read it. As we lost

a mare this week to Colic. I don't want to scare you. This has been a horrible week for us.

We bought some new hay a week ago Sat. We got BAD hay. Our mare started out Choke,

which turned to Colic. She ran the high fever the day we had to put her down. She had a

blockage in her small intestine that ruptured. Have your Vets check to see if your baby

has a blockage any where. Is her fever from Virus or Colic? We have delt with Ulcer's

and I don't remember our's ever running a fever. I don't know what is wrong with your

baby, I just want her to be okay.

I will keep your baby in my prayers

Hugs and Prayers

Vicky

 

[Brandi*]

Vicky,

I followed your story all the way through and I am really sorry for your loss. You don't have to worry about scaring me any more than I already am. I know that this could go either way. I can't say that I am prepared for the worst but I would be lying if I said I haven't had terrible thoughts running through my head. It is complete torment not to know what is wrong with her and whether she will be ok or not. But I do know that Melody has been passing stool and they even oiled her tonight to insure that she continues to do so. Hopefully we will get some news back from the trachea wash they just did. Thank you so much for taking the time to write. I can only imagine what you must be feeling after your loss and I really appreciate you thinking of us

Brandi

Hello, this is the first time I have read your post. I almost did not want to read it. As we lost

a mare this week to Colic. I don't want to scare you. This has been a horrible week for us.

We bought some new hay a week ago Sat. We got BAD hay. Our mare started out Choke,

which turned to Colic. She ran the high fever the day we had to put her down. She had a

blockage in her small intestine that ruptured. Have your Vets check to see if your baby

has a blockage any where. Is her fever from Virus or Colic? We have delt with Ulcer's

and I don't remember our's ever running a fever. I don't know what is wrong with your

baby, I just want her to be okay.

I will keep your baby in my prayers

Hugs and Prayers

Vicky

 

[Vicky Texas]

Brandi

I just want your baby to be okay. I do know the hard part is not knowing what is wrong with

them. I don't want to scare you, I just want your baby to be okay. I don't want anyone going

through what we had to go through this week. It is so hard. Your baby is so precious.

I know you said they have her ulcer med's and I think that is good. We had a mare once

that a Vet said she was colic and sent us to Texas A&M for Colic surgery. We learned she

had ulcer's and did not need surgery. Your baby could have anything. I will keep her in

my prayers, I just want her to be okay.

Hugs and Prayers

Vicky

 

[mgranch]

Oh, Brandi I am so sorry that you are having to got thru this!! Poor little Melody!!! We are so thinking of you two and praying for you both!! Hugs to both of you!!

Gina and Madisen

 

[Barbie]

[SIZE=12pt]Brandi-[/SIZE]

Hoping for a good update this morning. You keep right on going to the hospital as your Melody needs you. I am sure she is a lot less stressed when you are there.

Barbie

 

[Jill]

Brandi --

I'm happy they are starting her on the antibiotics and that there has been some more testing. I hope you get answers soon and that she keeps improving. It really takes me back to when Khaki was in the hospital. At the time, it sincerely felt like the worst thing I'd ever been through. I just felt like a wrung out wash cloth.

Jill

 

[hrselvr728]

Hello!

I just wanted to say I know how you feel and what you are going through. My little man got sick with some kind of infection in December that started with ulcers. He stopped eating and was at the vet for 10 days before they let him go home! His temp would spike to 103.5 every morning. After a LOT of antibiotics he finally made it out okay. He was on antibiotics for 3 weeks after he came home too! It was really hard for a while because it seemed like he just wasn't getting better, and then he was just depressed too. I would go sit with him in his stall when I had the time to drive out there so don't feel funny. They would call me at work with updates and I would have to go in the back of my lab until I wasn't so upset. Like you, he didn't have a runny nose or anything, just a high fever and he wouldn't let anyone touch him. He had just got his teeth done and his annual vacs a few weeks before. The vets thought it was either from the strangles vac he got (which was intranasal), an infection from getting his teeth worked on, or possibly something he picked up at another horse farm. They didn't test anything specifically so we'll never know. But he pulled through and is back to his normal self so try to hang in there!

 

[Brandi*]

The vet just called me. He said Melody's temp has leveled out since they started giving her the antibiotics. It has went up to 102 but then back down to normal. That's great news. The bad news is that she is still laying down a lot and acting like she has a lot of discomfort. He would like to start some GI testing tomorrow to see whats going on in there. I told him I would like to know where we are at with the bill. I will get the insurance in contact with the vets office tomorrow. They should cover everything that has to do with the viral infection but once we start testing GI stuff they won't cover it. I am really scared. I don't want to be forced to make that awful decision if it's going to cost too much for us. The tech mentioned yesterday that sometimes you can hand them over to the hospital and they fix them and then sell them. I don't know anyone around here that is into mini's and could afford to take over. I am really getting scared. If the GI testing is going to be a lot I just don't know what I am going to do

 

[albahurst]

I am so sorry to hear your baby is sick. I know how stressful it can be to have a sick one. I am glad to hear her temperature is improving. Maybe she will pop out of this so you won't have to do the testing.

Keeping you in my thoughts.

Peggy

 

[maplegum]

Hang in there Brandi. She sounds as if she is already making some improvement. I am praying that you won't be forced to make such a horrible decision. She's such a sweet little horse and deserves a fighting chance. Please little Melody, pull through.

xox Leonie xox

 

[~Dan]

oh brandi im soo sorry to hear about poor lil melody

melody is in my thoughts and prayers

i hope both yours and melodys luck turns around soon

 

[Marty]

You're a survivor and I'll be Melody is too so just hang in there.

Be straight with the hospital and tell them you don't have money

coming out of your garden and ask them to cut you a deal. Let

them know financially how you stand and sometimes it does make

a difference. You can also offer your slave labor in exhange for some

of the bills too. Also, I wouldn't be surprised if Melody is still sporting

ulcers even though she was kept on the meds.

 

[Brandi*]

welp I just came back from visiting Melody and at least I'm not balling this time. I walked in her stall to be greeted with a green snotty nose. I think it just started because the tech made sure and noted it in her chart once I pointed it out. She is also making a lot of noise when she breathes and coughing. She is laying down a lot and actually seems like she feels under the weather now. When she layed down next to me she kept trying to chew on the rubber stall mat. I am betting she has ulcers now too. The tech mentioned that she might have phenmona and that if she does at least the insurance will pay for it. I guess the trachea wash results should show whether she does or not. My husband was asking me what I plan to do if she gets better. He said we should probably talk about it. I told him I didn't want to talk about it until she gets better. I am emotionally attached to her so I might be able to over look the possibility of this happening again. I fear he may not be able to. I wish insurance didn't work this way. There is no way I would even consider selling her if she would be covered. I would even pay for a secondary insurance if I could. Well anyways I'm not going to think about that now. So that's the update. Not sure if it's good news or not but it is a change.

 

[Marty]

Brandi, how's the colt? Is he showing any signs of anything?

Also Kya? Have you heard if she is doing ok?

 

[Brandi*]

Marty,

The colt is acting spunky and seems just fine. He better not get sick cause he's out of luck if he does OH! He just finished a week of antibiotics on Wed so hopefully that cleared him up. I have been changing clothes and showering in between seeing him and Melody.

Kya is doing great! I posted a thread about her in the photo album about a week ago. She is doing great with her new owner Laura!!!!

 

[shelia]

What is a trachea wash? What exactly did they do? If her fever is down they can stop giving her banamine. That should give the ulcers time to heal. Try to pin them down on what these new tests will reveal. Can these tests wait? Is she still acting colicy? Has she lost a lot of weight? How are her stools? Is she eating good? Did the blood test show no infection at first?

Poor little girl!! I can understand how she would not have a lot energy right now. She is not getting a lot of oxygen with the infection. That sure happened suddenly! They started her on antibiotic before this started so it should start to work pretty quick. Hang in there!

Shelia

 

[Brandi*]

Shelia,

From my understanding the trachea wash consists of the vet making a small hole in Melody's throat. They then get a sample of the fluid in her trachea (throat area) from her lungs. There is no infection showing from her blood tests so that is why they decided to look at the fluid in her lungs. They said there could be infection in there and it just isn't showing up in her blood work. Obviously there is infection somewhere and since she is starting to have snot and coughing after a day on the antibiotics I am guessing it is in her lungs. It is weird though because they have been listening to her lungs and they haven't heard anything abnormal. Maybe they will now since it seems to be loosening up. They are weaning her off the banamine and hopefully she will stop showing signs of abdominal discomfort. Her poo was a bit dry last night so they went ahead and oiled her just to be safe since she was acting uncomfortable. The oil is coming through today just fine. She is eating but I'm not sure on the weight. They haven't said anything if she has lost. I'm sure she has lost some because she isn't eating nearly what she eats when she is home. I have a good feeling that the trachea wash results will shed some light as to whats going on in her little body.

What is a trachea wash? What exactly did they do? If her fever is down they can stop giving her banamine. That should give the ulcers time to heal. Try to pin them down on what these new tests will reveal. Can these tests wait? Is she still acting colicy? Has she lost a lot of weight? How are her stools? Is she eating good? Did the blood test show no infection at first?

Poor little girl!! I can understand how she would not have a lot energy right now. She is not getting a lot of oxygen with the infection. That sure happened suddenly! They started her on antibiotic before this started so it should start to work pretty quick. Hang in there!

Shelia

 

[shelia]

She is about the age where she is getting molars coming in. That can cause her to get a snotty nose. They can cause pain because there mouths are so small. i know that is not the only problem, but it could be a contributing factor.

I can't wait for tomorrows update! I just know it is going to be good news!

Shelia B.