Tuesday, September 18, 2007

Basher Bainbridge Toxic Warrior



OK K8 posted in her pretty party dress and masquerade mask . . .we do things a little differently down here!

Well it was bound to happen - although our "boys" haven’t been near any other horses for years . . we have Equine Flu. Not so much a problem for Chippy who is the younger of the two and definitely more robust, but thanks to a loss of paddock fodder and underfeeding through the Winter, Laurie has become very thin and obviously susceptible to the virus. He’s coughing with the snots and as of this afternoon, has a temperature that needs medical attention. So this afternoon, it’s an early mark for me to swan off to the vet and purchase some Bute – more correctly called phenylbutazone a Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drug (NSAID) which relieves all sorts of discomfort from flu symptoms to arthritis (I might keep a sachet handy for the future). Unlike anti-biotics, I don’t have to administer it with a needle! My sister has a broken finger to prove how tricky it can be! That's right, the vet just leaves half a dozen 'horse sized' syringes, gives you a 2 minute lesson on how to administer and departs. Easy peasy . . . You should try playing darts with a pissed off pony’s neck! They don't like it one little bit.

So . . . lunch hours are a thing of the past. We're already feeding three times a day - a $235 a week habit! (ah, maybe eating Marijuana would be weight gaining . . . certainly cheaper than friggin' hay!) But spesh thanks to Babysis on who’s property they now dwell, she's doing the morning and evening feeds.


The sensible thing would be to move them back home where I can easily feed, water and medicate three times a day because there's always someone on site. Just need to do a little fence mending. However, thanks to our newly quarantined status . . we’re stuck for 50 days from diagnosis. That means they aren't going anywhere for quite some time. We now have to spray shoes and car tyres, scrub fingernails and change our clothes each time we leave the property. Even blow our noses, before we wash our hands, before we touch our horses. Tomorrow I will be buying a very attractive pair of King Gee pony snoteralls which I can leave in the feed shed.

ThePlumber has been very good lugging feed up their 500metre driveway to his little shed because the feed dudes can’t go within 800metres of horses. Seems weird, ours got the flu anyway . . .even Dishy Douggie said it was just as likely to spread on the wind as via contact with humans and other horses.

So my life for the next 50 days entails daily round trips to Glenorie during my lunch time to add a third daily feed to help the old boy gain weight, sticking a thermometer up two horses' rectums twice a day to make sure they're not overheating and decide whether Bute is required. Without doubt, the stupidest thing I have ever done in my entire life, without any question, inexorably, is buy these two horses. Three years of pleasure . . . 20 years of . . . expense, heartache and husbandry!

8 comments:

Unknown said...

Oh Baino - sorry to hear that - what a bugger - yep, I know, that's putting it mildly. I hope the horses will be okay and I hope you'll survive it all. Makes you think that sometimes kids were easier after all... No? Oh, okay.
;-)

Anonymous said...

I bet there's no such thing as equine flu or foot and mouth disease. Someone sits in a tower somewhere and thinks up ways to REALLY piss people off I reckon.

Wait you see... gammy hair root disease will be next. We'll all have to shave our noggins just in case! Not me, deary. I have it SUSSED.

Anonymous said...

Baino,

John Magnier is losing Eur600,000 a day out there because of the flu outbreak (don't know what that is in Oz dollars):

http://www.independent.ie/sport/horse-racing/magnier-losing-8364600000-a-day-1074751.html

Baino said...

Yep, it's an inconvenience for me and other paddock basher owners. Although my horse is pretty old so I need to keep an eye out for him. I's a really big deal for the racing industry. Very few NSW foals next year because the mares can't travel to stud. The many international stallions here for the breeding season leave the country in December. It's pretty much closed NSW down although Victoria is still clean. There are $40,000 fines for moving horses! The real penalty hasn't been felt yet! I think Mr Magnier will be very lucky not to be infected. Our nags are nowhere near other horses and have still contracted it.

Anonymous said...

Aww...I'm sorry Baino. Which strain is it, equine-1 or equine-2?

Take good care of Laurie, even though it's a major nuisance. I'm sure the great Poseidon will bless you for your dedication. :)

Baino said...

Thanks for the third party blessing JD. I think you'll find I need blessings from Aesculapius,the God of Health and Wellbeing (except I don't know how to pronounce it). Or in Gaelic folklore, it's Nodens or Llud Llaw Ereint(the silver handed) no less!

Anonymous said...

Nasty for you Baino and the horses.

'We now have to spray shoes and car tyres, scrub fingernails and change our clothes each time we leave the property. Even blow our noses, before we wash our hands, before we touch our horses'

Think I will send that bit to all the Doctors in Ireland & Uk. If they took that much care our hospitals would not be overrun with MRSA etc.

Anonymous said...

Give em some strepsils and some chicken soup and tell them to quit their whinging. That's what you do with me..