Kota Is Officially Fitting Right In.............

A crazy , happy roll!

Rushing at me playing!

The after effects of the happy roll! Usually the roll begins the rampant run around the yard!

Playing well with the others...........

Getting to know the horses and learning a healthy respect as they move him out of their area. Oops! Better skedaddle!

Another crazy run around the yard. He has officially become one of the spoiled children as the three of them bide for our attention. They all know what to do if they want a treat from the treat box, which is to annoy us with kisses, barks and standing upon us while we reside in the couch until we give in. Everything has to be dished out evenly or they know. He tries to herd Spot when Spot is playing with the soccer ball. He will play chase with Mina until his weight takes over and bowls her over, which is rather entertaining. He knows if he is first on the love seat in between us, he wins, LOL! He will come up on the bed for a spoon when the mood so suits him. He lets me squeeze his Vitamin E on his nose and it's looking better already. He has certainly fit in and become one of the dog children. Needless to say, he has found his place here and all are getting along. Next week, I will take him to the groomer for a summer bath and nail trim. We are still trying to decide what to do about neutering him. As I said before, his prostate is asymmetrical and slightly enlarged, however NOT painful at all. I don't know. Will it change things to neuter him or simply stop the progression of enlargement or possible other complications? Is it worth it for him? This is a tough decision. As it stands, I and Steve do not mind that he's not neutered. Just concerned about his future health and whether it's worth it to put him through it. Any advice on this matter would greatly be appreciated. All of our other dogs were spayed or neutered as pups.

The More I Read.........................

I just have to put this out there..........And it may seem harsh, but sometimes it just drives me crazy. There are very few people out there that I actually do trust that they know what they are talking about when it comes to horses and their care. A few of them close blogger friends for example : Mrs Mom, Mikey, Arlene, Gayle and a many more. I guess what I'm trying to say is that we draw from our personal experiences. What we have learned over the years caring for our horses. And it doesn't always apply to other's horses. They too are individuals and react differently to different situations. And we all have different disciplines and what applies to some may not apply to others. But, some things are pretty universal. I guess I just get somewhat frustrated with people who jump on "bandwagons" that they really know nothing about and think they are educating and others naively follow close behind because of "word" alone. I'm just saying. Am I the only one that finds some of this frustrating? Perhaps I'm guilty of some of the same thing.

Update on Joe's Horse Sky

Well, I promised some update photos on Sky. If you remember her coat was bad as well as she was dangerously thin and the problem wasn't lack of nutrition but over feed and not the right nutrition. Joe is continuing his regimen and going out today to get some more Vitamins. Clearly she still has a serious lack of weight gain, but that can sometimes be a slow process, but her coat and gut look tremendously better, in my opinion. I'm glad he's working so hard to help her and willing to share this with us. I do think she is looking a little better and it's only been a few weeks actually, so way to go, Joe and here's hoping all your efforts will work. As she gains, I'll ask for more photos to document her progress.

A Few Updates...................

Misty remains on her Glucosamine and seems to be doing well. Both girls a little slower this week as it is "unseasonably" hot and humid. Ugh!

I still have Kola on her Levothyroxine and she's maintaining a healthy weight, however, even though she has shed out fairly well, her coat seems a bit more course this year. I still think she's at the very least pre-Cushingnoid. We'll just keep her on it for now and watch her closely as I'm still not willing to risk a laminitis episode with the high dose steroid test. Seems to me, there should be another way of testing.

Kota is happy and settling in well. We had our Dog Vet visit today. I think they thought we were all nuts as of course as usual, our dogs were not the most well behaved at least not in the waiting room. We did discuss with the Vet Kota's crusty nose and started him on Vitamin E and Fish Oil. Also squeezing the Vitamin E directly on his nose. Also the use of some Cortisone cream for it. The Vet seems to think it's more related to his tongue slopping over it constantly, sort of like when one licks their lips and chaps them. He also had his prostate checked as he is still intact as a male and it was enlarged and asymmetrical (meaning one part of it bigger than the other) and she suggested neutering him as we have no plans on breeding. The Vet didn't want to make that suggestion until she checked his prostate first as he is extremely well behaved and having all of his parts does not affect how he behaves. The concern only that as he is slightly older and as he ages he could have serious prostate problems. So we will have a serious think about it before we commit to anything.

Unfortunately Mina's weighty issue is NOT as improved as we had hoped. So we'll continue on her weight loss program and cut back her food just a little bit more.

And note where exactly Spot is located in this pic. Look closely. All 61 pounds of him. As we were waiting for our appointments, a storm rolled in and Spot turns into a nervous wreck, so he climbed onto Stephen. Marvelous!

So Mina 53 pounds, still needs to lose about 10 pounds. Spot 61 pounds and fine as a larger Border Collie and we will try Benadryl for his nerves when a storm rolls in. Kota weighs 68 pounds and the Vet said he was fine. All in all, the Vet was impressed with the over all good health of all the dogs. No bugs, no worms and all started on their heart worm regimen now. Everyone got their toenails trimmed and we will schedule a grooming appointment at PetSmart for Kota with his long hair as the groomer said with his breed, a good bath and blow dry will help to restore the proper oils in his coat and help to keep him cool over the summer.

And every time anybody walked into the Vet's office, our noisy crew would set off to barking and continue to bark as each one had to have the last word.........Yeah right! I'm sure they were all relieved to see us leave when it was all done, although, there were many giggles. But appreciated the payment of $373.70 for the bill.........Doh!

Thought These Were Beautiful ...........

These photos were emailed to me the other day and I just thought they were so beautiful and it would be fun to share.........So enjoy!

We Have A New Family Member

This is Kota, pronounced "Koda". He is our newest family member. Koda is an 8yr Aussie Shepherd. He came to us yesterday afternoon. He is a very good boy and has already adopted Stephen as his and has become the office foot dog. He seems to be adjusting fairly well considering he spent most all of his life with his former family. Everybody, meaning all dogs are currently establishing their pecking order. So far, so good. He has eaten dinner and breakfast fine, pooped well outside and is peeing ok. Last night I layed on the floor with him at bedtime and we spooned. He gives very sweet kisses. I think it will take a little more time to fully adjust, but I have no doubt that he'll fit right in with this tribe. He wasn't too sure about the "big dogs" outside and they weren't too sure either, a few snorts directed toward him and this morning he discovered the goats with his little "stub" wagging away. He's done some exploring around the house and is getting used to his new surroundings. We'll make a Vet appointment for next week and bring all the dogs in. I have to get everyone started on their heart worm program. He has just seen his Vet, but we'll bring them all in anyway. Apparently Mr. Koda will sit in the car in a seat belt. That will be welcome change to our shotgun rider Mina who likes to stand between the front buckets. And he's a talker, much like Spot that way. Needless to say, once again we have fallen in love.

One Solid Week Of Cold & Rain

Finally some warmth and a little sunshine. Hoping things will dry out soon................ And to think if our neighbor hadn't have scraped out this paddock and arena, it would have been knee deep rather than the ankle deep muck that is there. The goats have been particularly noisy today for odd reason. The dogs got fresh raw femurs and are happy working the marrow out of those. We're hoping to adopt a new dog, an Aussie Shepherd. We'll just have to see if it pans out or not. If not, I have a feeling Zoe will be dragging us to the Humane Society when she gets home from college next week..........

Happy Mother's Day!

For all us Mom's out here...........Happy Mother's Day! Human Moms and horsey Moms as well. Hope your day was as great as mine!

Scenes From This Week..............

Misty moving pretty well. Maybe her glucosamine is beginning to work for her.

It's still quite windy here this week................

For once Kola relaxed for our self portrait.......................

Misty always does................They're so tolerant of me............

A stupid plum tree seriously bit me while I was mowing the lawn. And it still hurts loads!

As I said, still quite windy here this week............Mina showing off her ears!