The Apache Vet Fund

Thanks to Cheri's prompting, we have created an Apache Vet Care Fund on our Emergency Fund Page to help Shiloh pay her vet bill. We are estimating that her bill will come to at least $1200.00. Any amount of donation helps and will go directly toward her clinic bill. All donations are tax deductable.

We will post the final total for her bill as soon as we know what it is.

As always, we appreciate everyone's support for all the Shiloh Horses!

Thank you,
Jill and Sally

Apache Update Sunday Morning

Just got off the phone with Dr. Ballard at Desert Pines, Apache is making progress. Her impaction is about 1/3 of the size that it was and she is passing small piles of manure. We are going to let the IV fluids finish today and see how she is, they can do boluses of water through her stomach tube to help keep her hydrated if needed. She is actully feeling pretty comfortable. I will keep everyone updated.

With all colics, quick care is of the upmost importance. Some low level colics can be treated at the ranch with Banamine, a pain killer which helps with abdominal pain and then careful observance. The most aggrssive treatment though is usually the best, that is why we usually end up bringing the horses into the vet clinic. With a bad colic, like a big impaction, even minutes can turn a colic into a fatal one. One of the first things is to get the horse hydrated, either by a stomach tube which is passed through one of the nostrils, or the more aggressive IV Fluids. Shiloh almost always goes with the IV Fluids- that way we are doing everything we can from the first moment. This has saved horses like Soot in the past, and now Apache. It is more expensive, IV Fluids can start at about $1000.00, but we feel they are worth it as we know we are doing everything that the vet recommends and giving the horse every chance we can. Colic surgeries can start at $6,000 and go up to $15,000 so it is obviously not always an option we, and many others, can afford.

Apache Update Saturday Morning

I just got off the phone with Dr. Ballard, Apache is doing okay. She passed a little bit of manure about 1am and actually appears to be pretty comfortable, although she is still impacted. She will stay on IV fluids for the day.

What is funny is that when Dr. Ballard first started his rectal exam on her last night, his first thought when he felt the impacted area was that he thought he was feeling her foal! That is how pregnant she looks!

Sunday has some fun and Apache

First for the good news, watch little Sunday race around his corral! We are still supposed to keep him a bit "quiet", but he doesn't know that! Go Sunday Go!


Now, for the bad news. It looks like Apache has been fooling everyone these last few months- she is NOT pregnant! She was colicing yesterday! First, in the morning, after treating what we all thought and assumed were her labor pains with a dose of Banamine, all was well. But, by 8:00 last night, she was feeling more pain and we decided she needed to go into the clinic. Sally and Sharil met Leo (who drove Apache in) at the vet clinic at around 9:30pm. Once there, Apache was heavily sedated (she is very hard to deal with) and was examined by Dr. Ballard. He found a large impaction in her colon, but after an ultrasound found no baby (her last ultrasound at Shiloh was inconclusive)! We had to leave her in the clinic last night and she was hooked up to IV fluids to try to get the impaction to move. Sally and Sharil finally left the clinic after midnight.

I will get an update this morning from the vet and will let everyone know what is going on.

Just when we think we have everything in control, look what happens! Remember, the vets were never able to properly examine her out at Shiloh because she would kick so bad, even after being sedated. To the outward eye, she sure looked and acted pregnant and she was supposed to have been bred to a Pony Stallion. Of course, we are happy that she is not- there are way too many horses out there! But, here we are preparing for a new baby, and what do we get? An impaction colic and a nice big vet bill! The fun never ends!

Friday

A great day out at the rescue.

First off, it looks like Apache is having some possible labor or pre-labor pains. We are not sure when she is due. She was rescued from a slaughter auction where they said she was bred to a black and white paint pony. We rescued her last November, so at the very latest, she would be due at the beginning of October, but if she were already a few months pregnant when she was sent to the auction, she could be due right now. The vet's could not perform a full pregnancy exam on her because of her attitude. She has had a few small bouts of belly pain over the last few days, but today she was much more agitated- laying and looking at her belly, lots of tail switching, stamping her hind legs, rubbing her tail... We gave her a little Banamine to help her with the discomfort and after a while she settled down to eat a little. Her udder is not full, but then again neither was Navidad's. We have had many foals born at Shiloh and each mare showed different signs, so all we can do is wait. We are watching her closely...
Apache looking restless...

Falcon had his sore feet poulticed, he seemed to be feeling better today and he let us pick up his front feet which is a change for him. We are keeping him on daily pain meds for now. Dr Schur thought he was still at the point where we could keep his chronic Laminitis comfortable...

This morning, Seemore was outside of his Area 51 pasture, all his pasture mates were going crazy as he tried to find his way back in. Of course, he wouldn't let us catch him while he was loose so we had to usher him in. Once he was back inside, he trotted right up to his best friend, Poker and started to eat his breakfast. It was nice to see this old guy from the Pahrump auction showing some attitude! Go Seemore!
Seemore (on right) and Poker reunited!

Tanis, Gus, Cochise, and Borrego were all turned out together into the big arena- they had a wonderful time playing. It's so fun to watch them and hear the thundering hooves!

Having Fun! Yahoo!

Thursday's Vet Day

We had the vet out this morning, she was only supposed to draw blood, etc on the Western Vet Program horses, but once Dr. Schur was at the ranch, she did more routine things for us.

Sadly, we did have to end up having little Hummingbird put to sleep. She had been originally found wandering in Sandy Valley (of course). Her chronic Founder was just becoming extremely painful for her and daily pain meds were no longer working for her. We have been concerned about her for some time. Lately, she has spent more time lying down than standing because her feet were just so sore. Her breathing was becoming more labored and we just could not stand to see her suffer. She was put to sleep in Mesquite Manor under the shade trees, where she had been living with her friend Falcon. She went very quickly, even before most of the injection was given, she was ready to move on. After she was gone, Dr. Schur was able to examine her feet more and we found that it was becoming so advanced that her coffin bone was very near to penetrating her sole. (We could not pick her feet up at all anymore.) We only had Hummingbird for five months, but in that time, she gained weight, filled out, and grew a shiny coat. She lived with other horses and had herdmates and friends. She passed away quickly and without fear, for that we have to be happy.

Dr, Schur also examined Olympia and concluded that she probably does suffer from some stifle injury (her upper hindleg). Something may have become dislocated that day at Shiloh when she was three legged with pain. She definitely has hind leg pain, but we are going to try to manage it for her. She was turned out into The Cuckoo's Nest Pasture so she can make some new friends. She seemed happy to be out with other horses at last.

Olympia is examined.

We had Fred examined and he was given some steroid injections to help him feel a little better. We let him wander freely and by the time we left to go home, he was way up on the grass area with the other mules grazing...
Jill and Sally discuss Fred with Dr. Schur...

We had the Thoroughbred mare, Hoops, examined for pregnancy. She had filled out very quickly and we became very suspicious, after all we have only had her a few months. But, thankfully, she is not pregnant. She can now continue her evaluation and look for her new home.

Dr. Schur floated the teeth on Roy, Hudson, and Allegheny to get them ready for their vet teaching job.

Roy gets his teeth done...
Then it's Allegheny's turn.

It must have been 112 degrees out there today!

Katy tries to cool off.

Traveler has his own Blog!

We are going to be doing a lot of traveling in the next few months, so we thought it was time that Traveler had his own blog. He's been working hard to make it interesting for all of his fans. He is off to Rome in a few weeks, then Toronto, London, Ireland, New York, and more...

Go to Traveler's Blog to catch up on all the adventures he has already been on.

When we head out of town again, I will let everyone know to check him out!

Weds, back at Shiloh

DON'T FORGET:TCM is showing 24 hours of Tony Curtis movies today!
As most of you know, Tony is Shiloh's biggest supporter. There would not be a Shiloh without Tony's generosity.

So, if you have the time, catch one of TC's great movies! Enjoy!

A hot Wednesday out at Shiloh. It is so nice being home and seeing all the horses again.

Susie Q, a Shiloh horse who was adopted three years ago, returned to Shiloh due to her old age. She will live out her live with us now. She was very well cared for and loved in her adoptive home, but her advanced age was causing her problems and her owner was concerned for her.
Shadow's cute face!
Reason, a Thoroughbred mare, is doing great. She is fun to ride and sound. She is looking for her new home.

Fred, the huge draft Mule (below), is having a hard time lately. It's harder and harder for him to get back up after lying down. He is in his 30's and we are getting a bit worried about him. He's such a neat old guy. One side of his hindquarters is atrophied and much weaker. We think it is probably from nerve damage from his mountain packing days.
Fred trying to get up...
He's up with some help...
He walks away...
Notice the difference in Fred's hindquarters. One side is atrophied, the other normal. Starwood gets some love...

The tree area in the Big Vacation Village pasture. This is one of my favorite areas on the ranch, it's so nice back in the trees...

Tony Curtis Day on Turner Classic Movies!

TCM is showing 24 hours of Tony Curtis movies today!

As most of you know, Tony is Shiloh's biggest supporter. There would not be a Shiloh without Tony's generosity.

So, if you have the time, catch one of TC's great movies! Enjoy!

Traveler's Last Day in Montreal...

Today was our last day in Montreal. We had a good time and I was very busy...


"I made sure TC's interviews ran smoothly... Okay, buddy, let's move it along!"
"I kept a sharp eye out for anyone who looked odd..."
"I even sipped his drink to make sure it was safe to drink..."
"TC met the Mayor of Montreal and signed their Golden Book... Not too close Mr. Mayor! I don't care who you are..."


"I watched a crazy person dance in front of a large crowd who had gathered to watch TC's movie, Some Like it Hot on an outdoor screen. My girls said this guy was nuts but I sure enjoyed his dancing..."

"I even watched over The Big Boss..."
"I loved TC's art work. His art show was a big success!"
"I wish I was an artist..."

It's a wrap. Back home to Vegas. Next stop for Traveler in a few weeks- ROME...

Meanwhile, back at Shiloh...

While we are in Montreal, Shiloh's work continues...

Some sad news to tell as sweet old Alamo passed away last night of natural causes. Alamo was found early this morning in his Gummie pen with his friends, Shadow and Starwood, standing close by. There was no sign of a struggle. Alamo was approx 32 years old and had begun to really show his age. We had the vet check him over about two months ago because he was beginning to lose weight and become much slower, the vet told us it was old age catching up. Just last week we moved him from Little Vacation Village into Gummie I, where he would basically have free feed Equine Senior. He was happy and content right up to the end. Just a few days ago, he was bathed and groomed by some volunteers. As sad as it is to lose one of these special horses, we are so happy that he was able to live out his natural life and pass away surrounded by his herd mates.

We are going to have a special class in the Shiloh Equine Educational Series. Much Ado About Mustangs! It will be taught by Eric, Shiloh's Mustang expert on September 13 at 10am. Please read more about this class!



We missed a big birthday party at Shiloh, as Shiloh Boarder Gus turned two years old! From what I hear there was cake for everyone and people and horses alike had a great time together.

Gus and Borrego Celebrate...

Gus' cake!

Here are some pictures from yesterday's (Saturday's) activities:

Taco, Salsa, and Margarita waiting OUTSIDE of the fence...
Olympia
Cute picture of Little Sunday!
Laurie informs the goats, Ferdinand and Exceller that she is going to trim their hooves. They look a bit skeptical...
She caught Ferdie!

Laurie plays with Sunday...

Traveler in Old Montreal

Saturday was another busy day here in Montreal. As usual, my girls had me up and dressed early. The Film Festival is a very big deal here and there are many other activities in the community going on at the same time.

The girls brought me to an 18th century outdoor market...

"This will be fun!"


"I stopped to hear a street musician. I like him, but is this what musicians looked like in the 18th century?"
"Look at these old style shoes and boots! I wish I could wear shoes..."A Teepee! I don't remember the Natives using suitcases..."
Some French miltitary demonstrators drilled in the square . Some of the guys looked my way, but they didn't ask me to join them. I was upset about that, but my girls said they wanted me to stay close to them so I didn't get lost..."

"Look at this pretty lady, she must be very important!Excuse me ma'am, do you need a bodyguard? Ma'am?"

"Here come the soldiers! Are they coming for me? Over here guys! Then, the soldiers fired off some rounds, and it scared me. It was so loud that I was shaking. Maybe I'm just not cut out to be a soldier..."

Later in the car, Tony made me feel better when he asked me to keep an eye on him at the afternoon's event."

"Yes Sir!"

"I've got your back TC! Hey, watch that microphone buddy, you'll poke someone's eye out! Not too close people! You, lady with the glasses, stop making such a weird face! Give him some air..."

Another great ending to a busy day in Montreal.

Traveler Goes to Montreal

Well, we were off to Montreal early Thursday morning...

A trading post was established here in 1611 and was the base for French exploration in North America. Later, the area was named Ville-Marie, and finally came to be known as Montreal. It is the second largest city in Canada, located in the Province of Quebec. It is very French!

Heading to the Vegas airport, Traveler helps the driver find the way...
He catches an in flight movie...
Once in Montreal, he waits with the luggage wondering what great adventures the girls have in store for him this time.
"We are here for the Montreal Film Festival which will be showing the Shiloh Documentary!"
Traveler hits the streets of historic Old Montreal. "My girls bought me this wonderful collar with my name on it!"

An old alleyway...
"This is China Town!"
"Look at all this stuff!" The harbor of Old Montreal.

"The beautiful St Lawrence River waterway. Montreal was a natural meeting place for natives and Europeans for hundreds of years."
These are the graves of 38 colonists and converted Natives who died between 1643-1654. Most of these were killed in fighting with the Iroquois Indians!"
"In 1701 1300 Natives came to Montreal to sign a peace treaty with the French. Thirty nine Native Delegates signed the treaty by drawing symbols which represented their names. The Natives had no written language. This one looks like a boar."
Montreal was full of fur trappers, I found two of them."
The girls interrupted our fun day by bringing me into IGA, a supermarket, which sells Cheval, or horse meat. I did not want to be in this photo, I was faint and felt a bad colic coming on..."
"My girls are always looking out for new opportunities for me. They bought me this awesome Canadian Mountie uniform. It fits me like a glove!"
"I have appointed myself as Tony's bodyguard for the Film Festival. Here I am watching for any signs of trouble below. All Clear Below!"
"Blogging today's adventures. Je suis si chanceux!"