Rolling Dog Farm Blog

This is our ‘legally blind’ mare Lilah getting a bath and some grooming this weekend.  Lilah has a recurring skin problem that causes her to rub her hair off, right down to the skin.  Just when we think we’ve cured it, she has another outbreak … this time on Friday night.  So on Saturday we took her down to Beauty’s Barn, where we have hot and cold running water, and bathed and groomed her.

In the photo from left to right are Laura W. from Helena, one of our faithful volunteers; our employee Kathryn; and on the right our newest volunteer, Melissa B. from Missoula.  This was Melissa’s first day volunteering at the ranch.  Every time Melissa would hit the ‘sweet spot’ on Lilah’s shoulder with the brush, this mare would cock her head and start wrinkling her mouth and nose while her lower lip quivered.  "Oooooh, that feels so good!", she seemed to be saying.

What didn’t feel so good was the 35 cc’s of penicillin our equine vet, Dr. Bill Brown, injected in Lilah’s rear end this afternoon.  Ouch! 

I had hauled Lilah in when I went to pick up George at the clinic (see post below).  Bill has been mystified by Lilah’s skin condition, and so far nothing is turning up on the tests we’ve run.  After her latest outbreak Friday night we wanted Bill to see her again.  Bill is starting Lilah on a course of penicillin and dexamethasone, and we’ll see within a week if these drugs help to get it under control.

I said Lilah was ‘legally blind’ because that’s how her vet had described this mare to us when we were first asked to take her.  The vet assured us she really was blind, but we thought it was a bit odd he’d use that phrase.  Well, it turns out Lilah is night blind but in broad daylight can see just fine.  Normally that wouldn’t qualify a horse to come here — we don’t consider that "blindness" — but based on the vet’s word, we agreed to take her.  So for now Lilah serves as the pasture buddy and ‘seeing eye horse’ for her friend (truly) blind Honey. 

(Click on photos for larger images.)