Rolling Dog Farm Blog

I got this shot on Thursday when our equine vet, Dr. Erin Taylor, came out to do the rest of the dental work on our horses and a follow-up exam on blind Hawk.  (I had posted a couple of weeks ago about Hawk's current health issues.)  Hawk has also now begun exhibiting some neurological signs — taking awkward stances, not always seeming to know where his feet are, that kind of thing.  Erin did a neuro exam and more blood work to see if the week's worth of Lasix I had given him had reduced his elevated potassium levels.  Unfortunately, on Friday Erin reported that the lab results showed that while his potassium had come down one point, it was still way above the normal range.  So this medical mystery continues.

That's blind Cash, our two-year old, sniffing Erin's hand (or … hmm … maybe checking out the new wedding ring?).  We had lost Hawk's longtime buddy, Rocky, last fall to age-related medical problems.  Over the winter, Cash had started to annoy his Aunt Lena and Cousin Nikki by constantly pestering them.  They were too nice or too gentle or too something to let him have it and put him in his place, and as time went on, he continued increasingly to get on their nerves.  He became ever more the brat.  It was a case of unsettled herd dynamics, and he was trying to figure out where he fit in.

We realized that if the ladies weren't going to dish it out to him, we needed to put him with someone else who could take his manners-training to the next level.  That someone was a big, old gelding like Hawk. 

In just 48 hours with Uncle Hawk, Cash had become a different horse.  He was calm, quiet, and well-behaved.  Hawk must have said something like, "Look, kid, you're way below me in the pecking order, so stop the nonsense or I'll heave you over the fence."  Message received.

Now that Cash knows where he fits, he doesn't feel he has to prove anything to anyone.  So he's a very different boy these days.

We just have to get his manners-and-etiquette coach healthy!

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Don't forget, you can vote every day for us in The Animal Rescue Site/PetFinder's Shelter Challenge. 
Enter
"Rolling Dog Ranch" and our state postal code, MT for Montana,
and it will bring up our listing so you can cast your vote.  Invite your family and friends to vote, too! 

Wow .. still No. 3, and that means a $3,000 grant if we can hold that spot!  Please keep voting — thank you!