Update on Gwen!

(If you missed the first story on Gwen, click here.)

I’m happy to say that I didn’t have to put Gwen down last week.

She is rallying! As of right now – yes, her right rear has hardly any suspension left. And yes, her left rear is horribly foundered… but she is acting her same sassy self and getting around pretty well.

In fact, she is getting around about as well as she was when I first called the vet, thinking she had a hip soreness or hind end lameness – not founder. WE never thought founder, let alone founder in ONE REAR hoof.

Gwen is pretty much her normal, 28 year-old self. She continues to push (be pushy) for what she wants: more food, more outside, more living space… and she is winning with me. I’ve searched for every kind of low starch/sugar food I can possibly find. I’ve decked out the barn to her liking – she has two stalls available (one sleeping quarters, one bathroom), the entire aisle (sauntering and visiting area), the shower stall (area to knock stuff over), one outside area (sun basking) and an extended living room exterior (just added).

I’m not fooling myself; I know her prognosis is not good. But what I’m kinda holding onto is that I am thinking she was in this condition for longer than we knew – and she just dealt with it. So maybe she can hang around this summer and go out onto her dry pasture. We will see.

As long as she is bright and happy, I will hang in there with her.

Also, if she makes it into next month, I will have the vet out again with his ultrasound machine to check out the suspension issues… to confirm or deny DSLD.

But for now, just looking at her, she is getting around and she is bright. So, although her X-ray was horrible, etc… she is still happy. So I’m happy.

PHOTOJOURNAL

This is Gwen almost exactly a year ago. Her right rear is not at all in the condition it is now. Something must have happened. No one is sure if this is DSLD.

Here she is, after her nap, checking out her new extended area. (I have to put barriers to keep the dogs out of there.)

She walks all around

Gwen asking for more food.

Being typical Gwen, she dumped her low carb pellets… she wanted the other kind of pellets! I know she did this on purpose. Gwen looked at me, sighed and dumped her bowl.