I know that this blog is usually about Remington and his adventures, but in many ways, those adventures involve other animals and the humans around him. So, once in a while there may be a story or two that will feature the others in his life.
Today has been a rather long day of donkey sitting. No, the donkey isn't sitting, I am. You see, Remi and trainer mom left early this morning to go to the horseshoeing school for a much needed hoofacure and Donk is not happy about it at all.
He's been very lonesome, much like Remi was after the other horses left the property. He has spent the whole day being as busy as a donkey can be, looking here, there and everywhere for his best buddy and being very vocal about it. "Where are you bud, I can't find you anywhere." Is it pulling on your heart strings yet?
So, just like I did with Remi, I have spent many hours going back and forth to the barn, keeping him company, making sure he doesn't escape through some passage way to small for Remi, but just right for him. I've brushed him several times, let him come into the stalls with me while I was cleaning them, and just generally being a donkey buddy.
Oh my word, what have I become? And don't say a donkey or I will not be amused :) Poor little guy has been braying like nobody's business. When I've been with him, he has been so mopey and at times seemingly ticked off at me. After all, I put the halter on Remi and I helped load him up in that big box on wheels that whisked him away. Of course, it's my fault and he's barely talking to me. How dare I aid and abet his departure? My bad!
I keeping telling him Remi will be home soon, but of course you know by now that translates to blah, blah, blah, blah, so I'll spare you the extra details. My heart just goes out to the little guy. Prior to posting, I went back to the barn to check on him and he's just laying in his room sulking. Oh for heavens sake, what do you want me to do? I can't stay down here forever, and you're barely talking to me anyway, so where's the compromise, huh? You know what the answer is, "make Remi appear before him." Um, right now, I can't um, because you see, I don't have him, but I swear to you, he'll be home soon, ok. Badonkadonk, I said ok? Nothing, nada, moping continues, dang it all.
Perhaps this will be good practice for him, because once the holidays are here, Remi will be gone a lot, earning his keep. And, I guess it's good practice for me, because I can clearly see the constant "donkey sitting" coming full force at me. Red Bull, 5 hour energy drink and a good pair of walking shoes, coming right up. Yes siree babalooie, I'm on it.
But, we'll get through it and Donk will have a buddy to keep him company, even if that buddy walks on two legs. I guess I better get to work practicing donkey talk or it's gonna be a long winter.
I just love that little guy and even though he's not talking to me, I think he kinda likes me too. Haw, hee haw, hee haw. How'd I do? Hang on little buddy, I'm coming down to tuck you in.
Stay Tuned, Stay Happy and Stay with us!
Monday, August 30, 2010
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Say What?
The dog days of summer continue on at the ole ranchette. Remi and Donk spend most of their time hanging out at the barn under the mist system and fans happily munching hay and being bored.
Both of them are delighted when we come to the barn to do chores. It gives them something to do, like aggravate us and get in our way. If we go to the feed stall to fill a hay bag, we have to shut the gate, or they will both walk right in.
The other day, they took their positions right outside the gate as I set about refilling their hay bag. I threw the chain over the gate to keep them out and I swear I saw Remi nudge Donk, who then proceeded to push on the gate to try and open it.
When that didn't work, Donk started yanking on the towel that was looped through the gate, while Remi kept a close eye on the situation. "Ok, pushing it didn't work, let's try pulling it".
I stopped what I was doing, walked to the gate and had a little talk with the both of them. Now this has to be a good comedy show for anyone watching, because neither one of them understands anything I'm saying. They're hearing Blah, blah, blah, blah, which translates to keep standing there and annoy the human.
Ok, hay bag is filled, it's time to clean the stalls. Because the hay bag is hung right in front of Donk's gate, it makes it a little difficult to get in and out. Now, you might ask, why don't we hang it somewhere else and the answer is, because the fans and mist system work best in that location.
Trainer Mom was in Remi's stall and I was trying to get into Donk's stall. So, I said "let me in Remipup" and he didn't move. C'mon Remi, let me in. Nothing, no movement at all. So then I said, "Move your big honkin' nose out of my way". Of course that didn't work either. Once again, blah, blah, blah, blah...
Then I hear the voice from the other stall "ya know, you might try using a command he knows instead of get your big honkin' nose out of my way." So, it's me who get's the lesson and it's me who can't use the blah blah blah blah to ignore my mistake. Darn it all anyway. She is right though and I can't expect Remi to do what I tell him to do if he doesn't understand what I'm saying.
Of course there are times when I do give him the commands he knows and he turns on the stubborn and ignores me anyway. And then there's Donk who was never taught any commands, doesn't care if he learns any commands and I'll just bet tells Remi how to more effectively ignore us. But that's another story in itself.
So, I'm back to practicing commands in a more stern voice and we'll see how that goes. I know for sure "move ya big donkey" and "get your big honkin' nose out of my way" really don't work because after all, it's just blah blah blah blah to the boys.
Stay Tuned, Stay Happy and Stay with Us!
Both of them are delighted when we come to the barn to do chores. It gives them something to do, like aggravate us and get in our way. If we go to the feed stall to fill a hay bag, we have to shut the gate, or they will both walk right in.
The other day, they took their positions right outside the gate as I set about refilling their hay bag. I threw the chain over the gate to keep them out and I swear I saw Remi nudge Donk, who then proceeded to push on the gate to try and open it.
When that didn't work, Donk started yanking on the towel that was looped through the gate, while Remi kept a close eye on the situation. "Ok, pushing it didn't work, let's try pulling it".
I stopped what I was doing, walked to the gate and had a little talk with the both of them. Now this has to be a good comedy show for anyone watching, because neither one of them understands anything I'm saying. They're hearing Blah, blah, blah, blah, which translates to keep standing there and annoy the human.
Ok, hay bag is filled, it's time to clean the stalls. Because the hay bag is hung right in front of Donk's gate, it makes it a little difficult to get in and out. Now, you might ask, why don't we hang it somewhere else and the answer is, because the fans and mist system work best in that location.
Trainer Mom was in Remi's stall and I was trying to get into Donk's stall. So, I said "let me in Remipup" and he didn't move. C'mon Remi, let me in. Nothing, no movement at all. So then I said, "Move your big honkin' nose out of my way". Of course that didn't work either. Once again, blah, blah, blah, blah...
Then I hear the voice from the other stall "ya know, you might try using a command he knows instead of get your big honkin' nose out of my way." So, it's me who get's the lesson and it's me who can't use the blah blah blah blah to ignore my mistake. Darn it all anyway. She is right though and I can't expect Remi to do what I tell him to do if he doesn't understand what I'm saying.
Of course there are times when I do give him the commands he knows and he turns on the stubborn and ignores me anyway. And then there's Donk who was never taught any commands, doesn't care if he learns any commands and I'll just bet tells Remi how to more effectively ignore us. But that's another story in itself.
So, I'm back to practicing commands in a more stern voice and we'll see how that goes. I know for sure "move ya big donkey" and "get your big honkin' nose out of my way" really don't work because after all, it's just blah blah blah blah to the boys.
Stay Tuned, Stay Happy and Stay with Us!
Sunday, August 1, 2010
Remi's Bodyguard
Remington is one happy and content horse since his little buddy arrived. I don't know if he knows that he has a protector in his pal or not, but I do believe he senses the comfort.
Not that we have lots of predators roaming the area, but there are coyotes, wild pigs and the occasional bobcat that come sniffing around. It's nice to know that Remi has a bodyguard to help keep him safe.
It was pretty cool the other day when a neighbor's dog was out roaming to close to the fence. Donk was happily munching hay with Remi under the shade at the barn, when he went into alert mode. Up went the ears, and he turned around and eyed that dog very closely.
He very slowly stepped out behind Remi and watched till the dog was out of site before turning around to resume eating his snack. Now, Mr. oblivious didn't even know what was going on since he had his nose buried so deep in the hay bag and Donk was a good boy and didn't tell him :)
The two of them are great pals for sure and Donk's new game is to run up to Remi from the other side of the pasture with his ears pinned back and then come to a screeching halt. Remi will turn around and look at him with that look of "what the heck are you doing shorty?" and just ignore him. So, back to the other end of the pasture Donk will go and the play charge will start all over again.
It just cracks me up to watch the two of them. They truly are a Mutt and Jeff duo. It's been so hot lately that the two of them have been hanging close to the barn under the mist system and fans. Donk didn't know what to make of the mist system at first, but has now caught on that this is quite a good thing. Wherever Remi goes, you can be sure that Donk is not far behind.
I think he likes all the "pardon the pun", creature comforts of the ole ranchette. He didn't know what to make of his stall at first, but now loves to go in and roll around in the bedding. He'll lay there for a little while, but get's up and down quite frequently to go stand at Remi's gate, share a little hay and protect his big bud. I wonder what they talk about?
Of course, Remi has to push the little guy around every once in awhile just to exert his dominance over his herd, but he doesn't do it in a mean way. He just wants Donk to know that he has the power to do so. Donk doesn't give a darn, he'll just walk away and wait for his opportunity to get back in and grab a mouthful of hay.
If any of you have horses or livestock of any kind and don't have a donkey, I would highly recommend that you think about getting one. They are really easy keepers and take their job of protecting the herd very seriously. And, they can be very sweet and a lot of fun. I'm certainly glad we have Donk around and Remington is too.
Stay Tuned, Stay Happy and Stay with Us!
Not that we have lots of predators roaming the area, but there are coyotes, wild pigs and the occasional bobcat that come sniffing around. It's nice to know that Remi has a bodyguard to help keep him safe.
It was pretty cool the other day when a neighbor's dog was out roaming to close to the fence. Donk was happily munching hay with Remi under the shade at the barn, when he went into alert mode. Up went the ears, and he turned around and eyed that dog very closely.
He very slowly stepped out behind Remi and watched till the dog was out of site before turning around to resume eating his snack. Now, Mr. oblivious didn't even know what was going on since he had his nose buried so deep in the hay bag and Donk was a good boy and didn't tell him :)
The two of them are great pals for sure and Donk's new game is to run up to Remi from the other side of the pasture with his ears pinned back and then come to a screeching halt. Remi will turn around and look at him with that look of "what the heck are you doing shorty?" and just ignore him. So, back to the other end of the pasture Donk will go and the play charge will start all over again.
It just cracks me up to watch the two of them. They truly are a Mutt and Jeff duo. It's been so hot lately that the two of them have been hanging close to the barn under the mist system and fans. Donk didn't know what to make of the mist system at first, but has now caught on that this is quite a good thing. Wherever Remi goes, you can be sure that Donk is not far behind.
I think he likes all the "pardon the pun", creature comforts of the ole ranchette. He didn't know what to make of his stall at first, but now loves to go in and roll around in the bedding. He'll lay there for a little while, but get's up and down quite frequently to go stand at Remi's gate, share a little hay and protect his big bud. I wonder what they talk about?
Of course, Remi has to push the little guy around every once in awhile just to exert his dominance over his herd, but he doesn't do it in a mean way. He just wants Donk to know that he has the power to do so. Donk doesn't give a darn, he'll just walk away and wait for his opportunity to get back in and grab a mouthful of hay.
If any of you have horses or livestock of any kind and don't have a donkey, I would highly recommend that you think about getting one. They are really easy keepers and take their job of protecting the herd very seriously. And, they can be very sweet and a lot of fun. I'm certainly glad we have Donk around and Remington is too.
Stay Tuned, Stay Happy and Stay with Us!
Saturday, July 10, 2010
Best Buds
It's been a couple of weeks now since Donk joined the family at the ole ranchette. Remi couldn't be happier and he has taken quite well to his new little buddy. And, I must say, the feeling is mutual as far as Donk is concerned because he just loves the big guy.
We couldn't be happier because you know how much we love Remington and want to make sure he stays happy and healthy.
I have to say it's been an absolute blast getting to know Donk. He's already figured out that there's lots of spoiling that goes on around here and he's the first one up to the gate to stare you down and stand smack dab in the way until you give him a good scritchen'.
Remi will ramble up behind him and it takes an act of Congress to get by the two of them. Where ever one goes, the other isn't far behind and they have become quite inseparable. Last weekend Remi was in his stall because it was raining and someone I know (uh me :O) forgot to latch the hook on the gate.
It's not really a big deal because we have a stall guard up to keep Remi from getting out when we don't want him to. However, that doesn't work the other way in trying to keep one very smart Donkey from trying to spring his bud from lockup.
It seems that Donk figured out how to grab a hold of the chain and swing it over the gate. He nudge the gate open and waltzed right on in to visit his buddy's apartment while the humans were occupied elsewhere.
Trainer Mom went down to check on them and called me out there to see a little donkey head peering out from under the stall guard, and a look of "what the heck" coming from Remi's face. It was hysterical. There he was happily munching away while Remi was trying to figure out how to boot this guy out of his diggs.
It took some manipulating to get him out of there too. He is one stubborn animal and when he plants all fours and decides he isn't moving, he doesn't. But being more stubborn than he, did pay off as we got him out of the stall and secured Remi in until the rain passed.
Donk just doesn't like being away from Remi and it appears Remi doesn't like to be that far from Donk. They have become the best of buds and are as happy as can be. Since trainer mom already posted a picture of the pair, I know that you've already seen them side by side. Partners in crime and ever begging mode.
There's plenty of eyeball rubbing going around these days since they both like it. Their heads drop right to the ground when you get a good rub going. It's priceless and they enjoy it a lot.
So, it's happy times at the ole ranchette and we just love seeing them both together exploring the pasture, snooping around for some sort of mischief to get in to.
This past week as I left for work I said see ya later to the both of them as I always do. And from the darkness came a big ole bellow and one ginormous Hee Haw from the barn buddies. It started my day out great. Ya gotta love it.
Stay Tuned, Stay Happy and Stay with us!
We couldn't be happier because you know how much we love Remington and want to make sure he stays happy and healthy.
I have to say it's been an absolute blast getting to know Donk. He's already figured out that there's lots of spoiling that goes on around here and he's the first one up to the gate to stare you down and stand smack dab in the way until you give him a good scritchen'.
Remi will ramble up behind him and it takes an act of Congress to get by the two of them. Where ever one goes, the other isn't far behind and they have become quite inseparable. Last weekend Remi was in his stall because it was raining and someone I know (uh me :O) forgot to latch the hook on the gate.
It's not really a big deal because we have a stall guard up to keep Remi from getting out when we don't want him to. However, that doesn't work the other way in trying to keep one very smart Donkey from trying to spring his bud from lockup.
It seems that Donk figured out how to grab a hold of the chain and swing it over the gate. He nudge the gate open and waltzed right on in to visit his buddy's apartment while the humans were occupied elsewhere.
Trainer Mom went down to check on them and called me out there to see a little donkey head peering out from under the stall guard, and a look of "what the heck" coming from Remi's face. It was hysterical. There he was happily munching away while Remi was trying to figure out how to boot this guy out of his diggs.
It took some manipulating to get him out of there too. He is one stubborn animal and when he plants all fours and decides he isn't moving, he doesn't. But being more stubborn than he, did pay off as we got him out of the stall and secured Remi in until the rain passed.
Donk just doesn't like being away from Remi and it appears Remi doesn't like to be that far from Donk. They have become the best of buds and are as happy as can be. Since trainer mom already posted a picture of the pair, I know that you've already seen them side by side. Partners in crime and ever begging mode.
There's plenty of eyeball rubbing going around these days since they both like it. Their heads drop right to the ground when you get a good rub going. It's priceless and they enjoy it a lot.
So, it's happy times at the ole ranchette and we just love seeing them both together exploring the pasture, snooping around for some sort of mischief to get in to.
This past week as I left for work I said see ya later to the both of them as I always do. And from the darkness came a big ole bellow and one ginormous Hee Haw from the barn buddies. It started my day out great. Ya gotta love it.
Stay Tuned, Stay Happy and Stay with us!
Friday, July 2, 2010
Mutt & Jeff
I took this photo for y'all. I will let Cheryl tell you the next story. but suffice it to say they are a Mutt and Jeff team.. I want to get furry extensions for Donks legs.
Sunday, June 27, 2010
Remi's Little Buddy
It's been a while since my last post because as usual, it's be chaotic to say the least. Two weeks ago we finally bid so long to Nip and Tuck. They are now living in Virginia, and from all reports are happy and well.
Remi seemed a tad upset even though he still had Tank around to keep him company. But that special arrangement came to a screeching halt when Tank's daddy called and said he needed him to come back.
Oh noooo, now what are we going to do? Remi is not going to like being alone one bit and we certainly didn't need him getting off his feed again. We knew that Tank would be going back one day, but that day came up quicker than we would have liked, so we had to spring into action.
We knew we couldn't get another horse right now, and we certainly didn't want to get a goat. Thanks but um, nope not happening. So we set our sights on getting him a donkey to keep him company.
We found a little guy named Wally who was very sweet and needed a good home. Wally had half an ear after getting into it with the owner's dog, but it didn't seem to bother him in the least. Off we went to go pick Wally up. Uh yeah, easier said than done. After almost an hour in the sweltering heat, he wasn't budging and alas, Wally went back to his pasture and we headed home with an empty trailer.
A touch of panic set in and we hit the ads to see if we could locate another buddy for Remi. Everyone that looked like they may work was already gone by the time we called so we really didn't know what we were going to do at that point.
Tank left on a Saturday and I spent well over 5 hours down at the barn keeping my boy company. He was bellowing something fierce and wandering the property looking for his bud. We knew we couldn't stay down there 24x7 and decided on Sunday we would start the search again.
Lo and behold a miracle happened and it was truly a blessing. We had just gotten in 139 bales of hay and there was no way Remi could go through all that so Trainer Mom placed an ad to sell some of it. A man from a nearby town came and bought 25 bales and in the course of a conversation, Trainer Mom asked if he knew anyone who had a donkey because Remi needed a bud.
He not only knew someone, but that someone was himself. He had several donkeys that he wanted to find homes for because the herd was getting to big. So we traded him 3 bales of hay, Trainer Mom followed him home and back she came with Remi's new friend.
As she drove the trailer to the front of the barn, Remi was following it closely trying to figure out what the heck was in there. His little buddy let out a Hee without the Haw and Remi jumped backwards and started shaking his head. As Trainer Mom led the little guy out, Remi couldn't quite put his hoof on what this creature was.
The donkey took one look at Remi and rambled off to the other side of the pasture. Well, of course, you know my curious boy, he had to go stick his nose where it didn't belong and learned real soon that his new little bud had back feet that could fly pretty high. "Hmmm, that wasn't fun" he seemed to be thinking.
We watched for awhile and they seemed to be settling in to getting to know each other. By the next day, they were pretty well sticking together. Remi stopped his bellowing and seems to like his little friend. When we go down to feed in the morning now, they are both waiting at the fence and we are greeted with a huge Hee Haw and a sweet nicker.
We started calling the new addition Donk. He seems to be learning his name and he loves to follow you around and will stand in your way until you give him a good scritchin'. He's a great addition to the ranchette and we are very happy and grateful he's here. Remi has someone to keep him company and bust away from the hay bags, but he also has someone who will be by his side and keep him from being lonely.
Here's Donk grabbing some shade from the hot summer sun. He's so cute and sweet. Ya just gotta love him. And I have to say, I think Remi does too.
Stay tuned, Stay happy and Stay with us!
Remi seemed a tad upset even though he still had Tank around to keep him company. But that special arrangement came to a screeching halt when Tank's daddy called and said he needed him to come back.
Oh noooo, now what are we going to do? Remi is not going to like being alone one bit and we certainly didn't need him getting off his feed again. We knew that Tank would be going back one day, but that day came up quicker than we would have liked, so we had to spring into action.
We knew we couldn't get another horse right now, and we certainly didn't want to get a goat. Thanks but um, nope not happening. So we set our sights on getting him a donkey to keep him company.
We found a little guy named Wally who was very sweet and needed a good home. Wally had half an ear after getting into it with the owner's dog, but it didn't seem to bother him in the least. Off we went to go pick Wally up. Uh yeah, easier said than done. After almost an hour in the sweltering heat, he wasn't budging and alas, Wally went back to his pasture and we headed home with an empty trailer.
A touch of panic set in and we hit the ads to see if we could locate another buddy for Remi. Everyone that looked like they may work was already gone by the time we called so we really didn't know what we were going to do at that point.
Tank left on a Saturday and I spent well over 5 hours down at the barn keeping my boy company. He was bellowing something fierce and wandering the property looking for his bud. We knew we couldn't stay down there 24x7 and decided on Sunday we would start the search again.
Lo and behold a miracle happened and it was truly a blessing. We had just gotten in 139 bales of hay and there was no way Remi could go through all that so Trainer Mom placed an ad to sell some of it. A man from a nearby town came and bought 25 bales and in the course of a conversation, Trainer Mom asked if he knew anyone who had a donkey because Remi needed a bud.
He not only knew someone, but that someone was himself. He had several donkeys that he wanted to find homes for because the herd was getting to big. So we traded him 3 bales of hay, Trainer Mom followed him home and back she came with Remi's new friend.
As she drove the trailer to the front of the barn, Remi was following it closely trying to figure out what the heck was in there. His little buddy let out a Hee without the Haw and Remi jumped backwards and started shaking his head. As Trainer Mom led the little guy out, Remi couldn't quite put his hoof on what this creature was.
The donkey took one look at Remi and rambled off to the other side of the pasture. Well, of course, you know my curious boy, he had to go stick his nose where it didn't belong and learned real soon that his new little bud had back feet that could fly pretty high. "Hmmm, that wasn't fun" he seemed to be thinking.
We watched for awhile and they seemed to be settling in to getting to know each other. By the next day, they were pretty well sticking together. Remi stopped his bellowing and seems to like his little friend. When we go down to feed in the morning now, they are both waiting at the fence and we are greeted with a huge Hee Haw and a sweet nicker.
We started calling the new addition Donk. He seems to be learning his name and he loves to follow you around and will stand in your way until you give him a good scritchin'. He's a great addition to the ranchette and we are very happy and grateful he's here. Remi has someone to keep him company and bust away from the hay bags, but he also has someone who will be by his side and keep him from being lonely.
Here's Donk grabbing some shade from the hot summer sun. He's so cute and sweet. Ya just gotta love him. And I have to say, I think Remi does too.
Stay tuned, Stay happy and Stay with us!
Sunday, May 23, 2010
Can't Touch This
For those of us who have a tendency to spoil our animals, we know that it can turn and bite us in the hindquarters big time. Those fur critters sure know where the buttons are and they sure know how to push them. And the big fur kid on the ranchette is no exception.
A few posts back, I wrote about the fire ants that Remington got into and his allergic reaction to them, the ongoing treatments and his ever present resistance to those treatments. Well, the saga continues, because after much research, vet visits, and different methods of trying to cure the situation, it seems he's also developed a problem with biting insects in general. You know, those pesky no seeum's, biting flies and of course don't forget the wasps and mosquito's. Egads, this is Texas, the list is endless.
If a mosquito bites us, we tend to scratch the afflicted area, but since Remi has no fingers, he sets about biting at his legs which causes extra problems with infection. Having massive amounts of hair on his legs only served to exaggerate the problem by incubating the outbreaks. No matter how much medicine we applied, it wasn't getting though all the way. So, in order to get this situation more in control, his feathers had to be shaved off. Yes, I now have a bald legged Clydesdale. Hmmm, sounds like a song may be in there somewhere, (Remi the bald legged Clydesdale) :)
Trainer mom has endured several hours of back breaking hair removal and Remi, well let's just say, isn't cooperating like he should be. Oh, he'll stand there for a little bit, but approach his left back leg where the trouble all began and he starts to swinging it around and getting himself prepped for major cow kicking action. "No, don't touch me, whaa, I don't like it."
He's not being malicious, he's just being a gigantic, spoiled, pain in the rear. And it's not flying to well with poor trainer mom who has been knocked off balance, done several tuck and rolls in the stall and has ended up with major back pains and headaches. It's too bad he doesn't realize at the beginning that the medicine makes it feel better and is very soothing. Nope, the big knucklehead doesn't recall that little tidbit one iota.
The treatment we have going for him now seems to be working pretty well, and we're hopeful it will continue to help him get better. But let me tell you, he is on the "bad boy" list every day because of his big spoiled tude. He has never had a problem with sprays of any type until now. His horsie imagination goes ballistic when he hears that spray and it's close to his legs. Ok, I know what you're thinking, "it probably stings". Well, no it doesn't, because he has a coating of other medication to keep it from stinging.
Flat out he's being a big doofus and it's gotten old. So, how do you cure that problem, well we're still working on that one. But, let me tell you, trainer mom isn't letting him get away with it. She lets him know that his behavior is not acceptable. Of course, he goes into sulky Remi and pouts, but soon forgets why he's pouting and gets over it. That is until the next time and the whole progression of woose boy in a pony suit starts all over again.
Once we see that we'll have several days without rain, we'll begin the massive hunt and destruction of fire ant mounds, treatments for mites and other vicious varmits that are causing problems. Endless battle of the bugs all summer long, oh joy.
In spite of his little hissy spurts, Remi is still a big sweetie. So, I guess I'll keep him ;) So all of you with spoiled fur kids, keep on spoiling them and lovin' on 'em because the joy it brings outweighs many things. Uh, just remember to hide those buttons so they don't always get their way, if you know what I mean.
Stay tuned, Stay happy and Stay with us!
A few posts back, I wrote about the fire ants that Remington got into and his allergic reaction to them, the ongoing treatments and his ever present resistance to those treatments. Well, the saga continues, because after much research, vet visits, and different methods of trying to cure the situation, it seems he's also developed a problem with biting insects in general. You know, those pesky no seeum's, biting flies and of course don't forget the wasps and mosquito's. Egads, this is Texas, the list is endless.
If a mosquito bites us, we tend to scratch the afflicted area, but since Remi has no fingers, he sets about biting at his legs which causes extra problems with infection. Having massive amounts of hair on his legs only served to exaggerate the problem by incubating the outbreaks. No matter how much medicine we applied, it wasn't getting though all the way. So, in order to get this situation more in control, his feathers had to be shaved off. Yes, I now have a bald legged Clydesdale. Hmmm, sounds like a song may be in there somewhere, (Remi the bald legged Clydesdale) :)
Trainer mom has endured several hours of back breaking hair removal and Remi, well let's just say, isn't cooperating like he should be. Oh, he'll stand there for a little bit, but approach his left back leg where the trouble all began and he starts to swinging it around and getting himself prepped for major cow kicking action. "No, don't touch me, whaa, I don't like it."
He's not being malicious, he's just being a gigantic, spoiled, pain in the rear. And it's not flying to well with poor trainer mom who has been knocked off balance, done several tuck and rolls in the stall and has ended up with major back pains and headaches. It's too bad he doesn't realize at the beginning that the medicine makes it feel better and is very soothing. Nope, the big knucklehead doesn't recall that little tidbit one iota.
The treatment we have going for him now seems to be working pretty well, and we're hopeful it will continue to help him get better. But let me tell you, he is on the "bad boy" list every day because of his big spoiled tude. He has never had a problem with sprays of any type until now. His horsie imagination goes ballistic when he hears that spray and it's close to his legs. Ok, I know what you're thinking, "it probably stings". Well, no it doesn't, because he has a coating of other medication to keep it from stinging.
Flat out he's being a big doofus and it's gotten old. So, how do you cure that problem, well we're still working on that one. But, let me tell you, trainer mom isn't letting him get away with it. She lets him know that his behavior is not acceptable. Of course, he goes into sulky Remi and pouts, but soon forgets why he's pouting and gets over it. That is until the next time and the whole progression of woose boy in a pony suit starts all over again.
Once we see that we'll have several days without rain, we'll begin the massive hunt and destruction of fire ant mounds, treatments for mites and other vicious varmits that are causing problems. Endless battle of the bugs all summer long, oh joy.
In spite of his little hissy spurts, Remi is still a big sweetie. So, I guess I'll keep him ;) So all of you with spoiled fur kids, keep on spoiling them and lovin' on 'em because the joy it brings outweighs many things. Uh, just remember to hide those buttons so they don't always get their way, if you know what I mean.
Stay tuned, Stay happy and Stay with us!
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